The spring EUROCITIES Culture Forum, held on 16-18 March in Eindhoven and 's-Hertogenbosch, focussed on “Technologies as a game changer for culture” and the concept of “eventfulness”. 

The forum examined the links between art, science and technology, and explored through practical experiments how the “triple helix” concept applies to culture in cities.

Through the discussions and work sessions, city delegates learned about Eindhoven’s transformation through a combination of technology and creativity. 

The founding of the Philips company in 1892 positioned Eindhoven as a major technological, industrial and design hub. When Philips closed down in 2000, the 270,000m2 Strijp industrial area, formerly home to the Philips offices, was turned into an art and technology hub dedicated to everything from research and development to cultural production and display. 

Strijp-S has become the high-tech creative and cultural centre of Eindhoven. Since 2008 'Cultuurfonds Strijp-S', a public-private fund, has been supporting initiatives, events and programmes in the Strijp-S area and contributes to its national and international reputation.

“Experiments” and “experiences” are key words for culture in Eindhoven. Culture is understood in its broad sense. In Eindhoven there is a focus on living laboratories where creatives, businesses and education work together intensively on innovative products and projects, in which new technological applications are tested. 

Using the concept of “Eventfulness”, the city of ‘s-Hertogenbosch deployed an integrated model to set-up world class events. 

A team of restoration experts was convened to convince museums around the world to lend their paintings for a unique retrospective celebrating the 500th anniversary of the death of local painter Hieronymus Bosch. 

Tickets for the exhibition have all sold out and Bosch's works are inspiring many other activities throughout 2016 with music festivals, art, dance performances in public space and light projections. 

“If you invest €1 in culture you get €5 into the city and €20 into the country” said Anton Rombouts, mayor of ‘s-Hertogenbosch.

Delegates also learned that failed bids for European Capitals of Culture can bring new opportunities. 

After an unsuccessful joint bid for European Capital of Culture 2018, the cities of Eindhoven and ‘s-Hertogenbosch, together with other cities from the Brabantstad network of cities and the Brabant province, continued working together, joined forces and created a fund for culture called ‘Brabant C’. The aim is to boost the national and international attraction of the Brabant area by strengthening art and culture.

Culture and the arts also play a key role in the integration process of newcomers in cities. Getting involved in cultural projects activates a sense of community and belonging and cultural projects give migrants and refugees the chance to make a contribution to their host societies. 

Delegates learned how cities’ cultural administrations can create situations for mutual learning and intercultural dialogue; develop bottom-up programmes; and train their staff to better address the needs of a diversified society.

The next EUROCITIES culture forum will take place in Oulu, Finland from 5-7 October, and will focus on cultural education and culture for children. 

Source: EUROCITIES

The European Capitals of Culture programme has grown immeasurably since its launch in 1985. 

“We started modestly 30 years ago and now we are typically having cities spend up to EUR 70-100m for a yearly programme being a European Capital of Culture,” says Karel Bartak, Head of the Creative Europe Coordination Unit at DG Education and Culture, European Commission.

“So it is very prestigious from the point of view that there is a huge interest in every country.”

Initiated by Greek culture minister Melina Mercouri and originally called “European City of Culture”, the programme was renamed “European Capitals of Culture” in 1999. Two hosts are now appointed each year, enabling a wider range of destinations to benefit. 

“In the past most of the bidding and winning cities were capital or very big cities, but now many of these have already been European Capitals of Culture, so now we are seeing smaller cities bidding and it brings a new and very interesting edge”.

“If you have a smaller place of 100-200,000 inhabitants, the impact is much, much bigger and also much more visible for the city's inhabitants than if you have a European Capital of Culture in say Paris or Athens.”

In 2013 the medium-sized Slovakian city of Kosice was a European Capital of Culture. 

“Everyone who comes from there says the city has been changed beyond recognition by the year, and it has really become a cultural hub including Ukraine, Hungary, Poland and so on,” says Bartak.

