IQ 114 out now: Di and Gi, Green Guardians, Stadiums
IQ 114, the latest issue of the international live music industry’s favourite magazine, is available to read online now.
The October edition sees writer Derek Robertson take the temperature of the global stadium circuit post-Covid for Pitch Perfect: Stadium Report 2022.
This issue also reveals the New Bosses 2022, as well as the Green Guardians Guide – a review of the latest and greatest innovations helping to green the industry.
IQ readers can also enjoy a double whammy of Italy-related content, with writer Adam Woods examining the state of the country’s live music industry for a market report on p56, and IQ news editor James Hanley ringing in Di & Gi’s 35th anniversary on p28.
Elsewhere, IQ reviews the eighth edition of the International Festival Forum (IFF), which saw a record 800 delegates from 40 countries flock to London last month.
For this edition’s columns and comments, Ticketmaster’s Sarah Slater talks about the record-breaking summer of events and outgoing AIF CEO Paul Reed on the past, present, and future of the festival sector.
As always, the majority of the magazine’s content will appear online in some form in the next four weeks.
However, if you can’t wait for your fix of essential live music industry features, opinion and analysis, click here to subscribe to IQ from just £6.25 a month – or check out what you’re missing out on with the limited preview below:
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IFF ’22: The new kids take centre stage
The teams behind the multitude of new companies and events to launch post-Covid took the spotlight on the final day of this year’s International Festival Forum (IFF) in London.
Moderated by IQ‘s Lisa Henderson, the New Kids on the Block quickfire presentation session heard from the key new festival and agencies to have emerged in the last 18 months.
The panel featured FKP Scorpio MD Stephan Thanscheidt, Mother Artists co-founder Natasha Gregory, Barbara Hexges of Goodlive’s Superbloom, Runway Artists founder Matt Hanner and Jess Kinn and Emma Davis from booking agency One Fiinix Live.
Thanscheidt discussed the success of the debut edition of FKP’s new open-air festival Tempelhof Sounds, launched with DreamHaus and Loft Concerts on the grounds of Berlin’s Tempelhof Airport in June. The event was headlined by Florence + The Machine, Muse and The Strokes.
“We had strong media partners and huge media reach, so the brand got established really quickly”
“We announced it last October, and four weeks later Omicron kicked in,” sighed Thanscheidt. “But we had a fantastic premiere. We had 40,000 people per day, which made us really happy because we were pretty much restricted because of Corona in Germany until this April. So the first edition went really well and we had strong media partners and huge media reach, so the brand got established really quickly. The city of Berlin also welcomed us with open arms, which was fantastic for us.
“It was cool to book our new festival because most of the festivals we do were booked the second half of ’19 and then got postponed and postponed and postponed. So we had to wait until this year and there were a lot of bands who couldn’t get the slots at other festivals, so we had a fantastic line-up that was fresh and was really well received by the audience.
“We had a very good audience that was also interested in all of the topics that are part of the philosophy of this festival, like diversity, gender equality and all these kinds of things. We had a huge sustainability programme, and we set ourselves clear goals from the very start.”
Gregory, meanwhile, spoke about the progress of artist management and live agency called Mother Artists, which she launched in 2020 with her brother, music manager Mark Bent. The agency represents the likes of Idles, First Aid Kit, Amy Macdonald, Bombay Bicycle Club and Foster the People.
“It’s just about being honest with each other and realising that you’re dealing with humans”
Detailing the firm’s patented “no-bullshit” policy, Gregory said: “It’s just about being honest with each other and realising that you’re dealing with humans. When we’re talking about festivals and budgets, we’re having an honest conversation [with promoters] and we come to the same number – there isn’t this working against each other.
“The pride I have in teams like Idles is that I don’t feel like I’m going to lose my job every day and I hope that the promoters feel the same way. We are all the same team, you leave your egos on the side. We’re all in it for the same reason, and there is zero tolerance for bullying. If someone writes a shitty email to someone in my team, we don’t accept it, I support them… That sounds like a great place to work.”
