Conference

Founder of world-famous EXIT festivals group that consists of nine festivals in seven countries. EXIT group represents the biggest and fastest growing independent festival group in Europe.

In 2021 the famous American magazine Pollstar named Kovačević one of the most influential people in the European live music industry who led, inspired, and moved the live music industry forward.

EXIT festival, founded by Kovačević, is one of the best-known festivals in the world. EXIT has been awarded on several occasions as Best European Festival (2007, 2013, and 2017), while the world’s leading media such as CNN, BBC, Time, The Guardian, The New York Times, The Sun, Forbes, Daily Mail, Independent, Euronews, Lonely Planet, Huffington Post and many more regularly proclaimed it one of the most important festivals in the world.

EXIT has thus far attracted hundreds of thousands of tourists to Novi Sad, bringing more than 200 million euros in profit to the local economy while expecting to at least double those numbers in the next decade.

Dušan is also the founder of EXIT Foundation which has been the initiator of hundreds of projects in the fields of humanitarian work, environment protection, peace promotion and youth development.

Kovačević holds M.Sc. in Management at the London School of Economics as well as an M.Sc. in Electrical Engineering at the University of Novi Sad. In 2015 he became the youngest person ever to receive a February Award, given by the city of Novi Sad as the most significant reward to extraordinary individuals who have made a positive contribution.

Ben Mandelson (UK) is Founding Director of WOMEX, and Supervisory Board member for the parent company Piranha Arts, based in Berlin, Germany.

WOMEX is the world’s biggest professional music conference, tradefair and showcase for World, Roots, Folk, Traditional, Local and Diaspora music – an annual October-end Europe-based event.

Ben is also is a leading freelance world music record producer, active musician and was part of the key group of UK music professionals who launched the current ‘world music’ genre.

Dejan Vujinović is the artistic director of Etnofest and Jazziré music festivals in Serbia. Serving the finest music to its audience for the past two decades, these festivals bring together the local artists with their colleagues from all over the world.

The profile of his festivals is rather considered as alternative and exploratory – allowing musical fusions and experiments to happen on its stages, but also highly appreciates the roots and tradition as a true value to be nurtured and preserved.
Dejan holds a master degree in marketing, with special interest in integrated marketing communications for cultural events.

He is involved in several transnational cultural cooperation projects, mostly implemented under the umbrella of the Creative Europe programme. A great platform to be up-to-date with current world music trends across the continent.

Kim Burton has been a translator, a working pianist and accordionist specialising in Latin (Working Week, Tito Puente Jr), Balkan and other local musics (3 Mustaphas 3). She also once had a job picking daffodils in her native Cornwall in a rainy December and is determined never to do it again.

She is sometimes a borderline academic writing about music and spends a lot of time thinking about it as well. Her latest forays into ‘hidden’ musics have been in the Timok Krajina, the Bosnian and Croatian Posavina and the Spreča Valley, where there is a lot going on you might miss.

Dragi Šestić is a Bosnian music producer, sound engineer, director of music video clips and record label owner. In 1998 he founded the first Bosnian World Music band, Mostar Sevdah Reunion. He rediscovered almost forgotten Gypsy music legends from ex-Yugoslavia Šaban Bajramović and Ljiljana Buttler-Petrović and brought them into the spotlight of the international World Music scene.

Šestić was born in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

He worked with the famous maqaam (Maqam al-iraqi), star and only female master of it – Farida Ali from Iraq on her album Ishraqaat.

His work involved many of the Balkan stars, including the Queen of Gyspies Esma Redžepova, Boban Marković, Naat Veliov, Amira Medunjanin, Fulgerica, Ljubiša Stojanović Louis, and many more. His work can be found on many World Music compilations, but most of it is on his record label Snail Records, founded in 2002. He lives and works in the Netherlands.

Writing about music since 1987 press in Serbia, Slovenia, Macedonia, Italy, Germany and UK.

Started the radio show about experimental and alternative music on independent Radio B92 in 1990. This weekly show, “”Pomen Crvenom Patuljku”” in 1999 changed to «Disco 3000» (dedicated to world music), has been broadcasted ever since. Nowadays it is broadcasted on Radio Belgrade 3. Bojan is the member of WMCE pannel (world music European radio DJs).

