Sign up for IQ Index
The latest industry news to your inbox.
Artist fees, billing and whether promoters and agents can ever both be ultimately happy on a deal dominated the discourse in today’s first panel of this year’s International Festival Forum (IFF).
Hosted by WME’s Andy Duggan (UK), the panel — titled ‘Headliners: The Winner Takes It All?’ — featured agent and X-ray Touring co-founder Ian Huffam, and festival promoters Cindy Castillo (Mad Cool, Spain), Josh Koram (Event Horizon, UK), and Natalie Ryan-Williams (Way Out West, Sweden) at London’s Omeara venue.
Having overseen a record attendance for Way Out West in Gothenburg this August (55,000), Ryan-Williams has good reason to celebrate. However, when asked if both festivals and artists can win at the same time, she said: “Absolutely, but both can be losers too. Though, more often than not, it’s the promoters who end up on the losing end of the battle.”
Castillo – whose Mad Cool showcase in Madrid was headlined by the likes of Lizzo, Lil Nas X, Machine Gun Kelly and Queens of the Stone Age – was in agreement with Ryan-Williams.
“We both win and lose. If I get the artist I want, I’m winning, and if the artist gets booked, they’re not just making a great transaction in financial terms,” said Castillo. “But if the event doesn’t do well and we don’t sell tickets, the promoters suffer economic losses. Equally, artists also have to perform in front of a crowd. If I’m buying a band to play in a 25,000-capacity venue and only 5,000 people show up, it’s not a good look for both artists and promoters.”
“Ideally, you’d want both parties to be winners, and there is a sweet spot where that can happen”
Huffam, whose clients include Gorillaz, Blur, Moby and Robbie Williams, highlighted a major issue with the current festival market.
“There’s too much choice nowadays,” he said. “Ideally, you’d want both parties to be winners, and there is a sweet spot where that can happen, which is maybe 10% to 25% of overall festivals. But there are cases where festivals have massively outperformed artists, and vice-versa. It’s difficult to provide a precise answer, but we should all strive to hit that sweet spot, wherever or whatever it is.”
Koram, who books Afro Nation on a global scale and who recently came back from the festival’s flagship Portugal edition (headlined by WizKid, Davido and Burna Boy), questioned whether there can be a “happy medium” as promoters continue to take massive risks — especially in a post-Covid climate.
“We obviously have to amplify the artists we’re building and booking on these amazing festivals, but I’m not sure a 50/50 satisfaction split can be achieved,” he said. “I can only speak for myself, but I feel that the promoter almost always gets the short end of the stick.”
“There’s a sizeable number of bespoke or niche festivals, which wasn’t the case back in the day. There’s more room than ever before to develop your artists”
While the panel all hailed the increasing number of diverse artists and genres, noting the increasing prevalence of non-English speaking artists both domestically and internationally, another major point of discussion was the watered-down effect today’s festivals have on boosting an artist’s career.
“There seems to be a festival every weekend in almost every country, so logically speaking, the amount of impact an artist is going to have is very much diluted because of the volume and frequency of these events,” said Huffam.
Despite Huffam’s concerns, he spoke of a positive flipside: “There’s a sizeable number of bespoke or niche festivals, which wasn’t the case back in the day. There’s more room than ever before to develop your artists. You have to adapt.”
Castillo commented that the right moment on a festival’s bill can still create “big moments” for some.
“If I book a smaller act to play at 8pm, when there’s already around 40,000 people at the venue, it shines a brighter spotlight on those artists and that’s down to being in a more prominent slot than they would’ve anticipated,” she said. “Even if those life-changing moments are less common, this can be resolved by simply booking emerging artists in the right slot.”
IFF wraps up today with over 1,000 festival and agency professionals taking part. Alongside the schedule of debates, IFF featured showcases from booking agencies including UTA, X-ray Touring, Solo Agency, Primary Talent, ATC Live, ITB, Earth, and additional shows hosted by MVT, Music from Ireland, The Spanish Wave and Music Finland.
