ECHO (European Concert Hall Organisation), Komodal and SPOT Groningen have joined forces with the Creative Europe project METAVENUES funded by the European Union.

What is the METAVENUES project?
The cultural sector is currently confronted with a revolution, characterized by the emergence of new digital technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things and eXtended Reality. This revolution has a particularly large impact on performing arts venues, which traditionally operate as physical spaces where artists and audience are connected to each other. After venue’s stages went dark during the COVID-19 pandemic years, ‘live’ is back and concerts and shows are again the main point of connection for artists and audiences. However, new technologies and digital trends continue to emerge.

What will the performing arts venue of the future look like?
The project aims to re-evaluate the value model of the performing arts venues, to define the new role for venues in the digital age based on the competences that new technology trends require. But venues do not operate in a vacuum and work in an intricate interplay between audience, artists, and performing arts professionals. All these groups are impacted by new technological trends. To this end, METAVENUES wants to bring together all these groups in a research and pilot project, with a holistic and practical design-thinking approach to come up with useful prototypes for European performing arts venues.

This project is based on the premise of that performing arts venues fulfil an important role in society as:
• Intermediary / facilitator between artist and audience
• Trend setters in art experience
• Talent developer for artists
• Promotor of local and national cohesion

These value models provide insight into where and how performing arts venues create value, the interaction with their stakeholders, as well as how they can find new opportunities to create value. This goes to show that the physical spaces of venues form a vital part of communities, both local or national. Venues are a place where people gather, where audiences can have unique cultural experiences and can learn about other perspectives.

But if venues move to the metaverse, will they still have a role in local society as a landmark and physical space for gatherings? When social media and streaming allow artist to connect to audience directly, what will be the role of venues and their marketing departments? If hybrid or VR performance formats change the audience experience, how can a venue facilitate this?

These are some of the questions that (some) venues currently ask themselves, and which are part of the main research question of this project: how do new technology trends influence and potentially enhance the roles that performing arts venues fulfil in society?