TILT: Business plan for a participatory, artist-centred art fair in Copenhagen

Abstract

This thesis presents a business plan for TILT, an annual participatory and artist-centred contemporary art fair based in Copenhagen, Denmark. The plan responds to two converging structural conditions in the local art ecosystem: the persistent economic precarity of emerging and independent visual artists, who face limited access to exhibition infrastructure, collector networks and commission structures that extract a disproportionate share of sales revenue; and a documented shift in audience expectations toward participatory, relational and transparent cultural encounters that conventional gallery and art fair formats are poorly positioned to provide. Grounded in a literature review spanning artistic labour economics, the social turn in contemporary art, temporary urbanism, art market dynamics and cultural governance in Copenhagen, the plan proposes a two-sided platform model in which artists self-represent without commission, and culturally curious audiences access their work directly in an informal, programmed three-day event format. Primary research including qualitative interviews with Copenhagen-based practising artists illustrate the identified market gap. The business plan covers market and competitive analysis, value proposition, marketing strategy, operational design and financial projections across three scenarios and a five-year base case. Financial modelling suggests viability under all projected conditions, with a break-even threshold of nineteen participating artists and a projected Year 1 surplus under base case assumptions. TILT is positioned at the intersection of two market trends: the disintermediation of art sales and the growth of accessible, participatory cultural formats, making it both time-appropriate and structurally differentiated within the Copenhagen art event landscape.