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FestForward Convergence is a one-of-a-kind interactive conference and networking event for music, film, food + wine + beer festival organizers.
Addressing cutting-edge technology, sustainability, innovation, safety & collaboration, FestForward will close with "Best of the Fests," a festival award ceremony recognizing North America’s best festivals in game changing categories.
Panels Include:
Issues Facing Film Festivals
Programming, sponsorship, staffing, audience and community awareness and festival logistics make the work of running a film festival an incredible, but rewarding challenge. Maintaining relevancy in a world where films are discovered in a multitude of ways and on many devices, as well as managing and planning for a long-term future in the ever changing landscape will be the focus of this panel.
Hosted by Gary Rubin, Cohen Media Group
Noah Cowan, San Francisco Film Society
Liana Bender, California Film Institute
Michal Wiesbrock, Santa Barbara Int’l FIlm Fest
Film Festival Technology
Festival technology for film festivals includes not only distribution and exhibition but methods for engaging new audiences. Our panel explores how to message in the digital world the ‘analogue” messaging that film festivals traditionally represent.
Benjamin Oberman, Mousetrap Films
Luke Archer, Cool Hand Look
Ralph Echemendia, Red-E Digital
Kimberley Browning, Hollywood Shorts Film Fest
Now Screening - Film Festival Survival
Running a fIlm festival can be a beast. They are hard to start, run and sustain but the rewards outweigh the challenges so we’re here to help. Learning from those that have already done the heavy lifting will help you understand the best practices to ensure success for your festival. Want to start a career in festival management? You’ve come to the right place too.
Hosted by Stephen Nemeth, Rhino Films
Noah Cowan, San Francisco Film Society
Gary Meyer, Eat Drink Films
Wine, Women & Song – Stepping out from Behind the Camera
From icons as the beauty in The Woman in Red, the hilarious Sweeney Sister on SNL, and Fame’s talented triple threat Nicole Chapman, these women have worked in front of the camera for most of their lives. They are now focused on owning their careers on what matters most to them. Hear why Kelly wants us back in the kitchen, Nia has developed a holistic approach to life and Nora can’t stop making us laugh. Also hear from Academy Award Nominated Director Amy Berg (Deliver Us from Evil, West of Memphis, Every Secret Thing with Diane Lane) whose latest film project shines a light on the legendary Janis Joplin.
Hosted by Jennice Fuentes, CEO Fuentes Strategies
Kelly LeBrock, Actor
Nia Peebles, Actor
Nora Dunn, Actor
Amy Berg, Filmmaker
The Future of Festivals
The last frontier of the “tribal gathering” according to Seth Godin is the festival. With expansion in every festival vertical under the sun, the death of the festival is greatly exaggerate. Let’s hear from our team of experts in food, wine, music & film about where we are heading in the industry.
Hosted by Laurie Kirby, AboutFest
Kevin Lyman, Vans Warped Tour
David Alan Bernahl II CLM, Pebble Beach & Los Angeles Food & Wine Festivals
Maureen Ford, Live Nation
John Boyle, Insomniac
TIFF (Invited)
Music in Movies – And Now for Something Completely Different…
Explore the digital world of movies and music. Whether you are a professional in film or music (or aspire to be) – come learn about the magic behind the music in movies such as Crash, The Illusionist, Butter, The Iron Lady, Silver Linings Playbook, Begin Again, Fantastic Four, and hundreds more.
Hosted by Richard Glasser, Head of Music, The Weinstein Company
Andrea von Foerster, Music Supervisor, Firestarter Music
Aaron Zigman, Film Composer
SponsorFest: Brought to you by Lesa Ukman and Delta Air Lines
Delta will be awarding a sponsorship at FestForward valued at approximately $10,000. (value of travel certificates) to a festival or event that best embodies a strategic fit for Delta.
Lesa Ukman, Futures Director, ESP Properties and co-founder of IEG, Inc. will inform attendees at FestForward how to participate and help them understand the best practices in sponsorship proposals and the sponsor industry.
Advances in Festival Technology & Safety
Mobile Apps, wireless technology, “wearable” technology, RFID, and other festival technology impacts the safety of the event, experience of the fan, the crew, vendors and the artist. Our goal is to bring you the latest and greatest to make your festival a “techcess.”
Hosted by Ted Cohen, TAG Strategic & FestForward Technology Chairman
Gillian Zettler, Charleston Wine + Food Festival
Christophe Daligault, FireChat
Steve Lemon, Event Safety Alliance
Jeff Kreinik, Ticketfly
SXSW's Past, Present and Future
2016 will mark 30 years of SXSW. In 1994 they broadened their focus from a strictly music industry event to include interactive technology and film. Other events have adopted various elements of that same convergence approach to conferences and festivals, probably due in part to what they experienced at SXSW.
