Australian Festival Industry Conference reschedules to 2022

The Australian Festival Industry Conference (AFIC) has postponed its upcoming 2021 event.

Initially planned for this September and subsequently pushed back to November, the conference will now go ahead next year between Tuesday August 30 – Thursday September 1, marking the second time AFIC organisers have been forced to reschedule the event in less than three months.

AFIC founder and event director Carlina Ericson said that the prolonged lockdowns in NSW, ACT and Victoria made it too difficult for organisers to press ahead with this year’s event.

“It is with great sadness that we announce our decision to postpone the conference yet again. With the situation worsening in NSW, VIC and ACT, it makes it impossible for us to deliver the event as originally planned in November 2021,” Ericson said.

“Over the last few months we’ve continued to witness further event postponements and cancellations. I am conscious that everyone is going through an incredibly difficult time and I still want to ensure that we can eventually meet face-to-face to discuss how we move forward as an industry.”

AFIC has confirmed that the program for this year’s intended event will remain in place for 2022, with the conference taking place in the Gold Coast and featuring panel discussions, workshops, networking events and keynote presentations.

“I want to give a big shout out to all of our current speakers, partners and suppliers who have stuck by us throughout this process and continue to support the event – you’re all making this possible,” Ericson said.

“Already we have delegates registered to attend from Queensland, New South Wales, ACT, Victoria and South Australia, which is excellent to see, and I look forward to welcoming everyone to AFIC in 2022.”