2024

The Global Lithuanian Leaders Summer Gathering 2024 in Kaunas last week was a blast! For the first time, the event took place outside of Vilnius, and it was a great success.

The overall theme was "Between the Branches of Knowledge," with creative industries being one of the key focus areas. Attendees had the chance to dive into Lithuania's thriving creative sector, learning about its economic and social impact, as well as its export potential.

In addition to the insightful workshop sessions, the second day featured amazing excursions that allowed participants to explore Kaunas' renowned modernism and art deco architecture. It was a truly enriching experience. The opportunity to join Grammy winner Nicole Ziuraitis' jazz concert at the Pazaislis Monastery was like the cherry on top of an already fantastic event.

We're grateful to Marija Saraite and her team for their hard work in strengthening the connections between diaspora professionals and the communities within Lithuania. Vardan Tos!

Thank you to everyonewho joined us for yesterday's Happy Hour focused on the upcoming elections in Lithuania! We had a fantastic evening filled with engaging discussionsand socializing. It was inspiring to see our community come together to discuss the future of Lithuania and the impact of the presidential and referendum elections. With over 4 million Lithuanians worldwide, our collective voices matter. Vardas Tos!

#4 milijonų Lietuva

The creative economy was an important topic of discussion during North American Lithuanian Business Forum in New York. With a talented workforce and cutting-edge technology, Lithuania is striving for a competitive edge. Like New York, it's focused on building a strong talent pipeline and collaborating across sectors and institutions to drive innovation. Recent visits to Bloomberg Philanthropies, Navy Yard, Roundtable discussion, Cornell Tech panel, and Gaming Art program at Pratt's Institute have played a pivotal role in shaping a unified vision for Lithuania's Creative Hub center.

We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to our esteemed partners in New York: Anne del Castillo, Alia Jones-Harvey, Patricia Bayley, Aparna Ramanan, Ethan Mulligan, Todd Bryant, Tucker Fort, Zolty, Joseph White, Vincas Sruoginis, Ilma Nausėdaitė, Tony Patrick, Douglas Easterly, and Jason Corace. Your collaboration and support have been invaluable in creating a truly impactful and meaningful event.

A huge thank you to our honorary guest speakers Minister of Culture Simonas Kairys, Deputy Mayor Arūnas Šileris, and CEO Teachers Lead Tech Monika Katkute. Your presence and insightful contributions greatly enriched the forum, and we are sincerely grateful for your valuable perspectives and expertise.

Kristina Dryža break-out session on Navigating the Unknown was a hit! The topic resonated deeply with the audience, and the session was met with great enthusiasm and engagement. Thank you Martynas Spokas and the team for empowering this session.

A big shoutout to the outstanding Team Lithuania, comprised of eleven organizations, for their exceptional work in designing and planning the Creative Industries Sectorial Program: Lithuanian American Business Association in Los Angeles (Eleonora Romuva) Lithuanian World Arts Council (Daiva Cekanauskas Navarrette), Consulate General of Lithuania in Los Angeles (Laima Jureviciene, Justina Jakavonytė), Cultural Attaché of Lithuania in the USA (Gražina Michnevičiūtė), Baltic Film & Creative Tech Cluster (Romanas Matulis, Kestutis Drazdauskas), Nacionalinė kūrybinių ir kultūrinių industrijų asociacija (Edita Sabalionyte), LDA | Lietuvos dizaino asociacija (Algirdas Orantas), ArtTech Agency Lithuania (Agnesta Filatovė), Lithuanian Game Developers Association (Rytis Jadzevičius), Vilnius Film Office | Vilniaus kino biuras, and American Chamber of Commerce in Lithuania (Tadas Vizgirda, Živilė Sabaliauskaitė). Your collective efforts and collaboration have been instrumental in shaping and advancing the creative industries sector.

Last but definitely not least, a huge shoutout to the incredible Team Lithuania USA for organizing the 5th NALB Forum. Special thanks to Andrius Neviera, Giedrius Galkauskas, Šarūnė Abromaitė, Krista Bard, Eleonora Romuva, Ervinas Janavičius, Gerald Kasiulis, Kęstas Barzdaitis, Jūrate Usevičiūtė-Peralta, Justina Jakavonytė, Laima Jurevičienė, Karolis Anužis, Sergejus Tichomirovas, Mantas Zamžickas, Daiva Cekanauskas Navarrette, Marija Šaraitė, Diana Plačiakienė and the entire team. It was an amazing co-creation experience, and we look forward to the next one! Vardan Tos! #TeamLithuania #NALBForum #CoCreation #Creativity #Innovation, #Creativefusion, #Synergy,#Collaboration