“In Umea last year in Sweden it was similar case; and this year the town of Mons in Belgium, which has only 80,000 inhabitants, is having a huge impact and the whole country is celebrating.”

Mons is joined by Pilsen in the Czech Republic as a European Capital of Culture for 2015.

How to bid

The bidding procedure is based on a “Decision” of the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, which is the legal basis for the selection and monitoring processes.

“This legal basis determines which countries are concerned with European Capital of Culture for the next eighteen years, so we all know well in advance which countries are going to be concerned,” says Bartak.

The country concerned typically issues a call for applications six years in advance of the title year. Interested candidates submit a bid book of 80-100 pages and present it to a panel that pre-selects a shortlist of candidates. 

The pre-selected candidates then have another seven to eight months to prepare the final bid. 

The panel is now composed of 10 members who are selected by European Commission, Parliament, Council and Committee of the Regions, plus two selected by the governments of bidding country. This international jury of experts is renewed by a third every year. 

The process is democratic. “The chairperson, who is always chosen by the jury from among its members, is always trying to have a consensus. But if there is no consensus then there is a vote,” says Bartak. 

“It is always tense as the responsibility is huge, cities investing a lot of energy, hope and financial resources in their bid.”

Once selected, the host cities have four years to prepare their programme for the year. During this phase, the Commission convenes monitoring meetings during which the panel give cities advice and guidance and take stock of their preparations.

How are the bids evaluated?

The international jury judges the bid on criteria specified in the Decision of the European Union. 

One of these criteria is the European dimension of the programme: how it brings to the fore the cultural diversity in Europe and our common cultural features, how it leads to new or reinforced cultural partnerships and cooperation at EU level. Another is the participation of the citizens and of the various cultural, social and economic stakeholders of the city in the design and implementation of the yearly programme. The jury also looks at sustainability and legacy issues as the project must be embedded into the longer term cultural development strategy of the city.

“They make sure that once the year is over the overall level of cultural life and the investment in culture has long lasting effect, and the level of cultural life stays much higher than it was before the year,” says Bartak.

“Besides that, the jury is looking into the financial sustainability – the composition of the package of money that is available. We are always keen on having a good mix between private and public funding and so on.”

The financial contribution of the European Commission is relatively small.

“The Melina Mercouri prize which is given to each city which has won the title is 1.5m Euros, so it is just a kind of symbolic contribution; otherwise the city has to find the budget. Many hosting cities however use the money coming from the EU Structural Funds.”

Future hosts

The selection process for 2020 European Capitals of Culture is now underway. Ireland and Croatia are currently running their competitions for 2020 and the bidding process is set to change slightly. 

“The current situation is that the Commission is monitoring the process, but is not at all interfering in it. This is run by the independent panel, the jury. Until now, the national governments and then the institutions of the EU (European Parliament, Commission and Council) would then take on board the recommendation of the jury,” says Bartak.

“As of the 2020 titles, this will be done differently; the jury will recommend the city to the government concerned, so the institutions of the European Union will be left out of the process – to make it simpler and less bureaucratic.”

The pre-selection process in Croatia was completed in May 2015. “We had nine cities competing and four were preselected. The recommendation for the final selection will happen in January of next year.” 

By October, it will be clear which cities in Ireland are competing to host the 2020 European Capital of Culture. “I think all bidding cities have a chance. Each application is judged on its merits,” says Bartak.

Creating a network of cities

There is a great opportunity for the European Commission and its network of European Capitals of Culture to share experiences.

“As previous title-holders, Mons and Pilsen have organised a gathering of previous and future European Capitals of Culture, which was an interesting moment of brainstorming and bringing together their experiences and stories of preparation and implementation.

“We feel that with our thirty years of experience, we have more and more knowledge and advice to give and, with the lessons learned it becomes easier for cities to avoid mistakes made in the past.”

