Consulting for culture
Cultural economics · cultural policy
Tereza
Raabová
Ing. MgA., Ph.D.
I help cultural organisations and public administration demonstrate the value of culture, develop its potential and increase culture’s positive impact on society.
How can we work together?
Services
Consulting
Strategic advisory for cities, regions, ministries and cultural organisations.
Strategy
Developing cultural strategies and policies at local and national level.
Economics
Feasibility studies and economic impact models for cultural investments.
Research
Economic analyses, impact studies and academic research in the field of culture.
Speaking
Talks and presentations at professional conferences and workshops.
Facilitation, workshops
Leading discussions and roundtables, building consensus or a shared vision.
Roles and memberships
KREIA group (KROKEM, Economic Impact Art, Culture Matters), since 2020
Senior manager / consultant
Culture Matters since 2013
Founder of the educational platform for cultural managers
Tomas Bata University in Zlín since 2024
Research team member
Divadlo Archa since 2025
Chair of the Supervisory Board
Healthy Cities Network of the Czech Republic 2013–2023
Head of the review team for culture and municipal cultural policy
European Festivals Association since 2019
Contact person for the Czech Republic (through Culture Matters)
Palacký University Olomouc since 2024
Creative Industries Research Group (CIRG), research team member
Brno kulturní since 2015
Member of the independent association monitoring public spending and cultural policy in Brno
City of Prague since 2020
Grant evaluation committee for culture
About
I am an expert in cultural economics, creative industries and cultural policy. I studied at the University of Economics in Prague and JAMU Brno, with internships in Canada, Finland and the Netherlands. For over 10 years I worked at the Arts and Theatre Institute (today NIK), where I got to know the key stakeholders and the needs of every branch of the cultural and creative sector.
I founded the company Economic Impact Art and the educational platform Culture Matters, both now part of KREIA group. I have long-standing collaborations with professional organisations, cultural associations and universities. Since 2019 I have also been the contact person for the European Festivals Association, for which I act as the EFFE Hub for Czech festivals.
I have led or taken part in cultural strategy processes in a number of Czech cities, and through the Local Agenda 21 programme I have supported the sustainable development of culture in many Czech towns and regions. I am a co-author of the participatively developed State Cultural Policy of the Czech Republic 2026–2030+.
Among other things, I have developed methodologies for calculating the economic impact of culture and for evaluating cultural organisations, and I am the author of dozens of expert analyses covering the economic and other impacts of cultural organisations (festivals, theatres, museums, libraries, etc.), their economic efficiency, evaluation of activities, and development strategies.
Areas of expertise
Education
Ph.D. – International Trade and Tourism (Faculty of International Relations, University of Economics, Prague, 2010)
Ing. – International Trade and Tourism (Faculty of International Relations, University of Economics, Prague, 2006, Josef Hlávka Prize)
MgA. – Music Management (Faculty of Music, JAMU, 2004)
Internships: HEC Montréal (2004), Sibelius Academy Helsinki (2002), University of Rotterdam (2013)
Selected courses and programmes: AI accelerator (2026), 100-day challenge (Impact Hub, 2017), one-year heritage conservation course (National Heritage Institute, 2007)
Selected results of my work
Economic analyses, feasibility studies
2025–2026 (KREIA group)
Czechia2026 – Frankfurt Book Fair
Impacts of the Czech Republic’s Guest of Honour presentation at the Frankfurt Book Fair. Lead consultant, for the Moravian Library in Brno.
2025 (KREIA group)
Cultural infrastructure and cultural district of České Budějovice
Analysis and conceptual design of the city’s cultural infrastructure and a new cultural district. Lead consultant, for the City of České Budějovice.
2021–2025 (KREIA group)
Vltava Philharmonic Hall, Prague
Feasibility study, impact forecast and operational-financial model for the new concert hall. Lead consultant; successively for the City of Prague, IPR Prague, PDS, and the Vltava Philharmonic Foundation.
2025 (KREIA group)
Impact analysis of the Let It Roll festival
Analysis of the economic and social impacts of the music festival on the region. Lead consultant, for BeatWorx.
2024 (KREIA group)
Impacts of the Letní Letná 2024 festival
Analysis of the economic and social impacts of the international festival of new circus and theatre. Lead consultant.
2023 (KREIA group)
Concert hall in Ostrava – verification of main hall capacity
Comparison with similar halls across Europe. Lead consultant, for the City of Ostrava.
2022 (KREIA group)
Moravian-Silesian Research Library in Ostrava – the Black Cube
Concept for the creative use and programming of the new building. Lead consultant, for the Research Library in Ostrava.
2021–2022 (KREIA group)
House of Animation, Liberec Chateau
Feasibility study and impact analysis for transforming a dilapidated chateau into a cultural centre, including a financial model. Lead consultant, for AniFilm.
2022 (KREIA group)
Těšín Theatre and Cultural Centre
Feasibility study and cost-benefit analysis for a Czech Ministry of Culture call on the development of regional cultural centres. Lead consultant, for the Těšín Theatre.
