Paris hosted the 9th International Conference on Applied Economics and Business (ICAEB 2025) and the 9th International Conference on Sustainable Tourism Management (ICSTM 2025). The programme featured more than 70 presentations, along with keynote speeches by internationally recognised experts on digitalisation, innovation, and sustainability.

Among the speakers was Dr. Kaspars Steinbergs, docent and researcher at EKA University of Applied Sciences. He delivered the presentation “Digital Transformation and Its Impact on Business Models in the Cultural and Creative Industries: Evidence from Latvia”, included in the session “Digital Transformation and Business Innovation”.

The presentation was based on a joint research article, co-authored by Assoc. Prof. Renāte Cāne (Biznesa augstskola Turība) and Eya Amamria, a Master’s student of the Business Management programme at EKA University of Applied Sciences. The article analyses how digital transformation affects the business models of micro-enterprises in Latvia’s cultural and creative industries.

Participation in the conference provided not only the opportunity to present the research results, but also to engage in discussions on the role of digital transformation and innovation, to meet international colleagues, and to establish new contacts for future cooperation. This experience confirms that digital transformation in cultural and creative industries is a highly relevant and important topic both for Latvia and for the international academic community, where EKA University of Applied Sciences actively contributes with its research and ideas.