As announced and approved in Brno during the GA 2005 (see Activity proposal 2005/2006), the European Festivals Association has set up a training programme for young festival managers. The European atelier is a management programme especially designed for young festival operators. It is designed as a workshop to experience high-level vocational training in the field of festival management. 40 young festival managers will meet for 5 days to work in topical-based working groups, assist lectures, learn from case studies and implement practical activities. Outstanding top professionals such as Gerard Mortier, Director of the Opéra National de Paris, former General Director of the Salzburger Festspiele and first Intendant of the RuhrTriennale, or Bernard Faivre d’Arcier, longstanding Director of the Festival d’Avignon confirmed their participation and will stay for a couple of days to share their rich professional experience with the students, as will Nele Hertling, Spokeswoman Berliner Konferenz and director of the "Berlin Artist Program” of the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service), Gavin Henderson, Principal of Trinity College of Music in London, Artistic Director of the Dartington International Summer School and former EFA President, Darko Brlek, EFA President and Artistic and Managing Director of the Ljubljana Festival, Rose Fenton, co-founder of LIFT – London International Theatre Festival, and many others. The atelier will take place in Görlitz/Germany from 15-21May 2006. It will be also be open for non-EFA members (with of course different participation fees). If you are interested in participating, please let us know already NOW. More news is to come in January!