As a muggle entering the world of festivals and events only this year, 2023 has been somewhat eye-opening…
The positive take home? Passion – it seeps from every person I have met in this industry, on and off site, all working towards the same selfless goal of making incredible experiences for other people.
The negative? How hard the industry works simply to be denied the lack of support that is so urgently needed to keep the sector thriving. But that’s a whole other article to dive into…
Having joined the circus in January, I’ve witness what I can conclude has been a turbulent year for the industry – another to add to a calendar of challenges in recent years.
Reflecting on those we’ve experienced in 2023, the Access All Areas Conference offered some great insight regarding what’s going wrong, and how we might be able to change that.
- There’s a long way to go, but initiatives are fighting for a more diverse industry
What better way to kickstart the conversation than with a look to the future?
The ‘Knowledge is Power’ panel explored what young professionals can learn from established industry leaders and vice versa to ensure we have the most vibrant and inclusive industry, best positioned to create successful events for all.
AEG Presents Promoter Kara Harris provided great insight for promoters looking to get into what can sometimes be a challenging industry.
“There’s value and opportunity in starting your own thing,” she said, citing club nights such as Recess and DLT, and Dialled In, a full venue takeover celebrating the South Asian Underground.
“We’re in such an amazing city with so much culture and there’s so many different audiences and people that want to go out and be represented in the spaces that they go to,” she added.
Meanwhile, The Fair’s director Yasmin Galletti spoke about the importance of initiatives such as The Advice Line – the festival production agency’s tool that offers free advice for young people from industry professionals.
Highlighting the importance of empowering future leaders of our industry, Galletti said: “We can all set aside time and dedicate that time to sharing knowledge – even just on social media, or if people have emailed you, getting back to those emails.
“If everybody could do that, we’ll be making our way to a better industry for the future generation.”
Also on the panel, Continental Drifts director Chris MacMeikan launched The Festival Lab Producers course this year, alongside Global Carnivalz founder Pax Nindi and Certain Blacks artistic director Clive Lyttl. The nine-week course invites Black, BAME and POC 18 to 30-year-olds to spend nine weeks learning how to produce events, gaining insight from industry professionals at organisations such as Boiler Room, BFI and Notting Hill Carnival. The course is followed by £90 a day work experience at a selection of festivals, and is due to take place again in London and Bristol in 2024.
Black Deer Festival founder Gill Tee, also on the panel, continues to highlight how there is “more to be done” in the battle for inclusivity. Her festival is run predominantly by women, and nearly 70% of the acts on the line-up had female representation this year.
The general conclusion of the panel? There’s important work happening, but we’ve still got a long way to go to become a diverse and inclusive industry.
2. Audience behaviour will continue to be a complex, ongoing issue
There’s been much an explosion of discussion regarding audience behaviour this year, with headlines describing it as a “crisis”, or even an “epidemic of anti-social behaviour”.
Discussing how to tackle changing audience behaviour at events, Head of Risk Management at DHP, Julie Tipper, we need to “interact with our audiences to understand where they’re coming from, so we can help make our events safer.”
She added that it’s not just about the mental health of the crowd, but that of staff working at venues too. Nurturing, coaching and simply being there for staff is essential.
Research has proven that the situation is serious, with brawls, vandalism and racial abuse cited in a survey by theatre union Bectu earlier this year.
With this in mind, the issue of audience behaviour is something that will continue to be vital for organisers to make time to consider into the new year.
3. There are some great initiatives in the works
Though this year has brought about challenges, many of which will roll into the next, there is really important work going on across the industry…
Examples include AIF’s First Festival campaign – launched in June to provide tickets to those who have been unable to attend festivals as a result of the pandemic, rolling tickets or the cost of living.
The organisation’s long term aim of everybody in the UK receiving a £300 voucher to spend on culture when they turn 18. Sound crazy? Perhaps it would, but the incentive is already happening in countries including Spain, France and Italy.
When it comes to engaging a new generation of eventgoers, sustainability also seems to be of increasing importance.
While some headlines will have had you believe that Reading and Leeds-goers were only interested in burning their tents and heading off, this is not the case.
As AIF CEO John Rostron pointed out, Eco Camps at the festival are quickly increasing in popularity. A total of 14% of festival-goers opted for this sustainable camping option this year, compared to just 1% in 2022.
But, as Preeti Rajan, Director of Marketing of AEG Presents, said: “Everything has to come from a genuine place. If you’re going to preach about sustainability, you have to do it.”
Our industry is as promising as it ever has been, but supporting organisations and initiatives such as those discussed is what will push us to be more ambitious, inspiring and inclusive than ever.