The European Commission will discuss these issues and opportunities in greater detail at HOST CITY 2015 on 9th and 10th November in Glasgow.

To find out more about the bidding process for European Capital of Culture visit http://ec.europa.eu/programmes/creative-europe/actions/documents/ecoc-candidates-guide_en.pdf or register to attend HOST CITY 2015

The race to host the European Capital of Culture 2020 shifted up a gear on Saturday, when Dublin announced its bid and Galway revealed a new website for its bid. Limerick, which was City of Culture in 2014, is also in contention.

There are two European Capitals of Culture every year. The bid process starts when the European Commission calls for applications from the relevant national authorities, such as the ministry of culture.

Ireland and Croatia, which joined the EU in 2013, have been designated the hosts of the 2020 edition and the process is underway to select a host city from each of these countries. 

Christy Burke, Lord Mayor of Dublin on Saturday welcomed 28 young Dubliners to present their hopes for Dublin2020 in a “wishing tree ceremony”. 

“I am thrilled to join these young visionaries on Europe Day and to officially launch Dublin2020, our bid to be European Capital of Culture in 2020,” he said 

“Dubliners are proud Europeans and these young people, who will all be young adults in 2020, are the city’s future.” 

The cities will now prepare candidature files that will be judged on six criteria: contribution to the long-term cultural strategy; European dimension; cultural and artistic content; capacity to deliver; outreach; and management.

The title is awarded on the basis of a specific programme over and above the normal cultural activity of a city.

According to the European Commission, the size of a city is not a factor and surrounding areas may be incorporated into bids. Cities with fewer than 25,000 inhabitants have hosted the European Capital of Culture. 

The European Commission says success factors are: acting as a catalyst for a step-change in the city, or an area of a city; a measurable increase in the self-esteem of citizens and pride in the city; an increased engagement with the cultural offers of the city, especially with audiences less likely to attend or participate; development of new cultural offers, new skills, new opportunities for artists and cultural organisations; and a greater international understanding and profile, often seen in increased tourism and reputation.

Periodically, a third European Capital of Culture is awarded from a candidate or potential candidate to EU membership. The Serbian city of Novi Sad announced in March that it would make an official application for European Capital of Culture 2020 in autumn 2015.  

The host cities of the European Capital of Culture 2020 will be announced next year.

Dame Tessa Jowell MP, former Secretary of State for the Olympic Games has proposed that a one per cent tax on hotel stays should be brought in to fund events, culture and youth development in London.

The tax could raise GB£50m per year, London newspaper the Evening Standard reported. 

These funds would be used to stage events such as the New Year’s Eve Fireworks, as well as creating a culture fund for local boroughs, enabling town halls to apply for funds to host free community events. 

The revenues would also be diverted to helping create equal access to cultural and leisure activities for children in London. According to the Department for Work and Pensions, the families of 200,000 London children can’t afford leisure equipment such as bicycles, while 100,000 can’t afford extra-curricular activities such as music lessons.

Other major world cities such as Paris and Rome already tax tourists on their hotel stays. In New York City, non-residents are charged more than 14 per cent on their hotel bills to contribute to city’s finances. 

The tax could only be introduced in London if the government grants new powers to the Mayor and London’s boroughs.

Dame Tessa Jowell is the pollster’s favourite to be Labour’s candidate for the Mayor of London. The Mayor will be elected in May 2017. 

The former Secretary of State responsible for all planning of Olympic bid and implementation was a member of the London Olympic Board from 2010 to 2012. During the Games, she was Deputy Mayor of the Olympic Village

She is speaking in the opening panel discussion on “Why Events Matter to Cities" at HOST CITY 2015: The Largest Meeting of Cities and Sports, Culture and Business Events on 27 and 28 October.

2014 was a momentous year for Scotland and major events were at the heart of the excitement. The great success of the “best ever” Commonwealth Games in 2014 was followed by an acclaimed Ryder Cup.

