Informing media representatives about the European Capital of Culture project is very important for good communication, visibility and audience development, which is why Rijeka 2020 invited journalists on a trip to the Port of Diversity.
Journalists from Novi list, Radio Rijeka, Kanal RI, Večernji list, HINA , HRT and Jutarnji list assembled on Tuesday, 29 May in front of the Croatian National Theatre “Ivan pl. Zajc” for a visit to key locations and infrastructure projects of the European Capital of Culture.
The Croatian National Theatre “Ivan pl. Zajc” is an important partner in the project and one of the most visited cultural institutions in Croatia. Although he could not reveal too much about the programme for 2020, due to the organisation’s procedural rules, the artistic director Marin Blažević shared with journalists some of the already agreed upon productions and co-productions, among which Oliver Frljić’s play based on Goran Stefanovski’s text, performed on a train passing through the city, is probably most interesting to journalists.
In front of the Rijeka 2020 – EPK headquarters journalists were greeted by Director Emina Višnić who thanked them for coming.
– We are in the preparatory phase for 2020, with the preparations running smoothly and very intensively. We are delighted to inform you that the PartneRI Business Club Association, bringing together entrepreneurs from Rijeka and the county, was established yesterday and that we have signed an agreement with the association. The Association will lend its support to certain programmes of the Rijeka 2020 project, but they will also empower the community long after the project is finished. We are very proud of this major breakthrough in the overall situation in culture and cultural policy in Croatia, Višnić said.
Journalists were given a tour of the Ivex building at the address Delta 5 by the person who knows the building best – the programme manager of the Sweet and Salty programme line, the architect Idis Turato. The building currently houses Rijeka 2020 Ltd, the Delta 5 association of artists, the Zajc Lab youth theatre workshop, Turat’s architecture firm Delta Lab, a mountaineering society, etc., all in harmonious co-existence…
From the top of the Ivex building, with an all-encompassing view of the city, the coordinator of the programme line Brick House, Jelena Milić, announced the programme Summer in the Capital that will open with the first concert in the Furioza Cycle of the Kitchen programme line – a concert by the well-known indie group Punčke. The open-air concert will be held in front of the Ivex building, as part of the afternoon and evening event Delta Open.
At the end of the press visit to Delta 5, guests were also greeted by Irena Kregar Šegota, director of development who talked about the legacy of the project, reminding once again that on Monday the PartneRi Business Club: Rijeka 2020 was founded.
The delegation of journalists continued its tour by tourist bus under the guidance of Bernard Koludrović and visited Ri Hub’s infrastructure projects, as well as the former industrial and future cultural complex Benčić, where Ivan Šarar, the city secretary for culture, gave them a tour of the construction site at the ex-administrative building of the sugar plant (Šećerana) – the new location of the Museum of the city of Rijeka. Guests were informed about the programme by Slaven Tolj, the director of the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art and the artistic director of Rijeka 2020.
