META ŠTULAR
Strategic Development, Programme Design, Creative Industries, Cultural Heritage, Change Management, Participatory Planning
ABOUT ME

With over 20 years of experience in the cultural and creative sectors, I specialize in social innovation, public space regeneration, and building sustainable creative ecosystems.
My expertise includes stakeholder engagement, strategy development, participatory design, and the implementation of transformative cultural programs.
I have provided consultancy for major actors in these fields such as the United Nations Development Programme, the European Cultural Foundation, and the French Ministry of Territorial Cohesion.
As Director of Strategic Development and Programs at Ljubljana’s Center Rog, I led the creation of one of Europe’s largest hubs for sustainable design and manufacturing, which earned my team the Eurocities Innovation Award.
Throughout my career, I have contributed to shaping cultural policies and strategies and collaborated with institutions like the European Commission, Slovenia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the City of Ljubljana.
Dedicated to sharing knowledge, I have developed training programs and conducted mentorships for the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, Erasmus University Rotterdam, the School of Economics and Business at the University of Ljubljana, and others.
My expertise primarily spans the EU and neighbouring regions, informed among other things by the evaluation of over 200 EU Creative Europe grant applications.
Beyond my strong command of English, I am also fluent in French, as evidenced by my translation of Guy Debord’s Society of the Spectacle into Slovenian, my mother tongue.
MY IMPACT

Consultancy for UNDP: Fostering private sector growth within Kosovo’s creative industries
CLIENT: United Nations Development Programme Kosovo • CHALLENGE: Empowering civil servants to unlock Kosovo's creative industries potential • MY CONTRIBUTION: I designed a training program and recommended tools to address challenges in the CCI sector. Kosovo’s...

R&D for the City of Ljubljana: Regenerating a derelict factory into the Center Rog creative hub
CLIENT: The City of Ljubljana • CHALLENGE: Designing a sustainable public institution in politically complex and controversial context • MY CONTRIBUTION: I conceived the development of a new public institution and creative space through the utilisation of...

Mentorship for EIT: Transforming a neglected concrete area in Rome into a community space
CLIENT: European Institute of Innovation and Technology • CHALLENGE: Empowering local civil society to adopt effective methodologies for sustainable urban regeneration • MY CONTRIBUTION: Facilitating the development of a participatory, inclusive, and structured...
MY TEXTS
ROG AROUND THE CLOCK: AN ATTEMPT TO CREATE A CULTURAL CENTRE OF THE FUTURE THROUGH COMMUNITY-BASED LIVE PROTOTYPING
The story begins in the year 1900, with the opening of a leather factory in Ljubljana, capital of Slovenia. It was the first ferro-concrete industrial structure in the city. After the Second World War, this factory was nationalised and began producing Rog bicycles....
AN URBAN FACTORY OF THE FUTURE: REVITALISING INDUSTRIAL HERITAGE WITH NEW TECHNOLOGIES
This article provides an in-depth analysis of the revitalisation of the former Rog factory complex, whose main building has been designated as cultural heritage. Among other themes, it explores how globalisation and new technologies might be leveraged to support...
WHAT IS GRAFEM? OR WHY WE STARTED A FEMALE GRAFFITI AND STREET ART PROGRAM
Recently, Urbana Vrana Institute and RogLab have started a special programme to encourage the creation of graffiti and street art by women. Called GraFEM (the name combines the “gra” from “graffiti” and the “fem” from “female”), it aims to empower female graffiti and...
PRESS
What Will Take Place at Center Rog? A Conversation with the Director of Strategic Development
On the sixth of November, Center Rog, a creative and social hub will open its workshops—referred to as "labs"—to the public. Starting next month, the first seven project studios on the second floor of the former bicycle factory, later also known as the autonomous Rog...
Will Center Rog finally become a reality? Interview with Meta Štular
The new Center Rog is expected to integrate production, educational, and support programs in design, architecture, and art, similar to those already being tested at the modern makerspace RogLab, which is run by Meta Štular as part of the Museum and Galleries of the...
Meta Štular: The Future of Factories? A Meeting with a 3D Printer
Interview with the manager of RogLab about the buzz around machines, empty spaces, and printing guns. • Just as an umbrella can be a balloon, a bicycle can easily be a time machine. Hint: on Saturday at 10 a.m., join a group that will pedal from Congress Square...