The AHEAD project concluded its journey with a dynamic final multiplier event in Brussels on October 13th, 2025, bringing together cultural professionals, researchers, and policymakers to explore how co-creation and audience-centered approaches can shape a more inclusive and innovative future for the cultural heritage sector.

“HERITAGE is proud to be a part of the AHEAD project, working to give Cultural Heritage Professionals the tools and methods to use design thinking to co-create new experiences with their target audiences and develop new audiences for their institutions,” said Roula Gkika, the organization’s AHEAD project manager.

Hosted at BeCentral, the event, titled “AHEAD in Brussels: Co-creation Tools for Cultural Heritage”, offered an engaging afternoon of presentations, discussions, and collaboration. Gilles Pellayo, representing the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), addressed participants, highlighting the project’s contribution to EU priorities in culture, participation, and capacity building.

Participants heard from AHEAD partners including the Archaeological Park of Ostia Antica, the National Museum and Research Center of Altamira, and the Archaeological Museum of Messara, alongside artists, researchers, and cultural managers who have co-developed and tested AHEAD’s participatory tools across Europe.

Through a series of interactive sessions, from a “World Café” on capacity building, innovation, and sustainability to collaborative discussions on turning project learnings into practical, long-term tools, attendees exchanged ideas and charted new paths for audience engagement and institutional change.

The event closed with reflections and a networking reception that celebrated the project’s achievements and the strong partnerships forged throughout its implementation.

Funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union, AHEAD has aimed to enhance the capacity of cultural heritage institutions through a participatory audience development model. Over the past two years, the project has developed co-creation frameworks and practical toolkits that empower museums and cultural organizations to engage their audiences as active partners in heritage interpretation and innovation.

HERITΛGE run the AHEAD Greek hub in the Archaeological Museum of Messara in Crete and contributed to the project’s capacity building, community engagement and communications work.

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HERITΛGE, as a proud member of the AHEAD (Accessible Heritage Experience for Audience Development) Consortium, is delighted to announce that we will host the third in a series of AHEAD online networking events.

AHEAD, funded by the EU’s Creative Europe Programme, seeks to transform audience development in the cultural heritage sector by applying human-centred approaches, learning by doing, and impact- and data-driven methodologies. The project’s vision is to foster innovation in working practices, empowering the sector to become more relevant to our communities, more financially sustainable, and better able to create opportunities for social, cultural, and economic growth.

Following successful events organised in July by the University of Deusto and Impact Valley, HERITΛGE will lead the next exchange:

Date: Wednesday, September 10, 2025
Time: 14:30 – 16:00 CET
Format: Online (registration required)

Theme: Partnership Models Between Heritage Institutions and Grassroots Organisations

This session will explore how heritage institutions and grassroots, community-based organisations can build sustainable, innovative partnerships that strengthen both cultural heritage and local communities. Through case studies from Greece, the event will highlight practical insights, challenges, and creative approaches to networking that foster collaboration based on mutual respect and shared goals.

The online event will feature two guests: HERITΛGE’s Theodosia Maroutsi, who is also a member of the Coordinating Committee of the Living Heritage Network (Greece), and Nikos Malatestas, Managing Director, Paros Ancient Marble Quarries Park (Greece).

The session will be hosted by Aris Anagnostopoulos, HERITΛGE Head of Community Engagement

We look forward to welcoming trainers, heritage professionals, artists, and changemakers from across Europe and beyond to this vibrant discussion. Don’t miss the opportunity to connect, share, and co-create new ideas for audience development in cultural heritage!

Register here to join the event. 

The fourth and final edition of the AHEAD online networking events will be organised by project coordinators MeltingPro. Stay tuned for details. 

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At HERITΛGE we are delighted to announce the launch of a new EU-funded project AHEAD (Accessible Heritage Experience for Audiennce Development). The project, that seeks to remodel the heritage experience and provide a blueprint to help cultural organizations develop and engage new and existing audiences, held its kick-off meeting in Rome on January 24-26 2024. 

AHEAD, which is funded by the European Union’s European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA),  brings together a dynamic consortium of partners, including Melting Pro (MEP), an Italian cultural consultancy that is responsible for managing the project; the Italian Ministry of Culture  (MIC), the University De Le Iglesia De Deusto, in Bilbao, Spain, and the Brussels-based innnovation agency Impact Valley. Participants include the Archaeological Park of Ostia Antica in Italy and the Altamira National Museum and Research Centre in Spain. 

Challenges in Cultural Heritage Sector and the AHEAD Impact Vision

Cultural Heritage (CH) stands as a vital economic and social resource for EU countries, yet many institutions face challenges in financial sustainability and audience engagement. AHEAD tackles these issues by addressing the low levels of entrepreneurial and audience-centered skills that are often found in cultural heritage institutions, introducing participatory audience development practices, and breaking down resistance to new marketing approaches among CH professionals all the while focusing on increasing accessibility for all and engaging local communities.

AHEAD’s vision is to innovate working practices in the CH sector by applying human-centered approaches, learning by doing, and data-driven methodologies. This transformative project aims to make the cultural heritage sector more relevant to communities, financially sustainable, and a catalyst for social, cultural, and economic growth.

The AHEAD Blueprint

AHEAD comprises three key components:

• Capacity Building Program: Enhancing the skills of CH professionals in Audience Development, Marketing & Promotion, and Business Models 

• AHEAD Model: Developing a participatory audience development practice, piloted with CH organizations from Spain, Italy, and Greece.

• Impact and Innovation Strategy: Creating a strategy to upscale the methodology at the EU and international levels, overcoming systemic barriers in management and participation.

The AHEAD journey began with its kick-off meeting in Rome on January 24-26. Partners collaborated on shaping the AHEAD manifesto for audience engagement, taking into account all three key components of the project. Notably, the meeting saw the participation of end-users, including representatives from the Archaeological Park of Ostia Antica and the National Museum and Research Center of Altamira who contribution vital insights for the development of the project’s components. 

During the project, HERITΛGE introduced partners and participants to SHIFT, a major EU-funded research project to make cultural heritage more appealing and inclusive. 

Importantly, the project wrapped up with a presentation of AHEAD and a networking session with representatives of Italian cultural institutions at Rome’s Europa Experience – David Sassoli building that showcases the institutions and contributions of the European Union. 

Stay tuned for updates as AHEAD unfolds, unlocking the full potential of cultural heritage for current and future generations.

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