Vol.05 Why Festival Congress Matters

There’s no doubt about it, 2024 was a tumultuous for the UK’s independent festival industry. After a year of unprecedented highs and lows for the UK’s independent festival industry, the need for coming together has never been greater.

Some shows saw the fastest sellouts but for others it meant cancellations or fallow year decisions. Despite these challenges, the sector has shown remarkable resilience. Membership in AIF has now reached record levels. If you didn’t hear the news, we are now over 145 festivals and 1 million audience capacity strong, which reflects our determination to navigate these tough times together and thrive.

It is within this tumultuous context that we look forward to our flagship gathering, Festival Congress 2025. We are returning bigger and stronger than ever with our most innovative program to date dedicated to supporting and empowering festival organisers.

Taking place at the iconic Bristol Beacon on Wednesday 5th February 2025, this event promises to be a vital hub for collaboration, education, and innovation within the independent festival community. ?

It is an opportunity to witness our strength in numbers and the sheer resilience, creativity, and camaraderie that keeps us all going.

A packed program to inspire and tackle key challenges

Supported by headline sponsor Citizen Ticket and other key partners like Azorra, Tysers Live, Tixel, PRS for Music, and Togather, Festival Congress 2025 is designed to address the most pressing issues facing independent festival promoters today.

Straight from the horse’s mouth.

There’s nothing more beneficial than hearing from real-life examples, so Tysers Live Insurance and Azorra Legal will lead a panel with an independent promoter sharing invaluable insights from their 2024 festival event. They’ll be divulging exactly how they overcame some incredible challenges and sharing how the right (or wrong) support can make or break an event. You don’t want to miss it.

We will get excited too about new events and new ideas for 2025. We’ve got a panel of festival organisers who have saved events from closure, are starting brand new events (including one which will launch at Congress), or are returning from fallow years. They’ll be talking us through what changes they’ve made, what ideas will propel their events and how festivals need to adapt in 2025.

The biggest reason to attend is to meet one another.

Every year we hear from festivals that the greatest value comes from being able to share a day with other independent promoters and their teams. To hear each other’s struggles, and to share new ideas.

There’s nothing like a hive mind to tackle challenges and find collective solutions.

We’re not just a sector, we’re a community, and forging new connections is the lifeblood for many of us. This underpins our theme for 2025 - If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.

To help with this, we’re adding a second speed networking session. You need to register your interest in speed networking in advance HERE and then you’ll be allocated one of the two sessions.

We’re going to be deep-diving into current problems and expanding our imaginations to find and create the solutions we’re all looking for.

We move into 2025 together, stronger.

At Festival Congress we will launch new schemes and programmes that enable independent festivals to work together to bring in new revenue and reduce costs.

We will also present our new policy priorities for the Governments of the four nations and we will champion independence in a way that we’ve never done before. ?

At AIF, we want independent festivals to be on the front foot for industry changes. So, we’ve created a series of forward-thinking sessions that will cover exciting, emerging ideas on topics such as degrowth and universal basic income and bolster enthusiasm for the value of independence.

We also want organisers to be empowered with information about any implications from future legislation. We’ve planned a panel to guide you through the latest on the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill (aka Martyn’s Law) to help you get up to speed on the practical actions that can be taken now.

Festival teams can pre-book free 1-2-1s with legal team Azorra - who can help answer questions, offer legal support, or just put faces to names. Sign up for a meeting HERE.

PRS for Music will be on site too, and you can pre-book a 1-2-1 with their team to help answer questions you may have about rights licensing or about the collection process. Sign up for a meeting with them HERE.

We’re also adding three new bespoke networking sessions through the day. One for multi-venue festival organisers, one for Welsh festival organisers, and one for event production agencies. Each has its own time slot, and you can just turn up to meet with others in your field.

Our post-conference after-party returns at Lost Horizons, and will allow conversations to roll into the night. Street food for delegates will be provided courtesy of sponsor Togather, and late-night entertainment will be announced in the coming days.

Expanding opportunities for the next generation.

In a new addition for 2025, Festival Congress extends into a second day to include emerging talent in partnership with BIMM and Big Team.

What’s better than a good conversation over coffee? Not much. The Connection Sessions will provide an opportunity for independent festivals and suppliers to meet with each other and a handpicked cohort of 20 young emerging talents over a free networking brunch. Festivals and suppliers wanting to attend can register their interest HERE.

Then, BIMM and BIG TEAM will host the Future Festival Sessions. This fireside chat made up of four independent festival organisers hosted by Cat Kevern (NOWIE) will be a chance for the emerging talent of tomorrow to learn from four independent festival promoters.

Students, young professionals, and those wanting to break into festivals who wish to express an interest in attending this free panel can register HERE.

Be proud of being independent.

We have seen record cancellations in 2024 - 78 - but we also have some incredible stories to celebrate. AIF membership has grown to record numbers despite the hardship, and the independent festival community is taking on the struggles and overcoming, we will fight on regardless. And we will thrive as long as we continue to stand together.

The Festival Congress stands as the cornerstone of our year — a moment to connect, share ideas, and spark new collaborations. But beyond the conversations and talks, it’s our greatest opportunity to pause, reflect, and celebrate the unwavering tenacity and boundless creativity of the incredible individuals who make this community such an inspiring and vibrant place to be.

Be part of it. Register here.

We can’t wait to see you there.

John, Phoebe and the AIF Team

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