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.
CAA UK bosses Emma Banks and Mike Greek looked back on their storied careers and gave their thoughts on the current state of the business in a joint keynote at today’s International Festival Forum (IFF).
After more than 30 years of working together, the powerhouse duo behind CAA’s London office shared the conference stage for the first time ever.
The leading agents sat down with ILMC MD Greg Parmley to discuss a host of topics on the final day of the invite-only gathering at South London’s Omeara. Here are a selection of highlights of the hour-long discussion, starting with a time-warp back to 2006…
Leaving Helter Skelter to form CAA’s London office 17 years ago…
Mike Greek: “There were moments at Helter Skelter where it was a brilliant company with a great group of people, but we were only supportive of each other to a point. Naively, I thought we were all in it together, and there were moments where I’d help people but the feeling wouldn’t be reciprocated…When the opportunity to start looking at a different business model came about, that was a factor in deciding to set up a company with a more ‘American’ outlook which was based on camaraderie, teamwork, and togetherness instead of the old-school “eat what you kill” philosophy.”
Emma Banks: “We didn’t feel like we were being seen. And to follow up on what Mike said about America, which had just woken up to the fact that there were other places outside of New York City, Boston, and Los Angeles, they were taking our clients because, by and large, there’s more money to be made in America. All of those things together paved the way for us to talk to some of those US-based companies, and ultimately set up a CAA office in London.”
“If we can make money out of it, we can do it, and if we’re not already covering something, we’re thinking about doing it”
CAA UK’s growth…
MG: “When we started, we had around four or five people.”
EB: “Nowadays, we have various offices in London that cover different areas of the business. I think there’s around 380 people now in London that look after music, TV, sport — specifically football. We’ve got an executive search business, which is an emerging market, as well as podcasts and brand consulting. It’s grown massively to the point where we have offices in places like China and Singapore that look after a lot of things, despite our individual offices’ relatively small sizes. The domestic and international growth has been exceptional, and I can’t see it slowing down anytime soon.”
The 2023 festival season…
MG: “As we’re based in Europe, we do think a lot about European festivals. But our job starts at the Laneway Festival in Australia that happens every January or February, then we move towards festivals in Mexico and South America that normally begin around springtime before we enter the busy summer period. There’s a constant festival opportunity, and it’s not always concentrated on the May to July months. You see all these festivals changing and evolving alongside their host countries, and despite audiences wishing for better facilities or bigger lineups, I see huge growth across different territories all over the world.”
“I think we all get caught up in the idea that the industry revolves around the biggest festivals in the world, but it shouldn’t be”
The trend of A-list acts playing in more stadium shows than festivals…
EB: “Going forward, some of them will do that, but crucially not all. However, there are legitimately some artists you can’t put on a festival bill because, from a production and backstage facility standpoint, their demands can’t generally be achieved at a festival. As we’ve seen throughout the year, some of the biggest stadium shows featured megastars such as Beyoncé, Harry Styles, and Taylor Swift. It’s not just about the money they can take out of multiple sold-out stadia, but also the additional revenue generated from platinum ticketing, VIP ticketing, and their complete control over the artwork and the billing. There’s so much more control for them, and the money they can make from all the incidental stuff blows festivals out of the water.”
Festivals’ responsibility towards creating headliners…
MG: “It’s really a loaded question for the bigger festivals, but I think the opportunity for real artist growth and career development comes from their mid-size counterparts. I think we all get caught up in the idea that the industry revolves around the biggest festivals in the world, but it shouldn’t be. I’d much rather recommend an artist headline a 20,000 to 30,000-capacity crowd than being third or fourth in the bill of a 70,000-capacity festival, because I firmly believe that mid-sized festivals are the lifeblood of the industry and we should be seriously thinking about them in a rapidly crowded and changing market.”
