MODEL 2: Participatory Platform Model

The Participatory Platform Model transforms CHOs from direct service providers into platform facilitators, connecting diverse stakeholder groups in both B2B (business-to-business) and B2C (business-to-consumer) arrangements. By establishing collaborative platforms, CHOs create shared value propositions, enabling multiple actors such as artists, local businesses, other CHOs, educational institutions, and the wider public to interact, exchange, and co-create value within a cohesive ecosystem.

In this model, CHOs serve as intermediaries, bridging two or more stakeholder groups and facilitating transactions, exchanges, or collaborations among them. These platforms could be two-sided platforms, where CHOs connect two distinct groups (e.g., artisans and customers), or multisided platforms, where CHOs integrate three or more groups into a networked value system (e.g., artisans, museums, corporate sponsors, and customers). The CHO's role is to curate, moderate, and manage the platform, ensuring trust, quality, and value creation for all participants.

Unlike traditional producer-to-consumer models, this approach positions CHOs as curated platforms for collaboration, exchange, and value co-creation. It diversifies the CHOs’ role from being content providers to ecosystem managers, leveraging their reputation, collections, and networks to create dynamic value chains. It also encourages multi-stakeholder engagement, extending beyond CHOs into broader cultural, educational, and commercial ecosystems. This model not only enhances engagement and visibility but also opens up diverse revenue and partnership opportunities, enabling CHOs to thrive in an increasingly participatory digital and physical cultural landscape.

Engagement

• B2B facilitation: CHOs connect businesses (e.g., artisans, creative entrepreneurs, tour operators, etc.)

• Business to customer or B2C facilitation: CHOs connect directly with end-users (e.g., visitors, customers, other types of end-users)

• Multi-sided facilitation: CHOs integrate multiple types of actors (e.g., artisans, corporate sponsors, educational institutions, audiences)

Platforms

• E-commerce platforms for cultural products

• Knowledge-sharing platforms connecting experts, researchers, and educators

• Co-created digital platforms integrating cultural content, products, and services from multiple CHOs and stakeholders

Benefits

• New revenue streams through transaction fees, commissions, or platform subscriptions

• Enhanced audience engagement by offering richer, diverse experiences

• Strengthened stakeholder networks in the local and global context

• Increased innovation opportunities by co-creation and cross-sector collaboration

• Positioning as cultural hubs, not only as content owners but as facilitators of broader cultural, social, and commercial ecosystems

Barriers

• Technical and digital capacity requirements to build and manage platforms

• Governance and curation complexities, balancing stakeholder interests

• Guaranteeing quality control and upkeep of ethical considerations.

• Trust-building challenges among diverse stakeholders

• Risk of mission drift if commercial priorities overshadow cultural or educational goals

• Revenue-sharing conflicts between stakeholders, including legal and tax issues

Revenue Earning Models

• Commission Model: CHO earns a percentage on sales or transactions via the platform

• Subscription Model: Stakeholders or users pay to access premium features or services

• Licensing Model: Licensing the platform or its content to other organisations

• Sponsorship Model: Attracting sponsors for specific platform activities or categories

• Brokerage Model: CHO acts as an intermediary, earning fees for facilitating services, tours, or sales