“We’ve been putting Scotland forward as the perfect stage for events for a number of years,” Paul Bush OBE, chief operating officer of EventScotland told HOST CITY magazine. “What came out of last year is that it was a step change for us.”

The successes of 2014 have provided a platform for future hosting successes, building on proven strengths that EventScotland refers to as the “four Cs”: capacity, capability, credibility and confidence.

“Our capacity, in terms of number of volunteers, transport, infrastructure and accommodation, is now recognised around the world,” says Bush. “As for capability, all the events were delivered as the best ever or recognised some of the best.

“Credibility is about reputation; the experience of people coming to our events was high. And the feedback we had from the local population was extremely positive – they didn’t see the events as an impediment; they saw them as something to be proud of. 

“And that’s given us the confidence to look bigger and better in the future. The international federations now have great confidence in bringing their events back to Scotland this year.”

Glasgow is hosting the IPC Swimming World Championships and the World Gymnastics Championships in 2015. 

Outside the cities, Scotland is hosting seven golf tournaments back to back this year. The Open Championships takes place in St. Andrews this year while the Women’s British Open takes place in Turnberry in Ayrshire.

The World Orienteering Championships, which has record number of entries already this year, takes place in Speyside, the countryside around Aberdeenshire.

And the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup is taking place in Fort William again in what has become an annual Scottish fixture. 

“We’re really cognisant of the fact that we’ve got to spread the benefit as much as we can across the country,” says Bush.

“That’s not always possible because the facilities and the infrastructure are often the driver, but using our natural landscape is really important to us. 

The European Eventing Championships, the final qualifying event for Rio 2016, is in the tiny village of Blair Atholl in Perthshire. “The infrastructure that will be needed to put up around that will be huge, and that will really showcase the landscape of that area.”

The 2014 Ryder Cup was hosted on a greenfield site at Gleneagles. Despite the influx of 50,000 people a day, there were no problems in getting people to and from the event – thanks to a transport infrastructure group set up by the Scottish government to look after major events. Initially set up for the Commonwealth Games and the Ryder Cup, this group has since maintained its position within Transport Scotland to ensure the smooth operation of all major events. 

Beyond sport

Major cultural events are also an invaluable part of Scotland’s hosting portfolio. Glasgow was the European City of Culture in 1990, hosted the MOBOs in 2009, 2011 and 2013, the MTV Awards in 2014 and is hosting the Turner Prize in 2015. 

“Glasgow is recognised as one of the cultural gems of Europe; it has a huge history and heritage within contemporary arts,” says Bush, pointing out that three of the last five Turner Prize winners were educated at the Glasgow School of Art. 

“The MTV Awards got to a totally different demographic in terms of young people. MTV communicates through social media –their ticket sales for Glasgow were activated through Facebook, they don’t rely on traditional routes at all.”

Scotland nurtures its own cultural events that are incredibly valuable to the economy. The Edinburgh Festivals bring in around £262m each year, while Hogmanay alone brings in over £30m each year. 

“We’ve got some great gems in the cultural portfolio that we want to sustain and grow,” says Bush.

Business events are also an increasingly important feature of Scotland’s event strategy. “Meetings, corporate events, incentives, associations – these have now become part of our portfolio and we are looking to see how the synergies work between these different types of events,” says Bush.

Mass participation is another area where Scotland is keen to grow and diversify. Bush cites the London Prudential Ride and Melbourne’s Ride the Night, which attracted a quarter of a million people into the city centre between dusk and dawn, as examples. 

“We are looking at pressing different buttons, accepting the fact that we are not going to get the Ryder Cup or the Commonwealth Games every year, or even every lifetime. “The big thing for us is to ensure that people who come to events become repeat visitors in the future. 

“Last year, most people’s perceptions of Glasgow were changed and they realised what a great city it was to come to. A lot of cities have stigmas attached to them. But people thought this is a great city, it’s a really fun place to come to and the people are really welcoming.”