“It’s probably an unpopular opinion, but I think that artist fees are too low”
On artist fees…
MG: “It’s probably an unpopular opinion, but I think that artist fees are too low. We always hear complaints about how festival fees have risen, but how often do you hear agents complaining about them making so much money? There’s no transparency on what the profit margins are in festivals, and it’s clearly a huge investment. With that said, I think artist fees should be improving because there are so many different ancillary revenue streams — especially for the bigger events — and I don’t think they recompense artists properly. I think more can be done for the artists playing in those festivals.”
EB: “I agree with Mike. We actually had a discussion in the office about general ticket prices, thinking about how we don’t actually charge enough on ticket prices in gigs, and we certainly don’t put enough in the budget for support acts anymore. When Mike and I started 30 years ago, there was around £50 to £100 for the support artists. Fast forward to now, and most of the time, there’s still only £50 to £100 for the supporting acts. It’s laughable because no one in their right mind would do anything for that. When there’s no transparency, we’re going to push for as much money for our artists as we can. If the artist fees don’t go up, more and more artists will resort to simply doing their own shows.”
What they’re most proud of during their run as co-heads so far…
MG: “I look at a lot of agents that worked with us. They’ve started with us and we’ve watched their careers grow over the years. I know it’s a bit cliché, but seeing them develop has been incredibly rewarding, and it’s great to see them grow and become leaders in their own right.”
EB: “That’s what it’s really all about. Very few people leave the company unless they’re leaving the business. It’s also very important to maintain a culture amongst your colleagues and employees, which can’t be fostered through a Teams meeting online. We all spend so much time together. There’s also the fact that we do some great work with our clients, but that comes from being in a happy, positive environment.”
“Watching an artist you’ve been with for years grow is still incredibly rewarding”
What keeps them motivated…
MG: “Constantly working with new artists keeps us energised. It’s another cliché, but watching an artist you’ve worked with for years grow is still incredibly rewarding and exciting. Seeing them go through their first phase as an artist to sell out their first major headline show keeps me going.”
EB: “I’m pretty much the same as Mike. When you start working with an artist who’s playing their first gig in a tiny club, and then later get them to a point where they’re headlining arenas and festivals, is truly something special. You maintain a good relationship with them to the point where you know their families well, and as we’ve seen numerous times, record company people come and go but it’s often the case where agents are one of the very few people that remain a consistent presence in their lives. It’s great if you sign a big artist, but the good vibes really come from working with emerging talents you’ve been with from the very beginning. They’ve grown with you, and that’s really special.”
What do they admire most about each other…
EB: “It’s his dedication. He’s done an amazing job balancing his family and his job without ever taking his eye off the ball. His clients get 100% of him, but his family are also properly looked after to the point where he’s even allowed his children to have a dog, and he hates dogs! He’s always been so supportive of me, and without him, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
MG: “Emma’s a leader, and she’s brilliant at what she does. She’s so intuitive about the way our business should grow, and thinks nonstop about how we can develop a culture and how we can bring people on. It’s very rare in life that you have a working relationship that we’ve had that supports each other, and her leadership qualities are second to none.”
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.
A handful of top agents and festival bookers reflected on the power of festival lineups, audiences’ spending patterns and the impact of social media in the second panel of the 2023 International Festival Forum (IFF).
Moderated by Ticketmaster’s Dan Pearce (UK), today’s ‘The Audience Session — Community Matters’ panel brought together Niek Murraij (Pinkpop Festival, Netherlands), Virág Csiszár (Sziget Festival, Hungary), Sophie Roberts (United Talents Agency, UK), and David Mogendorff (TikTok, UK) at London’s Omeara venue.
As TikTok’s head of artist services across Europe, Mogendorff praised the impact the app has had in driving engagement and excitement towards annual summer festivities.
“It’s been an incredible year for festival content on TikTok,” he said. “We saw a huge amount of growth during the lockdown period. And over the last two years, we’ve seen some great content coming from artists and festivals, but mainly from fans.”