He compiled compilations „Srbija: Sounds Global“ and „Rromano Suno“ (B92).

In 1996 established International New Music Festival «Ring Ring».
Since 2012 has been organizing „Todo Mundo“ world music festival in Belgrade.
Has been giving lectures about world music and Ballkan culture throughout Europe.

Selected music program of Belgrade Summer festival 2003-04, 2012-13.
Co-curated festivals „Umbria Jazz – Balkanic Windows“ 2005-2009 and „Adriatico Mediterrraneo 2007/08“ and „Euro Med 2009/10“.

In 2013 and 2015, organized festival „Swiss Music Day“ in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Ljubljana, Zagreb, Tirana and Skopje together with „Swiss Balkan Creative Music“.

In 2014 organized the festival „Zajedno Zusammen“ in Belgrade, where Austrian and artists from Serbia met and performed together.

For many years Bojan has been manager and booker for the bands from the Balkans.

Prof. Dr. Tanja Miščević, is Deputy Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council. She was Head of Negotiating Team for the Accession of the Republic of Serbia to the European Union (September 2013, August 2019) and she is full Professor at the Faculty of Political Sciences in Belgrade.

Previously, prof. Miščević was Special Advisor to the Deputy Prime Minister responsible for Foreign Trade in Serbian Government, State Secretary for Defence Policy at the Ministry of Defence, as well as Vice-President and a member of the Board of the Anti-Corruption Agency in Serbia.

From 2005 to 2009 she was Director of the European Integration Office of the Government of Serbia. Prof. Miščević teaches International Organizations, UN System, EU Enlargement Policy, and History of European Integration.

Martin Cuff is a strategist, researcher, and sector development specialist in the Creative Industries and Tourism sectors, with over twenty-five years of experience on five continents.

He is the former Executive Director of the Association of Film Commissioners International, the Colorado Film Commission in the USA, and the Cape Film Commission in South Africa, as well as the Chief Operations Officer of Sithengi, the Southern African International Film, and Television market.

He has advised and reviewed film studios and creative hubs internationally and is a leading authority globally on Film Tourism. Martin is currently an advisor for Creative Industries and Tourism to Prime Minister of Serbia and provides strategic guidance to the nation brand Serbia Creates.

Sanja Miovčić is acting as an Executive Director at the Foreign Investors Council (FIC) of Bosnia and Herzegovina as of 2016. The FIC is a major independent business association that gathers 70 international and domestic companies, with main goal to act as unified voice of investors in improving business climate in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Before joining the FIC she worked for more than 10 years for Austrian consulting company Wolf Theiss.

Sanja targeted her activities at lobbying, communication and networking through membership at numerous global and local associations. Currently she acts as a: Board member of the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FIPA), Past President and Board Member of IFTDO (International Federation of Training and Development Organizations), a global association founded in 1972 and headquartered in London, member of European Women Association (EWA), Consultative Board member of FEMOZA (The World Free & Special Economic Zones Federation), member of CEEWABA – Central Eastern European & West African Business Association, as well as a Board Member of Impakt Investment Foundation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Nenad Radujević is general manager and founder of Click Fashion Studio. Since 1991 the beginning year of Click, he mobilizes creative authors from the domain of fashion, design and photography. Many of them are considered top professionals in their fields today.

Working on fashion presentations he introduced most of world fashion industry standards into the domestic market. Moreover his work is directed at affirmation of young fashion designers; many of them are recognized names of domestic fashion scene today and some are internationally recognized.

Though his basic activity he performs through complete fashion shows organizations, model management and, more recently, fashion consulting and PR, his experience is enriched through the projects carried out in cooperation with important institutions of culture – The Belgrade Cultural center, Ethnography Museum, Museum of Applied Arts, Student Cultural Center.

He is the author of the Belgrade Fashion Week project since 1996, first Fashion Week in Eastern Europe, conceived according similar projects in the world and organized twice a year. Through cooperation with foreign cultural centers and embassies in Belgrade he develops cultural-fashion exchange between domestic and other countries fashion scenes, something he insists on during last ten years. Since 2007 works as a Professor in the Belgrade branch of the French school Mod Art International and later on, since 2016 in Italian fashion school – Accademia de Lusso.

