Access All Areas March 2022 | Page 42

MARCH | FEATURE

There ’ s a storm coming

It was standing room only at the sold-out Festival Congress on 15 February , as Association of Independent Festivals CEO Paul Reed and a diverse selection of event specialists addressed the challenges and opportunities ahead

Many of the UK ’ s leading independent festival promoters , suppliers and production teams packed into Bristol ’ s M Shed venue to hear Association of Independent Festivals ( AIF ) CEO Paul Reed sum up the concerns of many by warning that the coming season would be hit by a supply chain crisis .

He said that while there was good reason for the widespread optimism throughout the sector , he warned workforce shortages and the impact of Brexit could create a “ perfect storm ” as the 2022 festival season approaches .
Reed told the audience of more than 3,000 , “ I ’ ve spoken with many of you in the past few weeks about supply chains , loss of skilled workforce , 20-30 % increase in costs across the board and a Governmentbacked insurance scheme that simply isn ’ t fit for purpose despite our best efforts .
“ We may be emerging from the shadow of the pandemic in the UK , but this year will not be a case of ‘ back to business as usual ’ without critical support for festival organisers . That ’ s why we ’ re calling on the Government to aid our recovery and maintain the current reduced 12.5 % rate on tickets beyond the end of March , as well as looking at some form of Governmentbacked loan scheme for suppliers to alleviate some of these pressures and encourage investment in the festival supply chain . We also urge Government to reconsider removing the tax relief for certain biofuels , which further increases cost and is completely counter-productive to promoting better environmental practice across the sector .”
The event also saw a passionate speech by AIF chair Jim Mawdsley , in which he announced he will step down from the role in May . The trade body is actively recruiting a replacement .
As well as keynote speeches , the conference consisted of workshops , roundtables , panel sessions and brief , but informative , status updates .
Among the latter was an event insurance and reinsurance 10-minute update in which Tysers entertainment and sport director Tim Thornhill reiterated that the Government ’ s Live Events Reinsurance Scheme wasn ’ t fit for purpose , but he also revealed that the Government is planning to review the scheme in spring with a view to including coverage for the non-appearance of artists due to Covid-19 .
Thornhill also suggested that Covid-related event cancellation insurance is likely to be available on the commercial market in the “ nottoo-distant future ”.
With festival operators unable to pass on the increased costs of staff , materials and services to ticket buyers if an event has been rolled over , among the suggestions to balance the books was a reduction in spend on talent until the situation improves .
Staffing was discussed multiple times , with My Cause ’ s Rob Wilkinson saying the priority needs to be staff retention rather than recruitment , while Vision Nine ’ s Lynsey Wollaston warned that with the “ talent pool ” being smaller this season , there is a risk of staff burn-out , and “ wellness ” should be properly addressed .
Among the keynote speakers were Black Lives In Music director Roger Wilson , who delivered a stirring speech calling for a proactive response to the lack of diversity that continues to be a major issue throughout the sector . Reed said the AIF is looking to appoint a diversity advisory group .
Looking ahead , Reed said , “ AIF fought hard to represent the needs of independent festival operators during the course of the pandemic and made sure your voices were heard in the corridors of power .
“ We will continue to do so during what is still a very challenging time .”
AIG CEO Paul Reed
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