Welcome to the 2009 BAFA conference! If your year has been anything like mine, and if you have been working in the arts for a few years, you will almost certainly agree that the past year has been a year like no other, a whole raft of new challenges also waiting in the wings for 2010 and beyond. One of my first duties as Chair at the 2008 BAFA conference was to lead a ‘Credit Crunch Lunch’ in order to crystal ball gaze for the year ahead, and to my certain knowledge things have been tough for a lot of organisations. Festivals, however, are a fascinating breed and it is remarkable quite how resilient most of us are. And we shouldn’t forget that, despite everything, it is very clear that the live audience continues to be out there and with a thirst for seeing, hearing and touching the unusual and the exceptional. Remarkably some festivals have had their best ever year despite the madness and mayhem out there. BAFA’s role is becoming increasingly clear. It has always been the surest repository for advice and support to the festivals movement, and the extended programme of road shows promoted in the Spring of this year made it very clear that these face to face events where networking is as important as the business of the day are an essential part of our programme. Strangely though, festivals are not currently seen as a priority area for public funding, particularly in comparison with the experience of our European friends. BAFA’s long term aim is to change that perception. Yes, a number of individual festivals across the country are significant recipients of Arts Council largesse, but if you look at the wider impact of festivals across the country, whatever the genre, whatever the art form focus, festivals increasingly feature as part of people’s lives across the country and throughout the year. Whilst dealing with as wide a range of issues as ever, the purpose of this conference is to enthuse, to tool up and to motivate members of festivals across the country of all shapes and sizes, but do please join in the debate about the importance of spreading the net and of welcoming in and embracing festivals of different colours and hues. We may all beaver away month in month out in our different parts of the country, but we are part of a huge movement doing great work that isn’t always recognised. Let’s celebrate that and commit to raising the festival flag ever higher… Good wishes and enjoy! Stewart Collins Chair, BAFA
2009 BAFA CONFERENCE PARTNER
FEI is a specialist consultancy that provides advice and project management for festivals, local authorities and public agencies who wish to use festivals and events to achieve their ambitions. FEI was created in 2007 by senior executives from the Edinburgh and Brighton Festivals and involves a number of Associates with many years experience of small and large scale public events. More information can be found at www.feiuk.com FEI launches its new Festival Health Check and Peer Review service at the 2009 BAFA Conference on Thursday 15 October.
2009 BAFA CONFERENCE SPONSOR
Artifax is a leading provider of administrative software to the performing arts, and has been supplying solutions to festivals, concert halls, theatres, agents and orchestras across the world for over 21 years. Our festival client list includes Edinburgh International Festival, Manchester International Festival, Bergen International Festival, Bregenz International Festival, Salzburg Festival, Belfast Festival at Queen’s, Queensland Music Festival and BBC Proms, and we are proud to welcome both Holland Festival and the Cheltenham Festivals group as new clients. Our flagship product Artifax Event provides an at-a-glance calendar with revealing levels of detail so that every event and activity can be easily viewed and managed. Artifax Event enables the quick programming of standard events and activities with the use of templates, and provides event copy/paste functionality for the quick replication of bookings. When used with the Artifax Guest module, the unique itineraries of guests, artists, and organisations can be stored and tracked, with schedules, invoices and contract reports available at the touch of a button. Information is recorded just once and simply recycled for all of your paperwork, saving time and ensuring accuracy. Further information can be found at www.artifax.net
PROFESSIONAL CONSULTATIONS In the main conference reception room, several companies will be available for consultation:
Festivals & Events International
Artifax
La Playa: Insurance with Intelligence La Playa is BAFA’s specialist insurance partner, working with us to secure better rates through bulk purchase and tailor-made covered specially for festivals. La Playa is one of the leading performing arts insurance brokers; with many years’ experience in the field, they really understand how festivals work. As well as providing a specialist festival insurance policy, they can support you with professional advice on your particular risk exposures and the covers you do (and don’t) need. www.laplaya.co.uk La Playa at the BAFA Conference Chartered insurance broker Paula Hawthorne is here at the Conference, and is on hand to talk through any insurance queries on the spot – just book a slot with her or catch her on the hoof! Don’t miss the opportunity! SPEKTRIX Spektrix is an innovative, cost-effective and easy to use hosted ticketing solution. We provide a full set of features for managing your box office and customer base, as well as the ability to seamlessly integrate online sales into your existing website and perform targeted marketing. Find out more and sign up for a demo at www.spektrix.com.
