Board member since 2017, Treasurer since 2019

Name of the candidate: Sophie Detremmerie
Job title: Festival Manager
Age: 45
Gender: Female
Citizenship/origin: Belgian
Artistic/geographical experience: My specialty is the business side of festivals (sponsorship, concert formats, professional organisation, healthy finances, people management, etc).  I have been working in Belgium for 20 years.

Name of the organisation / festival: Festival STROOM part of Festival van Vlaanderen
Membership category: Individual festival
Country of the organisation / festival: Belgium
Festival art disciplines: Music, debates, art in nature
Annual turnover: €1 million
Number of visitors per edition: 10.000

Motivation:
HOW IS 'WHO I AM' RELEVANT FOR EFA?
- My festival is about sustainability, not only by a strong sustainability strategy for the organisation itself, but also by making it the theme of the festival, making countless connections outside the cultural world and giving artists a voice in the debate. This theme is, next to diversity, a very very important subject in the world, and thus, in our festivals. Lots to do, learn, share! I can add!
- I am all about 'doing' more than 'talking': I am very serious about this!
- I bring people together, this fits strongly with EFA being an organisation of people who have a shared passion, but who work in very different circumstances. Building bridges is what I like to do, all with a smile.
- I definitely want to help bringing EFA to the very next level, because I am a strong believer in its power. It is necessary to excell and set the bar for other organisations.
- I love to talk for an audience, exchanging knowhow within the festival world. I can represent EFA when useful. Only last November e.g., I was in Prague talking about corporate sponsorship for the Czech festivals.

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE
- I was co-founding member of MUSMA, the first long term co-production platform between EFA members ever. We could say it has been the inspiration for the EFFEA calls.  
- I have experience with EU funding as coordinator, handy for EFA funding or for knowledge sharing towards other members
- I do have good relationship with Kathrin Deventer: working in the same country is an advantage for closer working together and reaching better results
- And of course in terms of professional experience, I did run the Klarafestival for almost 15 years, with 2,5 mio€ budget and 25.000 visitors + 14 mio radio listeners. My specialty is the business side of festivals (sponsorship, concert formats, professional organisation, healthy finances, people management, etc).  
- Then I organised the World Choir Games, the mondial competition for amateur choirs, which happens every 2 years somewhere in the world. 2020-2021 was in Flanders. More than 180 choirs came over and another 350 were digitally part of the biggest singing competition in the world.  
- Since 2021 I started up a new classical music festival, called STROOM, along the river Scheldt. www.festivalstroom.be
- Member of EFA since 2006, Board member since 2017, Treasurer since 2019