Inspiring Days in Vilnius: Preparing for the April Creative Sprint

A Productive Visit to Lithuania: Preparing for the April Creative Sprint in Vilnius.

We recently concluded a highly fruitful visit to Lithuania—an important step in preparing for the upcoming Creative Sprint in Vilnius, scheduled for April.
During this visit, Kevin Sanikidze, Marie Björck, and Anna Enquist Müller participated in meetings, presentations, and discussions that brought us closer to the next phase of our project work.

The events were organized by Laima Dockevičienė, Rasa Strumskytė, and the team at Rietavo turizmo ir verslo informacijos centras, the Lithuanian partner of the TAB - EU project.

Rietavas: Discussing the Future of Innovation in the Region
In Rietavas, we met with over 30 representatives from the municipalities of Telšiai, Rietavas, Mažeikiai, and Plungė to collectively explore the future of innovation in the region.

Key topics included:

• Building local innovation hubs
• Engaging communities from the earliest stages
• Ensuring long-term financial sustainability
• The importance of partnerships and proper infrastructure

Kevin shared insights from Talent Garden’s experience in establishing innovation spaces across Europe, emphasizing that smaller regions should design their models based on local strengths and needs rather than replicating big-city solutions. We also heard from Marie Björck, who highlighted the unique opportunities that smaller regions like Blekinge and Telšiai County can offer. 

During the meeting, we invited all participants to join us for the Creative Sprint in Vilnius, which will bring together policymakers, creatives, tech professionals, and innovation leaders from across Europe this April.

Vilnius: Talent Garden Visit and New Partnerships

In Vilnius, we visited Talent Garden Vilnius, where we finalized key details for the April event. We also had an inspiring meeting with the team at LinkMenų fabrikas  - a makerspace that connects engineers and creators and home to Lithuania’s first virtual production studio. This unique space opens up exciting opportunities for future collaborations with our team.

To end the day, we met with Vaidotas Valiukevičius, lead singer of The Roop. If you’re a Eurovision fan, chances are they’re already one of your favorite bands!

We’ve previously collaborated on events in Cannes and Karlskrona, and we’re thrilled to confirm that we’ll continue this partnership in the upcoming edition—Vaidotas will develop a concept for creative summer camps.

Celebrating Art and Technology

On the final day of our visit, we attended a screening of the immersive XR film “Pasaulių Sutvėrimas” (“The Creation of Worlds”), dedicated to the work of M.K. Čiurlionis. This extraordinary fusion of art, music, and technology demonstrated how classical art can be reimagined through innovation.

We’re already planning to invite the creators behind this project to our event in Vilnius—XR will be one of the key themes of this edition, following last year’s focus on AI in Cannes and virtual production in Karlskrona.

We return from Lithuania full of energy inspiration and ready to dive into the final preparations for the Creative Sprint in Vilnius this April.

Soon, we’ll gather at Talent Garden Vilnius to co-create new ideas, foster cross-sector collaboration, and drive innovation that makes a real impact in European communities.

This meetings, as part of the T.A.B. project, received support from the Interreg South Baltic 2021–2027 program, fostering cross-sectoral development in the region.