TCBL HANDBOOKS
#TCBL_2017
Co-funded by Horizon 2020
ANNEX I TO TCBL D 8.6 - VERSION 1.0, 15 JULY 2017
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INTRODUCTION
The neon logo icon at #TCBL_2017
This guidebook describes the 2017 edition of #TCBL, the yearly event/conference of the TCBL community. Building on the formula developed for the first edition in 2016, #TCBL_2017 was organised according to a series of modules, as follows: • • • • • • • • • • • •
TCBL_Talk: conference-style, with welcome addresses and plenary keynotes TCBL_News: update on TCBL developments over the last year, with an emphasis on the Business Cases TCBL_Live: our TEDx-style session with six stimulating 18-minute talks TCBL_Jam: rapid sequences of 5-minute presentations from TCBL Associates TCBL_Hack: technical session focused on the TCBL Open Platform TCBL_Look: an exhibition of local talents and businesses TCBL_Startups: presentations selected from the first set of TCBL Startups TCBL_Next: the welcoming ceremony for new Associates and announcement of future editions of #TCBL TCBL_Work: a hands-on workshop on silk printing TCBL_Meet: a B2B meet-up session TCBL_Local: visits to local companies and production sites TCBL_Free: an open agenda to visit local sites of interest
This document is intended as a quick guidebook for: • • •
Those who attended the conference and wish to review what happened Those who missed the conference and want an overview of sessions and speakers Those interested in organising future editions of #TCBL.
The paper is structured according to four main sections: • • •
The first and second provide an overview of each day’s session modules. The third provides information on the conference organisation The fourth provides insights and ideas for future editions.
Conference information and agendas (with links to Powerpoints and videos) are also published on the TCBL website at http://tcbl.eu/tcbl-2017.
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1.
#TCBL_2017 DAY ONE
#TCBL_2017 was organised as a two-day event, 20-21 June, 2017. It was held at the Gazi Technopolis in Athens, an ex-gas works transformed into a cultural innovation and meeting centre. The first day was held in the Gazi Auditorium, a converted gasometer adapted to the conference-style sessions.
W ELCOME ADDRESSES
Vassilis Georgas, General Secretary, Hellenic Clothing Industry Association
The welcome addresses opened the conference on the first day, and with the exception of the talk by Daniela Toccafondi of the City of Prato, who spoke in English, were held in the Greek language. The high level of participants underlined the political attention paid to TCBL. • • • • •
•
Vassilis Georgas, General Secretary, Hellenic Clothing Industry Association Daniela Toccafondi, Assessor of Productive Activities, City of Prato Stratis Zafiris, General Secretary of Industry Konstantinos Michalos, Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry Nikos Kafkalas, Athens Retailers’ Association Zacharias Mavroukas, General Director of Ministry of Industry
TCBL_T ALK This was the plenary keynote session, focused on the topic of “sustainable fashion”. It followed a format similar to TCBL_2016, though with fewer speakers and a more focused agenda, as recommended by the lessons learned last year.
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#TCBL_2017 TCBL Handbooks Textile & Clothing Business Labs
Danièle Clutier at TCBL_Talk
The four speakers developed the following issues. Title and Speaker
Description
Sustainable Design Prisca Vilsbol, Manufacture Copenhagen
Prisca explored issues related to sustainable design, including programmable textiles, bottom up and systems thinking, and radical transformation. She then related this to the Manufacture Copenhagen initiative, a collaborative design and production space.
The environmental impact of textile production Francesca Rulli, Process Factory
Francesca looked at the environmental impact of the use of chemicals in T&C production and new consumer trends towards sustainability. She then presented an approach towards comprehensive sustainability management across the supply chain.
Market trends for sustainable fashion Danièle Clutier, IFM
Danièle first discussed the “sustainability imperative” in consumer expectations. She then presented the “Pulse of Fashion 2017” survey, which shows how larger companies in both luxury and fast fashion markets are showing change, while SMEs are lagging.
