Berlin - Creative Bureaucracy Festival

Once a year, the "Creative Bureaucracy Festival" will bring innovators at all levels from the public sector and the interested public together at a festival in Berlin. Inspirational examples covering every field will be showcased whether in education or co-creating solutions with citizens or whether instigated by local authorities, civic or international organizations.

DATE: The inaugural festival is between Friday, 7 September to Sunday, 8 September 2018

LOCATION: Humboldt University Berlin (main building), Unter den Linden 6, 10099 Berlin

AIMS & OBJECTIVE: To change the perception of the public sector and to improve public awareness of its innovative capacity as well as to encourage an innovation culture; to recognize and foster exchange between these creative administrators as well as those seeking to work with them in novel ways and as a result to attract ambitious young people to work in public service. 

TARGET GROUP: Imaginative civil servants of all kinds; aspirational younger people; the broader interested public and media; institutions supporting innovation in the public sector, such as foundations and companies; citizens involved in shaping the public sector in NGOs or as individuals. This is expressed in the festival motto: "You work for the common good. You have ideas. This is not a contradiction. This is your festival." 

PROGRAMME: Format - The event differs from conventional administration congresses in form, the presentation, by the festival atmosphere and the range of participants attracted. Up to 6 parallel stages are planned (audience size per stage: 50-500 participants).

Topics - subject areas cover issues like education, health, mobility, work, security, housing; overarching issues include digitization, transparency, participation, trust and legitimacy; "Good Practice" and "Lessons Learned" sessions and a “Fuck Up Night” are planned.

Language – Largely in German with substantial English streams.

COMPETITION: In the first year, an international jury of experts will highlight selected international "Good Practice" examples. For the following years, a decentralised competition is planned with prize winners at municipal, state and federal level.

INITIATORS: The initiative goes back to Charles Landry (author of "The Creative Bureaucracy") and Sebastian Turner, the publisher of the Tagesspiegel, (the publishing house acts as organizer). An international circle of initiators has been created in several preparatory meetings (among others with representatives of OECD, Eurocities, the German Federal Government, Land Berlin, Deutscher Städte- und Gemeindebund, Normenkontrollrat, Nesta (UK), Danish Design Lab, the European Cultural Foundation, the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, University of Potsdam, Viadrina, Fraunhofer, Bertelsmann Stiftung, Robert Bosch Stiftung, Stiftung Zukunft Berlin, Telekom-Stiftung, Zeit-Stiftung, Politics for Tomorrow). The circle is open for further partners.

FINANCING: The festival is made possible through the commitment of its participants. Grants from foundations and public authorities as well as contributions from sponsors and exhibitors are being sought. The entrance fees (19 €-29 €) are deliberately very modest in order to allow all levels of the public sector to participate. Scholarships are available for young participants.