Having analysed around 100 festivals across the UK, Pearce pointed out that 2023 saw a 15% increase in ticket sales compared to last year. While it’s a “standout statistic”, he noted that it tends to change on a yearly basis, confirming a long-held theory that festival-goers care more about who’s on the lineup than the actual festival experience itself — which includes being in a safe environment, on top of other factors such as food & beverage and availability of facilities.
“Festivals have to be clever with the way they announce lineups… so that tickets can be purchased much earlier”
It’s a sentiment Roberts agreed with. “The lineup remains king,” she said. “It’s great that people care about the music, but that’s also been difficult for festival organisers because of the huge amount of stadium business happening right now,” also citing how vital lineup announcements are when it comes to selling tickets as quickly as possible.
“Add the fact that there’s only a finite amount of ad space, and people will only have a certain amount of attention for lineups coming out. Nowadays, festivals have to be clever with the way they announce lineups to ensure maximum attendance so that tickets can be purchased much earlier than they have been in recent times.”
“It’s a tricky situation to navigate, but we always want to announce lineups as early as possible,” Csiszár said. “Lineups are still very important to people, and the data being shown reflects this. Their satisfaction correlates with the acts booked to perform upon the official announcement.”
Another major talking point was the role of volunteer staff contributing to festivals, with Pearce also mentioning how some UK festivals received bad press for making volunteers pay a deposit that they will get back if they turn up to their allocated shifts accordingly. However, the rest of the panel were effusive in their praise for volunteers (Pearce stated they were the “lifeline of the post-pandemic festivals”), highlighting the important role they played as the industry continues to recover from the pandemic.
“We had a lot of last-minute volunteers this year,” Murraij said. “However, we were able to foster a great community with those who attended for work and did their duties in a diligent manner. We’re thankful for working with a focused group of volunteers, who consistently showed up for their shifts, and we can create a great bond with them for many years.”
“While it’s important to have local acts in our lineups, we have to manage international fans’ expectations”
Alongside the increased role of volunteers in ensuring that festivals run smoothly, the panel rounded off their discussion with the rising prominence of local/domestic talents in major shows — which has been another knock-on effect brought about by the pandemic.
“Over the last few years, we’ve seen a massive growth in local music and in the UK and other markets around Europe,” Mogendorff said. “Some of it has been caused by the decreasing influence the US has over the musical landscape as well, with talents from Africa and the Far East also racking up huge listener numbers in recent years.”
“I’m not sure that we’ll see a Dutch act headline a major festival yet, but compared to a decade ago, we’re certainly seeing more Dutch acts on our bill,” says Murraij. “They’re selling out venues like the 17,000-capacity Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam right now, and there’s bigger demand for domestic acts these days.”
However, Murraij did note that headliners will retain an international majority for the time being, which Csiszár agreed with. “While it’s important to have local acts in our lineups, we have to manage international fans’ expectations and have those global talents as headliners on the main stage,” she said. “Saying that, it’s very pleasing to see Hungarian artists do very well in stadium shows across the country.”
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.
Major agents and festival promoters at this week’s International Festival Forum (IFF) in London agreed that 2023 has given them much cause for optimism but have warned there are issues to overcome.
Last-minute artist cancellations, rising ticket and production costs, decreasing numbers of Generation Z attendees, and severe weather conditions remain huge hurdles to clear, as the industry looks ahead to 2024 and beyond.
The conversation went underway at IFF (International Festival Forum) during the event’s opening panel ‘The Festival Season’, which featured Alex Bruford (ATC Live, UK), Pavla Slivova (Colours of Ostrava, Czech Republic), and Stephan Thanscheidt (FKP Scorpio, Germany), with Yourope’s Christof Huber (Switzerland) moderating the discussion.
“Though 2022 brought about a lot of excitement with everything coming back to a semblance of normality, I’d say that there’s been a gap where we’ve seen a generation not accustomed to attending festivals due to the pandemic,” Slivova said, who has seen two out of the four headliners for this year’s Colours of Ostrava cancel their performances at the last minute. “In my opinion, there needs to be a change in marketing. What worked in 2019 or 2022 isn’t working this year, so we need to refocus our attention on what Gen Z finds attractive these days.”
