Folk Industry and The Association of Festival Organisers Conference 2009

20-22 November 2009
Eastwood Hall Conference Centre, Eastwood, Nottingham

Folk - A Thriving Future

Download the Conference Agenda

Download speakers handouts and presentations

The 2009 Folk Industry and AFO Conference, now complete, under the title Folk, A Thriving Future took place at Eastwood Hall Conference Centre, Nottingham over the weekend of 20-22 November.

From Friday morning through to lunchtime on Sunday, over 220 delegates and 89 speakers attended over 45 different breakout seminars and visited 14 trade stands and 10 agents stands, altogether making a very successful event.

‘As usual, a very useful weekend’ - Jo Tuffs, Broadstairs Folk Week

‘GO!  Kind of essential really, if you’re serious about it . . .’ - Ian Anderson, fRoots Magazine

‘A very enjoyable and extremely useful Conference’ - Alan Castle, Tenterden Folk Festival

‘Real learning combined with relaxed networking and fine showcases’ - Alan James, Hold Tight

‘Excellent levels of organisation and positioning’ - Dave Kushar, Spiral Earth

‘I first did the AFO (Conference) in 1994! . . . and I still learn something new every year.  I’ll vow to stop when I know it all (i.e. never)’  James Shepard, Larmer Tree Festival Director

‘AFO and festivals are bringing important professionalism to this area of live/public events’  - Tom Povey

‘Brilliant organisation . . . will suggest committee sends a delegate every year' - Chester Folk Festival

‘Excellent Conference . . . would definitely recommend it to non-folk festivals’

‘An invaluable opportunity for networking and sharing ideas’ - Dave Alton, Warwick Folk Festival

This is probably the biggest gathering of folk activists in any one year and brings together a wide variety of people with the same target; to enjoy, promote and involve themselves with our country’s national heritage of music, dance and song.  Be it traditional, development or singer songwriter, the ideas were flowing over the weekend, the new ways of marketing and the lessons learnt over many years of experience were all shared with new promoters, new younger musicians and an enthusiastic crowd of delegates who all believe that ‘folk’ should be better recognised and promoted to a wider audience.

‘Amazing quality and variety of valuable topics’ - Kathy Aveyard, Cleckheaton Folk Festival

‘All relevant, up to date and friendly’ - Emma Leslie, Barnsley Music Service

‘Great mixture of helpful sessions with real examples . . . real proper issues and solutions via people with real experience.  This is such a useful Conference'  - Joy Durrant, Shropshire Council

‘Always welcoming and great place to get valuable/relevant event info’  - Brian Lisowy, Big Session/Summer Sundae

‘Brilliant sessions, take lots of ideas away . . . great weekend for networking’ - Laura Mills - Beverley Folk Festival

‘Approachable, knowledgeable people.  Good sessions with relevant info’  - Festival at the Edge.

Subject matter included Promoting Folk, Folk Development, Recording Folk, A Career in Folk, Expanding the Gene Pool, Recruiting Volunteer Stewards, Festivals & Climate Change, Accessible Festivals, Using Technology to Promote Your Festival, PRS, Online Ticketing Solutions.

The Conference was sponsored by Proper Music Distribution, fRoots Magazine and La Playa and was generously funded by Arts Council England.  Programming was by Alan Bearman and publicity, production and management by the FolkArts England and AFO team at the Mrs Casey Music offices in Matlock.

And so the next year . . .
Funding for the 2010 Conference has been provided by Arts Council England, via their new RFO body, EFDSS and will again be staged at Eastwood Hall Conference Centre, Nottingham from the 19-21 November 2010.  Put the date in your diary now.  If you are interested in any of the above, this is the Conference you really can’t afford to miss.

The subject matter for 2010 is already being gathered and includes Folk in Education; A Local Authority Focus Day, Sustainability, Links between Clubs and Festivals, Publicity and Marketing and no doubt many more, in fact, as you read this, if you have subjects that you believe would be best aired at a Conference of this kind, then please do drop us a line and let us know.

Conference Fees are Lower for Members
Membership of the Association of Festival Organisers is open to all festival organisers and those associated and interested in the promotion of folk roots and acoustic music through festivals.  Click here for information on membership and we look forward to hearing from you.

The 2010 Conference is open to anyone with their eye on folk, its future development, the industry, a career, promotion or recording - in fact, if you do anything other than sit in an audience, this event is for you.  See you there.

Steve Heap, Director
November 2009