Programming for public space
Building the future of outdoor arts together
Presentation of benefits for programmers of outdoor and public space performances.
Organising festivals and outdoor arts events today means dealing with complex challenges: finding high-quality artistic proposals, building international relationships, and ensuring the sustainability of your project. Outdoor Arts Italia was created to support programmers along this path.
This online meeting is dedicated to festivals, series and events that want to connect, grow and open up to the international dimension. One hour to discover tools, opportunities and services specifically designed for programmers.
Why participate
If you organise a festival or a series and want to:
- join a national network of programmers to share practices and opportunities;
- open your project to an international dimension;
- access digital tools that facilitate artist scouting and professional relationship management;
- develop skills in technical, managerial and strategic aspects of cultural programming;
- discover concrete services to grow your project sustainably.
What you will discover
Here are the topics and the program of the meeting.
For those who have known us for a long time as FNAS, it is important to clarify that Outdoor Arts Italia is the evolution of that journey. It is not just a change of name, but an expansion of vision and tools. We maintain the same focus on street theatre and contemporary circus that has always defined us, while broadening our scope to all performing arts in public space, strengthening both the national network dimension and the international outlook.
For those discovering us now: we are an association of professionals in the sector working across four main areas—promotion, training, internationalisation and advocacy. Our goal is to create the conditions for artists, companies, festivals and cultural operators to work better, more sustainably and in a more connected way. company specializes in consulting, product development, and customer support. We tailor our services to fit the unique needs of businesses across various sectors, helping them grow and succeed in a competitive market.
The Festival Network is the national network of outdoor arts festivals and events. It is not just a directory, but a community of programmers who share practices, opportunities and resources. Members of the network access dedicated services: consultancy on project development and fundraising, support in building partnerships, national and international visibility, and opportunities for exchange and dialogue.
Being part of the network also means participating in joint projects, submitting stronger applications to European calls, and having a voice in the association’s strategic decisions. It means turning competition into collaboration, creating synergies that strengthen the entire sector.
As part of the Terminal Festival, we are organising two professional days dedicated to B2B meetings between programmers and artists. Alongside presentations by Basque companies and selected Italian companies through an open call, there will be structured spaces to meet, exchange and develop concrete collaborations.
Participating means gaining direct access to high-quality artistic proposals, meeting peers to share experiences and projects, and opening opportunities for co-productions and touring. It is a chance to turn informal contacts into long-term professional relationships, supported by OAI’s organisational framework that facilitates meaningful and productive encounters.
OUTit Platform is no longer just a showcase to present your festival. It is a dynamic tool designed to support your programming work. You can already use advanced search to find artists based on specific criteria, save favourites, and consult complete and regularly updated profiles.
A major upgrade will take place during 2026. With OUTit Connect, you will be able to receive direct contact requests from artists interested in your festival, accepting only those that are relevant to you. Analytics tools will show who is viewing your profile and which artists have added you to their favourites. Automatic publication of your event calendar will make your programme visible to touring artists, opening up collaboration opportunities that might otherwise be missed.
Programming culture in public space requires increasingly diverse skills: from cultural project design to administrative management, from communication to fundraising, from safety to environmental sustainability. OAI Academy offers asynchronous online training, designed for professionals who need flexible learning options.
The modules cover all aspects of cultural management applied to outdoor arts: project management, regulations and safety, marketing and distribution, artistic creation in public space, and sustainability. Once purchased, each course remains permanently accessible.
Outdoor arts are a universal language, but concrete bridges are needed to build international relationships. OAI International works to facilitate the participation of Italian festivals in European networks, create opportunities to meet international programmers, and support the development of transnational projects.
We support festivals in attending international showcases and markets, facilitate co-productions with foreign partners, and assist in applying to European funding programmes such as Creative Europe. For a festival, going international means expanding audiences, accessing high-quality productions and entering wider touring circuits. Hosting international artists is not only a matter of prestige, but also a way to enrich programming, attract new audiences and build strategic partnerships that can generate long-term opportunities.
After the presentations, we will dedicate time to a Q&A session. This is the moment to clarify doubts, explore specific aspects and share needs and suggestions. Outdoor Arts Italia grows through dialogue with professionals who face the daily challenges of cultural programming. Your questions help us understand which services to develop, which tools to improve and which priorities to pursue. This meeting is not just informative—it is an opportunity for exchange and collective development.
Join us online and start to codesign the sector!
Programming culture in public space is complex. Doing it within a network is more sustainable. Outdoor Arts Italia creates the conditions for festival and event organisers to work better, with more tools, more opportunities and more support. We look forward to exploring together how to grow your cultural project.
The link to the digital meeting will be sent to all registered participants the day before the meeting.