While Bruford cited the consistent turnouts at the Reading & Leeds Festivals as examples of younger audiences still flocking towards such extravaganzas, he agreed with Slivova when it comes to thinking about what would appeal more to that particular demographic. “There were a number of festivals that struggled with attracting the Gen Z crowd, who aren’t gravitating towards more hedonistic activities than previous generations,” he said. “We need to have a collective think about what an actual festival means to them, and what’s appealing and appropriate to today’s young people.”
“What worked in 2019 or 2022 isn’t working this year, so we need to refocus our attention on what Gen Z finds attractive”
One big issue this year was the inevitable increase in production costs, causing a knock-on effect through the rise of ticket prices. Despite overseeing a successful year, Thanscheidt pointed out that festivals aren’t finding it easy these days to make any profit. “Costs are a major problem at the moment,” he explained. “There’s a limit that a lot of fans would pay to attend festivals nowadays, so we’ve had to advertise better camping and VIP experiences to entice more people into coming,” also adding that sponsorship backing isn’t the same as it was before the pandemic. “Keeping ticket prices under control while maintaining profit margins at the same time is proving extremely difficult right now.”
Despite the panel’s unanimous agreement that festivals need a more accessible approach when pricing tickets, Mojo Concerts’ Eric van Eerdenberg (Netherlands) — who was among today’s panel attendees — pointed out a potential issue that could arise from such measures. “I think that when you have a low ticket price, there will always be secondary markets pushing prices up again and making a profit,” he said. “It’s very difficult to get a grip on it.”
A major topic of discussion today was how severe weather has negatively impacted festivals across Europe, with Wacken Open Air suffering major losses after being forced to send nearly 20,000 fans home due to inhospitable surroundings. “The whole ground looked like Mordor from the Lord of the Rings movies,” said Wacken’s head booker Jan Quiel. “It was heartbreaking having to send so many people home. That was even worse than having to cancel due to COVID. We also incurred a heavy financial loss due to the additional costs we paid to have an extra campground to host more shows.”
While the panel agreed that more measures were needed to ensure safety in preparation for extreme weather conditions, Slivova added that festivals in the Czech Republic aren’t covered for such situations. “We have liability insurance for things like steady rain, for example, so it can cover some costs. But by and large, we aren’t insured for bad weather, unfortunately.”
Such concerns will always be in the back of agents and festival bookers’ minds, but 2023 has already proven to be a mostly successful post-COVID year in a lot of aspects. “Compared to last year, 2023 has seen more experienced crew and staff, logistics are a lot easier now than they were last year, and global headliners are combining their tours with festival performances,” Bruford said, with Thanscheidt adding that he’s relieved that people are having fun again after a hellacious 2022. “Nobody had fun last year, so seeing that people are having fun organising such immense projects has been great.”
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.
More than 1,000 music festival professionals and booking agents are expected to attend this month’s International Festival Forum (IFF), which is presented in association with TicketSwap.
Just 100 tickets are left for the invitation-only gathering, which will take place at a new campus location at Omeara in South London from 26-28 September.
IFF mixes conference debate, lunches, dinners and private agency pop up offices with a schedule of live showcases. Networking events this year include The IFF Opening Party, hosted by CAA & Rock Werchter, at Flat Iron Square on Tuesday 26 Sept., while WME hosts its annual Happy Hour the following day, and the Wasserman Music Drinks take place on Thursday 28 Sept.
The third round of agency partner showcases was announced this week. One Fiinix Live closes the daytime live programme on 27 September with performances from Blair Davie and KAWALA. Then, on 28 Sept., Primary Talent International will present Antony Szmierek, Cathy Jain, Lost Romantic and SIPHO, with ATC Live later presenting Divorce, English Teacher, O and The Silhouettes Project.
