Thematic Group: Networking for a Better Future

Networks take many forms and serve different purposes, but what makes a network more than a collection of its members? While its members are its essential building blocks, a network’s real value lies in the relationships between them: the connections, exchanges and collaborations that enable individuals and organisations to achieve together what they could not achieve alone.

In creative ecosystems, networks can open up new opportunities, facilitate knowledge sharing, build trust and strengthen collective capacity. Yet simply bringing people and organisations together does not guarantee meaningful collaboration. The real challenge lies in creating the conditions for relationships to grow, members to remain engaged, and collective potential to translate into tangible value.

This working group will explore networks as living structures shaped by the people within them and the relationships they build. What connects the members, what flows between them, and what emerges from their interactions ultimately defines the network’s character, resilience and potential. Looking beyond individual members, we will consider how networks can nurture meaningful connections, respond to shared needs and create value for both their members and the wider creative ecosystem.

Through shared experiences and collective reflection, participants will explore how networks can move beyond simply connecting actors towards cultivating relationships that strengthen the whole creative ecosystem.

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The working group is moderated by Relja Bobić, Director of operations at European Creative Hubs Network, a peer-led network with a mission to enhance the creative, economic and social impact of hubs around Europe and neighboring countries.

Relja Bobić has been active within the European cultural and creative ecosystem since the year 2000 as an independent cultural manager and curator, arts and events producer, and entrepreneur. He has initiated numerous cultural and artistic projects realised in Serbia, across Europe, as well as in the USA and Canada. He has worked on and taken part in numerous cultural events, co-founded four international festivals, curated exhibitions, conferences, publications and informal education programmes. In 2012, he was one of the co-founders of Nova Iskra in Belgrade, the pioneering creative hub in that part of Europe. Soon after, he co-founded the European Creative Hubs Network, where he is currently working as the Director of Operations. He lives and works between Belgrade, Athens, and Samothraki.

Olivia Kostifa will be reporting on the thematic group on behalf of VULCA Network.