Sustainability: from niche to mainstream Elis Kiss, "K" magazine, Kathimerini
Elis discussed sustainability from a journalist’s perspective, asking: is ethical fashion the new cool? Themes that emerge are: loss of quality, raising awareness, government, the role of luxury, and education,
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TCBL_NEWS
The main actors of the Natural Cotton Business Case
TCBL News was a new module introduced in TCBL_2017, building on and developing what was judged to be an overly synthetic round table presentation in the 2016 edition. The goal is to provide a more in-depth view of activities in the TCBL project over the last year. The organisation included an overview of developments in the main project areas, followed by a brief presentation of each of the six Business Cases. Title and Speaker
Description
Last year on TCBL Jesse Marsh, City of Prato, TCBL Project Manager
The overview of progress in TCBL since the 2016 conference first presented the project scope and objectives and then focused on key developments in relation to the main TCBL communities. • Project community: introduction of six new partners • Business Labs: development of the network, local and networked activities, and three Business Cases • Associate Advisors: development of the Knowledge Spaces, TCBL publications (re-editions of project deliverables), and the TCBL_zine. • Associate Service Providers: the TCBL Open Platform (including Single Sign on), the Business Services, and development of the service ecosystem • Associate Enterprises: archetypal Business Models, three Business Cases, and the 2017 Call with 58 new Associates.
Eco-friendly Production Paolo Guarnieri, City of Prato
This Business Case looks at the issue of management of chemical usage to reduce environmental impact. It adopts an innovative change management approach that focuses on the entire value chain rather than individual companies.
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BioShades Cecilia Raspanti, Waag Society
The BioShades Business Case offers a radical approach to dyeing fabrics. Bacteria are found everywhere, and many produce pigments. The idea of bacteria dyeing was born by chance at the Waag wetlab, and is being researched and developed for industrial applications.
Digital Heritage The Digital Heritage Business Case aims to raise Filippo Guarini, Textile Museum awareness in the T&C sector of the importance of archives. Prato The Prato district offers a perfect scenario to demonstrate added value for both companies and the district territory, using a software platform being developed in the INTERREG-MED CreativeWear project. Short Runs Bill Macbeth, Textile Centre of Excellence
The Short Runs Business Case responds to the increasing pressure to downscale production cycles, addressing the problems and issues involved. The business process steps have been mapped out with the goal of simplification and opening up, through experimentation with TCBL Associates, and identification of new services.
Independents Maria Adele Cipolla, eZavod
The Independents Business Case aims to empower and network independent designer/producers as a potential force in renovating the T&C industry. Needs identification has been followed by Case Studies, where the need for openness and interoperability in pattern making has emerged as a key factor.
Natural Cotton Thanos Contargyris, MIRTEC
The Natural Cotton Business Case is reconstructing the entire value chain – from field to shop window – starting from sustainably grown cotton. To date, this has involved a collaboration between three Greek Associate enterprises in ginning, spinning and weaving, and garment production and retail. The end result was presented as a collection of knitted natural cotton dresses exhibited at TCBL_Look.
ADVISORY BOARD DISCUSSION The presentation of project results and Business Cases was followed by a discussion and evaluation on the part of the TCBL Advisory Board. This is a panel that meets only on occasion of the yearly #TCBL events, providing strategic guidance both at the event and through followup phone interviews in the successive months. The composition of the panel aims to both mix stable members and ‘new entries’, international and local representatives, and a variety of viewpoints including those of both large and small T&C enterprises. In #TCBL_2016, the Advisory Board commented on the TCBL_Jam sessions, as was appropriate for that stage of the project which focused on community building. For the 2017 edition, the project was shifting to a more focused approach through the six Business Cases, so this is where the Advisory Board was asked to participate. The main comments in the round table discussion are shown below.
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The #TCBL_2017 Advisory Board Advisory Board Members • • • • • • • •
Victor Mulas, World Bank (last-minute cancellation) Gwenaëlle Geers, Euratex Rita Britton, Nomad Veerle Luiting, Next Fashion Kathy O’Driscoll, KO Inc Anastasia Vouyouka, SITAM A-B Jade Wilting, Circle Economy Emmanouela Kouroudi, Thrakika Ekkokistiria
Discussion The BioShades Business Case was particularly appreciated for its disruptive approach and the potential impact on perceptions as to how sustainability can be reached. The Natural Cotton case was also mentioned as an exemplary approach to changing the structure of the market by working across the whole value chain. Some reservations were expressed as to whether the approaches explored by TCBL could ever compete with the low costs of high street fast fashion, and whether this might hinder impact on the value proposition to businesses. This was countered by affirmations that it is possible to shift the terms of reference of the market towards a fair price for quality goods, and that that is indeed the space where TCBL is intervening. Discussion also focused on the need to address changing customer desires and needs, with an approach that increases the adaptability of production with agile value chains and a more extensive use of ecommerce. Both the Short Runs and Independents Business Cases were seen to address this issue, from the two perspectives of scaling down and scaling up, respectively. Here, and also in relation to the issue of quality, the issue of fit was raised, as a key to re-discovery of garments that enhance the specific nature of a client’s body. This in turn led to a discussion of the central role of pattern making, as highlighted in the Independents Business Case.
