UK Festival Awards Conference announces full programme

Organisers of the UK Festival Awards have today confirmed details for all six panel discussions for the Festival Conference, which takes place the day of the UK Festival Awards: Tuesday 15 November.

This year’s Festival Conference will discuss issues including festival funding in the Olympic year, how to maintain customer loyalty, social commerce and a keynote Q&A with Festival Republic MD Melvin Benn.

Now in its 4th year, the UK Festival Conference is the only event that brings the festivalindustry together for a day of debates, discussion, networking and information sharing. Panel discussions at the UK Festival Conference will present and debate the latest thinking and business insight in addition to reviewing the year’s key achievements and challenges. Following the success of last year’s sold-out event, there will be further focus on the most important issues in the industry, plus extended and expanded networking opportunities.

New panel sessions to be announced are:

Open Forum: How many hats can one person wear?

Panel: Alex Brooke – Director, Peppermint Events, Serge Grimaux – CEO, Intellitix, Jim King – Director, Loud Sound (Rock Ness, Bestival, Camp Bestival, LED)

Topic: With so many hats to wear and a huge amount to get to grips with, a festival promoter is expected to master a broad skill set, without any formal training. So how do you know what’s best to make your festival an award-winner? This panel of experts from across sectors of the industry will give essential business advice and give top tips for financial and creative success.

This is an open session, and questions from delegates are especially welcome – so do bring your challenges and success stories for discussion.

Pedal to the Medal: Will sport beat festivals in the Olympic sponsorship marathon? (in association with Field Marketing and Brand Experience Magazine)

Panel: Jeremy Patterson, MD, Frukt Communications, Gareth Cooper – Outgoing
Andy Westlake – CEO Fast Track, Karen Earl – Chairman, Synergy

Topic: How on earth are festivals going to keep share of the commercial market next summer in the Olympic year, when so much attention will be on sport?

This live debate will see two dedicated sports sponsorship specialists go head-to-head with two music aficionados to debate the merits of spending onsponsorship in music and/or sports in the Olympic year

These newly announced sessions join the previously announced:

Weather – Or Not (in association with TPi)

Topic: 2011’s stage collapse tragedies have reminded everyone that bad weather can be sudden, vicious and lethal. It’s not the first year that the elements have played their part in fatalities; perhaps we need to learn our lessons a little faster. Is it the structures themselves at fault, or perhaps the decision-making process? This panel will uncover answers.

From Online to Onsite – How Social Commerce Can Boost Your Business (in association with Music Mind Exchange)

Panel: Paul Stacey – MD, Fatsoma, Rob Langley Swain – Marketing Communications Manager, The Ticket Factory, Nick Ladd – MD, High Voltage and Wilderness Festival, Mark Ellis – UK MD, Syzygy

Topic: Despite festivals deploying social media to communicate with fans, not many take full advantage of the sales opportunities on offer on sites such as Facebook. Social media commerce experts will present the possibilities and advise how to geteven more out of online for a festival.

Keeping Up Appearances (in association with LIVE UK)

Panel: James Barton – Founder, Creamfields, John Probyn – COO, Live Nation
James Aldgate – MD, Angel Music Group, Paul Glossop – Head of Digital, V Festival

Topic: How can festivals secure the loyalty of their festival-goers in a sector that is awash with a huge variety of events covering all genres of music? The panelwill examine the ways organisers are adapting to the potential saturation of the marketplace and key survival tips to make a festival stand out from itscompetition.

Keynote Q&A – Melvin Benn (in association with IQ)

Hosted by Greg Parmley, IQ

One of the greatest festival promoters in the world, the MD of Festival Republic (behind Reading, Leeds, Latitude, The Big Chill, Ireland’s Electric Picnic, Norway’s Hove, Germany’s Berlin Festival and new US venture Orlando Calling), licensee of Glastonbury and Chairman of Wembley Stadium, will share his views on the UK festival industry.

Exclusive to the 2011 UK Festival Conference will be a presentation of the UK FestivalMarket Report – a business review of the market, incorporating results from market research of festival-goers’ opinions.

In addition to these sessions, the UK Festival Conference will feature a dedicated networking and exhibition lobby, a drinks reception and an exclusive copy of the UK Festival Report.

Combined tickets for the UK Festival Awards and the UK Festival Conference are on sale now from www.theticketfactory.com/ukfa/online.

The UK Festival Awards were launched in 2004 and are a key staple of the live music and festival industry calendar. The Festival Awards Conference was first developed in 2008 following huge demand from the industry, and has established itself as a crucial business information tool and open forum for the UK festival industry, celebrated by leading promoters, festival directors and agents as an integral part of the business.

Tags: Event Awards, UK Event Awards, UK Festival Awards

Category: General Event Industry News