2nd February 2023
AFO Conference 25 February 2023Jacob Adams and Alex Covell16:30pm: Remove barriers. Welcome everyone. Do your part. A packed agenda will be assembled from a long list that includes a presentation by Jacob Adams and Alex Covell: Attitude is Everything work to connect disabled people with music and live event industries to improve access together. Jacob Adams (and Alex Covell) outline the organisa...
2nd February 2023
We Are The Fair has launched a brand new website showcasing some of its biggest projects since Covid, plus a whole new careers page encouraging talent to join the industry. The home-grown festival production agency, which prides itself on supporting the growth of a burgeoning independent UK festival scene, alongside some of the UK’s fastest growing promoters, is set to have its biggest ye...
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2nd February 2023
Adrian Bossey, Head of Business and Experience Design at Falmouth University is also the Chair of the Association of Event Management Educators. He suggests ways in which the industry can address the staffing shortage and attract a diverse new wave of passionate professionals into the sustainable events industry. It is estimated that the events industry throughout the UK lost around 126,0...
2nd February 2023
AFO Conference 25 February 2023Ian Smith15:50pm: International Rescue A packed agenda will be assembled from a long list that includes a presentation by Ian Smith: Ian’s years of work running International agencies Frusion and Fizzion and many years as national chair of UK Musicians Union Folk Roots and Trad music section international led to his founding UKEArtswork - an independent non-c...
2nd February 2023
LIVE, AFO, AIF, MVT and many others are asking government again and again to reduce VAT on ticket sales for the 2023 season down to 5%. They did it as part of the support given during Covid and the evidence was clear, more tickets were sold than were expected and the revenue picked up a considerable amount of VAT that they wouldn’t have received had the tickets not been sold. The longer-t...
1st February 2023
AFO Conference 25 February 2023Chris Johnson (Vision:2025)1:00pm: And another lump of ice falls off A packed agenda will be assembled from a long list that includes a presentation by Chris Johnson then Q&A with input from Vikki Chapman and Hannah Cox: Chris joins the panel to outline the Green Events Code - developed by Vision:2025 – and how it is intended to provide clear and robust...
1st February 2023
AFO Conference 25 February 2023Vick Bain and Eddie Barcan15:10pm: Diverse and Representative Programming A packed agenda will be assembled from a long list that includes a presentation by Vick Bain and Eddie Barcan: Founder of The F-List for Music directory of female musicians, Vick Bain, is joined by Splendid Events’ Eddie Barcan to discuss inequality, and the road to equality, within t...
1st February 2023
AFO Conference 25 February 2023Vikki Chapman (Festival Republic), Hannah Cox (Better Not Stop)12:30pm: And another lump of ice falls off A packed agenda will be assembled from a long list that includes a presentation then Q&A by Vikki Chapman and Hannah Cox: Festival Republic and Live Nation have committed to a project to drive grid connections to UK festivals and begin the transition of t...
1st February 2023
Martyn’s Law to ensure stronger protections against terrorism in public places. The UK’s resilience to terrorism is to be stepped up as the government announce details for the Protect Duty. A paper published on 19 December by the Home Office tells us that new laws to keep people safe will scale up preparedness for and protection from terrorist attacks. Martyn’s Law will ensur...
1st February 2023
AFO Conference 25 February 2023Music Showcase: Rare Occasion11:00pm: Rare Occasion A packed agenda will be assembled from a long list that includes a performance by Rare Occasion: Based in Derbyshire, and comprising Judy Dunlop on vocals, Jon Scaife on guitar and cittern, and Nigel Corbett on fiddle, Rare Occasion draw on their wealth of experiences to create exciting and accomplished performanc...
1st February 2023
AFO Conference 25 February 2023Martyn's Law11:00am: Russ Phillips A packed agenda will be assembled from a long list that includes a presentation by Russ Phillips: Martyn’s Law will impact all festivals and events – Russ Phillips, member of the UK Crowd Management Association, and author of the Purple Guide’s Counter Terrorism section, gives an overview of the law’s aim...
1st February 2023
AFO Conference 25 February 2023Keynote – The view from LIVE 11:00am: Jon Collins A packed agenda will be assembled from a long list that includes: Jon Collins, CEO of LIVE (the voice of the UK’s live music and entertainment business), giving an overview of LIVE’s work, the state of the industry, and how festivals fit into the live music ecosystem. Delegate fees - £25 p...
1st February 2023
Speaking at the Access All Areas Conference and Awards in January Victoria Chapman, Head of Sustainability at Live Nation, informed the delegates of the plans Live Nation have to connect to the National Grid. At the moment as part of their Green Nation target to reduce its scope and emissions by 50% by 2030, Victoria said that all venues controlled by Live Nation-owned academy Music Group had a...
1st February 2023
The 2023 line-up of Folk by the Oak held at Hatfield Park, Hertfordshire on July 16 announces The Waterboys, This is the Kit, The Longest Johns and on their second stage Cut Capers, The Wilderness Yet. If you have never been to this giant picnic you could make 2023 your first. It is quite unique in its beautiful setting and excellent management, see the website....
1st February 2023
AFO Conference 25 February 2023Do you care?: Health and Welfare for all10:05am: Craig Mathie A packed agenda will be assembled from a long list that includes: A panel discussion led by Craig Mathie, founder of Project 30, to consider how the live events industry looks after it’s staff, volunteers, artists and audiences. Exploring how we can – do – should look after people pro...
1st February 2023
Access All Areas, the Mag. a fantastic read for an events industry magazine and I recommend if you are not signed up, you should be. They are part of the Mash Media Group and also produce the Event Production Awards which are taking place on 1-2 March, see website for details. There are categories for supplier, production, best crew, fencing, music promoter, toilets and showers, temporary...
31st January 2023
AFO Conference 25 February 2023Keynote Speaker: Steve Heap12:20pm: Big, Bigger, Biggest, Best A packed agenda will be assembled from a long list that includes a presentation by Steve Heap: AFO’s General Secretary addresses the measures of success that we use, or abuse. Delegate fees - £25 per member & £40 for non-members. BOOK HERE ...
31st January 2023
You might think that could never happen here at one of our festivals. Well, actually it did. At a well-known Oxfordshire Festival many years ago during the performance of Bellowhead the crowd were so excited dancing right in front of the band and the floor did collapse. Luckily no one was hurt. In Paris recently 12 people were injured at a French music festival when part of the floor collapsed ...
30th January 2023
AFO General Secretary, Steve Heap, recently wrote for Standout Magazine and suggested that the £200 weekend ticket was not just around the corner, but was already here. Customers will have heard on many occasions that the cost of staging weekend festivals has shot through the roof in recent years and organisers have done their budgets before declaring their ticket price (I hope). A...
29th January 2023
As previously reported we are bombarded with an endless stream of cup companies telling us that they are the best, the most sustainable, the best for recycling, the best for composting. Who knows? the whole thing became a mine field. So, I went straight to the centre of knowledge on the subject of sustainability. Chris Johnson at Vision 2025 came back with the following. “As a...