How to become a world class host

So, how can other cities and countries around the world follow this example build themselves into world-leading event destinations?

“The most important thing is you’ve got to have a very clear strategy and you’ve got to stick to that. It’s quite easy to buy events, as certain places in the world have successfully achieved. But you’ve got to work out your USPs, your strategy and your vision.

“You’ve got to invest in good people and you’ve got to give those people the time, the ability and the confidence. In Scotland we started this in 2001 – that’s 14 years ago. “But probably the most important thing in terms of long term success is your ability to deliver and the reputation that comes from that.” 

International conventions for the event hosting industry are precious few, but make the most of these, says Bush. “They are really important because they provide that ideal opportunity to get everybody in one place in the world to rekindle those relationships.”

This interview was first published in the Winter 2014/15 Issue of HOST CITY magazine. Since then, Glasgow has been awarded the hosting rights to the new 2018 European Sports Championship.

HOST CITY: Does culture have a prominent enough role within the Olympic Games now?

Helen Marriage: I think it’s great that there should be a cultural aspect to the Olympic Games, but competitive art is not how the world is these days. There’s a sense in which art does different things from sport, and that whole thing about winners and losers isn’t really how most artists would think. 

What you’re dealing with in terms of the Olympics is a very big machine, which is very dedicated to the concept of winning and losing. I think a rebalancing of the significance of art and sport would be really interesting, though whether that can be achieved easily I have some doubt. 

The thing about art that differentiates it from sport is the uncertainty. If you are running a sport event, you don’t know who’s going to win but you know what the format is – there are rules and regulations. 

I think that London went as far as it is possible to have gone currently in terms of getting culture to be taken seriously as part of the Olympic effort.

HOST CITY: What was the cultural highlight of the Olympic Games for you?

Helen Marriage: I would of course say the project that we did for London 2012, by the director Deborah Warner and actor Fiona Shaw called Peace Camp. It was described by the New York Times as a “refugee camp from heaven” epitomising the story of the Olympics. It was a series of nine installations around the coast of the UK that welcomed visitors through the great poetry of our land. It was a beautiful, quiet, contemplative piece that showcased Britain as an island nation and it was really lovely.

There were really lovely things in London like Piccadilly Circus Circus, which was the opposite, with thousands of people and lots of energy. But the thing I loved about what we did was that it was the opposite of competition – it was really far away from London and you had to make an effort to get there. 

HOST CITY: What’s your opinion of public art projects like the Arcelor-Mittal Orbit?

Helen Marriage: I completely understand the motivation for doing it, to build something that was there during the Games and would be there for legacy. It’s not necessarily to everyone’s taste, but those monumental sculptures are always interesting and provoking debate is part of the function of art anyway. 

The thing about art is that it’s non-competitive – it’s about how an extraordinary, surprising, magical, unlikely idea can be conjured out of nothing. 

Money spent is money spent, but all these things – sport, art, music and religion are all manifestations of our culture and it’s always great to do so as a public voice.

HOST CITY: What are the benefits of artistic events and installations for the people that live in cities? 

Helen Marriage: There’s always the thing about looking at your city differently; and they can attract inward investment. 

If you look at something like poppies at the Tower of London for Remembrance Day that’s an artwork; it started very quietly. It’s a really simple idea, it’s made millions of pounds for charity, five million people have been to see it, it’s created a real buzz and sense of destination, it was moving to people. Whether you think it is great art or not is not the point – it’s that it captures public imagination.

The MTV Europe Music Awards (EMA) is to return to Milan next year, to coincide with the Expo 2015. 

The news was announced by event host and rap sensation Nicki Minaj at the 2014 EMA at SSE Hydro in Glasgow on 9th November. 

The 2015 edition of MTV's star-studded awards show will be held at the Mediolanum Forum in Milan on October 25. 

Sunday night’s extravaganza was the first time Glasgow had hosted the event, culminating an extraordinary year of events in Glasgow and Scotland that included the Commonwealth Games and the Ryder Cup.