FRANK! FESTIVALS Frank! Festivals is the brainchild of Jo Weatherall and Alison Thomas. They decided to combine their 40 years¹ marketing experience doing something they love: creating bespoke, integrated communication strategies across any channel for any live event. Frank! Festivals offers a hub of expertise from a network of professionals who are dedicated to achieving the success your festival deserves.
2009 BAFA CONFERENCE HOST
WEDNESDAY 14 OCTOBER 2009 See all the venues on the map previously emailed and on the back page of the Festival Programme.
16.00-17.00
Welcome Tea Party Say you are with BAFA and help The Times Café yourself to complimentary tea Imperial Gardens and cakes. Cheltenham GL50 1QA
Imperial Square is the hub of the Cheltenham Literature Festival, with the Main Hall and Pillar Room located in the Town Hall, and the Garden Theatre, Book It! Tent, Inkpot and The Times Café in Imperial Gardens. 17.00-17.30
17.30
The Times Café Conference Welcome
Stewart Collins, BAFA Chair
Host Festival Focus
Donna Renney, Chief Executive, Cheltenham Festivals
The Times Café Collect Festival Events tickets from BAFA Staff
17.30-18.30 Free time to explore the festival site including the Festival Book Tent also located in Imperial Gardens and to find your way to your selected Festival Event.
FESTIVAL EVENT OPTIONS Details reproduced from the Festival Programme Select which event you want to attend and collect your complimentary ticket from the BAFA Staff in The Times Café after the speeches A:18.30-19.30 Main Hall James Martin ‘From Saturday Kitchen to Strictly Come Dancing, Chef James Martin presents his new collection of seasonal recipes, A Year at Home. With inspiring new ideas, he talks home cooking and will be preparing a recipe live on stage.’ B:18.30-19.30 The Everyman Theatre John Carey on William Golding ‘The work of Nobel Laureate William Golding, from the seminal Lord of the Flies to the remarkable Rites of Passage, has been read and studied around the globe. Renowned literary critic John Carey looks at the authors th life and discusses one of the 20 century’s foremost authors.’ C:19.00-20.00 The Inkpot Peter Millar 1989: The Fall of the Wall ‘Well known for his fascinating reports on the latter days of the Cold War for The Sunday Times, Peter Millar speaks about his first-hand experience of the political and social turmoil of this extraordinary period in the newlyreunited city’s history, vividly described in his new book 1989: The Berlin Wall.’ Following your own plans for dinner, meet up again either at the Festival Club or the Conference Pub: 23.00-late
Festival Club Slak 16 Bath Street Cheltenham GL50 1YE ‘Take a spin on the dance floor as DJ Jonnie Connelly spins his desks. A funking good time to be had by all!’ Open all hours Conference Pub – opposite the Playhouse Theatre Bath Tavern 68 Bath Road Cheltenham GL53 7JT
THURSDAY 15 OCTOBER 2009 All conference events today take place at The Playhouse Theatre unless noted otherwise. The Playhouse Theatre 49-51 Bath Rd Cheltenham GL53 7HG For backstage visits today to the Cheltenham Literature Festival and 1:2:1 discussions with the Cheltenham Festivals Team, please see the table following today’s detailed programme. Details on all the speakers (and their workshops if marked with a *) can be found at the end of the programme.
