Date: 21 October 2025
The Live Exchange Workshop aimed to bring together cultural organisers from various café houses to exchange ideas, share good practices, and discuss how our spaces can continue to serve as vital cultural and community hubs in contemporary Europe.
The discussion explored approaches to cultural programming, audience development, and the evolving role of cafés as spaces for dialogue, creativity, and social cohesion.
This open table conversation contributed to the collective reflection shaping the future Coffee Houses Network.
Guiding Questions:
Round 1: How does your café (or cultural space) balance culture, community, and sustainability?
Round 2: What role do books, music, or art play in fostering creativity and solidarity in your space?
Round 3: In organizing and implementing cultural programs, how can operational aspects and/or guest requirements be accommodated?
Round 4: What kind of cooperation exists between hospitality venues that influences the implementation of cultural programs and also affects operations? For example: in issues such as extending opening hours, organizing outdoor concerts, using public spaces for programs, regulating noise ordinances, simplifying permit processes.
Roun 5: How can cafés collaborate across borders to address funding challenges and reframe coffee culture (e.g., fair trade, inclusivity)?