This will be the second time that the major international music awards event will be held in Milan, which played host in 1998, and the third time Italy has hosted the show.

“The 2004 show in Rome was a huge success. Now, we’re looking forward to delivering an even bigger and better experience with the 2015 MTV EMA in partnership with EXPO, bringing thousands of people from around the world to Milan.” said Raffaele Annecchino, Executive Vice President and Managing Director VIMN South Europe, Middle East & Africa.

“We’re thrilled to bring the 2015 MTV EMA to Milan – an iconic city where art, fashion and music collide, and home to the World Expo,” said Bruce Gillmer, Executive Producer of the MTV EMA and Executive Vice President of Music / Talent Programming and Events for event owner Viacom International Media Networks.

“One of the world’s biggest cultural capitals, Milan will undoubtedly set the stage one of the biggest global music events of the year," he added.

The World Expo is the world’s largest city-based event, after the Olympic Games. The theme of the Milan 2015 Expo is “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life”. 

According to Bob Bakish, president and chief executive of Viacom International Media Networks, the EMAs bring "a noticeable economic boost for the host city every year".

It has been estimated that Glasgow will have benefited by as much as £10m from hosting the MTV EMA. 

The first principle of Olympism is to blend sport with culture, but Olympic Games is still not going far enough to raise the profile of cultural events, according to a prominent UK politician and expert advisor to the IOC.

“I think probably the IOC needs to go further in reaffirming the fundamental role that the cultural festival has as part of the Olympic and Paralympic Games,” Dame Tessa Jowell told HOST CITY in an exclusive interview. “So there are three events: there is the Summer Games; the Paralympics and the cultural festival.”

While host cities can and often do put on major cultural events alongside major sporting events, their primary obligation is towards the sporting activities. However, Jowell, who is an expert advisor to the IOC on bidding procedure as part of its Olympic Agenda 2020 review, says that cultural events should take on just as primary a role as sporting activities during the Games.

“I think it’s important that Pierre de Coubertin did see this duality in the Olympic ideal, and it would be a great pity to lose that,” she told HOST CITY.

The founder of the modern Olympic Games, Coubertin envisaged the Games as a “festival of mind and body”.

“At the time of the splendour of Olympia… literature and arts, harmoniously combined with sports, ensured the greatness of Olympic Games. This should be true for the future,” Coubertin wrote.

While early modern Olympic Games featured medals for the arts, the prominence of arts and culture within the event programme faded in the middle of the twentieth century, until recent editions brought a resurgence of interest. London’s “Cultural Festival” drew on some of the world’s greatest cultural leaders and talents to wide-reaching effect. 

“We had the most prominent and successful cultural festival ever for the Olympics,” said Jowell, who was also a board member of the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games. “20 million people had a bit of Olympic experience through the cultural festival.” 

The IOC estimated that around half a million people would have experienced Olympic-related cultural events in Sochi in 2014.

Glasgow 2014 put on a huge programme of free cultural events across the city to rival London’s, billed as “Festival 2014”. 

The Olympic Charter describes Olympism as “blending sport with culture and education”, but the extent to which culture should feature in the Games is nothing like as rigorously determined like the programme of sports events. 

A Host City contract currently includes no obligation to include any specific cultural activities, other than to say that the organising committee “must organize a programme of cultural events.”

With one hundred days to go until the Baku 2015 European Games, thirteen stars from the world of music, television and entertainment were announced as ambassadors on Tuesday afternoon. 

The ambassador programme will boost engagement in the event by tapping into the celebrities' fan base, while the massive scale of the European Games will help the stars to build their own following.

“I am delighted to celebrate 150 days to go until the Opening Ceremony of the first European Games with the support of these fantastic celebrities as official ambassadors of the Games,” said Mr Azad Rahimov, Azerbaijan’s Minister of Youth and Sports and Chief Executive Officer of Baku 2015.

