The presentation of the annual report on cultural production in Venice has become quite a significant event. Professionals use the information as a valuable tool, allowing them to evaluate their activity in relation to the city’s cultural landscape. The rest of the community relies on the report as well. The cultural industry in fact has a strong influence on the entrepreneurial and occupational aspects of public life, and on the possibility to experience the city, as well as its various spaces.

The report was drafted following a specific procedure as in the previous editions. It is meant to provide a detailed image of the cultural events organized in Venice and in its provinces, the questions asked are: who is producing and promoting cultural enterprises? What are the spaces designed to host them? The significant information emerging from the report is easily readable: 2.036 events, 1790 of which held in the actual city; 12.116 days events, 11.462 of which held in Venice; 150 producers and 250 sites.

Looking closer at the results, we are able to see that an important role in the life of the community is played by more occasional and independent cultural events. These affairs are organized besides the permanent structure of museums or other cultural institutions. The capability of independent promoters to work through a collaborative system is also a new and relevant reality.

Over the past years the report and information gathered on the web site: www.agendavenezia.org, have provided a reliable description of the strategies applied by various cultural entrepreneurs. Most of these strategies need to be discussed and evaluated to strengthen and secure their accomplishment.

One out of two main strategies identified is referred to as “solitary”. According to this approach each cultural promoter acts autonomously as if it was the only actor on the scene; this way of working was detected reading the report in fact it shows that events are often held at the same time and that they’re often centred around similar topics. The second possible understanding derived from the report is the extreme importance of these independent cultural promoters often acting in collaboration with the established cultural structure. The creative skills necessary for their organization and their social impact on the city are also very significant. The cultural events industry is made of small and large businesses. Some of these organizations are well structured others are more improvised. Events may have an international outreach while others only a local appeal. Even if not thoroughly ordered, this network is made up of elements whose capability to cooperate makes it a stronghold for Venice’s urban marketing strategy. The report is focused on identifying cultural promoters because they are the main part of the system. New technologies such as the web site Agenda Venezia are able to improve this structure, expanding the network and developing new ways of learning and exchanging knowledge. An inner informational network connecting the smaller businesses could be suitable for this purpose.