TCBL_LIVE This is the TEDx style module for which, based on the success of the 2016 edition, we have decided to carry on as a TCBL event in its own right. For TCBL_Live, we nonetheless have the “TED Ambassador” Niki Ernst to assist in coordination, coach the speakers and animate the session. 7
#TCBL_2017 TCBL Handbooks Textile & Clothing Business Labs
As before, the line-up included half international and half local speakers. As suggested following the 2016 edition, the session was divided into two parts separated by a networking break. T ECH X CITED The first half of TCBL_Live included speakers focusing on technology-enabled innovations and their impact on the T&C industry. Title and Speaker
Description
Measuring Social Value Olinga Ta’eed, CCEG
Olinga first discussed social value and how it contributes to value in textiles and clothing. This includes the value of artisanal knowledge, fair pay, respect for the environment, etc. He then showed how this value can be calculated as an aggregate with financial value, and how this can be delivered as a simple system that allows consumers to see the Euro price together with the social value price.
Is the clothing business a tech business? Pavlos Maniatakis, MIRTEC
Pavlos gave a panorama of technological advances that will and are affecting the T&C industry in the near future. This ranged from microparticles to smart sensors embedded in fabrics to responsive clothing and 3D printing. Pavlos also looked at trends in the use of big data for analytics and its future influence on ecommerce and internet services.
Ethical Fashion and how to communicate your sustainable brand Dimitris Grammatikogiannis / Andriana Sakka, Ethical Ode
This presentation involved two speakers; first, Adriana Sakka discussed the importance of ethical fashion and the role of brand creation in shaping public perceptions, as an introduction to the Ethical Ode fashion blog. Dimitris Grammatikogiannis then reviewed several of his well-known and often satirical comments and cartoons related to both the political scene and fashion in general.
NETWORKING BREAK The networking break offered the opportunity to see a video interview with Sakina M’sa of Front de Mode, who was unable to physically attend TCBL_Live. Sakina explained her philosophy of open and ethical fashion, her work in social entrepreneurship in fashion, and how she brings together a range of independent designers in her Front de Mode storefront initiative. HUMANS FIRST The second half of TCBL_Live focused on social innovation as a key enabler for sustainable fashion. Title and Speaker
Description
Co-design and co-creation for Fiori first presented Fashion Revolution, the global sustainability awareness campaign launched following the Rana Plaza Dr. Fiori Zafeiropoulou, SOFFA disaster with the slogan “Who made my clothes?” She then presented the Social Fashion Factory initiative, a cooperative of fashion designers and professionals working with refugees, survivors of trafficking, and local unemployed to develop micro-entrepreneurship. What about tomorrow?
This presentation, again with two speakers, first offered reflections on the future of the fashion industry and the real
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#TCBL_2017 TCBL Handbooks Textile & Clothing Business Labs
Ista Boszhard and Cecilia Raspanti, Waag Society
need to look at alternative models for production and consumption, as well as the approaches that are leading in the right direction. They then introduced the Textile Academy, which aims to spread these new approaches and is now being taken up throughout the FabLab network.
Circular Economy Jade Wilting, Circle Economy
Jade discussed the concept of circular economy together with the Circle Economy social enterprise, a cooperative implementing concrete solutions. She mentioned three ongoing projects in their Circle Textiles Program: a textile sorting machine, a B2B platform for textile waste, and a post-consumer waste collection initiative.
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2.
#TCBL_2017 DAY TWO
The second day was held in the New Retorts building at Gazi, a converted large shed which was divided into three sections: at the two extremes, a presentation space for TCBL_Jam and a meeting table arrangement for TCBL_Hack and Startups; in the middle was an exhibition space for TCBL_Look.
