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| Association of Festival Organisers | |
|---|---|
| Name | Association of Festival Organisers |
| Abbreviation | AFO |
| Formation | 1990s |
| Type | Trade association |
| Headquarters | London |
| Region served | United Kingdom |
| Leader title | Director |
Association of Festival Organisers The Association of Festival Organisers is a United Kingdom–based trade association representing promoters and producers of public festivals, including music, arts, film, and cultural events. Founded in the late 20th century, the organisation engages with event professionals, local authorities, venue managers, and regulators to support best practice across the festival sector. The body liaises with major festivals, touring companies, venue operators, arts councils, and safety agencies to coordinate standards and share resources.
The organisation emerged amid a wave of festival expansion that included Glastonbury Festival, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Reading Festival, Latitude Festival, Download Festival, Isle of Wight Festival, WOMAD, Notting Hill Carnival, and South by Southwest influences on UK practice. Early stakeholders included promoters from Live Nation, DF Concerts, Cuffe and Taylor, and independent producers who had experience with events such as BBC Proms, Glastonbury Festival and Glastonbury Festival 1970s. The association interacted with regulatory milestones like the Licensing Act 2003, public safety guidance from Health and Safety Executive, and emergency response frameworks shaped after incidents at Love Parade and Farnborough Airshow. Over successive decades the body expanded ties to cultural funders including Arts Council England, heritage organisations such as Historic England, and industry groups like the Entertainment Retailers Association and British Phonographic Industry.
The association serves as a forum for operational exchange between entities such as Roundhouse (London), Royal Albert Hall, Barbican Centre, O2 Arena, and private promoters like SJM Concerts. It develops practical guidance comparable to resources produced by Event Safety Alliance and collaborates with accreditation schemes akin to ISO standards frameworks and the British Standards Institution. The association coordinates with transport authorities including Network Rail, Transport for London, and local councils such as Manchester City Council and Leeds City Council to streamline logistics for events like Manchester International Festival and Leeds Festival.
Membership comprises festival directors, production managers, ticketing firms such as See Tickets, security providers, food and beverage contractors, and volunteer coordinators from organisations like Volunteer Centre networks. Governance draws on trustees and boards with experience from institutions like Royal Opera House and corporate partners such as Ticketmaster and Eventbrite. The association establishes codes of conduct influenced by legal precedents from courts including the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom and regulatory input from bodies like Information Commissioner's Office and Equality and Human Rights Commission.
Programs include operational toolkits for crowd management developed with specialists who have worked on Wembley Stadium deployments and risk assessment modules informed by incidents at T in the Park and Isle of Wight Festival 2000s. Training courses mirror curricula offered by City & Guilds and sector accreditation from Institute of Event Management-style bodies, and the association offers guidance on licensing procedures aligned with Magistrates' Courts and local licensing authorities. It provides resources for environmental best practice comparable to initiatives by Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, and festival sustainability programmes such as those at Shambala Festival and Boomtown Fair.
The association convenes annual conferences that attract delegates from Southbank Centre, Royal Festival Hall, Cadogan Hall, and international partners including representatives from SXSW, Primavera Sound, Montreux Jazz Festival, and Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Specialist seminars address topics like ticketing fraud alongside stakeholders from National Crime Agency-linked initiatives, artist welfare with organisations such as Musicians' Union, and programming with curators from Serpentine Galleries and Tate Modern.
The association advocates on behalf of members with parliamentary actors across Westminster, liaises with ministers from departments that oversee cultural policy, and submits evidence to committees such as the Culture, Media and Sport Committee. It engages in policy work on topics including crowd safety, noise regulation, and visa arrangements for international artists working with consulates and agencies like UK Visas and Immigration and Home Office. The association has contributed to consultations alongside bodies such as Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport and coordinated responses involving stakeholders like Federation of Small Businesses and Confederation of British Industry.
Funding sources include membership subscriptions, sponsorship from commercial partners such as Heineken, BBC Music, Virgin Group, and grants or project support from funders like Arts Council England and philanthropic trusts akin to Paul Hamlyn Foundation. Strategic partnerships exist with training providers, safety consultancies that have worked with Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure, and international networks including International Live Music Conference and festival coalitions connecting European Festivals Association members. The association also administers collaborative projects with academic partners from universities such as Goldsmiths, University of London, University of Leeds, and University of Westminster.
Category:Trade associations based in the United Kingdom