Culture Atlas of Bavaria: Successful Networking Event

On March 11, 2026, in the Festsaal (Festivities Hall) of the University of Applied Sciences Kufstein Tirol, the focus was on a topic that is becoming increasingly crucial for many cultural professionals: visibility, exchange, and cooperation across borders. At a cross-border networking event, the Bavarian Culture Atlas was presented - a new digital platform that connects cultural professionals, initiatives, associations, and institutions, pools knowledge, and facilitates access to funding opportunities.

The Culture Atlas is a free, structured online portal for cultural professionals. Its key features include a community section for networking, a curated knowledge base, an event calendar, and an AI-powered funding guide designed to identify funding opportunities that are a perfect fit.

Rebecca Zimmermann, CEO Managing Director of the Kulturatlas, presented the platform and highlighted the many opportunities for networking, including across borders within the Inntal cultural region. The goal, she explained, is to make cultural work more transparent and to facilitate collaboration - precisely because cultural offerings are often widely dispersed and not always easy to find. The evening was moderated by Prof. Dr. Bert Neumeister, who supports Kulturatlas Bayern as an expert in marketing and communication on topics such as brand development, storytelling, and visibility in the digital space.

BOUNDLESS CONNECTIONS: CULTURAL LEADERS IN DIALOGUE

Among the guests was Anke Hellmann, Cultural Affairs Officer for the Rosenheim district and Cultural Ambassador for the Bavarian Cultural Atlas, who presented best practices in cross-border cultural work between Tyrol and Bavaria and demonstrated how cooperation can be strengthened through exchange, knowledge transfer, and personal networks in the border region. Overall, the meeting brought together cultural actors from both sides of the Inn River, including the renowned glass artist Florian Lechner, who has also designed spaces in the Bavarian State Parliament, as well as Klaus Reitberger, cultural affairs officer for the city of Kufstein. Students from the Marketing and Communication Management degree program at the University of Applied Sciences Kufstein Tirol were also in attendance. As part of a practical project, they are developing communication ideas to raise cross-border awareness of the Cultural Atlas, bringing a targeted Gen Z perspective to the effort.