Hexges reported on the two-day Superbloom, which finally launched in Munich’s historic Olympic Park in September after two postponements due to Covid-related restrictions. Calvin Harris, Macklemore, Megan Thee Stallion, Rita Ora, Skepta and David Guetta were among the acts that performed across 11 stages during the event.
Alongside live music, the festival delivered a multi-faceted programme of art, culture, diversity, lifestyle, society, research and development, sustainability and science, with the aim of “redefining the music festival concept”.
“We had 50,000 visitors per day on a huge, historic location in the heart of Munich”
“We had 50,000 visitors per day on a huge, historic location in the heart of Munich,” said Hexges. “It was our first edition and we sold out. It had eight stages, including three main stages – one indoor – and the concept includes 50% music and 50% experience. We had 11 experience areas and it was a tough ride to be honest, but it worked and I was surprised at how well it went.”
Former ATC Live agent Hanner recalled taking a leap of faith and setting up Runway in spring 2020, having been made redundant shortly after the onset of Covid-19. The company made Steve Backman, formerly of Primary Talent International, its first agent appointment last year and expanded its team with four new hires in early 2022.
“The pandemic forced my hand,” he said. “I had a choice to make at that stage. And having spoken to a few artists and knowing that they’d come with me to be part of a fledgling roster, I was made redundant on the Friday and I think Runway began to exist in some form the following Monday. So it was a pretty swift turnaround.”
“We try to get involved building careers, for artists in meaningful ways, not just for the ones who are going to make us a bit of money next week”
He continued: “We are very independent, and we work with a lot of independent managers, a lot of independent artists and that is broadly what ties a lot of our roster together, even more so than stylistically. It also means that we’re pretty involved with our artists and our teams. We like to think of ourselves as boots on the ground, part of a core artist team.
“We try to get involved building careers, for artists in meaningful ways, not just for the ones who are going to make us a bit of money next week, but hopefully the ones that are going to make us some money maybe in eight years’ time. It also means that we’re growing our team organically. We’re not able to throw money at things.”
Booking agency One Fiinix Live was launched by Ed Sheeran agent Jon Ollier following his departure from CAA in late 2020. Davis – who served as Ollier’s assistant at CAA – joined the company from its inception, with ex-Paradigm agent Kinn coming on board in February 2021. The duo debated the benefits of working for a growing independent company.
“One of the most important is that we kind of make the rules,” suggested Davis. “The job is the same and you’re working with the same people but we have the power to go the way we want to, which is exciting.”
“It is also making sure we’re not just putting an artist out there for the sake of it and really sticking to the strategy of only touring at the right time, especially now,” adds Kinn. “Being able to pick and choose helps.”
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IFF 2022: Unpacking the European festival season
A handful of top festival executives reflected on a tough summer and highlighted the key challenges ahead in the opening panel of the 2022 International Festival Forum (IFF).
A record 800 delegates from 45 countries have flocked to the eighth edition of the invitation-only event for festival professionals and booking agents, which kicked off last night (27 September).
Today’s The Festival Season 2022 panel brought together promoters Karolina Kozlowska (Live Nation, SE), Detlef Kornett (DEAG, DE) and Nadja Konietzko (Bluesfest Byron Bay, AU), with agents James Wright (UTA, UK) and Sally Dunstone (Primary Talent International, UK).
Kornett detailed a number of the now-familiar issues experienced by events across the board coming out of the pandemic.
“We’ve been all been hit with price increases, with logistical problems, with lack of security, lack of stagehands, lack of riggers, lack of material,” said Kornett. “But I found this year particularly challenging, hearing and experiencing all the stories of our long term suppliers being in the dark.
“For some of the festivals, the price increases and whatsoever could not be captured because we’d already sold the tickets [in 2020]. So our results have not been as we wanted them to be, but generally we felt lucky because we could stage our events. We were not hit by weather, we didn’t have to shut down because we couldn’t get security. Our long term suppliers across the group worked with us. So we somehow got there but how, at times, you can only talk about at night when nobody’s listening.”
“We sold 15% of our tickets in the last two weeks, which showed the audience was also traumatised by what happened”
Konietzko explained how Bluesfest managed to ultimately triumph over adversity.