Music from Ireland, Music Finland and The Spanish Wave will present five of the fastest-rising artists from their respective markets
This year’s International Showcase is hosted by Music from Ireland (Gurriers, Enola Gay & Lucy McWilliams), Music Finland (Joalin) and The Spanish Wave (Maika Makovski). Meanwhile, Music Venue Trust showcases four emerging artists on a unique ‘United by Music’ night on Thurs 28 Sept.
IFF’s debate schedule is now complete and will launch with ‘The Festival Season 2023’ at 10am on Wednesday 27 Sept., featuring panellists Christof Huber (Yourope), Pavla Slivova (Colours of Ostrava), Alex Bruford (ATC Live), Stephan Thanscheidt (FKP Scorpio) and Almudena Heredero (Primavera Sound).
‘The Audience Session’, which will follow from 11.30am, will see Sarah Slater (Ticketmaster), David Mogendoorf (TikTok), Niek Murray (Pinkpop) and Sophie Roberts (UTA) offer insights on how festivals and artists are keeping up with a changing audience, and engaging fans both at the event and beyond.
In addition, WME agent Andy Duggan will host ‘Headliners: The Winner takes it All?’ from 10am on 28 September, which will delve into the issues around crafting the perfect festival bill. CAA chiefs Emma Banks and Mike Greek will then jointly deliver The IFF Keynote at 11.30am.
As well as 13 core booking agency partners, key supporters for this year’s event include Ticketmaster as platinum partner; FKP Scorpio, DEAG, Tysers, Intent and TVG Hospitality as associate partners; and The Jockey Club Venues as conference host.
Previous editions of IFF have seen early-stage performances from the likes of Lewis Capaldi, Tom Grennan, Yonaka, Bob Vylan, Sam Ryder, Slaves, Raye, Black Midi, Loyle Carner, Dermot Kennedy and Shame.
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.
The forthcoming edition of the International Festival Forum (IFF) is welcoming a record level of support from across the live music business.
More than 1,000 music festival professionals and booking agents are expected to attend the event, which is presented in association with TicketSwap, from 26-27 September.
In addition to 13 core booking agency partners that include CAA, WME, UTA, Wasserman Music, Primary Talent, ATC Live and X-ray Touring, key supporters for this year’s event include Ticketmaster as platinum partner; and FKP Scorpio, DEAG, Tysers and TVG Hospitality as associate partners.
Bringing buyers and sellers together at a critical booking period for the festival market, the invitation-only event will take place at a new campus location at Omeara in South London. Mike Robinson, country lead UK for TicketSwap describes the event as “one of the music industry’s most unmissable and inspiring gatherings”.
“We’re thrilled to support IFF at their new location at Omeara,” adds Ticketmaster UK MD Andrew Parsons. “The event has gone from strength to strength, and we’re proud to sponsor as it grows.”
IFF mixes conference debate, lunches, dinners and private agency pop up offices with a schedule of live showcases that have previously seen early-stage performances from the likes of Lewis Capaldi, Tom Grennan, Yonaka, Bob Vylan, Sam Ryder, Slaves, Raye, Black Midi, Loyle Carner, Dermott Kennedy, Shame and many more.
“This is the most productive festival platform in Europe, where all the relevant players of our festival industry come together for business and maybe also a few beers,” says FKP Scorpio CEO Stephan Thanscheidt.
“With IFF’s new location, and a summer season that’s marked a full recovery for the festival scene, we’ve never seen such widespread support for IFF before”
With over 500 professionals already confirmed to attend, IFF’s delegate list includes many of Europe’s top festival promoters including Live Nation, Superstruct, AEG Presents, All Things Live, Wacken, Good News, Greenhouse Talent, Di and Gi and many more.
Country partners on this year’s edition are Music from Ireland, Music Finland and The Spanish Wave, who will present an evening of music on Wednesday 27 September, while Music Venue Trust programme a United by Music show the following day.
