EJN Staff Exchange Programme

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Previous partcipant: Patrick Klettner

"All in all, I am very pleased with the results of my first EJN Staff Exchange. The opportunity to meet many people, to get insights into their work and to understand the differences in processes have given me many ideas regarding my own activities at the Jazz Festival Saalfelden."
From: Jazzfestival Saalfelden (Austria)
To: Oslo Jazz Festival (Norway) 
Dates: 16 - 23 April 2023


First of all, I would like to thank the EJN and the Oslo Jazz Festival team for making this staff exchange possible. It was an unforgettable experience!

The staff exchange started on April 16th, 2023, and I traveled to Oslo by plane and train. On Monday, I met Øyvind Larsen at the office. When arriving at the office, I was introduced to the entire team, which consists of Lisa, Emilie and the current intern Selma. Afterwards, I was provided with my own office place for the week.

On my first day, I got some initial insights into the Oslo Jazz Festival. They presented me with the new pattern of the festival, first glances at the schedule, the artists who will be performing at the festival and much more.

During the week, I attended a common meeting, which was held in English in courtesy of my attendance. There, I learned more about the preparation and organisation of the Oslo Jazz Festival. The meeting was about marketing and communication, production and the upcoming Spring gathering for volunteers on Saturday, to which I was also invited. I was given a detailed explanation of everything and thankfully my questions were well answered. Afterwards, I had the opportunity to sit down with Øyvind and we could discuss relevant topics such as budgets, strategies and other various things regarding the festival. A concert by AKI: Lucia Cadotsch & Kit Downes at the famous Munch Museum rounded off this successful day.

Thanks to the very good jazz network in Norway and especially in Oslo, Øyvind offered me the possibility to get to know other organisations during my staff exchange week and to exchange ideas with them on various topics. Norsk jazzforum also put me on the guest list for a concert at the National Jazz Scene and Cosmopolite Scene showed me further stages and activities around their concerts.

On Saturday, I was invited to participate in the volunteer gathering. This was one of three meetings held to prepare the volunteers for the festival in August. The presentation at this meeting gave me a broad overview of the preparation and organisation of the Oslo Jazz Festival. Of particular interest, was the newly tested event management software, which could also help us in the future and lead to a more efficient and easier way of working. In the evening, we attended another concert together. Presumably, the best way to end this staff exchange week. All in all, I am very pleased with the results of my first EJN Staff Exchange. The opportunity to meet many people, to get insights into their work and to understand the differences in processes have given me many ideas regarding my own activities at the Jazz Festival Saalfelden.

I would like to thank Øyvind and the entire team for these great days and for the memorable experience!

Link to some videos:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CrlG3m3s_ju/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=NTYzOWQzNmJjMA==