09.00-10.00
Registration, Workshop Session Selection, Coffee
Playhouse Lounge Bar & Greenroom
10.00-10.15
Conference Welcome
Stewart Collins, BAFA Chair
Are we sitting comfortably? The future of festivals…
Graham Sheffield, Artistic Director, Barbican, London
11.15-11.45
Coffee
Playhouse Greenroom
11.45-11.55
Festival Health Check
Festivals & Events International
10.15-11.15
Playhouse Auditorium
Playhouse Auditorium
Playhouse Auditorium
Festival Health Check – how’s your festival performing? Is your programme up to scratch? Are you attracting enough visitors? How’s your sponsorship income? FEI launches its new Festival Health check and Peer Review service which provides both quantitive and qualitative information for the board, management or stakeholders to assess the organisation’s progress against a set of key performance indicators. Undertaken by recognised festival experts this is a detailed yet compact piece of research suitable for all scales of festivals and events. GROUP ONE: MULTI CHOICE WORKSHOPS: 11.55-12.45 These four workshops will run concurrently Check notices for which room A: Festival Health Check James Waters, Director, Festivals & Events International Jo Tuffs, Director, Festival Focus Broadstairs Folk Week B: Educational Collaborations Charlotte Spencer, Head of Learning – a working example & Participation, Manchester Camerata Tracy Lynn, Director, Festival Focus Chester Festivals C: What Festivals can learn Jo Weatherall & Alison Thomas, from Vogue – a marketing Founders, case study Frank! Festivals Henry Milward, Treasurer, Festival Focus Much Wenlock Festival Society D: Successful fundraising: Alex Jelly, Fundraising Consultant, How to stand out from the Management Centre crowd 12.45-13.45
Lunch
Playhouse Greenroom
GROUP TWO: MULTI CHOICE WORKSHOPS: 13.45-14.35 These four workshops will run concurrently
BEHIND THE SCENES AT THE CHELTENHAM LITERATURE FESTIVAL Choices will have been pre-selected, but please check for any spaces still remaining. The venues are all in Cheltenham. Thursday 15 October BAFA Conference 10.15-11.15 Graham Sheffield, Barbican 11.55-12.45 Workshops A: Health Check B: Education C: Marketing D: Fundraising 12.45-13.45 Lunch
13.45-14.35 Workshops A: Programming B: Visas & Immigration C: Arts Marketing D: PRS Foundation Funding Applications 14.50-15.30 Cultural Olympiad Inspire Projects
16.00-17.00 Tim Smit, Eden Project
1:2:1’s
12.00-12.45 Pete Riley, Web Manager Using open source software to build and enhance your website 13.00-13.45 Steve Burgess, Science Festival Development Manager Dealing with major corporate sponsors what works and what doesn't in times of austerity 14.00-14.45 Rachel Cramp, Music and Jazz Festival Manager Communicating with your audiences 15.00-15.45 Gina Hodgkinson, Science Festival Co-ordinator Managing volunteers and their expectations
Education
Debating Matters 13.15-14.20 Round 1 14.30-15.35 Round 2 16.00-17.30 Final Sixth form students debating competition with the winners going through to the next round of the Institute of Ideas Debating Matters competition, which is supported by a Wellcome Trust Engaging Science Society Award. Philippa Claridge and Nicola Tuxworth from the festival education team will be available to discuss this project and its inclusion in the festival programme since 2004.
FRIDAY 16 OCTOBER 2009 All conference events today take place at The Playhouse Theatre unless noted otherwise. The Playhouse Theatre 49-51 Bath Rd Cheltenham GL53 7HG For backstage visits today to the Cheltenham Literature Festival and 1:2:1 discussions with the Cheltenham Festivals Team, please see the table following today’s detailed programme. Details on all the speakers (and their workshops if marked with a *) can be found at the end of the programme.