Mike Shea, Executive Director of SXSW
Convergence and Collaboration 2.0: Food, Wine, Film and Music
What happens when the arts come together? How do festivals create an identity and an experience that can encompass the best of these disciplines? And how do they leverage their perceived value to maximize revenue? Where do we go from here?
Robert Richards, Glastonbury Festival
Gary Meyer, Eat Drink Films
Devonie Nicholas, South Beach Wine & Food Fest
Melissa Dickson, Fashion Meets Music Festival
SuperFly Presents (Invited)
Marketing to Millennials
The conventional wisdom is that the holy grail is millennials, with buying power and influence for the next few decades. They are looking for authentic relationships with properties and brands. But what exactly does that mean?
Amanda Slavin, CatalystCreativ
Erika Williams, Life Is Beautiful
Jacob Tell, Oniracom
That’s The Ticket – The Art & Science of Ticketing Your Festival
Ticketing can make or break your festival’s success. Pricing, delivery, authentication, access control and analytics are just a few of the considerations when selecting and working with a ticketing partner. Hear the latest in ticketing technology and preview the next generation of tools that will improve social chatter, increase revenues and streamline your event.
Keith Goldberg, Vendini
David Silbaugh, Summerfest
Ben Raffi, Universe
Jesse Lawrence, TiqIQ
SFX (Invited)
Sustainability - It’s an Authentic Problem
Sustainability is the ability to sustain a behavior indefinitely. Our environment depends upon us to protect and preserve it for future generations. Let’s face it, festivals wreak environmental chaos. But it doesn’t need to be the case. Hear some case studies to prove just that.
Hosted by Eric Stevens, OTW Safety – Official FestForward Safety Sponsor
Kathleen Gasperini, Label Networks
Patrice Williams, Going Green Film Festival
Activating Sponsorships at a Festival
When negotiating a sponsorship, all brands recognize the value of activation across many platforms. Festivals need to remain authentic while brands want to be heard. A marriage of convenience must exist for the success of the relationship. What steps must the festival take to ensure success? Our experts will provide some key takeaways.
Hosted by David Hazan, DLH Consulting
Sam Elkin, C3 Presents
Elana Leaf, Insomniac
Robert Richards, Glastonbury Festival
Midori Connolly, AVGirl Productions
NetGain: Networking With Purpose & Prizes
Review the feedback from any conference and you will consistently find that networking is the most important reason for attendance. So here's your chance! Bring your elevator pitch, business cards, and come ready to rumble.
Facilitated by Stuart MacNaught, AboutFest
Working with Charities: The Festival As Change Agent
Organizers of film, music, food and wine festivals generally incorporate charities into their events in a variety of ways. The events are an organic environment to message audience with calls to action that effect change. Find out how these leaders are creating a lasting impression beyond the festival walls.
Hosted by Andy Bernstein of HeadCount
Margaret Martin of Harmony Project
Justine Lucas, Global Citizen Festival
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Check out events such as:
• One-to-one mentoring with festival luminaries
• Networking events such as parties, breaks, cocktail hours
• “Speed-networking” session
• Festival bootcamp
• Panels on everything festival-related
• And more!
Come meet leading producers, promoters and directors of Festivals such as:
• SXSW
• San Francisco International Film Festival
• Bentonville Film Festival
• Tribeca Film Festival (invited)
• Toronto Film Festival (invited)
• AFI (invited)
• Mill Valley Film Festival
• Santa Barbara International Film Festival
• The Weinstein Company
• Rhino Films
• FilmFreeway
• EatDrinkFilms
FestForward is a three-day industry conference for festivals. Network with other film festival leaders and filmmakers who will discuss ways to improve your festival.
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Welcome Film Festivals!
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When: Sunday November 22 – Tuesday November 24, 2015
Where: The Fess Parker Resort, Santa Barbara, CA. Check out our conference discount air & hotel. Click here to register now!
Conference Highlights:
• SponsorFest– where all festivals can compete to win a $10,000 Delta Air Lines Sponsorship (must be present to win)
• Best practices for festivals
• An exhibit hall with dozens of festival-related vendors
• Fiesta Riviera wine & beer tasting party
• Private concert by rock & roll hall of famer Dave Mason & after-party
• “Best of The Fests” Awards Ceremony – Alice Cooper honoring talent manager & “SuperMensch” Shep Gordon and more
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