He is the founder of the first seasonal fashion magazine FAAR – fashion art magazine that is published twice a year since 2007. In 2008 he was hired as a creative consultant on the organization of the Eurovision Song Contest in Belgrade and in 2009 engaged as a supervisor on the project Serbia got Talent. In 2014 he found designer association – BFW Design Collective with most important Serbian designers. Since 2015, he has been a member of the representative cluster of the Serbian fashion and clothing industry FACTS.

He actively participates in the work of the National Convention and the negotiation process with the EU on the topic of entrepreneurship. Nenad received several very important awards – the award of the Cultural Centre of Belgrade, the Award for the best PR for the project Belgrade Fashion Week, Elle Style Awards for contribution to Serbian Fashion Scene, the Award for Person of the Year of Hello magazine in 2012 and regional Outstanding Achievement Award in 2018.

Nenad Radujević was awarded for the regional BIG SEE FASHION VISIONARY AWARD 2021 for his outstanding work in the field of fashion development as well as for his beneficial impact on fashion design in South-Eastern Europe. By constantly insisting that fashion is an art, through the quality organization of various fashion and cultural events, he managed to present fashion on Serbian and Western Balkan market as a promising industry in a completely new way.

Klodiana Ajazi is an Albanian entrepreneur who founded and runs the companies “Inovess Construction and Management” and “Novus Marketing and Advertising”.

“Inovess Construction and Management” ltd offers 2 standardized services in the construction sector; management of tourist and residential projects as well as implementation of civil and industrial construction works. Her vision as an entrepreneur puts the company to future-oriented processes in relation to environmental protection, energy saving and energy efficiency, the use of innovative materials.

The co-founding of Novus Marketing and Advertising with another woman in business, came as a necessity after analyzing a market that constantly required quality and innovation. Novus over the years of operation has been transformed and today offers a diverse range of services in the field of indoor & outdoor advertising as well as marketing.

Klodiana is also one of the founders and board member of the Women’s Economic Chamber of Albania, a position taken voluntarily strongly believing in the economic empowerment of women in Albania and making an individual contribution to this issue; and now contributing to the RCC-established Regional Network of Women in Entrepreneurship.

Klodiana’s latest engagement is with the Albanian Investment Corporation as a senior expert for the development and implementation of strategic projects, including in creative industries and tourism.

Vida Samardžić is Secretary for the Creative Industry Association within the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Serbia. Vida is working with the Creative Industry Association’s members to bring all the branches to a more self-sustainable environment by raising the public’s awareness of intellectual property and piracy problems, demystifying the field, and reducing the grey economy.

Vida has combined experience in non-profit associations, audio visual production, hospitality, and Arts and Culture Management degree.

Petar Kovačević graduated from Faculty of Visual Arts in Cetinje (1990-1994) as a painter. After studies he went to Thesalonikki, Greece, for specialisation in painting. From 1997 – 2017 working in the areas of visual communications, advertising and PR in the well known regional PR agency P.R.A. which has offices in Zagreb, Sarajevo, Belgrade, Podgorica and Skopje. At 2000 part of the team which won IPRA award in London for best campaign in 2001 for Mass voucher privatisation educational campaign in Montenegro.

For the last five years works as Cultural Manager in the Ministry of Culture of Montenegro on the position of Senior Adviser in the Department for the Contemporary Arts, Design and Creative Industries. On behalf of the Ministry member of the Board of Directors of BJCEM (Biennale des Jeunes Créateurs de l’Europe et de la Mediterranée) an international network founded in 2001 with registred offices in Brussels and Turin.

Evisi Kopliku is an Expert on Competitiveness at Regional Cooperation Council. She was the economic advisor to the Minister of Economic Development, Tourism, Trade and Entrepreneurship of Albania during 2013-2016; Director of European Integration and Projects at the Ministry of Tourism and Environment during 2017 – 2020; and during these timeframes acted as the National Coordinator for the Small Business Act for Europe and as national contact point for COSME Programme.

