Being involved professionally in festivals that bring talented artists alive on stage and deepen artistic views is what makes me happy.

Gert Naessens is Business Development Director of the European Festivals Association (EFA). He builds relations with strategic partners and acts as a project manager in EFA’s initiatives. He had a leading role in the coordination of Europe for Festivals, Festivals for Europe (EFFE) and manages the digital platform FestivalFinder.eu.  Gert also oversees, monitors and controls the financial and administrative operation of the organization.

Prior to joining EFA in 2006, he was for 5 years the General Manager of the Openbaar Entrepot voor the Kunsten (OPEK), a historical building in the Belgian university town Leuven, that houses seven art organizations, known in Belgium in the field of theater, dance and art education. In that position he was responsible for the overall management of the activities, the public relations as well as some large public festivals.

For the 5 years prior to OPEK, Gert was responsible for the marketing and communication of the Music Department of the Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels (BOZAR). In this position he also built his international network through embassies and cultural institutes.

During a former career in the IT-sector as a Business Developer, Gert has always been devoted to arts, as a violinist, traveling all over the world, and as the president of the contemporary music ensemble ‘Het Collectief’.