The Arts Council in partnership with Drama and Theatre Studies at the University of Galway and Creative Europe Desk Ireland will present the Festival Makers Conference (formerly Change Makers) on Thursday 11 and Friday 12 May 2023 in Galway City. The two-day conference will provide opportunities for festival makers, festival stakeholders and artists making work in a festival context to exchange ideas, share, map sector developments and discuss practices relevant to festivals in Ireland. 

Tickets

Conference tickets are €35 for the two days and includes a light lunch on Thursday 11th May. To purchase tickets please click on the link below:

Programme, Travel and Accommodation

Programme details can be found by clicking the links below along with helpful delegate information such as: discounted/preferential accommodation rates, and travel to/from and in Galway City. The Arts Council’s Green Conference actions are also available.  

For conference enquiries or if you require assistance please contact Conference Producers at festivalmakers@milestoneinventive.com

---

The Arts Council seeks speaker submissions from festival organisations, festival stakeholders and artists making work in a festival context

Elevator Pitch Session

As part of the FESTIVAL MAKERS conference programme we are seeking short five minute in-person presentations which share developments with the festival sector. We are dedicating time in the conference programme to facilitate festivals or those working with festivals to share news, updates or new initiatives.

                                                                                                                                                                     

We intend to select 10 speakers who will pitch their information to fellow conference delegates. Speakers can be individual artists, local authority arts officers, festival organisations or festival stakeholders. Contributors are asked to present for up to five minutes on a single topic. The purpose of the session is to provide festivals with an update of developments in festivals across the country. The topic should be something that is relevant to festivals in Ireland. The list below provides some suggestions as a guide:A request for festival partners to join an initiative or project

• An update on research a festival has undertaken
• Sharing partnership models (such as resource pooling or information sharing/ networking)
• Sharing a festival consortia model (how it evolved, the purpose of the organisation and its work to date)
• A festival organisation seeking mentorship
• Information on new initiatives that you wish to share, such as climate actions, equality and diversity developments, slow festival modelling,
• Sharing local authority festival strategies/ festival initiatives
• How your festival works collaboratively with the public (social engaged practice/ citizen artist development).
• Working with International partners or how to develop International connections as a festival.

How to make a submission

To make an Elevator Pitch submission please send an email to festivalmakers@artscouncil.ie including ELEVATOR PITCH in the subject heading.  Provide us with your contact details and the name of the festival it relates to along with no more than 150 words which outlines your idea and what you would like to share. Please note in selecting speakers we will consider the idea, the model of practice and the geographical location to ensure a broad and representative selection of works from across the country.

Deadline for submissions Friday 3 March 2023. 

If you have further questions please contact martin.rochford@artscouncil.ie