She has been working as policy researcher in socio-economic topics with various think-tanks in Albania and as lecturer of finance courses in Eastern Mediterranean University, University of Tirana-Faculty of Economics, University of New York Tirana and Canadian Institute of Technology.

Ivana Zečević is an expert in cultural policy and creative industry development including institutional organization and cultural governance; over 20 years of experience in conceiving an implementing cross-cultural and cultural diplomacy projects and programs.

Since 2004, advisor for international cultural relations. Coordinating or lead around 100 large scale development and cooperation projects (high level Summits, ministerial visits and conferences, and expert level, conferences, round tables, etc.). Since 2012 main focus on cultural diplomacy projects/programs and cultural diversity transnational cooperation, working with various sectors of international organizations, and line ministries and national governments worldwide (UNESCO, European Commission, the Council of Europe, RCC, etc.).

Field of expertise: cultural policy and management, public policy implications of cultural diversity; culture and development; creative industry development, cultural governance; elaboration and implementation of cultural policies; integration of culture in sustainable development policies; managing of international cultural co-operation; project management of large scale projects, fundraising and governance; arts education; cultural statistic.

Martin Cuff is a strategist, researcher, and sector development specialist in the Creative Industries and Tourism sectors, with over twenty-five years of experience on five continents.

He is the former Executive Director of the Association of Film Commissioners International, the Colorado Film Commission in the USA, and the Cape Film Commission in South Africa, as well as the Chief Operations Officer of Sithengi, the Southern African International Film, and Television market.

He has advised and reviewed film studios and creative hubs internationally and is a leading authority globally on Film Tourism. Martin is currently an advisor for Creative Industries and Tourism to Prime Minister of Serbia and provides strategic guidance to the nation brand Serbia Creates.

Ave Tölpt, Music Estonia’s Director has previously worked as the CEO of Jazz Estonia, being responsible for the daily management of the organisation, team building and both local and international representation.

Her last workplace featured also working in the cultural sector as the Head of the Exhibition Department in the National Library of Estonia, successfully leading various national and international cooperation projects for many years. Amongst other roles, she contributed to the field of music as a guest author and radio host at Estonian Public Broadcasting, Klassikaraadio as well in other media during her times as a journalism volunteer at Jazzkaar festival.

She is the first Estonian Ambassador for Keychange, a global network and movement working towards gender equality in the music industry, the Member of the Council of Advisers at Georg Ots Tallinn Music College and the Member of the Music Endowment committee of Cultural Endowment Estonia.

Ave has been building her expertise around cultural leadership and international cooperation.

Benjamin Demelemester is International Project Manager at Centre national de la musique (CNM). His mission is to help the French music industry professionals (labels, tour agents, publishers, managers, etc.) export their projects and connect with international professionals all over the world.

Centre national de la musique (CNM) is a French State organization created by law in January 2020 to provide the French music sector with the tools and support mechanisms needed to develop nationally and globally. Acting as a hub for all French music professionals, it aims to support and promote a wide range of genres and represents all industry sectors – from recorded music to live shows and publishing.

Among its various missions, CNM fosters the international development of the French music industry and provides information about made-in-France artists, their professional entourage and the French music sector: expertise, consulting and recommendations, funding programs, market resources, promotion about the latest projects through the recommendation brand What the France. Check out music and news on whatthefrance.org!

Benjamin Demelemester has been working in the music sector for 19 years as Booking Agent (Zamora Productions), Production Manager (Festival de Saint-Denis), and since 2016 International Project Manager at Le Bureau Export, which has joined the CNM in 2020.

Based in France, he lived two years in Russia and has been a regular globetrotter since then. He loves foreign languages, genre films and bands with unpronounceable names.

Ivan M. Petrović is the President of the Managing Board at EXIT Foundation, responsible for running social activities and public affairs of EXIT Festival (Novi Sad, Serbia), Sea Dance Festival (Budva, Montenegro), Sea Star Festival (Umag, Croatia) and Founder of the Public Idea Consulting Agency.

