Symposium - Info
1ST SYMPOSIUM OF INDUSTRIAL CULTURE
INDUSTRY - CULTURE - TOURISM
HOW DOES THAT FIT TOGETHER?
The 1st Industrial Culture Symposium, which took place at ALFA Steyrermühl from 12 to 13 October 2023, kicked off an important discussion on the profound interactions between industry, culture and tourism.
This groundbreaking event brought together leading experts from these three crucial areas to discuss valuable ideas and focussed in particular on theses of great importance to the tourism sector, including industrial buildings, pioneering spirit, innovation, task sharing and mobility. The aspects were carefully selected to lay the foundation for an in-depth examination of the topic of industrial heritage and its promotion.
A central concern of the discussion was the clear division of tasks between the industrial, cultural and tourism sectors. While the industrial companies are responsible for the appreciation of their own industrial history, the tourism sector plays a decisive role in marketing it. For its part, the cultural scene will contribute to the promotion of industrial culture by creating thematically appropriate events. It was emphasised how important it is that these three sectors approach each other with tolerance and understanding in order to achieve common goals.
Industrial culture is not only a means of preserving our rich history, but also an exciting opportunity to transfer this past into a promising future. Special attention is paid to raising awareness and creating a positive image of the region, both among the population and the locals.
Involving the community in the development of cultural content and design processes is essential.
Industrial culture is a valuable resource for the future. In order to promote this, the symposium offered an important step towards intensive co-operation between the fields of industry, culture and tourism and made it clear: if you don't know the history, you can't shape the future.
Susanne Rauch-Keschmann, Head of the Tourism Section, emphasised:
"Austria is striving to become the most sustainable tourism region in the world. Projects such as "Industrial Culture" in the Traunsee-Almtal region are essential to achieving this goal. This project demonstrates the passion with which tourism, industry and regional policy are interwoven. Tradition, customs, innovation and above all the people are what make up a region and its industrial culture."
