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A study conducted by lecturers of the UIC Barcelona University Master’s Degree in Cultural Management is committed to moving toward “a genuine digital transformation” in the cultural sector and not to be limited to “digitising previous content or analogue materials.” 

The report entitled “Cultural Management during COVID-19” points to the need of “creating new formats,” as some museums did after onsite visits were suspended during the pandemic. The report was written by Dr Miquel Bastons, Dr Marta Crispi, assistant professor and lecturer, respectively, for the Master's Degree in Cultural Management, and Dr Judith Urbano, dean of the Faculty of Humanities.  

During the presentation of the study, which took place on 22 March 2023, on the University’s Barcelona Campus, Dr Miquel Bastons pointed out that the pandemic was “an accelerator for streamlining processes of change, facilitating creativity and digitalisation and not only in the aesthetic and artistic sense, but also in management, which has become more decisive.” However, in his opinion, it must go further and go toward “a digital transition, which will be slow, expensive and hard.”

The authors of the report also pointed out that, despite the impact that COVID-19 has had on the cultural sector, it has generated “new opportunities,” mainly in relation to “audiovisual content, cinematographic content or video game platforms, which have cause audiences to boom.” 

Another conclusion drawn from the study is the “irreplaceable value” of presentiality in the inherent creative processes of the cultural sector after the pandemic forced cultural institutions to temporarily close their doors. The report states, for example, that “interactions that occur in person, facing a work of art have a value that cannot be replaced.” 

During the event, led by Edgar García, director of the Institut Català de les Empreses Culturals [Catalan Institute of Cultural Entreprises], various cultural institutions and entities participated, such as the Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA), the Generalitat de Catalunya and the National Council for Culture and Arts (CoNCA), among others

The need for professional profiles with technological skills in the cultural field grows

The drop in museums visitors in 2020 was between 70 and 80%, forcing institutions to create new content and leverage social networks, according to the report, which also highlights that “a new proximity to the public was generated” and “the community has been strengthened.” The urgent need for cultural professional profiles with strong and broad technological skills was also emphasised.

After contacting almost 30 directors and managers of Catalan cultural institutions for the report, the authors explained that in the last three years “the strategic changes, which were already planned, were accelerated as they became urgent with the future trend.” Public-private partnerships have also increased, as well as the connection with the city, “with projects capable of uniting companies from multiple sectors and administrations.”

Likewise, the report includes the economic impact that the pandemic had on the sector, with a drop in revenues that reached 80% in some private institutions, according to data from CoNCA. The reduction in revenue was produced not only by the drop in ticket sales but also in other areas such as restaurant services, rental spaces or merchandising. 

The authors of the report are teachers of the Master’s Degree in Cultural Management taught at UIC Barcelona. The programme has students from more than 70 nationalities and is designed especially for new graduates who want to train as cultural managers, as well as for active professionals with experience who want to refine their training and improve their management processes and methods.