Ivan has been an active part of the EXIT growth and development since 2013. The EXIT Foundation team that Ivan led in the last 9 years has implemented over 100 different projects, campaigns, events, and other activities. One of the most significant achievements was: “Aces for kids” – humanitarian project for building NURDOR hospital for kids in Nis, winning the title of the Novi Sad European Capital of Culture 2022 and also initiating and winning the candidacy of Novi Sad for the European Youth Capital 2019.

He was also the Producer and Project Lead of other projects such as Youth Heroes, #FirstWorldPeace with Yoko Ono, #StayClean campaign, “Silent Balkan Majority”, 3D Petrovaradin fortress virtual tour, EXIT Life Stream, ConsciousRevolution.life etc. Ivan is a consultant and international speaker in the area of social activism & CSR, creative industries, public affairs, festival & event management, motivation& consciousness, Diaspora & development topics, tourism, destination branding etc. Ivan was President of the Group of Event Organisers of the Chamber of Commerce of Serbia and member of the Council for Creative Industries of the Prime Minister of Serbia.

Before EXIT, Ivan was the Programme Manager at organisation of Serbian Diaspora in US, Executive Director of Crown Prince Alexander II Karadjordjevic Foundation for Education and Culture at The Royal Palace Belgrade, Junior Consultant of the World Bank, Founder of the first academic Career Centre in Serbia at Faculty of Organizational Sciences (2004), President of Student Union of University of Belgrade, Member of Supreme Council of University of Belgrade etc.

Ivan graduated Management on the Faculty of Organisational Sciences at the University of Belgrade.

Nakedband Belgrade

Jake Beaumont-Nesbitt is an artist manager working with independent and signed artists, and advising managers across Europe, South Asia, and North America. He also works in music rights, metadata, and usage data technology, to develop efficiencies for artists business models. Past clients for rights have included Radiohead, Rihanna, Norman Cook and Beyonce. Jake is currently working with a US rights tech start-up, and a German event management start-up.

Jake advises The International Music Managers Forum (IMMF) on artists business models, and IP policy. IMMF is a global network of associations of self-managed artists and artist managers in over 50 countries from Serbia to Mexico, Japan to Italy. Jake leads the MMF DAO project, to evaluate Decentralised Autonomous Organisation business models as a tool to raise finance for artists and build fan communities.

Jake is also a team member at Project Zero, a decentralised ocean conservation network, the first charity to launch a Web3 social token.

Tartine Production is a music booking agency and production company focusing on current world music.

Since 2012, we have curated a catalog of artists from around the world. What do they all have in common? They all bring a hybrid and groundbreaking sound, and for most of the artists, they express themselves in their home tongues: Arabic, Creole, Portuguese, Wolof, Bosnian.

Our catalog is bright but demanding. It is the result of a collaborative and international strategy, directed by Leïla Chaibeddra, founder and head of management, development and distribution. Our team is built around various core competences : David Peroncini is the business management specialist, Emma Drouin, of marketing and communications, Clémence Séchet deals with tour logistics and Léa Capdevielle for booking. To be able to do our best work, we like to be surrounded with like-minded professionals who also support our artists (labels, press agents, managers, publishers, …).

Collaborating with so many partners around the world, our strength is our international reach. Each of our artists is recognized in his/her country. Tartine production allows them to reach ears in all continents.

Between here and there, yesterday and tomorrow, our artists aren’t constrained by time and space. The results are innovative musical cocktails composed of electronic dabkeh, arabic hindi pop , chaabi gipsy, creole électro pop , afro cosmic groove, multi-ethnic and colored hip-hop…

These fluid musical genres reflect the cultural diversity of our time and highlights them.

Founder of world-famous EXIT festivals group that consists of nine festivals in seven countries. EXIT group represents the biggest and fastest growing independent festival group in Europe.

In 2021 the famous American magazine Pollstar named Kovačević one of the most influential people in the European live music industry who led, inspired, and moved the live music industry forward.

EXIT festival, founded by Kovačević, is one of the best-known festivals in the world. EXIT has been awarded on several occasions as Best European Festival (2007, 2013, and 2017), while the world’s leading media such as CNN, BBC, Time, The Guardian, The New York Times, The Sun, Forbes, Daily Mail, Independent, Euronews, Lonely Planet, Huffington Post and many more regularly proclaimed it one of the most important festivals in the world.