09.00-10.00
Registration, Workshop Session Selection, Coffee
Playhouse Lounge Bar & Greenroom
10.00-10.15
Conference Welcome
Stewart Collins, BAFA Chair
10.15-11.10
BAFA DEBATE How was it for you? BAFA Executive members answer questions and offer advice on issues relating to the current financial crisis
Stewart Collins, BAFA Chair Joanna Baker, Managing Director, Edinburgh International Festival, Dan Whitfield, Head of Artistic Planning, Aldeburgh Music George Vass, Artistic Director, Presteigne and Ham & High Festivals Sian Thomas, Director of Celebrations, Winchester Hat Fair Playhouse Auditorium
11.10-11.35
Coffee
Playhouse Greenroom
Playhouse Auditorium
11.35-12.25: GROUP THREE: MULTI CHOICE WORKSHOPS These four workshops will run concurrently Check notices for which room A: The Benefits of Creativity Professor Anne Bamford Director of Cultural Programmes, Creativity, Culture & Education B: The Evolving Festival Faith Liddell, Director, Edinburgh Festivals Nick Dodds, Director, Festivals & Events International Paula Sanchez, Development Festival Focus Director, Norfolk & Norwich Festival C: *Friends who needs em! Paul Scott, Theatre Administrator, Friends/Supporters Schemes The Playhouse Theatre Glyn Foley, Chief Executive, Festival Focus Buxton Festival D: Update meeting Led by: specifically for those Nod Knowles, Chief Executive, festivals who currently Bath Festivals provide concerts for BBC broadcasts. 12.25-13.15: GROUP FOUR: MULTI CHOICE WORKSHOPS These four workshops will run concurrently Check notices for which room A: *The Importance of Holly Payton, Managing Director, International World Festival Network Communication B: Gift Aid - get your share of Lee Grant, Project Manager,
BEHIND THE SCENES AT THE CHELTENHAM LITERATURE FESTIVAL Choices will have been pre-selected, but please check for any spaces still remaining. The venues are all in Cheltenham. Friday 16 October BAFA Conference 10.15-11.10 BAFA DEBATE 11.10-12.25 Workshops A: Creativity B: Evolving Festival C: Friends/Supporters D: BBC3 12.25-13.15 Workshops A: International Communication B: Community Engagement C: Gift Aid D: PRS Licensing 13.15-14.15 Lunch 14.15-15.40 Mixing it Up
16.00-17.00 Cheltenham Lecture 17.00-17.30 Farewell Reception & Conference Roundup
1:2:1’s
11.00-11.45 Holly Traynor, Music Festival Organiser Festival Catering Fed Up? 12.00-12.45 Gina Hodgkinson, Science Festival Co-ordinator Running events which include demonstrations - for children and/or adults 13.00-13.45 Fenner Curtis, Web and Marketing Assistant Using social networking sites for promotion
Education Times will be arranged to suit the project. Gifted & Talented Workshop ‘How to write Comedy’ led by Tony Bradman. Nicola Tuxworth from the Festival Education team will be available to talk about this project and there will be a chance to observe for a short period as well.
SPEAKERS INFORMATION Names are listed in alphabetical order * indicates additional information about their workshop Joanna Baker Joanna Baker is the Managing Director of the Edinburgh International Festival. She joined the Festival in 1992 as Marketing and Public Affairs Director; prior to that she worked for Welsh National Opera and for Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet. Public/voluntary appointments include serving as a member of the Scottish Arts Council from 2000 – 2006, chairing its Dance Committee from 2000 – 2004 and serving as Vice Chair in 2005/2006. She is a member of the Court of Queen Margaret University, a Director and current Chair of Festivals Edinburgh, on the board of the Festival City Theatres Trust and an Executive Committee member of BAFA. Anne Bamford Professor Anne Bamford is Director of Cultural Programmes at new national organisation Creativity, Culture and Education (CCE). The organisation aims to transform the lives of children and families by harnessing the potential of creative learning and cultural opportunity to enhance their aspirations, achievements and skills. Anne oversees some of CCE’s core programmes including Find Your Talent, the government’s pilot cultural offer and Prevent, a programme designed to engage vulnerable individuals who may be being targeted or recruited to the cause of violent extremism. Anne joins CCE on a year’s secondment from her role as Director of the Engine Room at the University of the Arts London. Anne has been recognised nationally and internationally for her research in arts education, emerging literacies and visual communication. She is an expert in the international dimension of arts and cultural education and through her research, she has pursued issues of innovation, social impact and equity and diversity. A World Scholar for UNESCO, Anne has conducted major national impact and evaluation studies for the governments of Denmark, The Netherlands, Belgium, Iceland, Hong Kong and Australia and was awarded the Australian Institute for Educational Research, Outstanding Educational Research Award for 2002 and short listed for the British Female Innovator of the Year in 2006. Jo Bousfield
