Access All Areas June 2022 | Page 5

Market intelligence for live event promoters and producers | March 2022

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JUNE | WELCOME
EDITOR Christopher Barrett
JUNIOR NEWS REPORTER Joe Gallop
DIGITAL & COMMUNITY EDITOR Cameron Roberts
SALES DIRECTOR James Linin
SALES MANAGER Joanne Knowles
PRODUCTION CONTROLLER Sabrina Boucher
PUBLISHING DIRECTOR Duncan Siegle
GRAPHIC DESIGNER Robert Fletcher
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As I write this , London Marathon Events is putting the finishing touches to Ride London . Weeks of planning , design and construction work are coming to an end ahead of the BBC ’ s Platinum Party at the Palace . The Queen ’ s Club is poised to welcome the Cinch Championships , and the biggest UK festival of all is just weeks away .
It is the beginning of a period of frenetic activity that ’ s set to last the whole summer , and a hugely refreshing change after the past two years . We are seeing new events being launched across the UK . In the festival sector alone , majors such as AEG and Live Nation have expanded their festival brands to additional sites and / or are launching huge new shows .
Meanwhile , the indie sector has also seen numerous launches ( p18 ). It is a huge wave of momentum , but there is no escaping the concerns around soaring costs , supply chain strain , and faltering consumer spending power . With that in mind , it is perhaps unsurprising that a growing number of festivals are coming unstuck . Recent cancellations include Leighton Live , Breakout in Fife , Bournemouth High Tide Festival , Northern Love in St Helens , Brainchild Festival in East Sussex , Festiva in Lancashire , and Newcastle ’ s Leazes Live and This is Tomorrow . It ’ s a hugely challenging time but , as always , there ’ s never a dull moment in this industry .
In this issue we focus on , and celebrate , the work of independent festival operators ; their resilience , determination , professionalism , and creativity ( p16 ). We explore a bold new stand-alone project from the team at Boomtown ( p12 ), speak to production manager James Brennan about the return of Secret Garden Party ( p22 ) after a five-year hiatus , and chart the 40-year history of one of the UK ’ s best-loved and longest standing independents , WOMAD ( p27 ).
I am sure many of you will be immersed in projects as you read this , so good luck and hopefully we will see you out there on a site somewhere soon .
Christopher Barrett , Editor
BALANCING ACT
TRANS EUROPE SUCCESS
Europe sees remarkable festival growth
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Weighing up the supply and demand disparity
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