Agenda for Yourope's first European Festival Conference announced

Yourope, The European festival association, has revealed the programme for the inaugural European Festival Conference which takes place from December 2-5, 2015 in the Gradonna Mountain Resort, Austria and is dedicated to the interest of festival promoters to meet, exchange, experience and learn. 

The three-day event will include seminars, workshops and discussions and topics include:

- Marketing, sponsorship and communication with four workshops and sessions dedicated to these topics.

- Health and safety: crowd collapse and crowd dynamics, serious weather conditions at festivals and events sustainability at festivals.

- Technical innovation: tools to manage your festival, cashless payments and RFID solutions?.

- Audience and content and booking.

The new event will add to Yourope's ongoing series of events at the ILMC in London, Reeperbahn in Hamburg and EuroSonic in Groningen, In addition to the conference, the event will feature outdoor activities, cocktail receptions and networking dinners and gives "participants the time and space to discuss all the aspects of the festival business in a constructive and positive atmosphe."

Yourope’s Christof Huber said: “There is an increasing number of music conferences, export events and showcase festivals where festival promoters are a target group, but none are fully dedicated to the interest of festival promoters. The EFC is unique as it goes deeper into the topics and it involves the participants in each workshop and session to get the direct knowledge exchange.”

The event is one of two new events: The other is the International Festival Forum which will be held in Lndon on Septenber 30th and October 1st  and aims to be a new global hub for the music festival world, bringing festivals and booking agents together with targeted showcases, networking, Q&As, panels and workshops. Stefan Thanscheidt, MD of FKP Scorpio, will chair a frank discussion about the festival booking process, questioning the role of the local promoter and asking whether loyalty is now a lost word and if its time to rewrite the rulebook; Music Industry lawyer Ben Challis will present 'the top five grievances' that festivals face when dealing with agents, and vice versa, in an attempt to built better understanding on both sides of the fence;  There will be a workshop titled 'Social Media for Festivals' where some very special guests will present a 60-minute workshop on how to get the most from the world of social media, both now and over the next two years; and the keynote will be Solo Agency and isle of Wight Festival boss John Giddings. Confirmed agency showscases from The Agency, X Ray Touring, LPO, Primary Talent, ATC, ITB, Pitch & Smith and Coda. 

Final line up announced for Green Events and Innivations

Green Events and Innovations – Keynotes, Panels and Presentations

09.30am Registration opens (please arrive at the Gateway Building, Buckinghamshire New University and you will be directed over to the conference room (N3.06)

10.15am Introducing the Greener Festival Award: Presented by Helen Wright, A Greener Festival : The Greener Festival Award is now in its 5th year and is recognised internationally as a prestigious independent assessment of sustainability and environmental good practice. This session aims to allow delegates the opportunity to understand how the scheme works and what criteria are used in assessing festivals.

11.00am Waste Management Solutions: Presented by Andy Willcott, Network Recycling Network Recycling are acknowledged experts in providing waste management solutions to festival and Andy Willcott will provide a presentation on practical and effective waste management regimes for festivals. The presentation will follow a group discussion on the opportunities and challenges ahead for reducing and managing event waste most effectively.

12.00pm Measuring GHG Emissions: Presented by Helen Heathfield, Julies BicycleEstablished in 2007 by and for the UK music industry, Julie’s Bicycle is a non-profit company working with the creative industries to co-ordinate and catalyse best practice in sustainability and develop cultural leadership around climate issues to reduce the sector’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. JB help organisations understand their carbon impacts and take responsibility for reducing them by providing clear, practical advice and support, based on the best available research, tools and which will be explained by Helen Heathfield, Julies Bicycle’s Associate Director for Energy & The Environment.

1:00pm Lunch Break: Lunch is not provided but there are two cafeterias at Bucks New University: Rusty Bucks in the Gateway Building (ground floor) and Beats (1st floor) as well as a number of pubs and restaurants in the centre of High Wycombe, just 5 minutes walk away.

2.00pm Keynote: The Role of Arts in Climate Change. Ben Challis

2.30pm PANEL: Sustainable Power Solutions Whilst travel is known to be the highest contributor to a green field event’s GHG emissions, on site power is something that is possibly more within the control of organizers, and area where a demand from green solutions is seen to be rising in conjunction with some of the technological advancements of our society. This panel brings together a range of expertise on power – from festival organisers, education, long established generator and large scale power providers, to those with smaller scale innovative solutions. The panel will discuss what is available on the market at present, what is being done, what are future the challenges, and where do we go from here? Panelists: Andy Mead (Firelfly Solar) Juliet Ross-Kelly (Eco Action Partnership, Isle of Wight Festival) Helen Heathfield (Julies Bicycle) Sam Jenner (Eco Charge Technologies) Rob Hutchinson (Innovation Power) Tom Davidson(Buffalo Power) and Moderator: Claire O’Neill(AIF / A Greener Festival)

3.45pm PANEL: Travel Solution for Music FestivalsWith audience travel now acknowledged as the biggest contributor to the music industry’s carbon footprint, panellists will discuss what festivals are doing to reduce car travel to festivals. Questions to be asked include what are the most and least polluting options of travel? Are there any new initiatives on the horizon? And what works and what doesn’t? Panellists Lucy Brooking Clarke (Glastonbury Festival) Kevin Green (Big Green Coach) Zoe Burton (Liftshare.com) Robin Bennett (Wood/Truck festivals) and Moderator: Teresa Moore(Bucks New Uni)

5.15pm Drinks Reception and 6.30pm Close

Green Events & Innovations conference

Environmental campaign group AGreenerfestival, Bucks New University and music industry climate change initiative Julies Bicycle are launching a new one day conference and training day to be held at Bucks New University in High Wycombe on April 20th. The one day conference will encompass a morning training session including measuring greenhouse gas emissions and waste management and three panels in the afternoon looking at festivals, travel and power solutions. You can find out more at www.agreenerfestival.com/blog . Registration is £75 or £50 for AIF members and students.