When education meets show business

The research shows how not only cultural value is generated, but also a measurable economic impact, a fact that shows how culture and training can also be levers of development: every euro spent on the management of a film or theatre facility generates 1.7 euro of production of intermediate goods in the area and 2.4 euro of added value.

According to the latest available data, Agis member organisations realised, in just one year, more than 94 thousand live show events, involving over 39 million spectators and generating revenues in excess of 1.17 billion euros, with about 2 thousand associated theatres. The live show industry thus confirms itself as a strategic sector for the country system: a dynamic ecosystem involving thousands of professionals, each with specific skills, who work to make possible the realisation of events that represent a shared heritage.

In this context, training plays a fundamental role: this is where the University comes in, called upon to train the new generations with solid knowledge, critical vision and tools suited to an ever-changing sector. The objective is not only to transmit knowledge, but also to develop the design skills that are indispensable to become professionals in the sector.

This is why today, on the occasion of the celebrations of 'AGIS80 - Eighty Years of Entertainment', the alliance between these two institutions is renewed and takes on an emblematic value. Iulm University has been commissioned to create the official celebratory video, which will be screened on 7 December in dozens of Italian theatres and cinemas, and will host the National Day of Performing Arts next autumn, a moment of reflection on the role that live art continues to play in the construction of our cultural cohesion.

It is not just about events. It is about involving students in real projects, as was the case in the creation of the AGIS80 logo, designed by the students of our degree course in Strategic Communication. It is about accompanying training with professional experiences that stimulate creativity, responsibility and strategic thinking. In short, it is about transforming the university into a true laboratory of culture in motion.

In the public debate there is often talk - and rightly so - of new cultural policies. But upstream we need new educational policies, capable of reading the present and training tomorrow's cultural professionals. The university, in this sense, cannot just be an observer: it must become an active part of the creative supply chains, investing in dialogue with the territory, with cultural enterprises, and with institutions that generate vision.

Our experience with Agis proves it: when the worlds of entertainment and education come together, the result is not just a successful event. It is an ecosystem that grows, where culture, business, youth and community can find new languages and new directions.

Rector Iulm University