Organisers of the UK Festival Conference, which takes place during the day of Monday 2nd December before the UK Festival Awards that evening, have announced Germany’s much-celebrated music promoter and festival organiser, Marek Lieberberg to give the event’s keynote address, in partnership with IQ Magazine, at London’s Roundhouse. As Founder and Director of Germany’s mighty Rock am Ring and Rock im Park festivals, Lieberberg will discuss his vision for the development and future of the modern festival. Lieberberg’s address will also look back into his extensive career that has been responsible for orchestrating performances and tours from global rock icons including Aerosmith, Bruce Springsteen and Depeche Mode through to Britney Spears, Jay Z and One Direction.The 2013 UK Festival Conference will explore the explosion of new technology in the modern festival infrastructure , while a Music Week-chaired Conference session will aim to explore the meteoric rise in artists fees and their affect on the industry.
Full 2013 UK Festival Conference panels:
Globalisation invasion – are British festivals at risk from overseas events?
With increasing numbers of British festival-goers eschewing the unpredictability of the weather in favour of events abroad, how badly is the UK festival scene under threat from festival tourism? Conversely, the growing trend for Brits to look abroad for their festival fix, what opportunities are there for UK promoters to expand out of a crowded market into new territories?
Are artist fees killing festivals?
In association with Music Week The price of festival tickets has been increasing way ahead of inflation. A big part of this is down to festivals paying more and more for artists. But is this leading to a situation where tickets are becoming prohibitively expensive, or margins so tight that there’s no room for anything less than a total sell-out show? This panel will debate how much artist fees have increased, and look at the problem from all perspectives - the promoter, the artist, the booking agent and the fans.
Neighbours - everybody needs good neighbours
In association with Access All Areas: We're all well versed in the positive impact of festivals; the cultural and financial benefits are well documented. However, there are people that can only see the negative side; noise, litter, anti social behaviour, traffic - they all impact on those living near to sites. The careful management of these issues is crucial. Our panelists are here to share their tips on getting on with the neighbours.
The Tech Blast
There’s so much new technology out there that it can be hard to get a handle on what’s worth investing in for your festival, and what’s not. This Pecha Kucha-style panel (20 slides shown for 20 seconds each) will be your guide to what’s out there and if it is worth investing in.
Cashing out – a revolution in payment methods
This season has seen a significant increase in cashless payment methods. From hi-tech to the low-tech and across festivals large and small, it has made a significant impact in many ways. Using real-life case studies, this panel will drill down into what this season’s cashless technology activity was, what effect the systems had on spending, and the pros and cons of such systems. It will examine what worked, what was less effective, how it can be improved, and if it makes ‘cash’ a dirty word.
Keynote interview with Marek Lieberberg
in association with IQ magazine
Following the Conference the evening will play host to the tenth year of the annual UK Festival Awards. The best events and artists from this year’s season will be honoured with gongs voted for by the festival-going public or judged by panels of industry experts. Voting is open now at festivalawards.com/vote and closes on the 31st October 2013.
