UK: Cheltenham Literature Festival enjoyed the most successful edition in its 68 year history in 2017, breaking box office records with over 134,000 tickets issued, 20,000 attendees on each of the festival weekends, and over 6,000 visitors to the site every week day. Cheltenham Festivals Director Ian George said: “Heading up the Cheltenham Literature Festival for the first time has been an incredible experience. Our new Festival site has been a resounding hit, with Festival-goers enjoying the street food, new family areas and more late night events than ever before. I’d like to pay tribute to the amazing effort from…
Author: Festival Insights
THE SEA: Following a sold-out first edition, cruise festival The Ark has announced that it will launch two voyages in 2018. From August 31 – September 3 2017, over 4,000 Ark passengers experienced 90 DJ sets from names such as Roger Sanchez, Masters At Work, Sven Vath, Chris Liebing, Amelie Lens, Peggy Gou, Gerd Janson, Felix da Housecat, 2manydjs and Claptone, along with culinary delights provided by top chefs Nick Bril of The Jane, Piet Devriendt of restaurant De Oesterput and the Dutch chef Steve Depp. Between parties, there was plenty of time to enjoy all the facilities on board…
UK: Secure credentials & RFID wristband specialist ID&C has bolstered its team with the appointment of James Turner as VP of Sales EMEA. James will be based in ID&C’s UK office with a goal to develop the company’s client base and continue to grow its reputation as the market leader across Europe. Turner is well positioned for success after a previous role at Eventbrite, where he was part of the ticketing company’s founding European team, and their first hire in Business Development. Turner is credited with building the Eventbrite UK business from scratch and driving over £100 million in ticket…
Jodie Boyd is the Founder of Pic ‘n’ Mix Festival Kit. Spurred by a passion for music combined with experience working within the industry, she launched Pic ‘n’ Mix Festival Kit earlier this year after realising that there was a need for a more convenient way for festival-goers to shop for festival essentials. Following a successful festival season this year selling direct to consumers, Pic ‘n’ Mix Festival Kit has expanded its offering to working directly with festival organisations. What amenities do festivals provide? What do festival-goers need and can they buy onsite or do they need to get those…
UK: Blumano – the international design and safety specialist – has launched Stage DB, a unique new multi-lingual software tool for co-ordinating and collating all the necessary machinery and equipment documentation to meet production-related health and safety requirements. Stage DB has been developed for Blumano by Lluis Diaz-Guerra, also one of three directors of the company, which launched in 2014. Since then Blumano has led the way in establishing important health and safety related working practices for the world of concert touring, special events and large spectaculars. Any tour or event needs to produce a fully organised bundle of documentation…
NETHERLANDS: For the first time ever, BBC Music Introducing and PRS Foundation will host a showcase at Amsterdam Dance Event, set to take place from October 18 – 22. Four artists have been selected to perform by the two organisations: James Orvis, Rachel Collier, KVASIR, and Prospa. The showcase will take place at Chicago Social Club on Thursday 19 October with the live performances starting from 4.30pm. Since 2015, BBC Music Introducing and PRS Foundation have been working together to support and create a platform for the UK’s most talented artists to showcase at overseas music industry events. So far…
UK: Hampshire’s Boomtown Fair has raised a record breaking £116,303 for charity in 2017, with £32,000 going directly to charities and projects in its local area. The 60,000 capacity event that attracts attendees, musicians and artists from all over the world was also hailed a success by the Cabinet Office for its positive contribution to the region’s wider local economy, who took to Twitter to show their support. The continued and growing popularity of the festival drives many people to the area and has positioned Boomtown as a perfect stage from which the local area can expose its areas of…
USA: Mojo Barriers’ US office has appointed Dan Gormley as Vice President, joining fellow US Vice President Jordi van Berkum. Gormley said: “I am delighted to be joining Mojo Barriers as the company prepares to introduce new product ranges into the US market. I have the utmost respect for Mojo and relish the challenge to continue to evolve and improve our effectiveness and reach, expand the offering to clients, while developing and further strengthen our brand.” Gormley’s eight years worth of experience working in live entertainment has given him a deep understanding of promoter cost containment requirements, along with the…
UK: Verve, the world’s leading word of mouth sales software for live entertainment, has closed a $18.5 million funding round led by Draper Esprit, and including former investors, Kindred, Frontline Ventures, and Backed. Co-founded by Callum and Liam Negus-Fancey, Verve is building a global platform that enables people to sell the products they love to their friends in exchange for rewards. Over the last 12 months, Verve has achieved significant success within the live entertainment industry, growing from 170 to 450 clients, selling more than 500,000 tickets globally and securing major partnerships with some of the best ticketing companies around…
As the sustainability manager of Roskilde Festival, Mikkel Sander is trying to prove that 135,000 drunk youngsters can party for eight days without destroying the world. Roskilde Festival has been non-profit since 1972 and donated over 40 million euros to charity throughout the years. A feeling of responsibility towards the surrounding world is very much part of Roskilde Festival’s DNA. Mikkel holds a master’s degree in Sustainable Transition. The festival industry is full of ambition in terms of creating environmentally friendly events, and that’s great. We need this, considering current global environmental problems. The industry, however, is also full of…