17th June 2021
DELTA 4 – OUTDOOR EVENTS NIL The 14 June should have been a day for rejoicing for all of us in the outdoor events industry. Unfortunately, the Delta variant has slowed down our charge toward full reopening. Clearly, we cannot hold all our events in what remains of the summer season, especially those that need full shoulder to shoulder capacity. Some of our industry can stil...
16th June 2021
PRESS RELEASE: EVENTS FORUM DELTA blow to outdoor events Organisers of outdoor events suffered another body blow with the announcement on Monday that Step 4 of the COVID lockdown release is to be delayed, at least until July 19. As a result a number of events have had to be cancelled, with organisers facing losses of thousands as they have been unable to secure insurance against just su...
14th June 2021
AFO'S RESPONSE TO THE LATEST ANNOUNCEMENT BY PRIME MINISTER: DELTA sees off more 2021 Festivals 14th June has been carved in the AFO diary as the day our PM would release us to get on with the remaining festival season. The Delta variant is clearly causing some havoc in several parts of the UK, so this del...
14th June 2021
Get READY for World Refill Day ! 🌎 The countdown is on...get ready for the most important day in our plastic-free calendars... 🎉🎉 THIS WEDNESDAY IS WORLD REFILL DAY! 🎉🎉 Yep, that's right, Wednesday 16th of June is the first ever #WorldRefillDay, a global public awareness campaign to prevent plastic pollution and to help people live with less was...
11th June 2021
June 21st delay: Over 5,000 shows by artists including Rag'n'Bone Man, McFly and Rudimental at risk of collapse Widespread venue and festival closures expected as 65% of festivals say they are set to collapse in the event of a five-week delay UK’s iconic £4.5 billion live music sector calls for Government to release Events Research Programme findings and &ldquo...
11th June 2021
FREE WEBINARS to help you take some action on climate change. LIVE Green are presenting a series of free webinars on how different areas of the business can either be more sustainable, or build and improve on their sustainability efforts. The webinars are designed to provide information, resources and help for companies and individuals on the topics of off...
10th June 2021
As always since I last wrote this blog there has been a lot of action; loads of meetings, discussions and even a few decisions. For a start here is a little bit of general news. General News Someone asked the other day why they had been sent a proforma invoice, so I dug out a bit of information as this is a common occurrence these days. What is a proforma invoice? It is a document that ...
10th June 2021
Today Voluntary Arts turns 30 years old and will relaunch as Creative Lives. There has been an unprecedented outpouring of creative activity by individuals and communities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This surge of activity has reaffirmed the vital importance of creative participation for both health and wellbeing and social connection. Today Creative Lives will also launch six new or...
4th June 2021
DEAR MR.CHANCELLOR YOU REALLY SHOULD………… The DCMS select committee have published a report after taking a great deal of evidence and information from several players in the world of Festivals. Their report called “the future of Music festivals “ is a strong condemnation of the governments refusal to underwrite an insurance scheme which would ...
3rd June 2021
A four-day bank holiday weekend will mark the Queen’s platinum jubilee next summer to celebrate the monarch’s 70 years on the throne. National events will include a live concert featuring some of the world’s biggest stars, a service of thanksgiving and, perhaps the Queen’s own highlight, a day at the races. The 2022 break will run from Thursday 2 June until Sunday...
2nd June 2021
Feast It are looking for an experienced and level-headed Event Producer to manage their most high-profile event contracts from start to finish and are looking for someone who takes huge pleasure in seeing the culmination of their work at a successful event! You will be responsible for delivering total supplier management to the clients, including curati...
29th May 2021
PURPLE GUIDE …..Update £25 subscription per year for access to the best and most valuable document in festival and event planning. Recognised and copied worldwide, The Purple Guide has been updated with the addition of a new chapter on Adventure Sports (Chapter 33) and with additional guidance added to Chapter 22 on Safeguarding Children and Youn...
29th May 2021
UK Music Chief Executive Jamie Njoku-Goodwin has welcomed calls from a new House of Commons Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport Select Committee Report that highlights the need for urgent action on festival insurance. The call comes as the industry nears closer to the proposed June 21st re-opening date, which could see large scale events such as festivals allowed to retu...
25th May 2021
PRS STREAMING PRS announced that they wanted around 17% of gross takings for live streaming of music. After an avalanche of complaints, discussions took place which ended with the suggestion that between 5% and 8% was a more likely result, and further a percentage the same as a live performance would be even better. PRS took this on board and came back not surprisingly by annou...
25th May 2021
Changes to Performing Arts Guidance Since the 17 May Roadmap announcement, through DCMS the government have made changes to the Performing Arts Guidance: Confirmation that concert halls, theatre and grass roots music venues can all reopen on 17 May with social distancing and capacity caps in place. Outdoor events can take place for up to 4000 people or 50% of a site or venue capaci...
25th May 2021
AFO was recently represented at a roundtable evidence gathering meeting chaired by Michael Gov MP and also attended by Paul Scully and Oliver Dowden MP. The group were gathering information and feelings regarding the potential need for a status certification for people to attend events. There was a strong consensus amongst the attendees that CSC should be based on capacity of venue linked to th...
24th May 2021
Many AFO members use volunteers to help at their festivals. This is the latest GOV.guidance for safe working with yours. Enabling safe and effective volunteering during coronavirus (COVID-19): https://www.gov.uk/guidance/enabling-safe-and-effective-volunteering-during-coronavirus-covid-19?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=govuk-notifications&utm_source=e48b10db-8926-41d8-b64c-e50185364d...
19th May 2021
THE PATRON of AFO is hitting 80yrs old on Friday 21st May. Martin Carthy has been kind enough to lend his name and full support to AFO for many years. His undying belief in the traditions and rights of people to gather together in Festivals of all kinds has been with us all the way. His own appearances at festivals throughout the world are always met with resounding cheers and ...
18th May 2021
Following the move to Step 3 of the Prime Minister’s Roadmap to reopening, AFO is pleased to let you know that the Performing Arts guidance has been updated and can be accessed here. As a summary, the key updates to the guidance are: Confirmation that theatre, concert halls, and grassroots music venues can all reopen from 17th May with social distancing and capacity caps ...
17th May 2021
COVENTRY.. CITY OF CULTURE. What a tough year to be selected as UK city of culture, but Coventry are now going for it. They have of course been delayed due to you know….. Now they are going full belt for the rest of their year. So if you live round there get involved, if you can visit do so and support Coventry, in particular LIVE ARTS. Coventry UK City of Culture is looking fo...