“I am sure that our celebrity ambassadors will generate great excitement with the young people of Azerbaijan and encourage more people to get involved with the Games.”

The ambassadors include singers Tunzala Aghayeva, Miri Yusif, Roya, and Eurovision winners Eldar Gasimov and Nigar Jamal, comedians Bahram Baghirzade, Rafael and Joshqun, and Tahir and Jabir Imanov, and musician DJ Shock. Well-known presenters Murad Dadashov and Ilkin Hasani will also take part. 

The programme will allow Baku 2015 to reach a range of audiences in Azerbaijan and Europe, using the celebrity ambassadors’ star appeal and popularity to share messages about the event.

 “Whenever I am on stage I give everything to make it a great performance. In June, it will be Azerbaijan putting on an unforgettable show for the whole of Europe to enjoy,” said singer Ms Tunzala Aghayeva at the launch event at the Mugham Center in Baku.

“As a Baku 2015 Celebrity Ambassador I will be working to encourage people to get involved with Baku 2015 through initiatives such as the volunteer programme, and play a part in creating history for our country.”

Participants will help to promote the Games by visiting Baku 2015 venues, taking part in countdown events, supporting campaigns, and using their own social media channels to reach millions of followers.

 “This announcement is the next step in expanding our ambassador programme and continues the great momentum we are generating as we continue our preparations to deliver a spectacular sporting event,” said Simon Clegg, Chief Operating Officer of Baku 2015.

“I would like to thank all of our Celebrity Ambassadors for their support and we look forward to working with them to help promote Baku 2015 in the coming months.”

The Baku 2015 European Games begins on 12 June.

The World Fireworks Championship has launched the process of identifying a host city for the event for 2015 and beyond, making it one of the world’s biggest artistic events that moves from one city to another.

“We are incredibly excited about the opportunity that the World Fireworks Championship has to offer a host city, as one of only a few major arts events that move from city to city around the world delivering very significant economic returns,” said Angus Buchanan, joint managing director of The Sports Consultancy. 

The Sports Consultancy has partnered with event producer, World Fireworks Productions with the aim of making the championships into “one of the world’s great travelling arts events”.  

The process of identifying a host city for the event from 2015 onwards begins today. 

“We are realistically looking for a 2015 host who will then host the next two editions before it rotates annually,” said Lucy Caillé, senior consultant at the Sports Consultancy told HOST CITY. 

The launch of the bid process coincides with an overhaul of the format of the event. Choreographing fireworks to music, the new look World Fireworks Championship will pit six of the world’s most celebrated fireworks companies against each other, competing for their countries over three weekends to become World Fireworks Champion.  

An interactive ‘Art of Light Festival’ will run alongside the championships with the aim of creating a busy programme of family orientated exhibitions and installations.

The event has also just announced its first commercial partner, global travel provider, TUI Event Group, who will will create and market bespoke travel packages to the host destination. 

“We believe the World Fireworks Championship event will be an enormously attractive destination marketing package,” said Chad Lion-Chachet, managing director, TUI Event Group.

“The event blends fireworks' universal appeal with the ability to showcase the city in, literally, the best possible light.  We’re really delighted to work with the team to develop the event as a “once in a lifetime” experience.”

The 2010 World Fireworks Championships in Oman attracted an audience of over 750,000 making it the largest ever spectator event in the Sultanate’s history and was won by Lacroix-Ruggieri representing France.

World Fireworks Productions CEO Mark Wooding said: “The 2010 Championship in Oman was incredibly successful, by far exceeding expectations and creating huge public excitement and enormous crowds. 

“Our plans for the future promise to take the Championship to new heights and we’re really looking forward to finding a host partner to share in our development of the World Fireworks Championship to make it one of the world’s greatest festivals.”

Potential host cities have been invited to submit an expression of interest by contacting the organisers at hosting@worldfireworkschampionship.com