A raft of moderators and partners for the 36^th edition of the International Live Music Conference (ILMC) have been unveiled.

The three-day conference will welcome over 1,400 of the world’s top live music professionals from over 50 countries when it returns to the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London between 27 Feb and 1 March.

On the opening day, CAA’s Maria May hosts The Open Forum, while cultural disruptor Cliff Fluet from Eleven leads a discussion on the practical applications of AI for live music in Artificial Intelligence: Moving at light speed.

And on 29 February, The O2’s Robbie Balfour asks the pressing questions in Marketing: Planet-ing new ideas.

The Friday of ILMC (1 March) will once again be dedicated to the next generation of live music industry leaders, with the fourth edition of Futures Forum.

On the opening day, CAA’s Maria May hosts The Open Forum alongside a soon-to-be-announced panel of VIPs

Connie Shao from AEG Presents hosts the opening session, Meet the New Bosses: Class of 2024; Marc Saunders from The O2 dives into the details of working relationships in Agents vs Bookers, and AGF’s Claire O’Neill leads a deep dive into tried-and-tested practices and innovative solutions in A Greener Future: The case studies.

Also on Friday, Touring Entertainment LIVE (TEL) will see Tom Zaller from Imagine Exhibitions kick off proceedings in The State of The Nation whilst TEO’s Manon Delaury hosts Quick-Fire Sessions presenting the best up-and-coming productions available to book.

And finally, Semmel Concerts’ Christoph Scholz takes the helm in Standing Out in a Crowded Market, to examine how promoters and producers are finding unique paths to success; and Jonathan Shank from Terrapin Station Entertainment chairs We’ve got 99 problems & here’s how we solve them, to ask how the sector can work more collectively.

TEL is supported by TEO, Fever, and Semmel Exhibitions. The ILMC Production Meeting (on 29 February) has also announced a wave of partners including Freight Minds, eps, and Solotech.

Full information about ILMC 2024, The Arthur Awards, Futures Forum or TEL, visit 36.ilmc.com.

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 O2 has hailed the ‘return of the residency’ as it reports its busiest-ever year for runs of four nights or more.

By the end of 2023, London’s flagship venue will have hosted five concert and comedy residencies including Peter Kay (12), Elton John (10), Micky Flanagan (9), Madonna (6) and Chris Brown (6), compared to just two residencies in 2022.

“Residencies are something that are becoming more and more important in the way we programme the venue,” says Emma Bownes, vice president of venue programming at The O2.

“There is a huge demand for live music at the moment at arena, stadium and outdoor level, so artists are realising they can serve the amount of fan demand by sitting down at The O2. We’re lucky that we’re in London and there’s a huge catchment area of really active music fans. I can see that an artist will opt to play potentially 10 shows at The O2 rather than looking at a stadium or a festival headline slot.”

Robbie Balfour, director of marketing and brand at the AEG venue, also points out that “with the economic situation that touring finds itself in, there are some efficiencies with being in one venue for a longer period”.

Madonna is one such artist who has opted for the advantages of an arena residency over stadium shows or headline sets at festivals (though she’s rumoured to play Glastonbury 2024).

“Residencies are something that is becoming more and more important in the way we programme the venue”

Tonight, the Queen of Pop returns to the 21,000-capacity venue to perform the penultimate London show on her Madonna: The Celebration Tour, having delivered four in October (14, 15, 17, 18).

Across the six concerts, the 65-year-old has shifted 85,000 tickets, with prices ranging between £47.55–432.25 for general admission and up to £1,307.75 for VIP.

With ticket prices rising, giving fans more value for their money is something Balfour is wary of when enhancing the fan experience around residencies and concerts.

“People expect a lot more and need to see the value of their investment in a ticket,” says Balfour. “We want to repay them and make sure that from the moment they arrive, it feels like a big day out and not just the two or three hours that the show is taking place.

“As a venue, you could think you’ll invest in the fans until they’ve bought their tickets and then that’s where you stop. We have a policy to invest in the fans after they become a ticket holder.”

The extended period of time a residency offers enables The O2 to go the extra mile for both fans and artists – an opportunity they’ve consistently seized upon.

“I can see that an artist will opt to play potentially 10 shows at the O2 rather than looking at a stadium or a festival headline slot”

For the Queen of Pop, The O2 commissioned the Royal Family’s flagmakers to create a bespoke Madonna-themed flag that flies from the venue’s roof to signify that she’s in residence.

For Drake’s 2019 residency, The O2’s sign was altered to an ‘O3’ in honour of the rapper’s single God’s Plan, in which he raps: “And you know me/Turn The O2 into The O3.”

The O2 also paid homage to BLACKPINK during their two headline shows in 2022 by lighting the tent pink, and to comedian Mo Gilligan during his 2021 homecoming show at the ‘MO2′.

“It’s about working with [artists’ team] to make sure it’s an authentic activation and ultimately if you do it right it’s a win for the artist and the venue because it’s an extra spotlight and a win for the fan because it’s a better experience,” says Balfour. “We are obviously so much more than just a rented space… we want to create a sort of festival destination for a fan base for a period of time.”

Bownes adds: “We don’t want artists to ever feel like they’re just another artist coming through the venue. We want to show the artists and the fans that we’re grateful and excited to have them at the venue.”

Musical artists aside, the venue’s longest run in 2023 belongs to comedian Peter Kay. The British stand-up act is the first-ever artist to hold a monthly residency at The O2, performing a show at the venue every month between November 2022 until April 2025.

“We don’t want artists to ever feel like they’re just another artist coming through the venue”

“The demand for Peter Kay was utterly off the scale,” says Bownes. “We were genuinely really lucky to get him to agree to become the first artist to play a monthly residency at the O2… we’ve been trying to find an artist who could do that for years.”

Kay’s 29-show run secures him second place in The O2’s all-time longest residencies (of which there are 92), coming second only to the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) which turned the London venue into a training facility for 44 days.

It has also earned him a place in the 21 Club, a hall of fame launched after Prince’s iconic 21-night run in 2007 to honour the artists who have performed 21 or more shows at The O2.

Prince, Take That, Drake, One Direction, Micky Flanagan, Michael McIntyre, Young Voices and Michael Bublé are among the members, all of whom have been presented with a symbolic ‘key to the venue’.

While 2023 is by far The O2’s busiest-ever year for residencies, 2024 looks to rival that with five already announced. Take That (6), Olivia Rodrigo (4), Liam Gallagher (4), The 1975 (4) and Michael McIntyre (4) will all grace the hallowed stage for multiple-night visits, with more to be announced according to Bownes.

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.