“Our season started with the cancellation of the 2021 event, which was one day before the event,” she lamented. “We were faced with the biggest challenge for our company, which is 33 years old. So we had to go into the politics and convince government to bail us out and to help us, which they did because they were the ones who shut us down because of one case of Covid in the area. So it was very political this year.
“Our challenges were to not only find finances for the year ahead, but to also pay out every supplier and staff member who was already working on the 2021 event. And we succeeded – not only did the government help with the payment of the 2021 event, we were able to get some grants and funding for the future event.”
A further complication arose when the Byron Bay festival site was hit by flash floods in the weeks leading up to the 2022 festival in April, headlined by Crowded House and Midnight Oil.
“Our crew had been through so much already for two years and the wish to return was bigger than anything else,” added Konietzko. “So I don’t know how we did it, but we managed and we opened. We sold 15% of our tickets in the last two weeks, which showed the audience was also traumatised by what happened.”
“Some people are very willing to buy the more expensive ticket to get that extra comfortable experience”
Kozlowska recalled her unfortunate timing of starting with Live Nation Sweden in March 2020.
“I started booking a festival and that cancelled very shortly afterwards, followed by the next one. So my first festival summer in Sweden was very interesting,” she said. “There were some challenges but, overall, Lollapalooza went amazingly: we had over 70,000 unique visitors – an increase of 20% from 2019.”
The promoter said there had been a huge increase in VIP and platinum ticket sales, which could theoretically help subsidise cheaper tickets in the future.
“Some people are very willing to buy the more expensive ticket to get that extra comfortable experience,” said Kozlowska. “So you might not need to raise all your ticket prices – at least not by 20% – if you can make better experiences for the VIP or platinum guests and then by that, you can also get the young kids to actually be able to afford a ticket.”
Primary Talent’s Dunstone, who works with acts such as Jack Harlow and Rina Sawayama, was also able to put a positive slant on the season.
“People are going to have to choose whether they want to go on vacation or whether they want to do a festival as a holiday”
“It’s been a great summer for my clients,” she said. “Everybody’s been out touring. A lot of my clients blew up during lockdown so it’s the first time they’ve been able to actually play festivals, so from that perspective, it’s been really positive. But there have been a lot of challenges, especially with the state of the airports within Europe: lost luggage, cancelled flights, people missing connections. That’s definitely been a lot of my problem-solving over the summer. But the shows all happened.
“There are going to be a lot of challenges next year, especially with price rises across the board. People have to be more careful with how they spend their money. When buying a festival ticket, you have to buy everything around it – transport, accommodation, so it can become like a holiday really. So people are going to have to choose whether they want to go on vacation or whether they want to do a festival as a holiday.”
Kornett brought up the findings of a survey which suggested that up to half of German festival-goers in Germany were put off returning to festivals due to Covid-19.
“In the UK, obviously, Covid is kind of over and one’s stopped worrying for now about that,” he said. “On the continent, it’s slightly different, and in Germany in particular. In Germany, there was a survey that was quite interesting because, across all festival goers, 50% were concerned about Covid when going to a festival, and thought that would possibly keep them from going. That’s a large number.
“The other question is even more interesting: what would make you go back? And the answer was, ‘If it was cheaper.’ Well, that goes against what we’re about to face where everything is going to go up.”
“Next year is going to be about ‘be unique or be cheap’, but anything in the middle will be really difficult to get through”
The prospect of further consolidation in the festival market also cropped up, with Wright deeming it “inevitable”.
“I don’t necessarily think it’s a good or bad thing,” he said. “There’s definitely and always will be a market for independent festivals in the same way that grassroots venues and independent venues are a vital part of our business. But I think consolidation, in the same way it is with the agency businesses, is inevitable to some degree.”
“Consolidation is part of our business,” added Kornett. “You also need to watch carefully for consolidation in stage hands/crew-type of businesses. Because I think there will be quite a few companies that need to seek support in order to get through what they experienced this year.