TCBL_JAM
TCBL_Jam was based on the highly successful module developed in #TCBL_2016, though with variations that picked up on the main lessons learned (shorter sequences, greater space for interaction and discussion). As compared to last year’s sequence (two Labs, three Enterprises, two Service Providers), the Jam sessions at #TCBL_2017 a) did not include service presentations, since these were taken up by TCBL_Hack, and b) focused on enhancement and enrichment of the network. This latter took the form of presentations by the Creative Hubs established in the INTERREG-MED CreativeWear project on the one hand, and by new TCBL consortium partners on the other. TCBL_Jam for the 2017 edition thus consisted of four rounds of 5-minute presentations grouped into two sessions, separated by a one-hour break for TCBL_Look. As before, each presentation followed a fixed format of 7 slides colour-coded for the type of initiative. Each of the four rounds followed the same sequence of presentation types as follows: • • • •
1 presentation from a new TCBL Business Lab 1 presentation from a CreativeWear project Creative Hub 3 presentations from TCBL Associate Enterprises 1 presentation from one of the four TCBL new partners involved in Lab/Enterprise activities.
The speakers and presentations are described together in the following. ROUND ONE Organisation
Speaker
REDU TCBL Lab (Romania)
Gabriela Stoica
Description A newly formed Place Lab that upcycles and recycles textile waste.
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#TCBL_2017 TCBL Handbooks Textile & Clothing Business Labs
Organisation
Speaker
Description
CreativeWear Crowd Hub (Palermo)
Luca Leonardi
A CreativeWear Hub focusing on the Wave matchmaking platform and use of crowdfunding for T&C creatives.
Varvaressos SA
Giannis Tzortzis
Knitting, weaving, spinning and dyeing mills in more than 28 countries worldwide, participating in the Natural Cotton case.
Prato Expo
Fabio Fontani
An online platform for textiles hosting over 50 companies in the Prato district, participating in the Short Runs case.
Dolejsi Modni Gumbi
Natasha Doleci
Slovenian fashion button manufacturer, using plastic and natural materials and innovating with new materials and production processes.
New TCBL Partner: Fab Textile
Anastasia Pistofidou
Based in the Barcellona FabLab, exploring new materials and tools within the FabLab concept of distributed production.
ROUND TWO Organisation
Speaker
Description
TCBL Lab and CreativeWear Heritage Hub: Textile Museum of Prato (Italy)
Francesco Bolli
A case of a TCBL Lab as well as a CreativeWear Hub, building tools to help companies manage their textile archives.
CreativeWear Social Hub (Slovenia)
Karin Cicic
CreativeWear Hub focusing on the role of design in providing work opportunities, especially for the disabled, while recovering industrial knowledge and resources.
Variazioni
Simona La Torre
Independent designer with a business model based on a mix of pret-a-porter, made to measure, and a basic collection of customizable models.
Coco&Rico
Clea Polar
Young B2B startup focusing on small and medium run production with a full service including printing, making and customizing fabrics.
Feltrando
Filomena Almeida
Women’s fashion accessories and product design using top quality felt, based on local and traditional models and skills.
New TCBL Partner: Reginnova NE
Gabriela Iftode
New partner Reginnova NE is a T&C association in north-eastern Romania bringing in the REDU place lab as well as the local ecosystem of T&C enterprises.
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ROUND T HREE Organisation
Speaker
Description
TCBL Athens Place Lab
Takis Lybereas
A network of organisations coordinated by HCIA promoting the development of a local community linking fashion with social aspects: lifestyle, ethics, environment, etc..
CreativeWear Tech Hub (Spain)
Luca Cappelli
CreativeWear Hub in the Valencia area focusing on introducing new high-performance materials and technologies to local designers.
Tsiakiris Silk
George Tsiakiris
Silk weaver from north-eastern Greece targeting fashion and interior design and using digital printing to innovate their collection.
Trafi Creatività Tessile
Fabio Giusti
Prato-based company specialised in space dyeing and other unusual techniques to deliver special fashion effects, experimenting with new eco-friendly processes.
