The ACT | UJ Arts & Culture Conference, taking place from 8-10 March 2015, offers great opportunities for entrepreneurs working in creative industries.
As an exciting addition to this year’s conference programme, creative entrepreneurs will have an opportunity to learn the art of the perfect pitch. Participants will then have a chance to put this theory to the test in a Live Pitch session, competing against fellow delegates for project funding totalling R100 000.
“This year’s conference has a strong thematic focus on the creative entrepreneur, and we would like to help ‘creatives make it happen’ in practical ways as well,” says Arts & Culture Trust CEO Pieter Jacobs.
The presentation offered during the ‘Pitch Perfect’ session, presented by business guru Michael Rubenstein, will help the business-minded and inspired creative hone their idea-selling skills. Tying in with the conference’s overall purpose, the workshop will be utilised to present attendees with practical methods to maximise their own ideas, and how to put these into practice within their respective environments.
Pieter Jacobs adds, “The practical application of theory is vitally important to the learning process, as personal experience often leads to a deeper understanding of a concept. ACT and Nedbank Arts Affinity are delighted to give conference delegates an opportunity to put their new pitching skills to the test.”
Sponsored by the Arts & Culture Trust (ACT) and Nedbank Arts Affinity, three grants to the value of R10 000, R30 000 and R60 000, will be made available to the winning projects.
Delegates registered to attend Cluster 4: ‘LEARN IT powered by Business and Arts South Africa’, or attending this cluster as part of the full conference package, are eligible to participate in the programme. Applicants are required to complete an online application form via www.creativeconference.co.za, no later than 27 February. Candidates will then be required to participate in the ‘Pitch Perfect’ training session that will be presented as part of the conference.
Shortlisted projects will be given three minutes to pitch their ideas during the Live Pitch that follows that afternoon, where individuals and representatives of organisations and/or businesses will have the opportunity to sell their creative project idea(s). This will be followed by a Q&A from the panel of judges, and the winners will be announced at the closing party that evening.
The 2015 conference presents an invaluable chance for people working at different levels and in different contexts in the sector, to meet and learn from one another. By engaging with entrepreneurs, artists, manufacturers, consumers, policy makers and implementers, the conference will showcase alternative ways of cultivating business ideas in a contemporary South Africa.
The ACT | UJ Arts & Culture Conference is presented by the Arts & Culture Trust, UJ Arts & Culture and British Council Connect ZA, with support from the Department of Arts and Culture, Business and Arts South Africa (BASA), SAMRO Foundation, Pro Helvetia, the European Union, the SA-UK Seasons 2014 & 2015; and media partners Classicfeel magazine and UJfm. The conference will run from the 8 – 10 March 2015, based at the University of Johannesburg (UJ).
Tickets are now available via www.webtickets.co.za. Tickets range from R200 for one cluster, to R1000 for a full conference pass (Clusters 1 to 5). Student passes are R350 for attendance of clusters 2 to 5. To stay up to date with information and opportunities, visit www.creativeconference.co.za @actujconference #creativesmakeithappen
NOTES TO EDITORS
Michael Rubenstein has spent the last 20 years in various marketing roles including a 13 year stint at the SABC (South Africa Broadcasting Corporation) and 6 years at financial services company, BankservAfrica. Michael’s passion is around services marketing and B2B marketing with a special interest in building brands. He loves crafting marketing strategies and creating conceptual ideas to deliver on that strategy.
Michael has a degree in Communications, a PR diploma, a Management diploma, an honours in strategic marketing and is currently studying for his Masters in strategic marketing. Michael recently climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro – the largest freestanding mountain in the world. Michael is currently a marketing strategist at BrandQuantum a brand consistency business and is also a social entrepreneur – mentoring and guiding various arts organisations on business, marketing and creative strategy.
The ARTS & CULTURE TRUST (ACT) is South Africa’s premier independent arts funding and development agency. The primary aim of ACT is to increase the amount of funding available for arts and culture initiatives, and to apply these funds to innovative, sustainable projects that make a meaningful contribution to society. Through structured funding programmes, ACT provides support for all expressions of arts and culture, including literature, music, visual art, theatre and dance, and the support extends to festivals, community arts initiatives, arts management, arts education and arts administration. Follow ACT on Twitter at https://twitter.com/#!/actorgza or like the Trust’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Arts-Culture-Trust-ACT/162339817162875
UJ Arts & Culture (Advancement) produces and presents world-class student and professional arts programmes aligned to the UJ vision of an international university of choice, anchored in Africa, dynamically shaping the future. A robust range of arts platforms are offered on all four UJ campuses for students, staff, alumni and the general public to experience and engage with emerging and established Pan-African and international artists drawn from the full spectrum of the arts. For regular updates follow @UJArtsCentre on Twitter or visit www.uj.ac.za/arts.
British Council Connect ZA is a major new series of cultural exchanges between the United Kingdom and South Africa marking 2014 as a celebration of 20 years of democracy in South Africa. From 2013 to 2015, the programme will support cultural connections between young people aged 18-35 in the United Kingdom and South Africa with a series of arts projects, and use digital platforms to build creative networks through live music, film, visual art and design. The project is part of SA-UK Seasons 2014 and 2015 which is a partnership between the Department of Arts & Culture, South Africa and the British Council. #connectza @connect¬_za connectza.tumblr.com
Author: Gilly Hemphill from The Famous Idea.
More Info link: https://www.creativeconference.co.za/opportunities/
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