Carlo Vuijlsteke is Expert at IDEA Consult and has a professional background of over twenty years in the cultural and creative sectors.  He started his career at the Muziekcentrum Vlaanderen, the former support centre for the music sector. He then worked for 11.5 years at Flanders District of Creativity, the contact point for entrepreneurs in the creative sector. He was involved in numerous projects to support entrepreneurship in the creative industry and guided creative entrepreneurs and businesses in their growth strategy. During his work at Flanders DC, he was also the coordinator of the international Districts of Creativity Network (www.districtsofcreativity.org) that unites 13 innovative regions all over the world. Together they share and develop good practice on how to stimulate creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship in a region, with a specific focus on crossovers with the creative industries. Carlo Vuijlsteke is a historian by education and graduated from Ghent University.

At IDEA, Carlo has been involved in evaluations, studies and policy advice for clients such as the European Commission,  Flemish and local governments on culture, creative industries and cultural heritage. Methodologically he has experience with qualitative research, service design and business model methodologies, the organisation of online surveys, expert interviews, the moderation of focus groups and workshops and the programming of large conferences.