9th December 2023
The MU has put together advice on how to get help regarding the cost of living crisis, and how you can use your MU membership to save money. The PRS Members’ Fund has opened applications for its Winter Crisis Scheme. It is aimed at supporting PRS members who might be facing financial hardship due to the costs of living, are struggling to meet typical household bills, or have other u...
8th December 2023
There's less than 3 months to go until the Event Production Show, and it's shaping up to be the biggest and best one yet! EPS2024 will host thousands of attendees from every sector of the live events industry, as well as 80+ expert speakers and 150+ innovative exhibitors to network with. You can register now here. ...
7th December 2023
This week details of the first two sessions scheduled to take place at GEI16 next year have been shared. Both sessions will see a panel of experts share the results of two exclusive research projects. Research on accessibility and sustainability at festivals is shared following a unique partnership between AGF, Attitude is Everything, and Julie’s Bicycle. The second session focuses ...
6th December 2023
Hatfield Park, Herts, Sunday 21 July 2024 Their first line-up announcement... and it's a big one! Since their mighty performance at Folk by the Oak 2017 you, their wonderful audience, have made many requests for the return of legendary band Levellers. One of the most sought-after festival bands in the country, they are so excited to welcome Levellers back to close the 2024 festi...
4th December 2023
This was the title of the BAFA Conference held at the New Aviva Studios in Manchester on 23/24 November. I was unable to get there on 23rd but had a super day on 24th where the room was buzzing from the activity of the previous day which included Building More Sustainable Festivals, Festivals Create Communities and much more. So, on day two I missed the opening session with European Festivals As...
4th December 2023
Julie's Bicycle recently shared a report with the aim of supporting indoor venues of all sizes with clear guidance on the most environmentally sustainable cup solutions. It summarises key findings from previous reports, provides a snapshot of current cup systems in use at UK indoor venues and sets out best practice guidance. Over 50.5 million people attend UK festivals each year, therefore cutt...
4th December 2023
“LET’S STOP 1/2 MILLION TONNES OF CO2 EMISSIONS” A Greener Future have written an article all about their project, The Low Emission Festival (LEF). The project is supported by the worlds first green energy company Ecotricity, LIVE, AIF and participating festivals. Power providers, sustainability experts and festivals have come together to reduce fuel consumption and associate...
3rd December 2023
Many years ago Labour MP for Cardiff West, Kevin Brennan, assisted AFO in putting together an APPG specially to handle the folk arts. We then handed that over to EFDSS to look after as that is their speciality. Then along came Covid and a variety of political upheavals which lead to the Group falling apart. I am very pleased to say that EFDSS have now reinstated the APPG for F...
2nd December 2023
AFO is delighted to welcome Wernick Events as a member! Their team of design engineers, project managers and on-site crews are committed to delivering quality bespoke event solutions. Their years of expertise will be on hand to advise you from initial consultation to completion and collection. As part of the Wernick Group, they are supported by a network of depots across the UK. This enables ...
1st December 2023
MLD Event Group has proudly accepted the award for suppliers "Best Events Team 2023" at the National Outdoor Events Association Awards 2023. The award has been gladly received by the Team at MLD and they are only too happy to be recognised as an industry winner in the UK's world leading event industry. Director Richard Charidge is keen to express how much it means to the team to be recognised f...
30th November 2023
If you missed the Event Industry Insight App Broadcast last Friday don’t worry, it is now available on demand on YouTube! With The Power of Events four-nations tour now over and The Event Industry Insight App downloaded on the phones of an unprecedented number of UK event professionals, The Power of Events thought it only right to make the information as accessible as possible. Th...
30th November 2023
Hello Members and Friends My last GSW ended on 29 September and now picks up at the start of October. 3 October I would normally have been attending the Outdoor UK Events sub-group. However, this was cancelled. There is some doubt as to the purpose of this group and it under review with Chair Nick Morgan (The Fair). 4 October Julie's Bicycle and A Greener Future roundtable discussions onsc...
30th November 2023
Earlier this year Vision:2025 published the Towards Zero Waste Festivals Report and Festival Industry Materials and Waste Briefing to highlight the challenges and opportunities for sustainable waste management at UK greenfield festivals and to provide solutions-focused recommendations for event organisers. Part of the project was the Citizen Science call out for festival waste data wh...
29th November 2023
Many readers will remember that Business Rates popsits head up every so often as an issue on festival sites. In real terms and according to the law as we understand it Business Rates are chargeable on a farmer’s field that is used for a festival on the grounds that the farmer gets it free because it is agricultural and you are not. However, most local authorities recognise that it is just...
28th November 2023
With gold and silver tables now sold out, just a handful of tickets remain for this year's LIVE Awards. The deadline to book your seat is this Friday (1 Dec) at 4pm. Over 550 of the UK's top live music business professionals are already signed up, and with host Thanyia Moore running the show, complimentary drinks, an exceptional dinner menu in place, it's going to be a fabulous night. ...
28th November 2023
The Department of Business and Trade are reminding us that add-ons to the contract are unacceptable, i.e., you sell a ticket at face value and you announce at the point of purchase that it includes or does not include VAT, it includes or does not include a booking fee and any other kind of add-on like contributions to charities etc. The customer must see the bigger and clear picture and h...
27th November 2023
You would not believe how many phone calls and emails I get from members asking a whole wide range of questions, and I sometimes think it would be so much easier for everyone if you were to have the opportunity to ask these questions to me personally. Now clearly we are not going to keep meeting in pubs and cafes on the motorway. So how about I park myself onscreen for you, the AFO members, to ...
26th November 2023
Rick Stainton delivered a short summary of the Power of Events to the AFO members meeting on 22 November. He also was the subject of an interview in Andy Lenthall’s magazine Festival Insights. With their permission we re-publish here....
21st November 2023
SES 23 welcomed over 250 outdoor event professionals for a day of insights, presentations and discussions at The Showman’s Show, Oct 18th, 2023. In this guest blog, Graham Brown, Vision:2025 Steering Group Member and host of the Sustainable Event Summit #SES23, shares highlights from the day including celebrating the summit sponsors and speakers that made the day such an inspirational res...
20th November 2023
In this month's Q&A Vision2025 spoke to Tess Wilson, Event Operations Manager and Head of Sustainability at Boomtown Fair, Senior Production Manager at Hyde Park Winter Wonderland and Event Manager for Brockwell Live. Tess has worked in Production and Operations at events for 12 years and adopted Event Sustainability into her role through her lifelong passion for environmental awareness...