Jo Bousfield has worked professionally in community-based theatre for over 30 years. After studying at Dartington College of Arts in the 70's she co-ran Dr Fosters, a theatre company based in Gloucestershire for 23 years that toured self-devised, pithy popular shows to village halls, art centres, schools and the open air, as well as running copious participative drama projects in the county. Currently she works part-time as Gloucestershire's theatre development co-ordinator and is a free lance writer, director, and actor. She directed Taurus Voice Theatre Co in 'A Sleepwalk On The Severn' - a physical and vocal stage version of Alice Oswald's poem commissioned for the Severn Project. Meurig Bowen Meurig Bowen has been Director of the Cheltenham Music Festival since 2007. A music graduate of King’s College, Cambridge, he has worked for the Australian Chamber Orchestra (Artistic Administrator), Lichfield Festival (Director), Aldeburgh Music (Head of Programming) and Serious/London Jazz Festival. Alongside, he has written extensively on music, for programme and CD liner notes, and in publications such as The Guardian, Daily Telegraph, Sydney Morning Herald and BBC Music Magazine. Graham Breakwell Graham Breakwell, and his partner Angie, jointly run Access All Areas, a West Midlands based music agency representing a select roster of eclectic, authentic, roots music artists from all over the World. The agency offers many years of experience and knowledge of representation and management, venue programming, festival organisation, arts promotion and tour production. Full details may be found by visiting www.accessallareas.info *UKBA Sponsor – Visa Workshop The agency is an A-rated Home Office UKBA Sponsor, licensed to issue Certificates of Sponsorship to Tier 5 migrants within the Points Based System. Stewart Collins For more than ten years Stewart Collins traveled the world with the singing group Cantabile. On leaving the group he enjoyed a period as a broadcaster, also writing extensively for a range of magazines and journals ranging from The Guardian to Punch via Classical Music. He has authored a number of stage performances and multi-media spectacles, hosted numerous ‘in conversation’ events with subjects as varied as Vladimir Ashkenazy and Christopher Biggins, and he also presents concerts for a number of UK orchestras. Recently elected BAFA Chair, the majority of his time is now spent as Artistic Director of the Henley and Chelsea Festivals and the Holders Season Barbados. In total he has directed 38 festivals in
five locations. He lost his first novel thanks to a major computer glitch and has yet to write his second.
Louisa Davison Louisa Davison has worked in arts marketing for over ten years and runs public relations and marketing company Secret Agent Marketing with her husband, Pete. Her previous clients include Cheltenham Festivals, The Corn Exchange Newbury, Swindon Borough Council Arts Services, and Kennet Valley Arts Trust. She loves developing audiences across the spectrum of arts, particularly visual arts, theatre, family arts, contemporary music and dance, and community arts. Her current project is co-founding and organising a co-operative called We Love Marlborough, which promotes the arts, works with practitioners and creates new events in the Wiltshire market town. For more information log on to www.secretagentmarketing.com and www.welovemarlborough.co.uk Nick Dodds Nick Dodds is Managing Director of FEI - Festivals and Events International – a consultancy and project management company www.feiuk.com . He is past Chairman of the British Arts Festivals Association and the International Festival and Events Association - Europe. He was Chief Executive of Brighton Dome and Brighton Festival from 2000 to 2008. For 10 years prior to this he was Administrative Director of the Edinburgh International Festival. Here he created The Hub, Edinburgh’s Festival Centre in the heart of the world heritage site. Nick is currently advising a number of cities in the UK and internationally on how to use cultural festivals to raise profile, attract cultural visitors and generate positive benefits for a region. Lee Grant Lee is responsible for championing tax-effective giving throughout England. This includes supporting charities through an annual programme of training workshops, preparing updates and toolkits for small charities and facilitating a dedicated tax-effective giving telephone helpline, online forum and website. Formerly, Fundraising Manager at PDSA, Lee has five years’ previous experience of community fundraising, project management, volunteer recruitment and management and marketing. James Hannam
