Competences in Business Acumen and Communication for Heritage

<< Background >>BACH was driven by the EUROPEAN NEED to foster European identity, values and participation and rode on the awareness that:- operators of heritage structures occupy a key position to be a part of this European effort and- they may only fulfil this mission if heritage is adequately financed and supported, acknowledged and made accessible.BACH therefore works for the needs of:- THE PARTNERS IN THE HERITAGE SECTOR that stem from:their responsibility to bring heritage into socio economic sustainability,and their social mission and social role in social education andpart of the effort for sustainable cultural tourism.BACH also rode on the wave of initiatives that operators in heritage undertook in the COVID19 pandemic to keep museums open behind closed doors and their new consciousness that sustainability and relevance is of utmost importance.- PARTNERS IN ADULT EDUCATION that bring higher competences in heritage management, entrepreneurship, creativity and Foresight, sustainable development training into career development in heritage and- COMMUNITIES that vary according to the various social groups that constitute the social fabric through social education, higher employment and social inclusion through empowerment.<< Objectives >>BACH had two main objectives:1. INTRODUCING A BRAND NEW APPROACH TOWARDS BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT IN CULTURE AND HERITAGE that:- strikes a balance between socio economic sustainability and socio emotional wellbeing given the importance of culture to foster and cultivate a sense of belonging, national/regional/European identity and values,- puts quality and human centredness as the drivers for change for a heritage sector that opens up to new ideas and wider ownership and- makes heritage spaces a place for encounter and healthier social textures through inclusion and more active exchange.2. BROADENING VISION OF AND UPSKILLING PROFESSIONALS IN THE HERITAGE SECTOR SETTING THE TREND FOR OTHER SIMILAR COLLABORATIVE SELF/LEARNING PATHS INCLUDING THE START OF A NETWORK TO FURTHER THE BACH STRATEGY BEYOND THE PARTNERSHIP ie.- designing a training path that can be upscaled/ transferred to other sectors like cultural tourism etc.,- designing a business ideas and business development toolkit that enables testing and stressing of ideas through peerreview and measurement of creativity and impact against criteria based on the UN Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 and- starts the BACH Network for future sustainability for Heritage.<< Implementation >>We had:A. 5 Meetings and 3 Rounds of Training:1. Kick-off Coordination Meeting in Cordoba2. 1st Interim Coordination Meeting in Athens coinciding with training C1 for the testing of R1 ie. sample content by thepartners contributing content towards the Handbook on Building Business Acumen and Communication Strategies inHeritage3. 2nd Interim Coordination Meeting in the Hague coinciding with training C2 intended to bring the partners together witha common repertoire on the UN 17 Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 that will be adopted and adapted in theToolkit in R24. 3rd Interim Coordination Meeting coinciding with training C3 testing of R2 ie. Toolkit for Entrepreneurial Initiatives inHeritage and5. Final Coordination Meeting in Malta coinciding with Multiplier Event E2B. 3 Training Activities in Athens, the Hague and Rome coinciding with coordination meeting and with key junctures in the production and testing of the Handbook and ToolkitC. Production of ResultsR1 - Handbook on Building Business Acumen and Communication Strategies in Heritage and the additional production of a digital cooperation tool for joint ideation in heritageR2 - Toolkit for Entrepreneurial Initiatives in HeritageR3 - The BACH European NetworkD. 5 Multiplier Events in Malta, the Hague, Athens, Cordoba and Rome where the partners are located.E. Three horizontal activities related to coordination, monitoring and dissemination1. Management & Coordination2. Dissemination & Communications Effort3. Validation & Quality Management<< Results >>TANGIBLE RESULTS1. BACHproject Handbook published here https://projectbach.eu/BACH_Handbook in digital pdf form and online slideshare2. BACHproject Toolkit published here https://projectbach.eu/BACH_Handbook in digital pdf form and online slideshare3. BACHproject Digital Cooperation Tool published here https://projectbach.eu/FIGMA4. BACHnetwork published here https://projectbach.eu/BACHnetwork in permanent growthINTANGIBLE RESULTS1. NEW FORM OF COOPERATION BETWEEN PLAYERS IN HERITAGE AND ADULT EDUCATION BACH players in heritage investing resources to:- upskill their staff in the area of entrepreneurship and communication in heritage to meet present situation needs and to embark on medium term strategies and therefore they will work in close tandem with adult education providers that also share medium term visions,- generate impact beyond a one time or sporadic training for their staff especially those who are or will be involved in business development for their organisations because this also requires a plan that includes follow up and maintenance over a period of time and- be in key with contexts beyond their structures to reach and meet several audiences, open up their organisations and heritage spaces to more players and more than this to be in key with the times and this cooperation with adult education providers will put them on the path that is future oriented and that is inspired by economic and social considerations for sustainability. Hence the adoption of the UN 17 sustainability goals for 2030 as criterion for quality in their business development.2. SHIFT IN MINDSET ABOUT HERITAGEfrom the unfortunate perception that heritage is elitist and for the few, for the tourist and maybe for children in school outings and from the struggle between many bids for heritage operators to up their economic sustainability and the frequent resistance for a structure hosting a conference even from the public that would have never set foot in the very same museum. It is a shift from the common mindset that heritage as unsustainable from the outset and is expected to live on air or government financing. Socio emotional baggage and this perception that the sector's peculiarities do not make it compatible with entrepreneurial initiatives or with profit. The thing is that this applies to many heritage professionals and to the public and to the authorities and social players.BACH promotes this mind shift through more knowledge and skills that :- balance economic with socio-emotional considerations in the generation of business ideas in heritage,- provide for wider ownership through communication so that ideas are owned by other players from the outset and- bring players together around a set of parameters to assess viability and quality of entrepreneurial paths to up economic and social sustainability in heritage (based on the UN17 sustainability goals).The shift in mindset is therefore from from presumed unsustainability to one of presumed necessity that heritage become a morecentral player in the social education and social texture and a more visible economic player with enormous positive impact on the whole community.