UK: BBC Music Introducing Live ‘18 has announced a new a partnership with Spotify. Spotify will host the Discovery Theatre at BBC Music Introducing Live ‘18, which takes place at London’s Tobacco Dock this November. Spotify will be hosting live versions of some of their original podcasts – including Who We Be TALKS_, Secret Genius and Killing It – as well as masterclasses on how to best utilise Spotify as an artist. DJ Semtex, the host of Spotify’s original podcast Who We Be TALKS_, will host a session taking a look at current UK street culture – from the hottest…
Author: Festival Insights
UK: Over 80% of people working in the music industry are suffering with continuous levels of stress, anxiety and depression, a new survey by Skiddle has revealed. The survey of over 520* promoters, venue owners and event organisers has revealed that 82% of industry professionals have suffered with stress, 67% said they had anxiety and 40% said they had struggled with depression. One in 10 say they have developed associated symptoms of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) as a direct result of their work in music. When questioned, 65% of promoters said they frequently felt an ‘intense and unmanageable level of…
Richard Fletcher is a researcher in festival and events with a particular focus on quantitative methods and audience surveys. He predominately works freelance or in association with De Montfort University, Leicester. You can find more of his work here, and can find him on Twitter here. For an industry so grounded in the physical world and live experiences, there is little doubt that event technology has diversified and grown rapidly in recent years. Event Tech Live, an exhibition of over 100 suppliers is in its sixth year, and there are over 400 entries for ‘Event Management Software’ to be found…
AUSTRALIA: Sydney’s Electronic Music Conference – set to take place from November 12 – 17 – has revealed its programme for 2018. Covering all facets of electronic music business and culture, the Conference will include keynotes, In Conversations, workshops, masterclasses, breakout sessions and networking events from November 14 – 15. Combined with the event will be EMCPLAY – five nights of after dark parties, club nights, film screenings and pop-ups. Across the parties and conference, the likes of Sasha, Gilles Peterson, Blond:Ish, Late Nite Tuff Guy and Greg Wilson will appear. Things kick off on November 12 with the one-day…
Spanning several major cities on the Iberian Peninsula, Brunch in the Park’s serial format and exceptionally socially conscious practices make it a festival unlike most. From its proactive community outreach to its robust sexual harassment policies and novel approaches to sustainability, Brunch always makes sure to positively impact its local scenes and in the process has become a shining example to the wider world. Insights spoke with Brunch’s Director and co-founder, Loic Le Joliff, about the festival’s commitment to inclusivity, its environmental policies, and more. Festival Insights: Brunch in the Park’s ethos seems to be just as essential to its…
UK: Cheshire’s Just So Festival has been awarded the ‘Sustainable Tourism’ Award at the 14th annual Marketing Cheshire Tourism Awards. The winners were announced at the ceremony on September 13 in Chester’s Carden Park Hotel. Just So Festival’s commitment to sustainable practices informs every part of their business. All onsite vendors use re-usable cups, and since 2018 vendors have been banned from selling single use water bottles. Multiple water refill points have been installed across the site to make using reusable bottles more convenient. All food waste is composted and they work with a disposal company to make sure none…
UK: BBC Music Introducing Live has announced that singer-songwriter, musician and composer Ben Howard will be bringing his mercurial blend of folk and rock music to London’s Tobacco Dock for an intimate headline performance on November 8, with support from Marika Hackman. Ben Howard’s crossover of wistful folk and indie rock caught the attention of BBC Introducing DJs back in 2011, and has since earned him a Brit Award for Best Male Solo Artist. He’ll be bringing his trusty guitar to the stage on Thursday night with tracks from his new album Noonday Dream. Also joining the line-up will be…
UK: The Association of Festival Organisers (AFO) has announced the dates for its 2018 Conference. Now in its 32nd year, the Conference will take place from November 9 – 11 at the Stratford Manor Conference Centre and Hotel near Stratford upon Avon. Over the years the AFO Conference has played a pivotal role in raising awareness of the socioeconomic impact of the festival and events industry, and has brought about changes in the attitudes and image of the sector. This year’s Conference will continue to play that role with seminars covering sensitive, political and day-to-day topics. Discussions and talks will…
UK: Festicket, the world’s largest online booking portal for music festivals, has appointed Lauren Pye as its North American President. This is the first US appointment for Festicket, which currently has operations in London, Amsterdam, Berlin and Porto. In her new role, Pye will lead Festicket’s new office in San Francisco, with the aim of introducing Festicket into the North American market. Pye joins Festicket from Live Nation Entertainment, where she was VP of Sales for its General Admission division, Universe. Experienced in building and scaling teams for start-ups, Pye’s prior experience includes stints at eBay and StyleSeat. The appointment…
Chris Johnson is the co-founder of Energy Revolution, a charity that compensates for carbon emissions incurred through festival travel. He is also a Director of Kambe Events, as well as the co-founder and chair of Powerful Thinking, the UK festival industry forum on sustainable energy. We have learned that travel typically accounts for 80% of an average UK festival’s emissions. How people and equipment get on and off site is therefore a key area to address if, as event organisers, we are serious about tackling environmental impacts. In 2015, the Show Must Go On report – published by festival industry…