During her presentation, Dr. Roth introduced key insights from C2T’s work with cultural and creative industries (CCIs) and sustainable tourism SMEs across nine countries. She emphasised that real transformation requires more than skills development: it emerges from collaboration, experimentation, and creative problem-solving.
Her talk highlighted several important lessons:
• Transformation is relational: new solutions emerge when tourism SMEs and creative industries collaborate.
• Learning must be applied: capacity building is most effective when linked to real challenges.
• Safe spaces for experimentation matter: co-creation formats allow stakeholders to test ideas and learn from failure.
• Creativity accelerates change: creative methods help organisations overcome barriers and rethink existing practices.
• Mindset change is essential: openness and multidisciplinary cooperation are key to successful transformation.
These messages strongly align with C2T’s mission to build a supportive environment for SMEs and CCIs and to enhance their role in the digital and green transitions. Through its pilot actions, co-creation workshops, and transnational networks, the project strengthens the capacity of regional ecosystems to innovate and adapt.
The results and insights from activities such as the IEES Summit will feed into C2T’s two platforms — MediaFactory and KnowledgeFactory — providing stakeholders across Central Europe with practical examples, tools, and inspiration for embracing the twin transitions.