We are very excited to be attending this year’s FestForums! Taking place in Santa Barbara, California, FestForums is a 3-day conference where festival producers, organizers, and others in the industry can network and attend different events such as workshops, panel discussions, and concerts. FestForums has been going strong since 2015 as the premiere conference for the North American festival industry. This year’s events are being held from February 15th through the 17th.
This year’s list of featured speakers boasts some incredible and well-known names, including Alicia Silverstone, Dane Cook, Marty Callner, Mix Master Mike, and Skip Martin. There is also an extensive list of panelists for this year’s festivities. The 3-day affair will begin on Thursday, February 15, with a meet & greet led by the FestForum’s founder Laurie Kirby, Tappit’s Mell Leis, and MC for the day David Moorman. The day will move into panel discussions on topics such as The Power of Music: Understanding How Music Impacts the Brain: Effects & Solutions, Activism in Action led by Alicia Silverstone, and Beyond Music: Crafting Unforgettable Festivals. In the evening there will be a cocktail reception with a performance by Jose Montano. The night will close with a dinner and tribute to filmmaker Marty Callner.
Day 2 begins with a breakfast meet & greet starting at 8:30 am. The day continues with panel discussions such as What European and US Music Festivals can Learn From Each Other, Reality Check on Crisis Responses, Take the Stress Out of Paying Your Festival Team, and more. The keynote event will be at noon, featuring an interview by Dane Cook with Marty Callner, about Marty’s professional career. Following this interview will be an event with puppies from a local animal shelter, Spark Rescue Santa Barbara. The day continues on with more panels, followed by another cocktail reception. To close out night 2, you can choose from restaurants that have been specifically chosen by FestForums, followed by an after party hosted by LoDo Studios, including performances by DJ Darla Bea and music artist Wyatt Rodgers.
On day 3, join MC Jeffrey Weber at a meet & greet with a continental breakfast. The day’s panel topics include Breakthrough and the Do’s & Don’ts in the Festival Industry, Behind the Scenes: Operations & Production, Music Documentaries: The Symbiotic Marriage of Film & Music, and Sustainability Talks. At 12:45 pm, join FestForums Owner and President Laurie Kirby for the closing remarks of the weekend.
While we are only a couple of weeks away from the conference, there is still time to purchase your tickets for the weekend. You can find all of the information about the event, tickets, and where to stay on the FestForums website, www.festforums.com. We’ll see you in Santa Barbara!