FEPSA
Acácio Coelho
World leader in the supply of quality felt hat bodies, looking to use innovative printing and explore new structural approaches for felt.
New TCBL Partner: CENTEXBEL
Guy Buyle
Belgian research and technology centre focused on textile and plastics, concerned with ecological impacts and developing ‘second life’ scenarios.
ROUND FOUR Organisation
Speaker
Description
Oliva Creative TCBL Lab (Portugal)
Carla Relva
Supporting creative entrepreneurship with prototype design, social innovation, and reinterpretation of industrial traditions with sustainability concerns.
CreativeWear Art Hub (Athens)
Dimos Papakonstantinou
Aiming to connect both emergent and established creative activities across the Attica region and develop innovative proposals to the local T&C industry,
Kourbelas
Pantelis Kourbelas
Greek fashion brand with a minimalist aesthetic based on handmade knitwear in a range of natural fibres, participating in the Natural Cotton Business Case.
Tashka
Alenka Zumbar Klopcic
Handicraft production of women’s handbags with an eye to traditional models and social value, interested in innovating in both design and materials.
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#TCBL_2017 TCBL Handbooks Textile & Clothing Business Labs
Organisation
Speaker
Description
Dali Sport
Miha Svetina
High quality, customised technical sportwear manufacturer interested in niche development through market and process innovations.
New TCBL Partner: Institut Française de la Mode
Danièle Clutier
Ranked as the number three fashion school worldwide, IFM focus on new markets for sustainability in haute couture and SMEs alike.
TCBL_HACK
The 2017 edition of TCBL introduced two sessions in parallel with TCBL_Jam that focused on the service and technical aspects that had gained greater importance over the intervening months. The first of these sessions, TCBL_Hack, aimed to illustrated the features of the TCBL Open Platform as well as introduce the two new TCBL partners bringing additional services into that platform. Topic
Speaker
Description
Knowledge Spaces (vDiscover) and Community Platform (Drupal)
Marlis Heck
The core elements of the TCBL Open Platform include the back-end semantic engine based on vDiscover, with its data tank and front-end search facilities, together with the Community Platform which will be hosting the main TCBL website as of summer 2017.
TCBL Single Sign On
Gerald Haesendonk and Jan Evaert
The Single Sign On facility – ‘Login with TCBL’ – is the main element allowing to integrate external services into the TCBL Open Platform. A specific TCBL service interface based on OpenID and Gluu technology is currently in the final stages of development.
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#TCBL_2017 TCBL Handbooks Textile & Clothing Business Labs
Topic
Speaker
Description
New TCBL partners: Sqetch
Wiebe Poelmann
Sqetch is a matchmaking platform linking designers and brands with T&C producers.
New TCBL partners: Cleviria
Corrado de Castro
Cleviria is a supply chain management platforms that allows to manage compliance and certification regarding ecological and social standards.
TCBL_LOOK
A long networking and coffee break divided the two Jam sessions (Rounds One-Two and Three-Four) as well as TCBL_Hack and the following Startups session. This provided the opportunity to visit the TCBL_Look exhibit set un in the space between the two parallel sessions, featuring several local producers: • • •
SOFFA displayed material and information related to Fashion Revolution as well as their own Social Fashion Factory in Athens. Tsiakiris Silkprints exhibited a sample of their collections. Koubela SA displayed the knitwear that had been produced as the final stage of the trial run in the Natural Cotton Business Case.
In addition, TCBL partner OBU carried out a demonstration of the Augmented Reality environment under development in TCBL and other projects, and assessed with local participants the relevance to knowledge management in the T&C industry.
TCBL_STARTUPS This session was based on the first of two Calls for Startups launched in early 2017. The three top-evaluated proposals were invited to attend #TCBL_2017 and illustrate their business concepts.
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#TCBL_2017 TCBL Handbooks Textile & Clothing Business Labs
Topic
Speaker
Description
First Startup Call
Luca Leonardi, ARCA
Luca illustrated the terms and procedures of the first TCBL Call for Startups from January through June 2017. The steps included: • Needs capture from TCBL Associates • Launch of the Wave platform for idea brokerage • Call for Expressions of Interest: 18 submitted • 11 full applications • 7 winners for support in TCBL
TCBL Startups Support Measures
Simon Delaere, imec
How TCBL offers an innovative environment for offering non-financial services to developing Startups, from cloud services to shared platforms to the Associates business ecosystem interested in market validation of innovative services. Specific TCBL partners will follow the awarded Startups with business coaching as well as facilitation of access to these services.
