First sessions announced for inaugural Futures Forum

The first conference sessions for Futures Forum, the revamped final day of the International Live Music Conference (ILMC), are now live on the Futures Forum website.

Announced in November, Futures Forum is dedicated to the next generation of live music industry leaders, inviting a further 200 young professionals to ILMC discuss the evolution of the live business. Designed for working professionals aged 30 or under, Futures Forum will take place on 8 March 2019 feature a mix of progressive panel discussions, quickfire presentations, workshops, a keynote interview and dedicated mentoring sessions with industry leaders.

Futures Forum begins at 10am with Meet the New Bosses: Class of 2019, as UTA’s Oliver Ward chairs a panel of rising industry stars who will discuss their vision for the business. The morning also features the first round of 15-minute Soapbox Sessions, including How it’s done… the Brit Awards by BPI’s Maggie Crowe OBE, 10 tips for living an eco-friendly Life by A Greener Festival’s Claire O’Neill and Content is king by Ticketmaster’s Ben Tipple.

Panel discussion Surviving the Business: Health & wellbeing in live sees Live Nation’s Jana Watkins lead a discussion on how to survive and thrive in today’s business. In Beyond Touring: Full-stack futures, Rhian Jones leads a debate on how artists will be building careers and incomes in the coming years.

Futures Forum is dedicated to the next generation of live music industry leaders

The afternoon’s Soapbox Sessions, meanwhile, are Confessions of a super-tout by reformed super-scalper and ticket bot inventor Ken Lowson, Drug testing with the Loop by Dr Henry Fisher, Production 101 by Good Taste’s Sara Maria Kordek and Ancient wisdom for modern living by Buddhist monk, meditation teacher and author Gelong Thubten.

Confirmed conference speakers include Karma Bertelsen (Kilimanjaro Live), Aino-Maria Paasivirta (Fullsteam Agency), Mike Jones (the MJR Group), Mike Malak (Coda Agency), marketing consultant Emily Scoggins, Jenni Cochrane (AEI Group), Felix Canetty-Clarke (Sony/ATV), Tristan Hunt (AfEM), Fiona McGugan (MMF), Achal Dhillon (Killing Moon), Steven Hancock (MelodyVR) and Jules O’Riordan, aka Judge Jules.

The full schedule, including the Futures Forum Keynote, will be announced shortly.

Entry to Futures Forum is included in each ILMC delegate pass, but working professionals aged 30 and under can attend on a separate day pass.

ILMC, the leading gathering of the international live music business, takes place at the Royal Garden Hotel in west London from 5 to 8 March.

For Futures Forum registration info, click here. Or to register for ILMC, click here.

Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.