2020 (KREIA group)
Divadlo Archa
Impact analysis and proposal for the organisation’s operational and staffing model. Co-author.
2016–2020 (Economic Impact Art)
Shared Cities: Creative Momentum
Creative Europe – project lead and author of the economic impact study for this international project, 11 partners / 6 countries.
2019
Economic impacts of the South Bohemian Theatre
Economic Impact Art, for the South Bohemian Theatre.
2019 (Economic Impact Art)
Economic impact analysis of the Prague Quadrennial
Project lead and author of the economic impact study for the world’s largest exhibition of scenography and theatre design.
2018 (Economic Impact Art)
Economic impact analysis of the FESTAS association
Project lead and author of the economic impact study for the music festival association.
2018
Economic impact analysis of the Wallachian Open Air Museum
Rožnov pod Radhoštěm, in collaboration with Tomas Bata University.
2017
Economic impacts of the Signal festival
Economic impacT.
2016
European Capital of Culture Plzeň 2015
Economic impact of visitors. Economic impacT.
Strategy and policy
2025–2026 (KREIA group)
Culture and Tourism Strategy of the City of Písek
Project manager, team lead.
2025
Státní kulturní politika ČR 2026–2030+
Co-author, methodologist (Czech Ministry of Culture).
2025 (KREIA group)
Development Concept for Brána Jihlavy 2026–2030
Project manager, team lead.
2025 (KREIA group)
Development Strategy for the Rudolfinum Gallery
Project manager, team lead.
2024–2025 (KREIA group)
Development Strategy for Sladovna Písek 2025–2034
Project manager, team lead.
2023–2024 (KREIA group)
Culture and Tourism Development Concept for Mikulov 2024–2030
Project manager, co-author.
2022–2023 (KREIA group, UTB Zlín)
Development Strategy for the National Open Air Museum 2024–2033
Project manager, team lead.
2021–2022 (KREIA group)
Cultural Strategy of České Budějovice 2023–2035 (part of the city’s successful bid for European Capital of Culture 2028)
Project manager, team lead.
2020–2021 (KREIA group)
Cultural and Creative Industries Development Strategy for Uherské Hradiště
Co-author.
2017–2018
Strategy for Culture and Creative Industries of the City of Brno
Co-author, guarantor of the ‘Cultural City’ value within the Brno 2050 strategy (City of Brno).
Methodologies and tools
IDU, 2013 · certified by the Czech Ministry of Culture
Methodology for calculating the economic impact of a cultural organisation
Leontief input-output analysis, Czech Statistical Office data (SIOT).
NSZM, 2018
Methodology for evaluating municipal cultural organisations
ISBN 978-80-906033-5-6
EvaluArt, 2022–2023
Methodology for evaluating cultural organisations of the City of Prague
Development of the methodology for a new evaluation system for cultural organisations established by the City of Prague (the EvaluArt project).
MAPK, 2023
System for mapping culture in Prague
Methodological collaboration on developing a system for data collection and mapping of the cultural and creative industries.
Research and publications
RAABOVÁ, Tereza, PROKŮPEK, Marek, ŠOBÁŇOVÁ, Petra, LEŠKA, Rudolf, ZAHRÁDKA, Pavel a ŽŮREK, Jan. Výzkum právních forem a efektivity kulturních institucí. Olomouc: CIRG – Skupina pro výzkum kulturních průmyslů, Univerzita Palackého v Olomouci, 2026. Available online.
RAABOVÁ, Tereza. The Economic Impact of Czech Classical Music Festivals. In: SANETRA-SZELIGA, Joanna a Katarzyna JAGODZIŃSKA, eds. The Power of Heritage: Socio-Economic Examples from Central Europe. Kraków: International Cultural Centre, 2017. ISBN 978-83-63463-66-3.
RAABOVÁ, Tereza, TICHÁ, A. a MERTA, P. Possible methods for measuring economic impacts of cultural tourism. In: SMITH, Melanie a Greg RICHARDS, eds. The Routledge Handbook of Cultural Tourism. Abingdon: Routledge, 2013. ISBN 978-0-415-52351-6.
RAABOVÁ, Tereza. Analýza ekonomického dopadu Asociace hudebních festivalů ČR 2011. Praha: Economic impacT, 2012. ISBN 978-80-260-1727-1.
RAABOVÁ, Tereza a ŽÁKOVÁ, Eva. Účet kultury. In: ŽÁKOVÁ, Eva a BEDNÁŘ, Pavel, a kol. Mapování kulturních a kreativních průmyslů v ČR: Vymezení, kvantitativní mapování a strategické dokumenty. I. svazek. Praha: Institut umění – Divadelní ústav, 2015. ISBN 978-80-7008-332-1. Available online.
BEDNÁŘ, Pavel, RAABOVÁ, Tereza a ŽÁKOVÁ, Eva. Přirozené klastry v oblastech kreativních a kulturních průmyslů v České republice. Praha: Institut umění – Divadelní ústav, 2015. ISBN 978-80-7008-352-9.
