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  • Events Industry News

The Huge Benefits of Music Conferences

  • By Mike

  • 07 Mar 2016
  • 5 min read

You’ll know the old adage – ‘it’s not so much what you know, it’s who you know’, and like virtually every other aspect of life, this rings true for promoters. Having the right connections in the industry can reap all sorts of benefits, from cheaper bookings to inside scoops, affordable  deals on sound and lighting and the right kinds of exposure for your event.

But what are the best ways to make these meaningful and mutually beneficial arrangements in the industry? Contacting online and attempting to nurture working relationships can be a much trickier prospect than meeting in person – nothing quite beats face to face meets, and this is where music conferences can be nothing short of invaluable. We’ve looked at some great conferences that are well worth further investigation.

ADE

Photo: Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) Credit: Flickfeeder

Clubs

The forthcoming Brighton Music Conference is one of the best positioned events in the country for all things club-related. Professionals across the UK have been converging on Brighton Dome for the past couple of years, with the conference’s networking opportunities amongst its many highlights. Panels, talks and workshops focus on everything from music trends to technology, Q&As to tech showcases, complete with product launches, and each one is surrounded by a legion of industry professionals – the chances to expand your network, gain valuable knowledge, and form new business partnerships are unrivalled. Read our interview with festival co-ordinator Jason Pepperell to find out more.

Other conferences to look out for include LEAF, Rob da Bank’s two day focus on electronic music, art, technology and digital futurism set in the very cool Tobacco Dock in London – and if you don’t mind a trip to the continent, Amsterdam Dance Event (you can read our review of when we went in 2015) and Ibiza Music Summit are both enormous, internationally acclaimed conferences that cover every aspect of the clubbing world, enticing anyone worth their salt in the rave community.

Festivals

Whether you’re running a small one day festival or large scale, multi day extravaganza, there’s a tonne of highly useful stuff on offer from institutions like the British Arts Festivals Association – a well respected organization founded back in 1969. Membership brings you access to a huge network of peers, a deep well of knowledge and invaluable contacts within the industry. The BAFA organise a host of events across the country throughout the year, headlined by the Conference for Festivals – a three day meeting designed to benefit everyone in the sector – for everything from advice and support to networking and brainstorming, BAFA are well worth checking out.

There’as also the Association of Independent Festivals, which soon hosts Festival Futures – two coordinated one day conferences in both Brighton and Manchester. Both days feature festival promoter key notes, fireside chats with industry experts, talking heads sessions and of course countless networking opportunities. The Festival Futures conference runs on Tuesday April 5th in Brighton, and Thursday April 7th in Manchester.

LC+

Photo: Liverpool Sound City +

Live Music

Liverpool Sound City’s music and digital conference Sound City + runs on Friday 28th May, the day before the main festival, and provides invaluable insight into the inner workings of the live music world, featuring speakers that range from composers to journalists, established artists to BBC and Sky representatives, as well as featuring 1-2-1 meetings and panels curated by DrownedinSound.com. Also in the UK, Brighton’s The Great Escape remains one of the best places to discover the stars of tomorrow, alongside a number of panels and the presence of many of the European music industry.

There’s also the formidable International Live Music Conference, which gathers together some of the leading minds in the global touring, festival and live entertainment industries. Since starting out in 1989, the event has been bringing together professionals from across Europe to air their common goals, aims and issues, whilst providing an unprecedented chance to network, in an event run by active members of the live music industry, not a separate body – in other words, they know exactly what they’re doing to create an event that’s beneficial to everyone within the live music sphere.

Heading to a conference and want to meet up? Drop your respective account manager an email or if you don’t have one contact our account management support team.

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