Festival Academy has launched a new training scheme for festival production managers. Run under the umbrella of European Festivals Association (EFA), the idea is for up and coming managers to meet experienced colleagues for advice and industry insight. If successful, it will become a repeated event similar to its Atelier programme.
22 participants from 15 countries will take part, meeting with professionals like Elisabeth Knauf (production manager at HAU Hebbel am Ufer Berlin), Annet Lekkerkerker (managing director of Holland Festival), and Roy Luxford (planning and operations director for Edinburgh International Festival). The event runs from 20–23 January in Antwerp.
‘The Festival Production Management Training focuses on production management in terms of realising and implementing the mission of the festival and the vision of the artistic director and artists,’ said Festival Academy in a statement.
The training itself is organised into three modules and includes a practical placement. Module I features a workshop on risk management and talks from industry professionals. It is hosted by deSingel International Arts Campus in Antwerp. Module II is a week-long placement at a festival while Module III is a concluding session that ties together outcomes from the first two modules.
‘Festival Academy set up the new scheme to address the specific needs for skills development of festival production managers more directly,’ said Darko Briek, president of Festival Academy and EFA.
Training participants will also enjoy the benefits of Festival Academy’s alumni network, which keeps festival makers from all over the world in touch to help foster new collaborations.