Textour
Tommaso Lorenzetti, Invenio
The first Startup presentation was about textile tourism, with a matchmaking app that connects local textile artisans with curious tourists for a genuine experience. Service includes provenance smart tags on products.
Zingales
Vincenzo Zingales
High-market brand of ‘vegan’ shoes, made entirely of non-leather materials and with a high level of craftsmanship.
EGO
Valentina Rovetta
A day-dress sharing service targeting women in career wishing to be more sustainable. Full service approach where customers actively co-create collections.
TCBL_NEXT This is the closing module for the meeting sessions of the #TCBL yearly event. As previously, TCBL_Next was a mostly ceremonial moment for welcoming the new 2017 partners and Associates: • • • • •
6 new project Partners 6 Labs 58 Enterprises 10 Service Providers 7 Startups
In addition, the venues were announced for future editions of #TCBL: •
#TCBL_2018: Iasi, Romania (hosted by Reginnova NE)
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#TCBL_2017 TCBL Handbooks Textile & Clothing Business Labs • •
#TCBL_2019: Prato, Italy (hosted by City of Prato), although there were also discussions to possibly switch Iasi and Prato. #TCBL_2020: Barcelona, Spain (hosted by Fab Textiles) the first edition of #TCBL following the conclusion of the EU-funded project.
AFTERNOON DAY TWO: PARALLEL EVENTS A series of opportunities were offered to participants for the afternoon of the second day, some as re-elaborations of modules developed in #TCBL_2016 and some new concepts. TCBL_W ORK
This was a new and interesting module concept involving a hands-on workshop with a local TCBL Associate Enterprise. This was managed by the Tsiakiris silk company, and involved participants in a batik dyeing experiment. TCBL_MEET This, as attempted for the 2016 edition, was intended to facilitate face-to-face business encounters between local and international TCBL Associates. Little interest was demonstrated in this opportunity however, as the networking sessions built into the conference (more so than in 2016) effectively allow for business interaction to occur. TCBL_LOCAL This was a re-edition of a similar module from #TCBL_2016, with a visit to two local Associate Enterprises: • •
ZEUS+ΔIONE is a high-market brand with local production in Athens. Visitors spoke with the owners and marketing manager and toured the on-site prototyping workshop. Ioanna Kourbela, the Associate involved in the Natural Cotton case, offered a visit to their retail outlets in the central Plaka district. 16
#TCBL_2017 TCBL Handbooks Textile & Clothing Business Labs
TCBL_F REE In this new and relatively simple concept, visitors were offered a map of the city with relevant places of interest to visit on their own. .
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3.
ORGANISATIONAL ASPECTS
The organisation of #TCBL_2017 benefited significantly from the work carried out for the 2016 edition and reported in Deliverable 8.4, and thus validated the module based approach as one that is relatively easy to replicate in view of attaining sustainability after the conclusion of the TCBL project. The 2017 edition confirmed the central role of #TCBL as an identity-building experience for the whole community with over 150 participants (143 actual sign-ins), a good increase on 2016. The main aspects of the organisation are discussed below.
CONFERENCE PLANNING The various planning elements based on the experience of #TCBL_2016 were developed as a shared, on-line Google Doc that allowed the different partners to work as a group for the conference organisation. As before, both the organisation and the selection of speakers reflects a balance between the international dimension at the project level and the local level of the hosting organisation. The main sections of the on-line planner include: •
• • •
• •
Roles: this lists the various roles, from scientific coordination to organisation of each individual module, with the responsibles at the Project Level as well as the local organisation. General agenda: this worksheet was used for the initial planning, assigning timeslots to the different modules and venue spaces across the two days. Budget: this worksheet allows to keep track of the main budget items (venue, video, catering, etc.) with respect to previous year editions. Travel: this worksheet keeps track of which speakers/participants are being offered travel by which partners. This is important both to ensure the success of TCBL_Jam and to distribute invitations to keynote speakers and Advisory Board members in a fair way. General to-do: This is a reminder list of things to think of in time, such as the tenders for audio/video, the design of the logo icon, etc. Advisory Board: This keeps the list of Advisory Board members, including the more ‘stable’ ones from previous editions and those added locally or as a function of speaking roles.
