How to get a ‘yes’ from your manager to attend AFIC 2019

With AFIC only weeks away, NOW is the time to approach your manager with the pitch for why you, along with all of your co-workers (and your manager!) should attend Australia’s only conference for festival management professionals and suppliers!

You may have already seen our recent announcements via e-mail, social and in the media outlining AFIC’s program:

10 Presentations – by some of Australia’s leading festival organisers, consultants and Government personnel
4 Workshops – up-skill in site planning and crowd safety management, learn cutting-edge festival marketing or app development skills, or discover what State and Federal Government grant opportunities are available to your festival
Cocktail Party Industry Networking Event – connect and build relationships with fellow festival organisers, suppliers, tourism bodies, educational institutions, consultancies, and Government personnel
Local Event Facilities & Site Management Tour – take a tour of Coffs Harbour’s local event facilities and public open-air event spaces with Coffs Harbour City Council.

If you still need a solid case for your manager to approve your attendance, rest assured – we’re here to help! “Here’s something we prepared earlier”… Here are five reasons why your manager should be saying “yes” to you attending AFIC – 24-25 October 2019 in Coffs Harbour, NSW.

1. Experience informative and motivational presentations from iconic industry experts

Get inspired by these sessions and turn that passion into creative, innovative and practical event solutions…

Already announced for AFIC 2019 is Keynote speaker Phil Tripp (Music, Film, Technology) – former Business Development Manager (AU/NZ/HI) of SXSW Conference and Festivals, Austin, Texas and founder of TheMusic.com.au. Phil will be drawing upon his almost 50 year career in the music and festival business and sharing his vision of what the future holds for festival organisers.

Featured iconic speakers in 2019 include: Heather Croall (CEO of Adelaide Fringe); Chris Spencer (Festival Director of Saltwater Freshwater Festival); Angus Abadee (A/Director, Policy & Legislation, Liquor & Gaming NSW); Jon (J.C.) Corbishley (FSIA, Director of leading crowd safety management consultancy, The Safety Officer Pty Ltd); Glenn Hardy (Partner at leading event research consultancy, IER Pty Ltd); and, Dan Heather (Section Leader, Stadium & Major Events, Coffs Harbour City Council).

Additionally, our industry panel will focus on the topic that everyone’s been talking about this year – pre-hospital health and medical safety! Our panellists feature some of Australia’s leading subject matter experts, including Mike Hammond (CEO & Director, Australia’s leading event medical consultancy, EMS Event Medical), Elliot Williams (Clinical Lead, St Johns Ambulance), and Daniel Madeddu (Director, Alcohol and Other Drugs, NSW Ministry of Health). They’ll be sharing their key insights from their specialist areas, including:

Event medical technology research
Best-practice event medical service delivery
The most current event health guidelines from Government

Join us for a robust, informative and empowering conversation with AFIC’s diverse range of visionaries from the ever-evolving worlds of arts & culture, music, food & drink, intellectual, and sporting festivals.

2. Learn about the latest event technology developments

One of the reasons behind AFIC’s creation was to provide a platform to support the emergence of new ideas and to showcase the future of emerging and innovative technology behind all aspects of festival management. To honour and acknowledge some of Australia’s most recent forward-thinking digital technology advancements, AFIC 2019 is pleased to present:

Heather Croall (CEO Adelaide Fringe): Adelaide Fringe is the largest Fringe festival in the Southern hemisphere and the second oldest in the world! They’ve recently completed their a major Digital Transition Process involving a newly integrated ticketing back-end system, web front-end and an open-access artist and venue registration system. Heather will take you through the process, the challenges and results.
Mike Hammond (CEO & Director, Australia’s leading event medical consultancy, EMS Event Medical): Mike will introduce and outline EMS Assist – a revolutionary new medical emergency response app that his company has developed. It sends an instant request for urgent medical assistance at events and has already been used at several nationally recognised events such as Vivid Sydney.
Leah Trafford (Event Director, SailGP): SailGP is a brand new annual, global sailing event, held in some of the world’s most iconic city waterfronts, such as Sydney, San Francisco and New York, where national teams compete in supercharged F50 catamarans. The organisers have revolutionised event sporting apps with their SailGP app that allows spectators to feel as though they are right inside the vessel with the crew! The app is fully customisable, allowing spectators to switch teams, change camera angles and select data feeds in real-time!

Don’t miss your chance to network with top festival directors (from both public and private sectors) while learning about the latest technological developments!

3. Build lasting and meaningful industry relationships at AFIC’s cocktail party networking event – Thursday 24 October

Since AFIC is the only conference of its kind in the country, there’s no better place to make meaningful, career-enhancing, one-on-one connections!

AFIC is set to attract forward-thinking festival organisers, suppliers, tourism bodies, educational institutions, consultancies, and Government personnel from across the country. These people are looking for new ideas, new collaborations, and an opportunity to establish meaningful long-term connections with like-minded industry professionals.

The cocktail party networking event on Thursday 24th October is your opportunity to meet and network with other creatives from across Australia while enjoying complimentary canapes, drinks and a range of exciting entertainment. This is why attending AFIC is so invaluable!

4. Up-skill with AFIC’s professional development workshops

If you’re keen to acquire invaluable and practical skills that can be directly put into practice as soon as you step foot back in your office, you’ve come to the right place! Learn from industry leading professionals through participating in AFIC’s workshop program:

Crowd Safety Management, w. Jon Corbishley (JC), Director at The Safety Officer and Risk Advisor, Qudos Bank Arena: JC is regarded as one of Australia’s top crowd safety and risk management specialists, having worked on some of the world’s largest public outdoor, music and major sporting events over the past 30 years, including Live Aid, the Special Olympic Games and Sydney Festival, to name just a few! He is a qualified trainer, runs his own consultancy and is the risk and safety adviser of Qudos Bank Arena, Australia’s largest indoor venue. JC will provide you with invaluable best-practice skills that will ensure the safety of all your staff and attendees.
International Festival Marketing & Event App Development, w. Alana Hay, Director, Milestone Creative & Leah Trafford, Event Director, SailGP: Alana is regarded as one of Australia’s top festival and major event marketers. She is the Director of Milestone Creative – one of Australia’s leading creative agencies specialising in destinations, events, hospitality, arts and tourism. Clients include (but aren’t limited to) Vivid Sydney, Mardi Gras, Sydney Royal Easter Show, Darling Harbour festivals and Corroboree Sydney. Joining her is her client, Leah Trafford from SailGP – a brand new annual, global sailing event, held in some of the world’s most iconic city waterfronts, such as Sydney, San Francisco and New York, where national teams compete in supercharged F50 catamarans. Using SailGP as a case study and example, Alana will guide you through what it takes to plan an international marketing campaign and grow and expand your audience reach. Leah will provide you with an overview of the type of analysis required for event app development, as well as proving you with an insight into the challenges and useful tips on sourcing an app developer.

Don’t miss your chance to up-skill with these industry leading professionals!

5. Discover what Government grant opportunities are available

Government grants are a common feature of any festival’s budget. If you’re a festival organiser and left forever wondering what Government funding is available to support the inception and/or growth of your festival, here’s your chance to hear it first hand from the organisations themselves! AFIC is pleased to be featuring presentations from these key State and Federal Government bodies on day two: