CONFER

What CONFER does

CONFER was a French cooperative (SCIC — Société Coopérative d'Intérêt Collectif) providing professional training and consulting services to the cultural and creative economy sector, headquartered in Bègles, Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Founded in 2016, the organization operated for approximately nine years and delivered a catalog of more than a dozen thematic training tracks covering cultural administration, cinema mediation, contemporary music industry practices, HR management, responsible/ecological practices, facilitation, open-source computing, and trainer-of-trainers programs. Delivery was human-led by a network of 40+ expert trainers and a six-person core team (Directrice, Administrative & Financial Director, HR Manager, Training & Development Manager, Communications, Training Assistant), with programs offered primarily at the Bègles headquarters and via remote options.

The commercial stack was unremarkable technically — WordPress CMS with Elementor for site building and Matomo Analytics configured per CNIL privacy guidance (IP anonymization, no cookies, no data cross-referencing). Compliance depth was the real asset: Qualiopi certification (renewed 2024–2027 via Afnor) and Datadock certification (held since 2017) were mandatory credentials enabling all programs to be financed through French public and mutualized training channels (CPF, OPCO funds including AFDAS and Uniformation, France Travail).

Revenue mechanics combined unit-priced training enrollment (€280–€3,500 per program, differentiated by employment status — job seeker/intermittent vs. employee) with quote-based consulting engagements on HR and organizational development. Distribution was direct-enrollment via confer-culture.org plus institutional funding pathways; institutional partners (CINA, RIM, AGEC & Co, Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine, AFDAS, Arviva, La Petite, De La Neige En Été) co-constructed content and acted as referral channels. In 2025 the cooperative announced cessation of activities with closure planned for early July, citing a sustained drop in training enrollment tied to a broader crisis in the cultural sector.

Name

CONFER

Legal name

CONFER

Website

https://confer-culture.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CONFER was a Bègles-based SCIC cooperative (founded 2016) delivering Qualiopi-certified professional training and HR/organizational consulting to cultural and creative economy professionals in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, through a catalog of 12+ thematic programs priced €280–€3,500. The cooperative announced cessation of activities planned for early July 2025.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Training Services

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (541)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Conferences & Conventions Operations Services (Registration, AV, Logistics) (MPAGAGAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Meeting & Conference Planning & Coordination (HSACADAA)

Keywords

• Professional training services
• Cultural sector consulting
• Workforce development training
• HR advisory services
• Continuing education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Bègles

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Professional Training Services: Training programs in cultural sector administration, management, facilitation, mediation, and creative economy skills. Revenue generated through participant fees, OPCO fund reimbursements, and institutional sponsorships. Programs range from single-day workshops to multi-module certification tracks.
2. Consulting Services: Advisory and consulting engagements for cultural organizations on HR management, organizational development, and professionalization. Delivered by expert consultants with sector-specific expertise.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CONFER is a SCIC cooperative that designs and delivers professional training programs and HR/organizational consulting services for the cultural and creative economy sector. Offerings span catalog training (cinema mediation, live performance diffusion/production, cultural administration, HR management, facilitation, responsible practices, open-source computing, contemporary music, communication, co-development, train-the-trainer) plus bespoke HR consulting for cultural organizations. Programs are co-constructed with sector partners (CINA, De La Neige En Été, Arviva, La Petite) and delivered in-person at Bègles or remotely, with financing routed through OPCOs, AFDAS, France Travail, and CPF.

Product overview

CONFER is a SCIC (Société Coopérative d'Intérêt Collectif) training and consulting cooperative serving the cultural sector in Nouvelle-Aquitaine. The organization offers a portfolio of professional training programs organized into thematic categories: Formation de formateurs.rices (train-the-trainer), Parcours Médiateur.rice.s cinéma (cinema mediator pathway), Parcours Chargé.e.s de diffusion et production (production/distribution pathway), Administration de structures culturelles (cultural administration), Management et facilitation (management/facilitation), Gestion des richesses humaines (HR management), Pratiques responsables (responsible practices), Informatique libre (open-source computing), Médiation culturelle et cinéma (cultural/cinema mediation), Musiques actuelles (contemporary music), Posture et communication (communication skills), and Co-développement (coaching). The portfolio also includes bespoke consulting services in human resources and organizational development. These offerings are designed for cultural sector professionals seeking skill development, methodological tools, and organizational support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Formation de formateurs.rices A 3-module training program teaching cultural-sector professionals to design, animate, and evaluate training sessions using objective-based pedagogy. Priced at €1,400 for job seekers/intermittent workers and €1,750 for employees.
• Parcours Médiateur.rice.s cinéma A 70-hour (10-day) modular training program co-constructed with CINA for cinema mediators, covering cinema sector knowledge, project management, mediation techniques, and social media communication. Priced at €3,500 for employees.
• Parcours Chargé.e.s de diffusion et production de spectacles Training program for production and distribution professionals in live performance, covering strategy, prospecting, and sales of artistic projects.
• Administration de structures culturelles Training modules covering cultural administration topics including accounting, budgeting, payroll in live performance, and understanding public institutions.
• Management et facilitation Training programs covering agile project management, professional dialogue, strategic participatory management, and team leadership (including manager team leadership training at €560/€700 by employment status).
• Gestion des richesses humaines Training covering human resources management including burnout prevention, psychosocial risks, time management, and organizational well-being.
• Pratiques responsables Training on corporate social responsibility (RSO), ecological transformation in live performance, and responsible practices for cultural projects (including introduction to ecological transition at €280/€350).
• Informatique libre Training on open-source software including document creation with Writer, spreadsheets with Calc, and collaborative tools.
• Médiation culturelle et cinéma Training for cultural mediators covering project development, artistic and cultural education workshops, and inclusive mediation techniques.
• Musiques actuelles Training covering the music industry ecosystem, professional environment of musicians, and accompaniment programs for music projects (including a 2-day module on musicians' professional environment at €560, co-constructed with De La Neige En Été).
• Posture et communication Training on public speaking, podcast creation, and social media communication strategies for cultural organizations (including a social media communication module at €700 for employees).
• Co-développement Professional development method using mutual aid and collective intelligence for sharing workplace challenges and emerging ideas (remote and in-person options at €800/€1,000 by employment status).
• Conseil en ressources humaines Customized HR consulting services for cultural organizations covering organizational development, psychological health at work, and collective intelligence facilitation. Delivered via quote-based engagements.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% of training eligible for public and mutualized funding through Qualiopi certification
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CINA (Cinémas Indépendants de Nouvelle-Aquitaine)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-construction partner for cinema mediator training pathway. CINA represents independent cinemas in Nouvelle-Aquitaine and brings sector expertise to program development. Joint initiative since 2017 to train cinema mediators employed by regional independent theaters.
• De La Neige En EtécoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollective of consultants and trainers specializing in current music sector. Co-constructs multiple training programs including musician professional environment, accompaniment program design, and industry mutation training.
• ArvivacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for ecological transformation training in live performance sector. Co-constructs introduction to ecological transition programs for cultural sector professionals.
• La PetitecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation specializing in prevention of sexist and sexual violence. Partnership for VHSS prevention training modules offered to cultural sector professionals.
• AFDAScoreOthersOPCO (Opérateur de Compétences) for culture, communications, and leisure sectors. Primary funding body for professional training in the cultural sector.
• France Travail (Pôle Emploi)minorOthersPublic employment service providing funding options for job seekers including AIF (Individual Training Aid) and CSP (Professional Security Contract) for economic layoffs.
• UniformationminorOthersOPCO for social economy, sports, and mutual benefit sectors. Alternative funding pathway for qualifying organizations and professionals.
• AGEC & CocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGroupement d'employeurs (employer group) for shared HR management in cultural sector. Connected through shared leadership (Nathalie Redant serves as Director of Pole Culture & RH).
• Région Nouvelle-AquitainecoreOthersRegional government authority. Major institutional supporter and funder of cultural sector initiatives. Supports CONFER through regional development programs and cultural policy funding.
• CO – Culture & Richesses HumainescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation focused on human resources in cultural sector. Connected through shared leadership structure. Works on RH projects including competency frameworks for accompaniment professions.
• iddacminorOthersCultural development agency in Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Cooperating partner supporting cultural sector training initiatives.
• CRESS Nouvelle-AquitaineminorOthersRegional chamber of social and solidarity economy. Supports and certifies social economy organizations including cooperatives like CONFER.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• AFDAS: AFDAS is the French OPCO (Opérateur de Compétences) that funds professional training for the cultural, communications, and leisure sectors. It is a core partner of CONFER (providing funding flows), but not a competitor; included as a relevant ecosystem player that shapes demand and reimbursement economics for any successor entity.
• Coopaname: Coopaname is a well-known French SCIC (Société Coopérative d'Intérêt Collectif) providing shared services and cooperative governance to freelancers and small organizations. It shares CONFER's exact legal form (SCIC), target audience of independent cultural sector workers, and collective-interest orientation — making it a structural analog even though its service mix differs.

Regional players

• La Fémis: La Fémis is France's prestigious national film school delivering professional training for cinema professionals. It serves a different film-industry segment (formal higher-education credentials) than CONFER's continuing professional cinema-mediator pathway, but addresses overlapping workforce development needs in the cinema sector where CONFER partnered with CINA.

Broad incumbents

• INA (Institut national de l'audiovisuel): INA is the French national institute for audiovisual training and heritage, offering professional development for media and cultural industries. It is a much larger state-backed institution, but its training arm addresses a related cultural-sector professional audience with management, technical, and creative media programs — overlapping with CONFER's cultural and cinema mediation offerings at greater scale.
• CNAM (Conservatoire national des arts et métiers): CNAM is a large French public institution delivering professional and continuing education across many industries including management and HR. It is not specialized in the cultural niche the way CONFER is, but its professional development training function — including HR, management, and organizational transformation modules — overlaps directly with the management/facilitation and HR tracks CONFER offered.

Direct peers

• CFPTS: CFPTS (Centre de Formation Professionnelle aux Techniques du Spectacle) is a French professional training organization serving the performing arts and live entertainment sector. Highly comparable to CONFER's cultural-sector training focus, CFPTS delivers Qualiopi-certified technical and management programs to cultural professionals across France — directly competing for the same OPCO-funded training audience.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CONFER.culture
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/confer-culture

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CONFER