SEPTEMER | THE COLUMNISTS
Access’ Next
Generation winners
are taking over
The Columnists
section...
48
In a good place, creatively
Dan Andrew, founder, Be-Known
Music
Creating an experience powerful
enough for an audience to engage
with is the biggest challenge we
face now as an industry. Concerts
by acts like Drake are making
the show part of an immersive
experience, they’re creating new
worlds for artists.
Live, in the future, is not going
to be about just seeing a band, it’ll
be about catering for and creating
‘super fans’ on another level. We’ve
been good at doing that with the
events we’ve run at The Shard
which were elegant, intimate and
stripped back. Meanwhile, our Lord
of the Mics event saw MCs clash on
a boat, in a setting that people had
never seen.
There’ so many summer music
events nowadays, that are no
longer about ‘just going to a show’.
They’re about finding new ways
to connect to people. When we
work with brands, we try and add
a new perspective on an event, do
something that makes people stop
and think.
I like how the industry is
evolving. It’s on us to keep
being creative and not settling
for normality. Think about the
consumer journey and their value
for money. With so much happened
on and offline we have to keep
pushing boundaries. The money
comes after you focus on the
customers, not before.
Causing a heatwave
Mehram Sumray-Roots, founder,
YADA Events Stop, look, listen
Simon Skelt, event manager
Kilimanjaro Live
Working in the events industry has
its perks, especially in the summer
when festival season hits and
there is something to attend every
weekend.
However, every year without fail, I
like many, face a wardrobe problem.
Normally it is a packing problem,
trying to squeeze as many layers as
possible into a rucksack in case you
get caught in the rain rapping along
to Chance at the Main Stage. But in
2019, it wasn’t how many clothes I
could take, but how few.
With the effects of global
warming starting to feel more
apparent this summer than ever,
it does make me question what the
future of British festivals in the heat
looks like.
From the closing of showers and
water shortages at Glastonbury to
the slushy watered-down cocktails
at Lovebox, how can we be better
prepared in 2020?
What can we learn from
American festivals such as Burning
Man or Australian festivals in
Adelaide that regularly face
temperatures of 41C? Will we be
ultimately swapping our wellies for
water tanks and multiple layers for
misting fans?
With highs of 28C at Glasto in
2018 and over 33C in 2019, we have
to ask what the heatwave of 2020
will bring. In October 2013 I interviewed at
Kilimanjaro Live to be a promoter’s
assistant. Fortunately, I didn’t get
the job. If I had, the last few years
would’ve been completely different.
I was later asked onto Vans’
Warped Tour and jumped at the
opportunity. I then came back
for the summer as a production
assistant and six years later and I’m
still here, working on large-scale
field and stadium shows, including
the highest grossing tour of all
time. Oh, and I was also inducted in
to the Access Next Generation 2018,
which brings me here!
I thought I’d start my column by
giving the Next Generation class
of 2023 some tips, as I could have
really used a few helpful hints when
I started out in this crazy industry.
These tips may sound obvious but
that’s because they work:
Ask questions: My first question
was ‘what’s heras?’ which seems
comical now, but the point is you
should never be afraid to ask.
Find a mentor: I’ve been
incredibly lucky to have Zac Fox.
Find one half as good, and you’ll be
laughing.
Be proactive and say ‘yes’: If
someone needs assistance with a
job you aren’t familiar with, put
yourself forward. If you’re asked to
work a weekend when you already
have plans, say yes.
The tips continue at accessaa.co.uk