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FestForums NYC
Wednesday, April 27th, 2016
The Cutting Room - 44 E 32nd St, New York, NY 10010
5pm
Opening Night Reception
Opening Cocktail Reception, registration, networking session, and special musical performance.
Thursday, April 28th, 2016
Time Inc. / Henry R. Luce Auditorium - 225 Liberty Street, New York, NY 10281
9-10am
Registration and Structured FestForum Networking
Do you want to meet as many other festivals as you can at the Forum?
We’ll help you do just that. And, win valuable prizes too!
Set your alarm clock to be there by 9 a.m., and be sure to bring plenty of your business cards.
Hint: Memory counts!
Hosted by:
Stuart MacNaught - Co-President, FestForums
10-11am
State of the Festival Industry
The Festival market is in a state of economic flux. Some festivals sell out months in advance, while others are dying on the vine. What does the future hold for the film, music, food and beverage festival market? Let’s hear from the experts.
Moderator:
Laurie Kirby - Co-President,FestForums
Panelists:
Peter Shapiro - Publisher, Relix. Founder, Lockn' Music Festival
Lee Brian Schrager - Founder & Director, Food Network & Cooking Channel South Beach and New York City Wine & Food Festivals
Tom Russell - Co-Founder, Governors Ball Music Festival
Anne Chaisson - Executive Director, Hamptons International Film Festival
Superfly Productions (Bonnaroo / Outside Lands) (Invited)
11-11:30am
Networking & Coffee Break - Sponsored by BusBank
11:30 am-12:30pm
Talent Buying, Programming and Identity
How much should you be paying for talent and their expenses (be it musicians, chefs, filmmakers, actors) as a percentage of your budget? Talent aside, what is that secret sauce that makes a festival a must-attend event? How does it maintain an identity without procuring the flavor of the month? Bring sponsors and audience pressure into the mix and you have a host of competing interests. It’s a delicate balance. Let’s figure this out…if we can.
Moderator: TBD
Panelists:
Michelle Metter - Co-Producer, San Diego Bay Wine and Food Festival
Doug Richter - Managing Director, Global Partnerships, inVNT
Christiane Pheil - Talent Curator, Firefly Music Festival
David Beame - Event Director, Global Citizen Festival, Central Park NYC
Rose Anderson - Executive Director, New York Festivals®
Julie Barreda - Owner | Tour Operator, Destination-Kitchen.com
12:30-1:30pm
Lunch
1:30-2:30pm
Safety and Security Is Within Your Reach
The news is flooded with stories of meteorological, medical, and monetary disasters at festivals. Within minutes a festival’s reputation and financial stability can be upended. But what if these disasters could be prevented, minimized or insurable? How can preplanning and on-site crisis management reduce or eliminate risk and reduce your festival’s exposure. We’ll learn how from our panel of professionals.
Moderator:
Jackie Eaton - Co-President, Duganworks, Event Producers
Panelists:
Angela Costello - Vice President, Marketing & Client Relations, AdAir
Wes Jackson - Founder, Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival
Raymond Martinez - Chief of Security, Ultra Music Festival
Maren Steiner - Health & Safety Director, Insomniac
Evan Korn - Managing Partner, iDEKO Productions
Scott Mirkin - Co-Founder & Executive Producer, ESM Productions
2:30-2:45pm
Keynote: Sponsorship Disrupted
Lesa Ukman - Futures Director & Founder, ESP Properties & IEG
2:45-3:15pm
Networking Break
3:15-4pm
TNT-Technology N’ Ticketing: Exploding Technology
New technology: You can’t live without it. Ticketing, RFID, mobile apps & cashless payments are the festival’s best friends, when they work and its worst nightmares…when they crash. It is also depends on sufficient WIFI. Let’s explore the latest technologies and steps you can take to make sure that they work when you need them.
Moderator:
Parag Bhandari - Founder and CEO, UG Strategies
Panelists:
David Alan Bernahl, II - CEO, CLM, Pebble Beach & Los Angeles Food & Wine Festivals
William Litvack - Co-Founder, SquadUp
Gillian Zettler - Executive Director, Charleston Wine + Food
Matthew Belkin - VP Business Development, Live Nation Entertainment
4-5pm
The Future of Film: Is The Festival Model Broken
Moderator:
Laurie Gordon - Director, Montreal International Animation Film Festival and Industry Conference (Animaze)
Panelists:
Amy Berg - Filmmaker
John Sloss - Principal, Sloss Eckhouse LawCo/Cinetic Media
Alex Gibney - Filmmaker (invited)
5pm
Cocktail Party & Networking - Sponsored by