Apply to pilot projects!
The pilot projects aim to develop revenue models for the performing arts. Performing arts professionals selected to participate will be paid a fee (invoiced) for their development work.
The Boosting Growth pilot projects will be carried out between November 2026 and August 2027. The pilot projects will include co-development workshops and concrete experiments. The pilots will be carried out in collaboration with performing arts experts and freelancers. The selected performing arts professionals will be paid a fee (invoiced) for their development work.
Co-development includes workshop sessions, joint brainstorming sessions, expert presentations, and peer coaching. Concrete experiments will be used to test the ideas generated through co-development. The experiments will draw on the participants’ own artistic content, such as performances and works, workshop and educational materials, services, products, and creative expertise. Those participating in co-development do not have exclusive rights to the operating models developed – the results of the development work must be available for use by the entire field.
The application form can be translated into English at the beginning of the form.
Themes for co-development and experiments
1. Sales pilot – New revenue from performance operations
Productize, reach new customers, and develop out-of-the-box sales campaigns!
In the sales pilot, we will develop and test new operating models for areas such as basic sales in the performing arts (ticket sales, tour sales, work sales), product development, audience engagement, and the implementation of marketing campaigns. We are looking for 3–5 challenges, needs, or problems, that can be studied and possibly solved within the framework of this pilot project (considering schedule, budget, expertise, objectives and content). The themes for co-development will be decided together with the pilot group during the first kick-off meeting. The goal is to benefit the entire field of the performing arts as broadly as possible.
- Through the open call, 3-5 professionals will be selected.
- Implementation period: November 2026 – May 2027.
Example: In the co-development workshops, new buyer groups for the performing arts are identified, and new types of marketing and sales campaigns, as well as sales models, are developed. Ideas generated in the workshops are tested in practice in the productions of the professionals participating in the development. Based on the results of the co-development and trials, a performing arts sales model open to all is developed.
2. Business collaboration pilot — New revenue from service operations
Find funding from the business sector!
The business collaboration pilot will begin with a study that highlights the challenges business field and the performing arts field face in connecting with one another and opens up a new way of thinking about collaboration opportunities. The themes for co-development will be decided together with the pilot group during the first meeting, considering the results of the study. The goal is to benefit the entire field of the performing arts as broadly as possible. For the experiments, we are seeking productions, artistic content, services, expertise, or ideas that can be used to test service operations and business collaboration in practice with companies. The most important factors are motivation and interest in developing self-financing within the field. The focus is on developing a shared model for corporate collaboration. The pilot projects will be carried out at the project’s partner companies in Central Finland.
- Through the open call, 3-5 professionals will be selected.
- Implementation period: November 2026 – August 2027.
Example: Opportunities for collaboration between the performing arts and the business sector identified in the study will be refined in co-development workshops. This may involve, for example, shaping artistic content into a marketable service or building a model for ongoing business collaboration. The results will be tested with the companies participating in the pilot, and feedback will be collected from them. Based on the findings of the study, the co-development process, and the pilot results, a sales model for the performing arts that is open to all will be developed.
3. Innovation pilot — New revenue from performing arts concepts
Develop scalable concepts from content!
In the innovation pilot, we will create new revenue-generating innovations – such as licensing, digitization, or gamification – for performing arts content. Co-development is carried out using the project group’s own existing artistic content by shaping, conceptualizing, and exploring new ways to generate revenue. Multiple different possibilities can be developed for a single piece of content. The project does not have a predetermined goal for this pilot – rather, it may lead to something we haven’t even thought of yet. Content still in development is not suitable for this pilot. The themes and contents for co-development will be decided at the first meeting. Two to three pieces of content will be selected for the pilot, for which various revenue-generating models can be developed within the framework of this project.
- Through the open call, 2-3 professionals will be selected.
- Implementation period: November 2026 – May 2027.
Example: Workshops will explore the potential of intangible assets—such as trademarks, patents, and copyrights—in the field of performing arts. During the workshops, participants will build and shape content concepts from existing performing arts content that can be flexibly replicated and scaled, and utilized, for example, in licensing.
Questions?
Please contact Anna Leino, a producer in Boosting Growth.
