They are the thinking heads of the Strasbourg Christmas market of the future. On the initiative of the town hall of Strasbourg in a process of “citizen participation”, 50 Strasbourg residents drawn have been working since July on the development of a book of recommendations intended for elected officials. This document will identify the avenues for development of the Christmas market, previously constructed and discussed by this citizen council.
Who are they ?
These 50 jurors, drawn by lot from the electoral lists, are supposed to represent the sociological and demographic landscape of Strasbourg according to five main criteria.
- genre : 53% women, 47% men
- age : half of the jurors are under 39 years old
- the level of studies
- place of residence : 19 of the 20 districts of Strasbourg are represented
- attendance at the Christmas market : 82% of members go there regularly, the others do not visit it, or not recently
Which method?
The 50 jurors meet regularly to discuss and work out ways to develop Christmas events in Strasbourg around three axes defined by the municipality : “Strasbourg capital of Christmas in the districts”; “Under our tree”, “this concerns in particular the products sold in the chalets”, says Églantine Hirsch, Strasbourg Capitale de Noël project manager; “Daily life during Strasbourg Capital of Christmas”. To date, the members of the jury prefer to remain discreet about the first recommendations developed in the secrecy of their meetings.
Supported by the consultancy firm Res publica, the jury followed, between July and September, an initial learning of the economic, logistical, cultural, social and environmental issues of the Strasbourg Capitale de Noël event as a whole.
From October, the jurors meet and discuss with the “actors” of the event: professionals (tourist office, traders) and users of the Christmas market (visitors, neighborhood associations). A way to reinforce initial learning by diving behind the scenes. These encounters lead to debates between the members of the jury around the first recommendations. This preliminary work will be supplemented and refined from November by visits to Christmas markets in Strasbourg and elsewhere.
The finalized recommendation book will be handed over to elected officials in Strasbourg in January. The proposals approved by the politicians will be implemented during the 2023 and 2024 editions of Strasbourg Capitale de Noël.