James Hannam is Applications Manager at the PRS Foundation for New Music, overseeing the grant making process and representing the Foundation at external events. He is also a music journalist, regularly contributing live reviews to The Fly magazine and blogging for US dance music website Beatportal. Before starting at PRSF, James worked for Youth Music and also taught Music Technology at universities and schools. Alex Jelly Alex has been fundraising for over ten years ago and is experienced in strategic corporate, trust, community and particularly major donor fundraising. She has worked in-house for charities including Shelter, CARE International, Addaction and Green Alliance, and has managed major capital and endowment campaigns including a £20m campaign for the RSA. She has also spent time serving as a trustee and enjoys working with boards to enhance the fundraising potential of their organisations. Faith Liddell Faith Liddell is an experienced director, producer and project manager who has worked in key strategic and creative roles across theatre, literature, music, film and visual arts for the last fifteen years specialising predominantly in the creation and development of festivals and festivalbased programmes. Her work has included Project Management for the National Short Story Campaign and Prize and producing for the National Theatre of Scotland. Other roles have included Director of Dundee Contemporary Arts, Scotland’s leading centre for contemporary art and film, Project Manager for the Scottish Playwrights’ Studio Development Project, Director of the Edinburgh International Book Festival and Marketing Manager for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. In January 2007 she took up the role of Director of Festivals Edinburgh, a new organisation, created by the Directors of Edinburgh 12 major festivals to take the lead on their joint strategic development and to sustain Edinburgh’s pre-eminence as the world’s leading festival destination. She is a Trustee of the Dewar Arts Awards and a Visiting Professor of Festivals and Events Management at Edinburgh Napier University. Tracy Lynn Tracy is now in her 11th year in marketing and events, with specific knowledge in festivals and events. She has been directly involved with two of the biggest events that visited the North West in recent years, Manchester Commonwealth Games and Liverpool's Capital of Culture. Tracy’s last role was working for one of the sponsors of the Capital of Culture and activating their sponsorship throughout Liverpool and Merseyside. Tracy is currently the Director of Chester Festivals and enjoying working in the city she also lives in and delivering a full and engaging cultural programme.
Debbie Mulloy Debbie Mulloy is the Commercial Director of Public Performance Sales at PRS for Music. Debbie joined the licensing organisation in 2006, having previously worked for 10 years in wholesale telecoms at ntl (now Virgin Media). For the last 4 of those years, Debbie was Head of Voice Interconnect, responsible for telephony costs and commercial relationships with other telecom companies and Ofcom. At PRS for Music, Debbie commenced a three year review of all public performance tariffs and has introduced a customer consultation process for tariffs and the new Code of Practice. Debbie says, “My role at PRS for Music is to bridge the gap between music creators and music users, and make sure both sides get a fair deal. Talking to our customers – from large and small organisations – is vital to understanding their needs and making sure we get the right balance. Helen Owen Helen Owen moved to Gloucestershire to take up the role of County Arts Development Officer in 1987, after a previous career in publishing. She advises the Council on funding to the arts sector to support community and education work; provides information, advice and guidance, especially on fundraising, and seeks to promote Gloucestershire arts to local people and visitors. Helen says, “The contact with artists and practitioners is the best part of my job – it keeps me sane when the Council bureaucracy gets me down!” Helen is a keen attender of Cheltenham Festivals, and likes to get to other arts festivals when she can. Severn Project 2009 is the first major scale outdoor arts event she has promoted - she confesses it was a steep learning curve, but very rewarding. Holly Payton Holly has worked in the festival business since 2001 setting up and managing the Brighton Fringe, Venue Director and in senior management team of Edinburgh Fringe. She has travelled the world meeting festival managers and given support to new Fringe Festivals in the UK, USA and Europe. Holly is on the Brighton Fringe Board of Directors, Steering committee of Oxford Fringe, advisory committee of Hollywood Fringe and a member of IFEA, BAFA and has strong links with CAFF. Holly is now in the development stages of the World Festival Network - an online tool for festivals from Management to performers, audiences and media, suppliers and travel. *International Festival Communication Workshop Discussion about how festivals communicate outside the UK. Who do they speak to, how do they find them, what are the difficulties, why is it
important, how could international relations be made easier? Discuss how your festival speaks to the world and listen to others about their experiences.
