Turning challenges into opportunities
2020. The year of the pandemic, the year of preventive measures, the year of social distancing. With a new vocabulary (Covid-19, lockdown, SMS 6) and a new reality (face masks, sanitizers, rapid tests, and PCR tests) that completely changed what we took for granted. At the same time, though, it prompted us to proceed with a profound retrospection, to redefine our goals, to discover our limits and potential, and, ultimately, to move forward in new directions.
The year started off strong. Following the 6.4 million visits in 2019, we welcomed thousands of visitors during January and February, who enjoyed strolling around the Stavros Niarchos Park, watching our concerts and shows, and participated in our educational programs, workshops, and sports events.
In March, we were required to close down our premises and, for the first time ever, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) risked altering –at least temporarily– its identity as an open and active public space, offering cultural events and recreational and educational activities.
When we took office as the new SNFCC S.A.'s Board of Directors in June 2020, only a few weeks after the initial lockdown, we took over at a time when the SNFCC had already been required to adapt to the new–constantly changing– circumstances.
Our aim was absolutely clear: paraphrasing SNFCC’s architect Renzo Piano’s vision to create “a place where people can come close to each other and remain close", we committed to staying close to our audience –even from afar– by offering all that we had offered in previous years, at a time when people needed entertainment and emotional support more than ever.
First of all, we took extensive safety measures and precautions, even more than what was required by the Greek State, to ensure that the SNFCC premises, and especially the Stavros Niarchos Park, would remain open and safely accessible to all. For many of the surrounding areas’ residents, the Stavros Niarchos Park became their daily resort, a meeting point during the summer months, and a favorite holiday destination during Christmas 2020.
At the same time, in our efforts to remain close to our visitors by bridging the imposed physical distance, we transformed an architectural destination into a digital one. We invited everyone to visit us online at #snfccAtHome, our new platform, offering a multitude of new free events, including concerts, readings, lectures, guided tours, workshops, school programs, and sports events, all available only a click away.
The result was 3,670 events, 3,670 occasions to meet with our audience, either online or at the SNFCC's premises whenever that was possible.
Our desire to continue offering our best to our visitors, created a unique opportunity for us. We broke our geographical boundaries and came closer to hundreds of thousands of online visitors, not only from all over Greece, but also from all over the world, and introduced the SNFCC to many who had never had the chance to visit us. We fully intend to not only continue but also to further expand this digital reach, even after “the world returns to normal.”
Constantly adjusting to the ever-changing reality required a lot of agility and hard work by the entire SNFCC team, but our commitment was– and still is–to keep moving forward, no matter what the circumstances. Flexibility and resourcefulness became our modus operandi on all aspects of our operation, from planning events and commercial activities, to implementing our Membership and Internship Programs.
The warm response to all our initiatives highlighted SNFCC’s potential and the impact that a team can achieve when its members demonstrate love and enthusiasm for what they do. A culture of collaboration, between colleagues and between organizations, can lead to synergies where the result is far greater than the sum of its parts.
In this spirit, our common programs with our cohabitants, the Greek National Opera and the National Library of Greece, this past year, have created a solid basis for further collaboration in the future.
This year, more than ever, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation’s support was essential, and we are grateful to its Co-President, Andreas Dracopoulos, for the continuous support and the close collaboration.
Once again, the SNF grants have enabled us to continue offering events and content to our audience, despite the significant challenges faced in the cultural sector due to this year’s unprecedented circumstances. They have also allowed us to evolve through new initiatives, such as the development of our new sustainable culinary destination and the launch of our collaboration with the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
Building on the knowledge and experience gained from transitioning into interacting with our audience online, as well as from adapting our daily operations to ensure a safe venue for our visitors, we will continue enriching every aspect of their experience, true to our mission to be a cultural destination, open and welcoming to all.
Elly Andriopoulou Managing Director SNFCC
