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Green Events & Innovations Conference 2025 launches

Registration for the 17th edition of the Green Events & Innovations Conference (GEI) is now open.

The leading conference for sustainability in the live events sector will return to London’s Royal Lancaster Hotel on Tuesday 25th February 2025.

The one-day event is a partnership with not-for-profit sustainability specialists A Greener Future (AGF) and the International Live Music Conference (ILMC), which takes place immediately after GEI.

“Things are really heating up, literally and figuratively, in the lead-up to GEI17,” says GEI producer and AGF co-founder Claire O’Neill.

“The events and live sector is feeling the impact of global and national tensions first-hand with growing costs, ethical scrutiny, and uncertainty, but at the same time pulling out the stops on some of the most ambitious green initiatives we’ve ever seen.

“We’re in a time of significant transition, which is sharpening focus and boosting innovation and action”

“We’re in a time of significant transition, which is sharpening focus and boosting innovation and action. The purpose of GEI has always been to do its small part to make the transition that we all have to face, a transformation for good. To be better people, making better choices, creating better experiences, and having the most fun possible during this brief time we get to be alive, together, at the same time, on this beautiful planet.”

GEI17 promises engaging talks, panels, discussions, case studies and networking opportunities. The conference concludes with the annual International AGF Awards Ceremony.

Previous GEI speakers include Brian Eno, Jarvis Cocker, Pat McCabe, Aurora, Dale Vince (Ecotricity), Mark Donne (Act1.5), Cathy Runciman (EarthPercent), Blaine Harrison (Mystery Jets), John Langford (AEG), Carol Scott (TAIT), Em Weirdigan (Green Gathering), Tori Tsui, Mark Stevenson (CUR8), Patricia Yagüe (Live Nation) and Fay Milton (Music Declares Emergency).

Super Early-Bird tickets are now on sale for £139 (€165), which includes access to the conference, the International AGF Awards Ceremony, a drinks reception, plus a five-star lunch.

 


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ILMC 36: Maria May, Robbie Balfour and more confirmed

A raft of moderators and partners for the 36th 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.

 


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Nominees for Arthur Awards 2024 revealed

The list of nominees for the Arthur Awards 2024, the Oscars of the international live music business, has been revealed.

The awards and Gala Dinner will return to the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London on Thursday 29 February 2024, as part of the International Live Music Conference (ILMC).

After a one-year hiatus, renowned agent Emma Banks will compère the awards, which will honour almost a dozen of the industry’s trailblazers and be attended by 450 of the world’s top live music professionals.

Gongs will be awarded to the top promoter, agent, venue, festival, ticketer, assistant, unsung hero, production service, New Boss, professional service and the individual who has contributed greatly to the live music industry.

After a one-year hiatus, renowned agent Emma Banks will compère the awards

Among the nominees are Tom Schroeder (Wasserman Music), Natasha Gregory (Mother Artists), Steve Homer (AEG Presents), Rauha Kyyrö (Fullsteam), Cameron Hoy (TEG), Claire O’Neill (A Greener Future), Matt Bates (Primary Talent International) and Anna-Sophie Mertens (Live Nation).

Last year’s winners included Karsten Jahnke (Karsten Jahnke Konzertdirektion), Kelly Chappel (Live Nation), Alex Bruford (ATC Live), Marcia Titley (Eventim Norway & Sweden) and Holger Jan Schmidt (Yourope).

The awards and Gala Dinner will kick off with a champagne reception followed by a five-star, four-course feast prepared by award-winning chefs, and a selection of fine wines.

The events form part of the ILMC 36, which will host 1,400 top live music executives from across the world at the five-star Royal Lancaster Hotel in London, from 27 February to 1 March 2024.

The full list of nominees for the Arthur Awards 2024 can be found here.

 


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GEI 15 reveals full agenda

A Greener Festival (AGF) has announced the full agenda for the 15th edition of the Green Events & Innovations conference, taking place next Tuesday (28 February) at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London.

The day kicks off with a discussion on the impact of climate change on live events in Adapting to a New Climate, hosted by Jonathan Overend (BBC/NinetyFour19), and with a panel that includes Artur Mendes (Boom Festival/Being Gathering), Ric Robins (The Met Office), and Jane Healy (Glastonbury/Boomtown).

Following that, The Platinum Jubilee Pageant provides the basis for two fantastic case study presentations. Firstly, Rosanna Machado (Zebra) reviews the sustainability actions that were delivered for this iconic event, and then Mark Stevenson (CUR8) discusses the minefield of carbon offsets and the approach taken by the Pageant for its carbon removals in Carbon Offsets: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly.

Next up, Holger Jan Schmidt (YOUROPE) and AGF’s Nikita Coulter provide an early look at the new European Green Festival Roadmap 2030; whilst Switching on Your Audience – Creative Climate Communication, hosted by journalist and broadcaster Lucy Siegle, sees Zed Anwar (Visual Artist), Hannah Cox (betternotstop), and Dave Ojay (NAAM Festival) discuss the challenges of communicating the need for climate action.

Continuing that theme, Moving on From Fossil Fuels, led by Ecotricity founder Dale Vince OBE, explores alternative power options needed to address rising temperatures and energy bills.

GEI will toast the events and venues that became AGF certified in 2022 and reveal the winners of its International AGF Awards

The final two sessions of the morning include Circularity: Turning Off the Tap on New, with Lucy Siegle and Julia Davies from We Have The Power; and Food: Back to the Future sees Dale Vince and Andy Cato (WIldfarmed/Groove Armada) discuss the future of sustainable food and Andy’s journey from global touring artist to regenerative farmer.

