Music Venue Trust has announced that its annual conference and networking event, which was postponed last year due to the pandemic, will now take place during October.
The organisation will host Venues Day 2021 at Earth in London on Tuesday, October 5.
“The challenges faced during the last 15 months have made it more important than ever for Music Venue Trust to provide the best support for the grassroots music venue community,” said a statement.
To enable as many venues as possible to participate, Venues Day will this year be a hybrid event. Venues Day Online, a day of virtual activity following on October 12, will ensure every venue in the country gets access to best practice information, advice and guidance as they emerge from lockdown.
Across the globe, organisations similar to Music Venue Trust mobilised in the last 16 months to try and protect their venues, and international sharing of information has been important to the survival of the grassroots sector through this worldwide crisis.
MVT has also announced that Live DMA (Europe), Music Policy Forum (USA & Canada), Canadian Live Music, Live Music Office Australia and NIVA (USA) have come together to create the first ever global event aimed exclusively at grassroots music venue operators and owners. The inaugural Venues Day International will take place online on October 19 featuring panels, presentations and discussion on shared challenges and opportunities right around the world.
Sponsors Ticketmaster and Amazon Music were the first donors to the Grassroots Music Venues Crisis Fund launched last spring. Support for the full range of events also comes from Jack Daniel’s (who have been part of every Venues Day since 2014), White Light and ILMC.
Andrew Parsons, MD Ticketmaster UK, said: “Venues Day has long been a pillar for the grassroots community, but this year’s will be a lifeline to so many venues around the country as we inch closer to reopening. The sheer graft of MVT throughout the pandemic to support the industry has been truly inspiring to see, and we’re happy to do our part and sponsor Venues Day 2021”.
Patrick Clifton, head of music at Amazon Music UK, added: “Music Venue Trust offers invaluable support to our industry, and initiatives such as the Grassroots Music Venues Crisis Service have provided a lifeline for many over the past year. At Amazon Music we’re proud to continue our partnership with MVT, to help bring Venues Day to grassroots sites across the country, providing guidance and advice to ensure they can safely open their doors to music fans.”
Beverley Whitrick, strategic director of Music Venue Trust, said: “Venues Day 2021 will further encourage collaboration and sharing, connecting venues across the world so they feel part of a growing movement to emphasise how vital they are to both the wider music industry and local communities. We are incredibly excited to not only be able to deliver the existing event, but to have taken the challenge of the crisis head on and to be delivering a hugely increased range and scope of events with our domestic and international partners”.
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