EXIT has thus far attracted hundreds of thousands of tourists to Novi Sad, bringing more than 200 million euros in profit to the local economy while expecting to at least double those numbers in the next decade.

Dušan is also the founder of EXIT Foundation which has been the initiator of hundreds of projects in the fields of humanitarian work, environment protection, peace promotion and youth development.

Kovačević holds M.Sc. in Management at the London School of Economics as well as an M.Sc. in Electrical Engineering at the University of Novi Sad. In 2015 he became the youngest person ever to receive a February Award, given by the city of Novi Sad as the most significant reward to extraordinary individuals who have made a positive contribution.

Performer, producer, and DJ Mose arrives with the sound of multicultural rhythms and leads the audience on a path of self-discovery. He brings the spiritual customs of Guatemala, which are the core of his mesmerising music. The ceremonial singing in his performances invites people to feel love and empathy and embark on a dance without borders.

Although he was born and lives in the Netherlands, Satori’s real name is Djordje Petrović, which clearly reflects his father’s origin from Serbia, while his mother is from South Africa.

Satori is inspired to capture electronic world music, where he combines endless blends of seductive trance and mind-altering earthy tones. It is not defined by any-one genre. Satori is here to satisfy any meditative music-lover by provoking a spiritual journey through his infinite sound-garden. Satori’s sound is more than just a switch on a soundboard; he is the man behind the instrument, creating melodies on the piano, kora, kalimba, and guitar in combination with a deeper form of electronic music.

The fantastic LAOR is the leading voice in healing music. For almost 20 years, she has been researching the power of the human voice to inspire people to breathe, connect, sing, and pray. Her approach to music comes from theatre, yoga, and research into the link between medicine and music.

Micky studied Tibetan Buddhism with the Dalai Lama in the library in Dharamsala already at the age of 20. Mikael took vipassana (what we now called mindfulness) to Sweden and co-founded Vipassanagruppen. He also spent time with Osho, Papaji, Ramesh Balzekar, Eckhart Tolle, Byron Katie and other teachers. During the last 45 decades he has organized events with hundreds of teachers, artists and workshop leaders.

Ivan M. Petrović is the President of the Managing Board at EXIT Foundation, responsible for running social activities and public affairs of EXIT Festival (Novi Sad, Serbia), Sea Dance Festival (Budva, Montenegro), Sea Star Festival (Umag, Croatia) and Founder of the Public Idea Consulting Agency.

Ivan has been an active part of the EXIT growth and development since 2013. The EXIT Foundation team that Ivan led in the last 9 years has implemented over 100 different projects, campaigns, events, and other activities. One of the most significant achievements was: “Aces for kids” – humanitarian project for building NURDOR hospital for kids in Nis, winning the title of the Novi Sad European Capital of Culture 2022 and also initiating and winning the candidacy of Novi Sad for the European Youth Capital 2019.

He was also the Producer and Project Lead of other projects such as Youth Heroes, #FirstWorldPeace with Yoko Ono, #StayClean campaign, “Silent Balkan Majority”, 3D Petrovaradin fortress virtual tour, EXIT Life Stream, ConsciousRevolution.life etc. Ivan is a consultant and international speaker in the area of social activism & CSR, creative industries, public affairs, festival & event management, motivation& consciousness, Diaspora & development topics, tourism, destination branding etc. Ivan was President of the Group of Event Organisers of the Chamber of Commerce of Serbia and member of the Council for Creative Industries of the Prime Minister of Serbia.

Before EXIT, Ivan was the Programme Manager at organisation of Serbian Diaspora in US, Executive Director of Crown Prince Alexander II Karadjordjevic Foundation for Education and Culture at The Royal Palace Belgrade, Junior Consultant of the World Bank, Founder of the first academic Career Centre in Serbia at Faculty of Organizational Sciences (2004), President of Student Union of University of Belgrade, Member of Supreme Council of University of Belgrade etc.

Ivan graduated Management on the Faculty of Organisational Sciences at the University of Belgrade.

Una Senić is a certified Kundalini Yoga teacher, a well-known presenter, reporter, journalist, musician, and co-author of the book “Balkan Tango With New Idea Woman”.