From 21 to 30 August, a special conference will take place in Antwerp. Louder Together combines a conference and a festival. It is a “congrestival” where children, young people and teaching artists from all over the world come together for ten days. The result is a lively mix of theatre festival and scientific conference.
What makes Louder Together even more special is its clear ambition to create societal impact. The conference wants to do more than bring people together, share knowledge and offer inspiration. It also wants to leave a lasting positive effect on the city where it takes place.
To define this impact and make sure it lasts, organiser Open Doek received support from not one, but two convention bureaus: Flanders Convention Bureau and Antwerp Convention Bureau. This double support is no coincidence. For both bureaus, impact is an essential part of their work.
Flanders Convention Bureau is building Flanders as a leading destination for conferences that want to create a lasting positive impact on society. At Antwerp Convention Bureau, impact is central to the vision “The City is Your Venue”. This vision starts from the idea that the value of a conference should not stay inside the meeting rooms. It should also be felt in the city, just like impact itself.
For Louder Together, the impact guidance took the form of a long-term journey, based on the so-called “Theory of Change”. For this interview, we brought together three key people behind that journey: Tuya Beyers from Flanders Convention Bureau, and Veerle Tielemans and Tadeja Pivc Coudyser from Antwerp Convention Bureau. They explain how Louder Together is becoming more than an international congress: it is becoming a driver for culture, education and inclusion in Antwerp and Flanders.
Tuya Beyers, Association Expert and Impact Manager at Flanders Convention Bureau
The impact ambitions of Louder Together (see at the end of this article) have a clear social dimension. They are linked to areas such as education, youth participation and inclusion. That made Louder Together a strong conference to build an impact journey around, says Veerle Tielemans, Marketing Manager at Antwerp Convention Bureau.
“Louder Together is much more than a conference or a festival. It brings together children and young people, theatre makers, educators, researchers and policymakers around a shared ambition: making arts and culture more accessible, inclusive and meaningful for future generations.
What makes the event particularly unique is its strong connection to Teaching Artistry. The conference explores how artists can contribute not only as creators, but also as facilitators of learning, creativity and personal development. This creates unique opportunities for societal impact.
The themes addressed by Louder Together, such as arts education, youth participation, inclusion and Teaching Artistry, are all closely linked to broader social challenges. Through the impact journey, we were able to translate these ambitions into a clear framework with long-term goals, measurable outcomes and concrete actions.”
According to Tuya Beyers, Impact Expert at Flanders Convention Bureau, the commitment of the association also plays a crucial role.
Veerle Tielemans, Marketing Manager at Antwerp Convention Bureau
We have already used the words several times: societal impact. This impact should be central from the very start of the conference organisation, even before the programme is fixed. The impact journey has an important influence on the way the programme is designed and developed.
According to Tuya Beyers, the Impact Methodology of Flanders Convention Bureau helps organisers move from a programme-centred approach to an impact-centred approach.
“Instead of only asking what activities should be included, we explored with the stakeholders what changes the event wants to contribute to. These changes are important for children and young people, cultural professionals, educators and policymakers.
This process helped sharpen several priorities within the programme. For example, inclusion became not only a topic of discussion, but also a principle guiding the event itself. Together with the organisers and local stakeholders, we reflected on how participants from different backgrounds can feel welcome, represented and able to participate fully in both the congress and the festival.”
Veerle Tielemans sees another important value in the impact journey.
“At the beginning of the journey, we brought together a broader group of stakeholders. Through the collaboration between Antwerp Convention Bureau, Flanders Convention Bureau, the organisers and the City of Antwerp, new conversations started around the long-term legacy of the event. One example is the ambition to continue the dialogue on inclusion through a learning network for the cultural sector in Antwerp.
For us, that is the real value of an impact journey. It helps make sure that an event is not only successful during the week it takes place. It also helps create stronger connections, new initiatives and long-term value for both the sector and the destination.”
Tadeja Pivc Coudyser, CEO of Antwerp Convention Bureau
Every new impact journey brings new insights. This is also true for Tuya, Veerle and Tadeja, who have already supported several associations in creating impact. However different these conferences may be, one important insight always returns: impact becomes much stronger when it is co-created with stakeholders. That is logical, says Tadeja Pivc Coudyser, CEO of Antwerp Convention Bureau.
“Bringing together different perspectives helps identify more meaningful outcomes. That is why the stakeholder event, which we organised more than a year before the start of Louder Together, was a key moment.
We used that moment to announce the "congrestival" and to gain the support of more than 70 stakeholders who could help create impact in the city. The engagement was huge. All these partners helped think about the activities and about ways to involve their own communities.
That stakeholder event also fits perfectly with "The City is Your Venue", the vision of our convention bureau in Antwerp. By activating the wider ecosystem around the event, the congress becomes part of a much larger story. This creates impact for both the community and the destination.
One example shows how important this impact is for the city. One of the people present at the stakeholder event was Lien Van De Kelder, Alderwoman for Culture of the City of Antwerp. Her presence ensured the involvement of the local government and showed how much importance the city itself gives to creating impact.”
Tuya Beyers also draws an important lesson from the impact journeys she has guided: start with the change you want to see, not with the programme.
“Try to define the impact before you start organising your congress. That impact should be clear before you focus on the organisation and the programme.
Dream big but make your objectives concrete and measurable. Start with the goals that have the most enthusiastic stakeholders and the greatest added value. You do not have to realise all ideas during this conference. Some can also be developed in future editions. Keep it fun, keep it feasible. That is the guiding principle.”
Making Teaching Artistry more visible in schools
Projects around Teaching Artistry in schools become more visible and better connected. This creates opportunities to share knowledge, methods and best practices.
Recognising artistry as a force for growth
Artistry is more widely recognised as a powerful way to support personal development, strengthen communities and encourage critical thinking.
Giving arts and culture a stronger place in education
Arts and culture become a natural part of the curriculum for children and young people, just as sport already is.
Building a more inclusive cultural ecosystem
Antwerp and Flanders develop a sustainable and inclusive cultural environment. In this environment, children, young people and adults from diverse backgrounds feel represented, face fewer barriers to participation and actively take part in cultural life.
Creating theatre that speaks to a digital generation
New and innovative theatre experiences are developed that can inspire young audiences and compete with the appeal of digital entertainment such as Netflix.
Want to read more about the Impact Journey for associations and the “Theory of Change”?
You can find more information here.