When the venue and general agenda is set, a tab is opened for each of the conference modules, so that different partners and the scientific committee can interactively build the agenda together. This flexibility is especially important considering the number of speakers involved – over 50 Powerpoints were produced – and the fact that many confirm their availability at the last minute.
EXECUTION VENUE #TCBL_2016 was held at TCoE premises but this was not possible for our Athens hosts. The Gazi Technopolis site was identified as ideal – it is a renowned creative innovation hub – and was booked at a reasonable cost. The atmosphere was excellent, and the Gazi complex also offered the possibility for on-site catering. This was the first time that parallel sessions were experimented, and some difficulties were encountered here (noise from the road, lack of amplification) that were however overcome by the collective spirit of the participants. In the future, greater attention would need to be paid to
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#TCBL_2017 TCBL Handbooks Textile & Clothing Business Labs
having separate audio systems and acoustic dividing panels if parallel sessions are to be arranged. PROMOTION As with last year’s edition, a specific web page was set up for #TCBL_2017 with speaker profiles for TCBL_Talk and TCBL_Live and agendas for all sessions. The link to this website was widely promoted on partner websites, the TCBL Facebook page, and Twitter. The same website provided a link to the on-line registration facility (this year using Google Forms) as well as links to Powerpoints and videos (forthcoming) for each speaker. In addition, all Powerpoints and videos are published to the TCBL Slideshare and YouTube accounts respectively, at the following links: • •
https://www.slideshare.net/TCBLProject https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZcpRQi7vjIxuq50a-8KOxA
LIVE The organisation of TCBL_Live was again entrusted to our ‘TED Ambassador’ Niki Ernst, who provided the coaching for speakers and animation during delivery. For future editions, it will be useful to define the roster of speakers earlier to allow more time for preparation. AUDIO AND VIDEO This is a fundamental component of #TCBL and not only for TCBL_Live for which it is obligatory, since having a 5-minute video of each presentation is an important motivation for Associates to attend. Audio and video were arranged locally, as before, with a contract that is quite advantageous with respect to the 2016 edition. This item will be difficult to judge until the edited videos are ready end summer 2017.
BUDGET Due to the different weight of the cost items, the overall budget for the local organisation varied significantly with respect to the 2016 edition but the total remained within the € 10,000 amount foreseen as the basic cost. The main budget items for #TCBL_2017 include: • • • • • •
Venue: Gazi-Technopolis (2 days) Promotional material Video and photography Catering TCBL logo icon Exhibition expenses
In addition, we have to consider the significant contribution of the 15 old and new TCBL partners offering travel costs to at an average of two participants each.
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4. FEEDBACK, LESSONS LEARNED AND SUSTAINABILITY CONSIDERATIONS
FEEDBACK Overall, #TCBL_2017 was again quite a success in the eyes of both the organisers and the participants. In an evaluation survey distributed following the conference, all respondents were positive about the event, with comments including: • • • • • • •
It was an excellent experience Really well organised event, clear purposes, good results Interesting, challenging, no waste of my time Better than I expected It’s an important moment to create networking and contaminating Very interesting initiative and network Great event, rather intense
TCBL_Talk was the most appreciated (“very good speakers”), followed by Jam (“I can see what ideas companies are following”), News and Live. Suggestions for improvement included the following: • • • • • •
Better time management Audio system Translation Promote TCBL services more More workshops and culture Include a fair or exhibition
LESSONS LEARNED The main considerations for future editions include the following: •
The nature and structure of #TCBL gives greater visibility to the smaller Associate Enterprises at the expense of the larger concerns who have greater difficulty leaving the factory for several days. The proposal to mitigate this would be to expand the exhibition space and allow for larger companies to be present through a stand. This could also be a revenue opportunity for the future. 20
#TCBL_2017 TCBL Handbooks Textile & Clothing Business Labs •
•
In addition, all the participants in TCBL_Jam expressed the desire to have a small exhibition booth, which could also provide the possibility for B2B meetings in lieu of the TCBL_Meet module as well as a follow-up to Jam presentations. The positive balance between the local and European dimensions would be reinforced through the availability of simultaneous translation. This would allow both to have a greater involvement of local businesses and also to increase the political impact (many of the opening session talks were in Greek).
