PRESS ARTICLE
GUIMARAES FILM FESTIVAL | a case study for supporting small and medium sized enterprises become visible and known despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Base of the presentation of Mrs. Vera Soares, Cim do AVE, Portugal
The intention of Municipality of Guimarães was to host an international film festival in a municipality with a strong vocation and history linked to the textile and fashion production sector. On the other hand to promote, strengthen and position Guimarães in the international fashion context, creativity, design and multimedia production. The Municipality aimed at involving companies, universities and research centres, highlighting Guimarães in the international context of innovation and creativity.
The Municipality of Guimarães, through Guimarães Marca, intended to consolidate a set of actions in a promotional event which connects the cinema with the local business ecosystem. This initiative includes the production of digital communication content for both the project and individually for all participants.
For each company, a digital multimedia portfolio was created composed by images and video. This digital portfolio can be used in each company's communication strategy. All the individual portfolios are compiled into a single one, allowing both individual or collective promotion for dissemination through new technology and communication tools.
These digital communication elements allow SME´s to make the best use of the new communication platforms that are expected to replace some traditional models, namely physical international events, with online/virtual events, where multimedia contents will be the main communication tool.
New Creator’s Showcase: the objective of this initiative is to make companies aware of the activity of Fashion Schools and designers, in order to develop permanent actions for the creation of new products, through experiences and the combination of materials, technologies, elements of innovation and fashion. With this initiative, companies and research centers will be more connected in the international context of innovation and creativity.
Results achieved
Participation in the Fashion Film Festival promotes the integration of creativity and design with digital communication strategies. The edition had more than 100 films in competition from countries as different as Russia, Brazil, United States, Bolivia, China, Singapore, Italy and, of course, Portugal.
With the Showcase Guimarães Marca event it was possible to promote more than 40 companies nationally and internationally and provide these companies with a digital portfolio of their products at a time when they were prevented from attending fairs and visiting their customers following the pandemic situation in 2020 /2021.
This initiative was awarded by the Lisbon Awards group for its innovative character.