“Recession is going to hit us and I think we will see people that left our industry return because logistics and retail and construction, all of them will suffer. Starting a new festival will be a big challenge. I like to say that next year is going to be about ‘be unique or be cheap’, but anything in the middle will be really difficult to get through.”
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IFF 2022: Roskilde, 50 years young
Roskilde’s Anders Wahren and Christina Bilde opened up on the past, present and future of the Danish institution in a keynote session at the International Festival Forum (IFF) in London.
Wahren, who has been a booker of Denmark’s biggest festival since 2003 and programme director since 2014, and deputy director – communications, partnerships & philanthropy Bilde sat down with ILMC head Greg Parmley to discuss the event, which celebrated its half-century this year.
Roskilde Festival recently announced a revamp of its booking team and an increased focus on volunteering in the wake of its recent 50th anniversary edition, with Wahren retaining overall responsibility for music, art and activism, but being succeeded as head of booking by Thomas Jepsen.
The festival is hosting a special 50th birthday celebration in the Glasshouse of IFF’s host hotel, the Holiday Inn in Camden from 9-11pm tonight.
First, here are some of the highlights of the hour-long Roskilde: 50 Years Young interview, starting with the first edition Wahren attended as a fan…
“The first show I saw on the Orange Stage was Sex Pistols. And maybe it’s too much to call it a show…”
Watching the Sex Pistols in 1996…
Anders Wahren: “It was 90,000 people in a field mostly wearing black boots and T-shirts, and it was an era of grunge, rock and metal. The first show I saw on the Orange Stage was Sex Pistols. And maybe it’s too much to call it a show because they tried to play but were hit by bottles and cups. They tried to come back and play three times, but in the end they had to give up. So that was my introduction to what it was like to be at the Orange Stage. Luckily, it was first and final [like] that. But there was still this community feeling. Not with the people throwing shit of course, but everybody else in the crowd. I was 13 at the time, I was going with some friends. But I also had friends from school who had been going since they were small kids going with their parents.”
The ever-evolving Roskilde line-up…
AW: “It’s reflecting audience taste and also what’s happening in the music world and in the world as such. We wouldn’t still have a young audience if we booked the same acts that were there in the 70s or 80s, there needs to be evolvement over time. Of course, some of the people who started coming when I did, complain: ‘Why are you not booking so many rock bands anymore?’ And we have got that for 20 years now because we don’t just book rock bands, we book a lot of other stuff as well. It’s very important that we keep the line-up fresh to attract new audiences and keep the festival moving. I think that’s a very good reason why we’re still here and having the 50th anniversary.”
“A challenge that we share with a lot of other events is how to get back the generation that haven’t been able to go to festivals during the pandemic”
Christina Bilde: “The average age [of the audience] has been 24 for the last 15 years. But this year, we had an average age of 27. I think some of the explanation is that the tickets were sold in 2019/2020 and the audience kept their tickets, so they rolled over. And of course, having a break of three years, the audience also grew older. We also think it being the 50th festival made some older people want to come. But that gives us a challenge, of course, because we want to get the younger participants back again. A challenge that we share with a lot of other events is how to get back the generation that haven’t been able to go to festivals during the pandemic.”
“The Roskilde poker face is something that all agents experience at one point or another”
The Roskilde ‘poker face’…
Jules de Lattre (UTA agent): “The Roskilde poker face is something that all agents experience at one point or another. We’re talking to the programming team and you could be pitching the next Daft Punk and doing so with passion, emotion, and throwing everything at it. What you will get back is not a sliver of visible interest or emotion, which is really quite unsettling the first time it happens for some of the younger agents and coordinators. We always have to reassure them after and say, ‘This is just the Roskilde poker face and actually you will probably get an offer for the act you least expect to have on the festival.’ I think that that points to – and I’m saying this seriously now – the impeccable A&R over the years at Roskilde.”
AW: “We should play more poker! Volunteers are a big part of the Roskilde organisation. We also have them in the midst of our booking team and that’s important because they are not entwined in the music business as such, so they just listen to a lot of music, go to a lot of shows, keep up with the current scenes and inform us. So there’s a lot going on behind the scenes and the poker face that we try to put up. Also, we’re not the sole decision makers and are not able to make the offer right away because we always want to discuss internally and make up our group mind. So it has never been my taste that dictates what a good Roskilde line-up is, it’s a combination of many people.”
