Museums as rental venues: missed opportunities in Italy

Fabio Severino argues that Italian cultural institutions fail to strategically leverage space rentals, treating high-quality electronic music concerts with the same indifference as private weddings or trade fairs. He criticizes the hypocrisy surrounding the commercialization of 'sacred' cultural spaces, noting that rentals have become primary revenue sources yet are managed without foresight or selectivity. Severino advocates for choosing events based on long-term outcomes—such as attracting new audiences—rather than short-term profit or clientelism. He highlights electronic music concerts as profitable, high-quality events that can introduce cultural institutions to otherwise unreachable publics, yet they are undervalued. The article, published on Artribune, calls for responsible decision-making and strategic positioning of cultural venues.