Access All Areas February 2019 | Page 7

FEBRUARY | AGENDA Quote of the month: “A window into the mind of a con artist, the insiduous charm of the fraudster and how they can capture our imaginations and our investment...” Fyre Fraud directors Jenner Furst and Julia Willoughby Nelson on Fyre Festival’s Billy McFarland Field Day announces 2019 line-up Field Day has announced the first wave of artists for its 2019 edition, taking place 7-8 June 2019 in Meridian Water, North London. Skepta, Jorja Smith, Diplo, Pusha T, Bonobo, Earl Sweatshirt and many more have been booked for the festival, which is moving to a new location this year. Its will now take place in a series of linked indoor warehouses, as opposed to Brockwell Park in South London. Skepta will be making his only festival appearance of the summer at Field Day, and it will serve as a homecoming gig as he hails from Meridian Walk Estate in Tottenham. There will also be house music courtesy of The Black Madonna, Seth Troxler, George Fitzgerald and more. Printworks will also be collaborating on a specially-curated stage showcasing the most exciting acts in the underground electronic scene today. Field Day co-founder Tom Baker said: “This really is a new and exciting chapter for Field Day. Our new home is arguably one of the most dynamic sites in the country, with a line-up that is typically eclectic and diverse as ever before. “I’m thrilled about the return of Skepta, who back in 2016 played to one of the biggest crowds we’ve ever had at Field Day. “Saturday’s headliner, the brilliant Jorja Smith, will be truly sensational, and Diplo’s sets are just absolute dance frenzied seamless brilliance. They’ll be alongside rising artists Pip Blom, MorMor, Boy Azooga and the return of Deerhunter with an excellent new album, too.” The art of balancing creativity and commerce Deborah Armstrong, founder of event design company Strong & Co, has curated an awesome EPS line-up The need to balance creative with commercial is something that many of us in events can relate to. As a Creator it’s important for me to feel that I’m doing interesting, high-quality work. As a Producer I know that in order for that to survive and thrive its vital to balance the books. Over the last 20 years, the innovation and quality of creative content within the UK event industry has flourished, to the great benefit of the entire Creative Economy. At its best world-class Creators are supported by great Producers who understand that investing in creativity results in something that is not only magical but also uniquely valuable to the business of selling a show. On the flip side we have probably all seen the balance tipped to either extreme with poor results for people and projects. So the question I’ll be putting is not if the needs of creativity and commercial can be harmoniously balanced, but how. To assemble the panel I sought people who can inspire and teach from their different vantage points, who will share wins, losses and strategies for success: Producers risking all for the love of a gig; Creators who have overcome all financial and societal limitations; clients, the people within brands and Agencies that push further internally in order to take creative risks externally. I’d like us all to walk away a little wiser, so I feel fortunate that such interesting and experienced people have agreed to take part: • The Producer - Vince Power’s career spans almost 5 decades in the event industry and includes numerous festivals and venues, including Astoria, The Mean Fiddler, The Forum, The Jazz Café, Reading, Leeds, Homelands, Phoenix, The Fleadh, The Hop Farm, Benicassim and The Feis. • The Creator - Lyall Hakaraia is a Creator with involvement at both the loftiest and most underground levels of creativity. By day Lyall designs luxury couture for stars such as Lady Gaga in some of the worlds blingiest productions. By night he runs VFD, (aka Vogue Fabrics) an originator and incubator of queer arts and entertainment in Dalston, East London. • The Client – Sara Rhodes - one of my earliest Clients back in the noughties, she was one of the first people to book “weird creative” like us at Lost Vagueness at the time when she was the Head of Events at the Guardian and Observer Newspaper Group. She is now commercial events director at News UK. Name: The Art of Balancing Creativity and Commerce A Conversation between Deborah Armstrong, Vince Power, Sara Rhodes and Lyall Hakaraia. Moderated by Deborah Armstrong, Director of Strong & Co. Location: Event Production Show, Olympia Date: 27 February 2019 Time: 11.30 – 12.15 07