Fö N Creative
Summit 2022

The declared aim, according to WEI SRAUM. Designforum founder and kreativland.tirol initiator Kurt Höretzeder, is to bring the enormous power inherent in creativity to the attention of society as a whole: “Creativity is not just a topic for a few great geniuses or for a private individual in a living room that has just been repainted. We need a deeper understanding of creativity – at work and in business, in society and politics.” The path to this understanding, as the diverse program of Fö N proved, is one with many approaches: Wolf Lotter, author, journalist and much-consulted expert on transformation and information, called for a creative revolution in his lecture, while copywriting legend Michael Matthiass then introduced the art of intuitive thinking. Cultural manager Elisabeth Schweeger addressed the potential of creativity for rural areas, before 14-time author and management consultant Jens-Uwe Meyer explained the need for innovation-driven action in companies. After a lunch break, Sonja Zant and Matthias Pöll took to the stage in the main hall of the Haus der Musik and pleaded for a redefinition of our relationship with creativity. Also as a duo, Maria Dietrich and Chris Müller presented their ideas of creative biotopes as an opportunity for cities and communities. In her talk, Anna Schneider, Director of the Creative Bureaucracy Festival Berlin, explained how even the seemingly dry world of bureaucracy can benefit from creative concepts. Stefan Klein was the last speaker of the festival to take to the stage. The physicist, philosopher and science writer underlined the value of the creative mind in a world of big data. It was precisely this creative spirit and its enormous potential for the economy and society that got the wind beneath its wings at the Fö N Kreativ-Summit. For Tom Jank, Chairman of the Advertising Section of the Tyrolean Economic Chamber and co-initiator of the summit, there is no question that creativity in Tyrol’s companies needs to be reassessed and re-evaluated. This is also made clear by the study presented at the Fö N Festival, which is dedicated to the question “How creative are Tyrol’s companies?”.

The study commissioned in spring 2022 by the advertising section of the Tyrolean Chamber of Commerce surveyed 300 Tyrolean companies across all sectors. Although 93% of respondents said that there would be no future without creativity, only 22% were able to explain the term almost correctly. This quickly puts into perspective the self-assessment of Tyrolean entrepreneurs, who rate themselves as quite creative with 7.3 out of a possible 10 points. The participants in the survey attest that the Tyrol as an economic region has little culture of innovation, with 43% claiming that there are no or hardly any creative companies in the Tyrol. And although 75% of respondents call for improved framework conditions for creative work and a full 86% would like to see greater support for the creative industries, only around half of companies budget resources to promote creativity and see no need for advice on developing professional creative ecosystems. For Tom Jank, one thing is clear: Tyrol’s economy urgently needs to catch up in terms of a contemporary, professional creative culture. “We are creating the necessary networks with flagship projects such as the Fö N Creative Summit. Tyrolean entrepreneurs just need to recognize how important it is to get involved now.” He receives encouragement from Gina Vedova, who as cluster manager for kreativland.tirol played a key role in the organization of Fö N. “Our Creative Summit is just the beginning of a series of events and measures designed to turn often unseen potential into a flourishing, creative Tyrol.” Opening speaker Wolf Lotter was enthusiastic about the quality and atmosphere at the Fö N Creative Summit and wished Tyrolean creatives the courage to take off. “Dare to break out of traditionalism and think outside the box. Our future needs people who can solve concrete problems and not just manage them”. The diverse program at the Creative Summit showed how this can be achieved. Because sometimes a Fö N day doesn’t give you a headache, but instead provides a breath of fresh air.