SUSTAINABILITY CONSIDERATIONS With each edition of #TCBL, we get one year closer to the end of EU financing and the beginning of the need to develop a self-sustaining model that will be key to the survival of the TCBL ecosystem overall. The 2017 edition validated the hypothesis that the modular approach not only makes for an interesting and engaging conference experience, but it also makes the organisation of new editions both replicable and flexible. In order to maintain #TCBL as an open and accessible event, we will do our best to avoid charging a fee for participation, looking rather to offset different cost items with specific strategies. In this context, three issues have been identified that will need to be more directly addressed in future editions: •
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The significant amount of work for the hosting organisation needs to be rewarded with a significant return at both the political and business levels. To date this is in part verified by the fact that the hosting TCBL partners do not have staff resources specifically earmarked for conference organisation. The need to provide a fair benefit to the host organisation (visibility, local speakers, etc.) needs to be kept in mind for all editions. The extensive distributed travel budgets will need to be substituted by speakers and participants attending at their own expense. Informal feedback from new Associates suggests that this is not unthinkable, but the difficulty will be verifying this in fact as long as the project is running. A more structured survey to this end will need to be carried out in the future editions. A central element of the conference, and not only of TCBL_Live, is the production of videos, one of the more important cost items in the budget. A long-term solution to this problem could involve the sponsorship of some actor interested in managing the significant amount of material that TCBL is producing in general (guidebooks, videos, zine, etc.) and transforming that value into business revenue. Steps have already been taken to test the business attractiveness of this prospect with potential organisations linked to the project partnership. The forthcoming editions should offer the opportunity to test the business case in a more explicit way.
It is a positive step forward that the new partner FabTextile has agreed to host the first postproject edition of #TCBL in Barcelona in 2020. Barcelona is an attractive venue with own premises available, that should provide the possibility of really testing our ability to hold the event without EU funding. Having identified the venue and hosting organisation and inserting that into our planning is a first step in the direction of real sustainability.
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#TCBL_2017 TCBL Handbooks Textile & Clothing Business Labs
DOCUMENT INFORMATION REVISION HISTORY This document is Annex I to TCBL Deliverable 8.6, “TCBL Conference Report and Video 2”. Author Jesse Marsh, City of Prato. REVISION
DATE
AUTHOR
ORGANISATION
DESCRIPTION
Version 1
11.07.2017
Jesse Marsh
City of Prato
Full draft for review
Version 2
15.07.2017
Jesse Marsh
City of Prato
Including reviewers’ comments
STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY This deliverable contains original unpublished work except where clearly indicated otherwise. Acknowledgement of previously published material and of the work of others has been made through appropriate citation, quotation or both.
COPYRIGHT This work is licensed by the TCBL Consortium under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, 2015-2016. For details, see http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ The TCBL Consortium, consisting of: Municipality of Prato (PRATO) Italy; German Institutes for Textile and Fiber Research - Center for Management Research (DITF) Germany; Istituto Superiore Mario Boella (ISMB) Italy; Skillaware (SKILL) Italy; The Oxford Brookes University (OBU) UK; imec (IMEC) Belgium; Tavistock Institute (TAVI) UK; Materials Industrial Research & Technology Center S.A. (MIRTEC) Greece; Waag Society (WAAG) Netherlands; Huddersfield & District Textile Training Company Ltd (TCOE) UK; eZavod (eZAVOD) Slovenia; Consorzio Arca (ARCA) Italy; Unioncamere del Veneto (UCV) Italy; Hellenic Clothing Industry Association (HCIA) Greece; Sanjotec - Centro Empresarial e Tecnológico (SANJO) Portugal; Clear Communication Associates Ltd (CCA) UK.
DISCLAIMER All information included in this document is subject to change without notice. The Members of the TCBL Consortium make no warranty of any kind with regard to this document, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. The Members of the TCBL Consortium shall not be held liable for errors contained herein or direct, indirect, special, incidental or consequential damages in connection with the furnishing, performance, or use of this material.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The TCBL project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 Programme for research, technology development, and innovation under Grant Agreement n.646133.
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