“Roskilde has been quite good at listening and picking up trends from our audience over the years”
CB: “Roskilde has been quite good at listening and picking up trends from our audience over the years , even before the trends were visible in other areas of society. Listening to the young audience and being brave enough to move with them is part of the experience as well.”
Returning after Covid…
AW: “It felt good. I was a little worried that some things might have changed and maybe the audience only wanted to [see] the big headliners. How would we know? Three years off is a lot, so it was good to reconnect with the audience. Of course, it was a tough year: there were more cancellations than ever and there was a strike warning from Scandinavian Airlines. The pilots were going on strike the first day of the festival and they postponed it a week. But still, it was a lot of stress.”
The future…
AW: “The honest answer is we don’t know. It’s hard to say now that it’s going to be in this direction or that direction because it will probably change a few times, so we’ll see. We’ll keep evolving and will hopefully keep up with wherever the most interesting things are happening in art and music, we’ll go there and take the audience with us.”
Click here to read IQ‘s recent feature commemorating Roskilde’s half-century.
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Live Nation Spain’s Cesar Andion plots AMF sequel
Live Nation Spain’s Cesar Andion tells IQ he hopes to establish the Andalucía Music Forum as an annual event following its successful launch earlier this month.
The newest gathering for the international music industry in southern Europe debuted at the Albeniz Cinema in Málaga from 5-7 September, attracting 350 delegates and speakers.
Showcases were limited to acts from guest country Mexico, alongside local Andalucían talent.
“We are all super-happy with how everything turned out – it was exactly what I had in my mind when I was designing it,” says Andion. “The attendance was perfect for deep and friendly networking, as we wanted AMF to be a forum and not a big conference fair.
“The vibe was friendly, professional, easy-going, laid back and fun, and Málaga was the perfect spot as a gateway for Latin America in Europe and vice-versa. It’s very different to most of music conferences and we want to keep it that way in terms of the concept, vibe and style.”
“We are also planning another one in Madrid that will be completely different to AMF”
Andion says the biggest organisational challenges concerned the timing.
“We organised it all in just a few months and during the summer, which is quite a hard time to work because everyone is either on holidays or working on festivals,” he says. “But we have a great team with pros in Europe like Ruud Berends (Netherlands) and Ignacia Snadoval (Germany), Fabrizio Onetto and Malfi Dorantes from Mexico, and of course Esteban Ruiz and Erica Romero in Andalucía. The Mad Cool team worked really hard to make it happen and I am very thankful to everyone.”
And not only does Andion now have a sequel in the works, he also has his sights set on launching a sister conference in Madrid.
“We are also planning another one in Madrid that will be completely different to AMF,” he reveals.
AMF is part of the Andalucía Big by Mad Cool project, which also included the new 30,000-cap Andalucía Big Festival, held near Sacaba Beach from 8–10 September, with acts such as Muse, Jamiroquai, Years & Years, Glass Animals, Michael Kiwanuka, Wolf Alice, Franz Ferdinand and Aurora.
“It’s a very ambitious project and has been a total success”
“The project is ‘big’, as it is titled, because it has three ‘legs’ as we say in Spanish: the pro forum, the festival and a tour of Andalucían provinces,” explains Andion. “It’s a very ambitious project and has been a total success. Málaga deserved a big festival as it’s one of the coolest and most visited cities in Spain, but also because it’s the cultural and event capital of Andalucía.
“The festival had incredible vibe, I was really impressed with the audience, which was Spanish in majority but with great attendance of Brits.”
Mad Cool Festival and The Spanish Wave are also teaming up to promote Spanish talent at next week’s International Festival Forum (IFF), ILMC’s invitation-only event for music festivals and booking agents. The event will mark the culmination of a nationwide project to find the best emerging acts from Spain.
Three Spanish artists – Hickeys, Irenegarry and Pablo Drexler – were chosen from more than 500 applications and will perform at the Mad Cool Festival & The Spanish Wave Presents showcase at London’s Camden Assembly from 9pm on Wednesday (28 September).
