Jan Briers

As the President of the European Festivals Association, the Federation of Music Festivals in Flanders, and the Flanders Festival Ghent, Jan Briers has a clear mission: to foster connections that transcend borders and bring communities together.

In his role as Representative of the International Flanders Festival (Brussels/Ghent), he orchestrated an impressive array of 350 events spanning 36 cities and towns.

During his tenure as Vice-President of the European Festivals Association (EFA), he championed collaboration within the festival realm, advocating for co-production, co-promotion, and co-sponsoring initiatives. He played a pivotal role in co-founding the Asian Association for Performing Arts Festivals (AAPAF) and was instrumental in organising the first joint conference between EFA and ISPA (International Society for the Performing Arts) in 2007. He became president of the EFA in 2017.

Jan Briers is not just a leader; he is a cultural ambassador, a visionary bridge-builder, and a passionate advocate for the arts. His work embodies the spirit of unity and cultural exchange, making festivals a beacon of hope in our interconnected world.

European Festivals Association

The European Festivals Association (EFA)’s main role in the permanently developing world of digitisation and globalisation is to connect festival makers to inform, inspire and enrich the festival landscape. As a festivals’ service, knowledge and training provider, EFA is the oldest cultural network of European festivals since 1952, bridging the distance between all kinds of stakeholders and to create international connections. All this in function of the enrichment of a festival’s own artistic offer and its organisational opportunities.

The EFA community includes The Festival Academy Alumni, EFFE Labels and other core members to link up people and organisations in the arts management field. It reaches beyond Europe and consolidates interaction between continents to foster mutual inspirations.

EFA guides the discourse on the value of arts festivals, which shares a myriad of concerns on intellectual, artistic, material and organisational level, deserving a strong umbrella organisation to unify and support.

Dr. Joanna C. Lee (Moderator)

Dr. Joanna C. Lee has served as consultant and translator for such institutions as the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall and the New York Asian Film Festival. Since 2004, she is the regular host and interpreter at the Hong Kong International Film Festival and the Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum. She was a publicity consultant for the “Big Five” American orchestras on their Asian tours as well as consulting producer for San Francisco Opera’s Dream of the Red Chamber. She is currently serving as outreach consultant for multiple Broadway and Off-Broadway productions in New York. She has served as an on-stage interpreter for former US President Jimmy Carter, Chinese director Jia Zhangke and artist Xu Bing, as well as provided opera surtitles for the China National Centre for the Performing Arts and the Beijing Music Festival. She is the English surtitle author for the Hong Kong Repertory Theatre since 2007.

Photo Credit: Lia Chang

• Simultaneous interpretation is available in English, Cantonese and Putonghua.
• Holders of the HKPAX Full Pass, Day Pass and Student Pass can access all sessions of Conversations. Spaces are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Online pre-registration is required.