THE CONFERENCE RIJEKA 2020

Thursday, July 15
Church of the Holy Spirit, 11. a.m.
THE CONFERENCE
RIJEKA 2020

VESELKO GRUBIŠIĆ, Ambassador of the Republic of Croatia (Croatia)
IRENA KREGAR ŠEGOTA, CEO of the Rijeka 2020 – European Capital of Culture (Croatia)

Partner of the conference:  Rijeka 2020 – European Capital of Culture

In 2020, when Croatia took over the Presidency of the European Union, the largest Croatian port, Rijeka, was the center of a rich national and European cultural and artistic program, a host city for artists from the European, Croatian, and worldwide cultural scene as Rijeka reigned as the 2020 European Capital of Culture. A combination of Mediterranean, Central European, and Eastern European influences, in the last hundred years Rijeka has developed in as many as seven different countries. Like Europe in a nutshell, it has become a place of dynamic life, a symbol of freedom and progressive ideas, and an open city where everyone has always been welcome. In 2020, as part of the European Capital of Culture project, Rijeka built and opened new buildings and cultural facilities co-financed by European Union funds, realizing more than 600 cultural, artistic, and other events, in whose manifestation more than 250 cultural institutions and organizations from Croatia, and 40 from Europe and beyond, participated. 

Irena Kregar Šegota, a cultural manager with many years of experience specializing in international cooperation, fundraising, and project management in culture, is the CEO of the RIJEKA 2020 Agency. She was involved in the Rijeka – European Capital of Culture 2020 Project from the very beginning, first as the executive coordinator and international relations manager for the Rijeka ECOC 2020 bid and then as the Executive Director for Development, Partnerships, and Participation at the Rijeka 2020 company. Her previous professional experiences include positions at the Rijeka City Hall, the Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Rijeka City Puppet Theater, and as a translator and teacher of English and French. After completing high school in the USA, Irina graduated in English and French Language and Literature from the Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb. She studied Cultural Management and Cultural Policy at the Chambre de commerce de Paris, the Observatoire des politiques culturelles de Grenoble, and the École Nationale d’Administration (ENA) in Paris. Irina was the long-term president of the Alliance Française in Rijeka and the Vice-president of the European cultural network Les Rencontres. She speaks fluent English, French, and Italian.