Spain is the guest country for IFF 2022, which takes place in London between 27-29 September.
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Speaker line-up completed for IFF 2022
The full list of speakers has now been confirmed for the 2022 International Festival Forum (IFF), presented in association with TicketSwap.
More than 700 booking agents and festivals have signed up from 40-plus markets for the invitation-only event in London from 27-29 September.
Live Nation promoter Karolina Kozlowska (SE) and UTA’s James Wright (UK) complete the lineup for The Festival Season 2022 panel, joining Detlef Kornett (DEAG, DE), Nadja Konietzko (Bluesfest Byron Bay, AU) and Sally Dunstone (Primary Talent International, UK) from 10.30am on Wednesday 28 September.
The Roskilde Festival team – programme director Anders Wahren, deputy director – communications, partnerships & philanthropy Christina Bilde and head of sustainability Sanne Stephansen – will then star in the keynote conversation Roskilde Festival: 50 Years Young at noon.
The legendary Danish festival will host a special 50th birthday celebration from 9-11pm later that day in the Glasshouse of IFF’s host hotel, the Holiday Inn in Camden (more details here).
In addition, Runway Artists founder Matt Hanner (UK) will join Superbloom’s Barbara Hexges (DE), Jess Kinn & Sean Goulding (One Fiinix Live, UK), Mother Artists’ Natasha Gregory (UK) and Stephan Thanscheidt (FKP Scorpio/Tempelhof Festival, DE), to present their new companies or events on our New Kids on the Block session, on Thursday 29 September from 10.30-11.30am.
Finally, Mad Cool Festival’s Cindy Castillo (ES) completes the Festivals & Agents: Happier than ever? session, alongside Wasserman Music’s Adele Slater (UK), Chris Payne (WME, UK), Smash!Bang!Pow!’s Nikolaj Thorenfeldt (DK) and Rauha Kyyrö from Fullsteam (FI), at noon on Thursday 29 September.
Supporters of this year’s IFF include Ticketmaster, Tysers, Vatom, eps, Ooosh! Tours, Music Venue Trust, John Henry’s and the UK’s Department for International Trade.
View the full artists’ lineup here, and listen to all the showcasing artists via the official IFF 2022 playlist here. For more information on the IFF’s 2022 schedule, click here.
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TicketSwap announced as Title Partner of IFF 2022
TicketSwap, the fan-focused resale platform which operates in 36 countries, will be the Title Partner of IFF 2022.
The firm’s involvement will bring benefits to this year’s edition including additional networking facilities at the 27-29 September event, which will be presented “in association with” the company.
TicketSwap caps all ticket resale prices and also works directly with event organisers to offer verified SecureSwap tickets on its platform. The resale company is headquartered in Amsterdam and has serviced over 8 million fans around the world.
“We are very excited to be partnering with IFF this year as Title Partner,” says Mike Robinson, UK lead at TicketSwap. “TicketSwap is the leading resale platform, so it’s a perfect match to be partnering with the leading music festival conference. We are looking forward to discussing the ticket resale landscape with our agency and festival partners, and outlining the benefits and solutions that a TicketSwap partnership can provide.”
“TicketSwap’s involvement will allow us to improve the experience of delegates when the booking agency and festival sectors unite in London in three weeks’ time”
IFF co-founder Greg Parmley says, “As the first Title Partner that IFF has welcomed, TicketSwap’s involvement will allow us to improve the experience of delegates when the booking agency and festival sectors unite in London in three weeks’ time. We’re delighted to have them on board.”
The invitation-only event takes place in Camden, London, at the end of the month. With 800 delegates from 40 countries expected, IFF mixes showcases, debate and a wide-ranging programme of parties and events.
Other supporting partners for IFF 2022 include Ticketmaster, Tysers, Vatom, Roskilde Festival, Mad Cool Festival, Music Venue Trust, Aloompa and the UK’s Department for International Trade.
