The Music Venue Trust (MVT) will host its esteemed annual Venues Day at The Fireworks Factory in London on Tuesday 17th October. Hundreds of delegates from across the UK’s grassroots music venue (GMV) sector, representing venues throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, have already secured their places and general tickets are now on sale.
MVT, which represents over 900 UK grassroots music venues (GMVs), has held this one day event for the sector since 2014, with delegates representing venues, promoters, agents, artists, government departments, funding bodies and a range of service providers. It is the largest gathering of GMV professionals in the world.
MVT said, “The theme for the 9th edition of Venues Day is Behind the Scenes. The business of the music ecosystem is to put on live music, but running a venue involves a huge amount of work that isn’t about putting on the show itself. The 2023 edition will feature opportunities to speak with artists, agents, managers and promoters, as always, but the focus of the day is “the other stuff” – the practicalities of keeping a venue running, making it viable and economically sustainable.
We will pull on the vast experience within the Grassroots Music Venue sector itself – one of the things that MVT is proudest of is the Music Venues Alliance’s peer to peer support – plus offer access to expert advice and tools to take away!”
Venues Day 2023 represents the single biggest opportunity to engage with the GMV sector in the year as it is designed specifically for members of the Music Venues Alliance. This year’s ‘Behind the Scenes’ theme covers workshops, discussions, presentations and networking to offer practical support to the people who run these vital venues and connect them with services that can help them. Tickets, which cost £168, can be booked here
MVT has also announced that long-time patrons Enter Shikari will deliver this year’s welcome address. Their long-time support for the sector has been emphasised by the recent announcement that their arena tour in 2024 will include a £1 donation from each ticket to MVT.
Steve Lamacq will also return to his regular role as panel host, chairing a session in which delegates will have the opportunity to tell MPs from the House of Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee about their experiences of the GMV sector. Caroline Dinenage MP and Kevin Brennan MP are keen to hear first-hand from delegates as they continue their work with the wider music industry about an economically sustainable future.
Headline sponsors Ticketmaster with support from FreeNow, Coca Cola and Fred Perry, have also allowed Venues Day 2023 to offer subsidised delegate passes and travel bursaries to ensure that venue representatives from across the UK can attend.
Bev Whitrick, Chief Operating Officer at Music Venue Trust said,
“In such a challenging economic climate, the chance to come together, share experiences, learn about new products, services and tools, make connections and catch up on MVT’s work, is needed now more than ever. We are thrilled that Enter Shikari are giving the welcoming speech at Venues Day this year and that Steve Lamacq will be joined by Caroline Dinenage MP and Kevin Brennan MP for what will, I’m sure, be an insightful session for all involved.”
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