Welcome to the ERIH August newsletter. Two major events are coming up – "WORK it OUT" in September and the annual conference in October. Also important are visitor ratings as a new criterion for qualifying as an ERIH Anchor Point. Not least, there are new features on the website. As always, the newsletter captures the most relevant updates related to the ERIH community.

The topics at a glance:

• ERIH in a nutshell: Condensed overview
• ERIH Anchor Points: Visitor ratings as new entry criterion
• ERIH website: What's new?
• ERIH Meetings: Annual Conference 2021
• ERIH Calendar: Save the date

On 12 September, the 4th edition of the pan-European dance event will be launched. Currently, almost 40 locations in 14 countries have registered. All over the continent, rehearsals are underway in preparation for the once again live-streamed performance. This year, the ERIH studio will be set up at the Kulturbrauerei, Berlin, Germany.

The tutorial, dance video and music for this year's choreography are available on the website. For last-minute applications, please contact the office.
ERIH dance event 'WORK it OUT'

Alexandra Alves, head of the ERIH Anchor Point "Turismo Industrial" in S. Joao da Madeira, is going to represent the network's affairs in Portugal and thus serve as contact person for ERIH sites there. She replaces Paolo Costa Pinto, expert for industrial culture and cultural tourism in the Porto region. We would like to cordially thank him for his commitment to ERIH and gladly recall the excellently organised ERIH Annual Conference 2016 in Porto.

With the brochure "European Industrial Heritage: the International Story", first published in 2016, ERIH highlights the European interconnections of industrialisation. The booklet assists ERIH sites in their joint effort of providing visitors with an idea of the multiple interrelationships of Europe's industrial regions. Available in German and English, an updated edition of the document is now ready for download on the ERIH website. The revised print version, well-suited for events, will also be released soon and can be requested from the office.
ERIH brochure

In its Zoom meeting on 24 June, the ERIH Board decided to introduce a further quality feature for sites applying for recognition as Anchor Points. Complementing existing assessment criteria, visitor reviews of the site will now be included in the decision-making process. Benchmarks are provided by visitor ratings on Google. Accordingly, at least 100 reviews should rate a given Anchor Point candidate with 4.5 points or more. If 100 reviews of the site are not yet available or the rating by points is below the required mark, the ranking on TripAdvisor shall also be taken into account.

This will not affect current criteria used in the assessment process. They involve the significance of the site in terms of its industrial or technical history, the visitor-based, creative and contemporary display of what industrial culture is about, as well as the expert verdict of an ERIH board member following a visit to the site. The new indicator of quality is scheduled to be tested as to its validity for an initial period of 2 years. The website already takes the new rating basis into account.
ERIH Anchor Points: selection criteria and procedure

Should the website display selected sites in card view or, as before, as spreadsheet? That is the new feature users can opt for when browsing the menu item I want to go there for ideas for their next industrial heritage trip. The layout can be selected right below the map in the submenu "Display result of selection".

As to the European Theme Routes, the "Chemical Industry" has been added to the list. The previous Theme Route "Housing and Architecture" is now split into two routes: "Housing" and "Industrial Architecture" (each including subroutes).
I want to go there

Also in terms of content, the website provides new features. Thanks to the new entries Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kosovo and Moldova, the Industrial History of European Countries section now includes 47 European countries.
Industrial history of European countries

In turn, the menu item Service / Best Practice features two new categories: "Digital Offers" – further best practice examples sent to webmaster@erih.net are welcome – and "Funding". Both categories are inspired by suggestions from the "Digital Dialogue", the ERIH chapter meeting for the German-speaking region.
Service / Best practice

The subject of this year's conference is "RESILIENCE - How industrial heritage sites accepted the pandemic challenge and survived the crisis". Together we will highlight two issues: What are the strategies used by industrial heritage sites to cope with the Covid 19 pandemic and which creative ideas prepare them to operate in the post-pandemic world? Inspiration will be provided by contributions introducing best-practice concepts for the industrial heritage sector. The event is planned as a hybrid conference. Lectures will be given on-site at the Ghent Industrial Museum in Belgium or online on 7 October 2021. Programme and registration will be available soon on the ERIH website.
ERIH Annual Conference 2021