This year’s IFF programme is now complete while the first round of showcasing artists have already been announced and include Dead Pony, Gigi Moss, The Native, Panic Shack & Zand.
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Mad Cool & The Spanish Wave announce IFF showcase
Mad Cool Festival and The Spanish Wave are teaming up to promote Spanish talent at this year’s International Festival Forum (IFF).
Three Spanish artists will perform at the Mad Cool Festival & The Spanish Wave Presents showcase at London’s Camden Assembly from 9pm on Wednesday 28 September. The line-up will be released in August.
The event will mark the culmination of a nationwide project to find the best emerging acts from Spain. With applications open from 2-30 August, the finalists will be selected by the festival and emerging talent showcase platform and export specialist, The Spanish Wave.
Spain is the guest country for IFF 2022
Spain is the guest country for IFF 2022, ILMC’s invitation-only event for music festivals and booking agents, which takes place in London between 27-29 September.
The latest round of guest speakers and conference topics for this year’s conference were unveiled last week.
More than 400 delegates from 26 countries have now signed up, with demand for IFF 2022 passes proving higher than ever.
IFF’s new delegate hub, the Holiday Inn in Camden, will be transformed into IFF Central for three days and host conference sessions, private parties and meetings, and speed dating for attendees.
Full information about this year’s event, including how to apply for a pass, is online at www.iff.rocks.
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IFF 2022 launches with new central hub, agency partners
The eighth edition of the International Festival Forum (IFF), ILMC’s invitation-only event for festivals and bookers, is now live.
More than 800 delegates are expected to attend this year’s gathering of the international music festival business, with many of the world’s leading booking agencies signed up as partners.
Wasserman Music, WME, CAA, UTA, ICM Partners/Primary Talent, ATC Live, X-Ray Touring, One Finiix Live and Earth Agency are among the first to back the 2022 edition and many of whom will present showcases featuring the hottest new talent.
Alongside the showcases, IFF 2022 will offer the usual plethora of networking, showcases, panels, and parties – all taking place between 27 and 29 September in London.
In addition, IFF has announced a new central hub, the Holiday Inn in Camden, which will be transformed into IFF Central for three days.
IFF has announced a new central hub, the Holiday Inn in Camden, which will be transformed into IFF Central
IFF Central will be exclusive to delegates and will host all conference sessions, complimentary delegate lunches, a late-night bar that’s open until the early hours, and ample space for private meetings.
The hotel also features 100 rooms for delegates in a range of categories, which can be booked at the same time as registering your pass. Room rates are discounted for IFF delegates but there’s a limited number available. Click here for more details.
Since launching in 2015, IFF has gained a reputation for showcasing the most talented emerging artists at early stages of their careers, including Idles, Slaves, Loyle Carner, Public Service Broadcasting, Lewis Capaldi and Shame.
Last year, IFF enjoyed a successful return to a physical event, with a programme that featured a double keynote interview with Melvin Benn and Folkert Koopmans.
More details of IFF 2022, including the provisional schedule, will be announced in due course. If you have an idea for a panel topic, speaker or presentation, please email Ruud Berends.
A limited number of super discounted earlybird passes are now available for just £345 (saving £150 on the full rate). Each pass includes access to all sessions and showcases, lunches, dinners, and some drinks. Click here to register.
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IQ 104 out now: IFF, GEI, Steve Strange
IQ 104, the latest issue of the international live music industry’s favourite monthly magazine, is available to read online now.
The October 2021 edition reflects on two of the industry’s best-known events, the International Festival Forum and the Green Events & Innovations conference – both of which returned last month.
The issue also pays homage to renowned booking agent and X-ray co-founder Steve Strange, who recently passed away.
Elsewhere, Adam Woods talks to some of the innovators behind contactless payment systems, IQ gets to grips with audience insights tools and Derek Robertson learns about the rollercoaster ride that suppliers have experienced during the pandemic.
For this edition’s columns and comments, IQ passes the mic to Music Venue Trust’s Mark Davyd, as well as Jürgen Schlensog and Sven Meyer from Jazzopen Stuttgart.
And, in this month’s Your Shout, we ask the industry how they would use an extra hour a day.
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