Caroline Peacock Caroline has worked in the Arts sector for over 20 years and really enjoys working in a multi arts environment. Before joining Salisbury International Arts Festival she worked for 7 years at the South Bank Centre, London. Caroline started at the SBC in a new role created to monitor and report on programme spend and over time progressed to Manager of the Event Planning Dept, running a team of 8 Event Co-ordinators. After a year traveling and working abroad Caroline returned to England and joined the Festival team in Salisbury and currently works part time as Festival Manager, a role that includes artistic, administrative and management elements. Her role at SIAF is wide-ranging and varied and has evolved over the time that she has worked for the company. Donna Renney In the early 80’s Donna Renney worked in Paris for international American lawyers before returning to England to run the family racing and eventing business for almost 10 years while bringing up her son. She went on to work at what is now the University of Gloucestershire as Head of Development and Alumni Relations after a spell in academic quality assurance and working on the case for the then higher education college’s bid for university status. Donna joined the Festivals part-time in 2001 to help develop the fledgling science festival whilst also working as a regional fundraiser for an educational charity in Oxford focusing on ethnic minority women’s education. Donna was appointed Head of Development at Cheltenham Festivals in 2002 and Chief Executive in 2006. Kenneth Richardson St Andrews University graduate. Planning Assistant Scottish Opera; Royal Opera Company Manager; Royal Opera General Manager; founded The Royal Opera's Garden Venture; Artistic Director Dublin Grand Opera; Arts Director Barbican Centre. Freelance since 1994 assignments include: Director Covent Garden Festival; 2002 Arts Director Chicago Humanities Festival; Associate Director Greenwich Theatre; Director 2008 Temple Festival; Executive Producer of Temple Music. Directing credits include Carousel, The Second Mrs Kong; Death in Venice; Oklahoma!; Eight Songs for a Mad King, The Knot Garden. The Adventures of Mr Broucek. Broadcast writing credits include The Starlight Express; He who gets
slapped. A translator and has also recently begun to create and design websites. Trustee of both Streetwise Opera and Tête à Tête Opera and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
Paula Sanchez Spent 7 years as LA officer community arts and events Production for outdoor work and CE Business development director at third sector organisation in a seriously deprived community in Norwich (top 10% nationally multi index depr) – social regeneration, non-mainstream education for under and post 16’s, access to music centre, community college and community radio station (www.futureprojects.org.uk) Project managed capital development and major organisational development as part of the Investing in Communities Norfolk programme (East of England Development Agency). This was essential a CE charity. Have recently taken up post at NNF and have lead on organisational development – particularly looking at how CE development fits within the festival Have worked with Lia Gilhardi and the LA on a Cultural Planning (essentially arts and culture led CE – full extreme of CE i.e. empowerment and full participation) approach to the LSP *Community Engagement Workshop What does community engagement mean for festivals? This session will take a closer look at what it could mean for a festival and then a chance to explore your existing programme; identify what you are already doing and how you could talk differently about other areas of your existing work to help you contribute to the community engagement agenda. Paul Scott Paul Scott is theatre administrator at The Playhouse, having previously been an internal communications consultant and editor for a number of major companies including Eagle Star, Zurich Insurance, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Fleming Private Banking. He has also been acting and directing at the theatre since 1998 and is artistic director of Ad Hoc Theatre Company. *The Playhouse Theatre The Playhouse began life in 1806 as Henry Thompson’s Montpellier Baths and Salts Manufactory, becoming a swimming pool and slipper baths in 1898, before being converted into a theatre in 1945. Managed by the council for the first 12 years, it has been run almost entirely by volunteers since 1957 and became a registered charity in 1999. The Grade-II listed
building, home to a number of amateur dramatic companies, is still owned by the council but is leased to the charity at a peppercorn rent and, aside from an annual grant of £5,700, is completely self-financing. The auditorium and green room were refurbished in 2008 at a cost of £350,000.