RAABOVÁ, Tereza. Fenomén kulturních a kreativních průmyslů v ČR. Moderní řízení. Praha: Economia, 2015, roč. 50, č. 2, s. 20–23. ISSN 0026-8720.
RAABOVÁ, Tereza. Economic Impact Calculator: Do It Yourself! Praha: Institut umění – Divadelní ústav, 2014. Available online.
RAABOVÁ, Tereza a kol. Multiplikační efekty kulturních odvětví v České ekonomice. Praha: Institut umění – Divadelní ústav, 2010.
Artikula community
Selected conferences
2026
ICCPR 2026, Ottawa
Two presentations at the International Conference on Cultural Policy Research (ICCPR): “Economic Impacts of Local Culture Policies: How Culture Shapes Economic Return and Development in Small and Mid-Sized Municipalities” and “How Legal Form Shapes Governance, Management Strategies, and Financial Behaviour in Czech Cultural Organizations”.
2026
Divadelní svět Brno – Routes, Roots & Bridges
Presentation on forms of international cooperation, touring and mobility support in the performing arts on behalf of the European Festivals Association (EFA), as part of the festival’s industry programme.
2025
Arts Festivals Summit, Edinburgh
Presentation of statistical data on festivals in the Czech Republic at the annual gathering of the festival community organised by the European Festivals Association (EFA).
2025
Kreativní Česko Conference, National Museum
Panel discussion participant (16–17 September 2025) on the results of mapping the cultural and creative industries and the new State Cultural Policy of the Czech Republic.
2024
Pražské jaro – Malá země, velcí hudebníci
Panel discussion at the Prague Spring International Music Festival conference, together with Jakub Hrůša, Petr Fischer, Pavel Trojan and others; broadcast by Czech Television.
2024
Konference Kultura 2025
Confederation of Employers’ and Entrepreneurs’ Associations of the Czech Republic – financing of culture in the Czech Republic.
2023
Vienna – impacts of culture and the activation of vacant spaces
Presentation of results on the impacts of culture, with a focus on tactical urbanism and the activation of vacant spaces.
2023
Malmö – data in culture
Participation in an international conference on data in culture.
2014
ACEI Montreal
Association for Cultural Economics International – conference on cultural economics, with participants including D. Throsby, M. Hutter and others.
ongoing
Conferences I attend regularly or repeatedly
- Pražské kreativní fórum (Prague Creative Forum)
- Brněnské kulturní fórum (Brno Cultural Forum)
- Střed zájmu: kultura (various topics)
- Arts Festivals Summit (various cities across Europe)
- Soul for Europe in Berlin
- Reconnect / Prague Music Week
- other conferences and invited talks
Media
1 September 2026
Discussion on developing cultural policy and strategies, together with Petr Peřinka.
2025
Four issues of the magazine in 2025: spring (introductory interview), summer (feasibility studies), autumn (impact analyses), winter (heritage sites and destinations, co-authored with Ondřej Špaček).
2025
Interview “Culture must learn to work with data” for the magazine of the Czech Statistical Office.
2024
Bilance – A Taylor Swift concert in Czechia? There’s nowhere to put her
Guest on a Czech Television discussion about why major international stars rarely perform in Czechia – due to a lack of large multi-purpose venues.
2024
Pražské jaro – Malá země, velcí hudebníci
Panel discussion at the Prague Spring International Music Festival conference; broadcast by Czech Television.
30 October 2020
ArtZóna, Česká televize
Guest on a debate titled “Culture Has Value” for Czech Television’s culture programme.
ongoing
Czech Television’s Události (Events) and other programmes
Multiple appearances on Czech Television news and other programmes on the economic impacts of culture.
Interview
In this interview for Prague Music Week (in Czech) I talk not only about music and festivals, but also about cultural strategies, the European Festivals Association, the impact of festivals and culture on regional development, digitalisation and AI in culture, and why it’s important to work with audience data.
Interview chapters
- 0:23Introduction and guest introduction
- 0:55Path into cultural economics (JAMU, University of Economics Prague, Arts and Theatre Institute)
- 2:17International experience in Finland and Canada
- 3:22Collaboration with the Healthy Cities Network and the Arts and Theatre Institute
- 5:33Mission and activities of the European Festivals Association
- 6:17Festivalfinder.eu and the EFFE Label
- 8:38EFFEA grants and membership benefits
- 10:02Festival Academy, Festival Summit and the EFFE Seal network
- 12:27Successful Czech festivals within EFA
- 13:31The KulKal.cz app – a calculator for culture’s economic impact
- 16:34How KulKal results help in grant negotiations
- 18:49Digital tools and AI in the music industry
- 21:27Trends in cultural policy and regional development
- 23:42Culture’s role in regional economic development
- 25:53Festivals’ challenges with state support
- 27:14A methodology for evaluating cultural organisations
- 30:05Digitalisation and the future of Czech festivals
- 31:18Cashless wristbands and visitor data
- 33:51Recommendations for organisers on investing in digital tools
Contact
Have a project or challenge we could work on together? Get in touch.
tereza.raabova [at] gmail.com