The afternoon sessions kick off with exclusive insight into the Act 1.5 research project with writer and producer Mark Donne, Carly McLachlan of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, and host John Robb (Louder Than War / The Membranes); and the Quick-fire Innovation Round, hosted by Abena Fairweather of Legacy Marketplace and featuring five delegates’ unique and innovative sustainability ideas, covering everything from carnivals to reforestation.

Next up, the Association of Event Management Educators (AEME) bring together a panel of the brightest research minds from across the UK to discuss the current and future direction of event and sustainability research. And in A Greener Tour Round IV, we’ll examine the progress the touring sector has made in becoming greener, with host John Robb and industry experts Carol Scott (TAIT) and Jamal Chalabi (Backlash Productions/AGF).

The final session of the day, the keynote, will see the return of Brian Eno, who will be joined by Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Jacob Collier. They will discuss Music as a Social Synchroniser with host Emma-Louise Amanshia.

To round off the day, GEI will toast the events and venues that became AGF certified in 2022 and reveal the winners of its coveted International AGF Awards 2023. For more information, or to buy tickets to GEI, click here.

 


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ILMC 35 hails record sell out

The 35th edition of the International Live Music Conference (ILMC) has sold out, shifting a record number of tickets.

More than 1,300 professionals from over 60 countries will attend next week’s (28 February – 3 March) conference at London’s Royal Lancaster Hotel, ILMC’s new five-star location.

This year’s conference includes a Hot Seat keynote with futurist Gerd Leonhard and a (Late) Breakfast Meeting conversation between Ed Bicknell and legendary KISS manager Doc McGhee.

Plus, a recently announced all-female Dragons’ Den will see Lucy Noble from (AEG Presents), Jacqueline Zich (DEAG) and Jolanda Jansen (The Ahoy) sit down for an up-close conversation with host Marie Lindqvist (ASM Global).

Other top guest speakers for ILMC 35 include Jessica Koravos (Oak View Group), Marcia Titley (Eventim), Melvin Benn (Festival Republic), Phil Bowdery (Live Nation), Alex Hardee (Wasserman Music), Mark Davyd (MVT), Tommy Jinho Yoon (ICA-Live-Asia), Amy Bowerman and Patrik Meyer (Deutsche Bank Park), Steve Reynolds (LS Events), John Langford (AEG Europe), Kim Bloem (Mojo Concerts) and Lisa Ryan (EFM).

“More of the world’s top promoters, agents, venues and festivals have signed up to ILMC than ever”

This year will also see ILMC’s first-ever central London showcase, London Calling, take place across four intimate Soho venues, featuring some of Europe’s most talked about emerging artists.

Plus, the Arthur Awards will return on Thursday 2 March as The ILMC Gala Fiesta & Arturo Awards, reflecting this year’s focus on the Latin live music market. More than 400 guests will attend the live music business’ best-loved awards, hosted by CAA’s Emma Banks.

“After a challenging but record-setting previous 12 months, the international live industry is clearly fully geared up for the year ahead, and business is back,” says ILMC managing director Greg Parmley. “That more of the world’s top promoters, agents, venues and festivals have signed up to ILMC than ever reflects this fact… and we’re looking forward to welcoming everyone to London next week.”

While the main ILMC conference is now sold out, a number of passes remain for Futures Forum, the one-day event for young live music professionals which takes place as part of the main conference on Friday 3 March.

 


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ILMC reveals new five-star venue for in-person return

The International Live Music Conference (ILMC) has announced a new five-star venue for the highly anticipated 2022 event, which will herald a return to the conference’s in-person format.

The 34th edition of the event will host 1,200 top live music executives from over 40 countries in the newly enhanced Royal Lancaster Hotel in London from 1–4 March 2022.

The move marks the first venue change for ILMC in more than two decades, in response to increasing demand for the industry-leading event.

Extra space for networking, private meetings and events are among the benefits of the new, first-class location.

The physical format will be complemented with a digital component, enabling delegates to access conference sessions on-demand online for 30 days after the event.

It’s hugely exciting to finally be confirming the physical return

As a one-off special, next year’s new-and-improved ILMC will also see the Green Events & Innovations (GEI) conference become part of ILMC itself, on Friday 4 March, having previously been a standalone event. Tickets solely for GEI will still be available as usual.

The ILMC Production Meeting (IPM), slated for Tuesday 1 March, is also expanding its programming to include a day-long tranche of sessions by the Event Safety & Security Summit (E3S) – a sister event that has previously taken place in October.

On 4 March, The Arthur Awards and Gala Dinner will return in-person to its old stomping grounds, Grade II-listed ballroom Sheraton Grand Park Lane.

Hosted once again by renowned agent Emma Banks, The Arthur Awards will pay tribute to a handful of the industry’s trailblazers, in front of 350 industry professionals.

Bringing the international business together in March, to map out the new roads ahead, has never felt so important

The Gala, meanwhile, will consist of a champagne reception followed by a five-star, four-course feast prepared by award-winning chefs.

“Given that ILMC in 2020 was the last moment that the live music industry came together en masse, it’s hugely exciting to finally be announcing the physical return,” says ILMC head, Greg Parmley.

“With a new venue, more networking and meeting space than ever, and some huge announcements lined up, it’s going to be a stellar edition.

“The industry faces an equal assault of challenges and opportunities currently, and so bringing the international business together in March, to map out the new roads ahead, has never felt so important.”

Companies and partners supporting ILMC 34 include Live Nation, Ticketmaster, CTS Eventim, Tysers, ASM Global, DEAG, TADC, Showsec, Semmel Concerts, Oak View Group, Feld Entertainment, Megaforce, The Harlem Globetrotters, eps, and Universe.

Full information about the conference including schedule, events and partners is at 34.ilmc.com.

 


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