EJN Staff Exchange Programme

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Previous Participant: Patxi Berradre

"Professionally speaking my 10 days in the Belgrade Jazz Festival where very enriching and they gave me the opportunity not only to see another jazz festival from the inside, but also to see things from a different angle"
From: San Sebastian Jazz Festival - Jazzaldia (Spain)
To: Belgrade Jazz Festival (Serbia)
Dates: 22 - 31 October 2022


First of all I have to thank the Belgrade Jazz Festival and all the team working there for their help and support during the days I was there. I particularly want to thank Milica Sevarlic, who made everything easy for me, helped me with the logistics and took time to show me the insides of this wonderful festival.   

This experience has been very interesting not only professionally, but also personally. Professionally speaking my 10 days in the Belgrade Jazz Festival where very enriching and they gave me the opportunity not only to see another jazz festival from the inside, but also to see things from a different angle. And I believe this is a very good way to make you think about what you are doing in your own festival, to find new ideas, to see different team structures, to realize that there are many things you could improve and there are many other you are doing OK. To say it simple: it is a very good way to learn and improve.   

Another very interesting and important outcome of having been in the Belgrade Jazz Festival is the networking I have developed. Besides meeting and contacting the local organizers, I have also met a lot of interesting professionals: many international journalists, some musicians, agents, jazz aficionados... I would have liked to be able to help more, but in PR and communication the language is essential and, unfortunately, I don’t speak Serbian, so many times I couldn’t help as much as I would have wanted. This is the reason why, even though everyone there spoke good English, I believe that for a person like me, working as a PR and with the press, it would have been even a better experience if I had chosen a place where I could have managed in their own language.   

Personally, this exchange has given me the opportunity to meet great people, to get to know a wonderful and very interesting city and to enjoy with many excellent jazz concerts. For anyone considering weather or not to take part in this staff exchange program, I would tell them that it is worth it, I would tell them to go ahead, cause I am sure that, if they do take part, they are going to learn a lot of things, they are going to meet a lot of interesting people and they are going to have a great time!!