Other key supporters include the Association of Independent Festivals, De Concert!, YOUROPE, the International Jazz Festivals Organisation, The Jockey Club Venues, Gigseekr, Roadie Medic, Stack Cup, Universe, Megaforce, Showsec, eps, EFM, Aloompa, Nordic Wristbands.
“With IFF’s new location, and a summer season that’s marked a full recovery for the festival scene, we’ve never seen such widespread support for IFF before,” says ILMC head Greg Parmley. “Our team is humbled that so many major companies are stepping up to help make this our best edition yet.”
The provisional schedule and details about how to apply to attend are at www.iff.rocks.
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.
CAA chiefs Emma Banks and Mike Greek will deliver a joint keynote at this year’s International Festival Forum (IFF), taking place between 26-28 September in London.
After more than 30 years of working together, the powerhouse duo behind CAA’s London office will share the conference stage for the first time ever.
This year’s keynote is due to take place at 11:30 on Thursday 28 September at IFF’s new home in south London.
Iconic music venue Omeara and its surrounding spaces will form the campus, hosting booking agency and export office showcases, pop-up offices, speed meetings, conference debates, parties and more.
Iconic music venue Omeara and its surrounding spaces will form the campus
Since launching in 2015, IFF has become the leading annual gathering for festivals and booking agents, bringing the industry’s principal buyers and sellers together each autumn, when conversations about the following year’s festival line-ups are well underway.
Booking agency partners on this year’s IFF include CAA, WME, Wasserman, UTA, X-ray Touring, Primary Talent, ATC Live, Earth Agency, Solo and many others.
The 2023 edition is in association with TicketSwap, and backed by leading festival associations including the Association of Independent Festivals (AIF), YOUROPE and international festivals federation DeConcert!
In addition, Music Venue Trust will host a National Lottery-funded ‘Revive Live’ show on the final night.
IFF is an invitation-only event organised by the ILMC. Full details, including how to apply to attend are at www.iff.rocks. A 90-second video summary about the event can be viewed below.
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.
The ninth edition of the International Festival Forum (IFF) will take place at a new campus location this year in a move that allows an expanded programme and increased delegate numbers.
IFF, presented in association with TicketSwap, will take place in South London music venue Omeara from 26-28 September. The venue and surrounding spaces will form the IFF Campus and host booking agency and export office showcases, pop up offices, speed meetings, conference debates, parties and more.
Since launching in 2015, IFF has become the leading annual gathering for festivals and booking agents, bringing the industry’s principal buyers and sellers together each autumn, when conversations about the following year’s festival line-ups are well underway.
Booking agency partners on this year’s IFF include CAA, WME, Wasserman, UTA, X-ray Touring, Primary Talent, ATC Live, Earth Agency, Solo and many others. The 2023 edition is also backed by leading festival associations including the Association of Independent Festivals (AIF), YOUROPE and international festivals federation DeConcert!
In addition, Music Venue Trust will host a National Lottery-funded ‘Revive Live’ show on the final night.
“We can’t wait to welcome the music festival community to London in a few short months”
“With around 1,000 delegates expected in 2023, representing tens of thousands of artists and over 750 festivals from around the globe, this year’s IFF is definitely moving up a gear,” says International Live Music Conference (ILMC) head Greg Parmley. “We can’t wait to welcome the music festival community to London in a few short months for this entirely in-person edition.”
Previous editions of IFF have included early performances from Lewis Capaldi, Tom Grennan, Yonaka, Bob Vylan, Sam Ryder, Slaves, Raye, Black Midi, Loyle Carner, Dermot Kennedy and Shame, among others.
Meanwhile, as a venue, Omeara boasts two live stages, and has hosted early London shows by the likes of Maggie Rogers, Julia Jacklin, Sam Fender and Idles. The venue opened its doors in Southwark in late 2016, bucking the trend for widespread venue closure across London at the time.
IFF is an invitation-only event organised by the ILMC. Full details, including how to apply to attend are at www.iff.rocks. A 90-second video summary about the event can be viewed below.
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.