Graham Sheffield Graham Sheffield has been Artistic Director of the Barbican since 1995. He leads the development of artistic vision, policy and strategy across the art forms in Europe’s largest integrated multi arts centre – music, drama, dance, cinema, spoken word and the visual arts. He also leads the marketing, new media and customer experience departments. Under his vision, the Barbican has become one of the most innovative and diverse centres in the arts world: he was responsible for launching the pioneering BITE international theatre season in 1998 and directed the year long Inventing America festival, as well as the introduction of the groundbreaking multi-media series Only Connect. Charlotte Spencer Charlotte Spencer studied composition at Glasgow University. Since graduating in 2001 she has worked in education roles with the Philharmonia Orchestra, Trinity College of Music, Opera North, and Manchester Camerata, where she has been Head of Learning and Participation since 2006. Alison Thomas Alison is co-founder of Frank! Festivals a new communications agency formed with the single-minded goal of creating innovative, integrated marketing strategies that will enhance your festival¹s overall audience experience. She brings 18 years¹ experience in the publishing industry, working as an editor and strategic planner across print and online media. She also writes and publishes Brighton¹s Arty Magazine and is committed to driving support for the artistic and creative community. Alison is especially interested in branding both launching new brands and reenergising existing brands to provide differentiation and provoke interest in an increasingly competitive marketplace. Sian Thomas Sian Thomas is Director of Celebrations ( Chief exec and Artistic Director) for Hat Fair in Winchester. Hat Fair is a Festival of Street Theatre now in its th 35 year. The festival presents a programme of small to large-scale shows and commissions new work and is motivated by artist development. Hat Fair is a founder member of the Without Walls street Arts consortium and is
a partner of ZEPA (Zone European Project Artistic). Sian sits on the boards of Independent Street Arts Network and British Arts Festivals Association.
Jo Tuffs Festival Director of Broadstairs Folk Week the south-east’s largest folk festival, from 2003 to present; previously Marketing and Outreach coordinator for Canterbury Festival for 9 years. Other incarnations outside the festival world include establishing a Creative Events Consultancy at the University of Kent in Medway; Cultural Tourism co-ordinator for East Kent Initiative; creating self-drive holidays for P&O customers around Europe; TEFL teacher; writing for travel magazines; currently facilitating a co-operation between the University of Kent Drama Dept and the Moscow Arts Theatre A fervent Russophile too. George Vass George Vass was born in Staffordshire and studied at the Birmingham Conservatoire and the Royal Academy of Music; he made his professional conducting debut at St John's Smith Square, London at the age of twentytwo. As artistic director of the Regent Sinfonia of London and Orchestra Nova he has appeared at many of the United Kingdom's premier concert halls and festivals. As a guest conductor he has worked with groups including the Ulster Orchestra, Amsterdams Promenade Orkest, Joyful Company of Singers, London Mozart Players, Malmö Opera Orchestra, Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra, and Oxford Orchestra da Camera. He has broadcast for BBC Radio 3 and Channel 4 television. George Vass was appointed artistic director of the critically acclaimed Presteigne Festival in 1992 and held a similar position with London’s respected Hampstead and Highgate Festival from 2004 until 2009. In his dual career as conductor and festival director, George Vass maintains a strong interest in the performance of contemporary music, and, over the last nineteen years has commissioned and premiered a variety of new works from leading composers including David Matthews, John McCabe, Cecilia McDowall, Paul Patterson, Adrian Williams and Hugh Wood. In March 2000 George Vass was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music. His continually growing discography includes several recordings of British composers.
James Waters James was Associate Festival Director of the Edinburgh International Festival from 1992 to 2006 where he worked with Sir Brian McMaster to devise and implement the Festival’s annual programme. This included all aspects of programming 175 + events each year. James has delivered multinational, cross-art form projects involving diverse partners and has built long-term working relationships with performing companies and individual artists of the highest international standing. Now a consultant he is a founder director of Festivals and Events International for whom recent and current clients include both Birmingham and Newcastle City Councils. He is also an assessor for the National Performing Companies Unit of the Scottish Government and lectures at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh. Jo Weatherall Jo is a founder of Frank! Festivals a specialist communications agency committed to working with festivals to ensure their marketing is not just as effective as possible, but is a genuine part of the audience experience. Her marketing career has spanned over 20 years, working with clients that range from blue chip corporates, to retailers, the voluntary sector, charities and festivals. For the past five years, Jo has worked closely with the Brighton Festival Fringe, gaining valuable insight into the workings of a major UK open access festival. She combines the understanding of how to engage an audience with an ability to deliver innovative materials that will be remembered long after the event is over. Dan Whitfield Dan Whitfield is Head of Artistic Planning at Aldeburgh Music, co-ordinating the Aldeburgh Festival and programming the Snape Proms and the yearround calendar of events at Snape Maltings. Previous jobs at Scottish Chamber Orchestra and The Sage Gateshead have given him a taste for programming for orchestras and venues and a penchant for Britain’s east coast. He has been a member of the BAFA executive board for the past year.