Joe GallopThe Access All Areas Conference & Awards saw 16 award winners crowned on stage, including Glastonbury Festival, The O2 Arena and Eurovision 2023, at EartH (Evolutionary Arts Hackney) last week.
Along with the main categories, winners of two new awards were announced on the day. The first Editor’s Award recognised the pioneering sustainability work shown by Glastonbury Festival after it was powered by renewable energy for the first time this year. Glastonbury co-organiser Emily Eavis received the award from Access All Areas content director Christopher Barrett.
The Association of Independent Festivals (AIF) introduced the First Minister For Festivals award, which went to Giles Watling MP to celebrate his work that has contributed to the success of the festival sector in the past twelve months. The award was presented by AIF CEO John Rostron. 
The awards, hosted by comedian Emmanuel Sonubi, also celebrated winners such as We Organise Chaos, Dreamland Margate, Rock ‘N’ Roll Circus and the UCI Cycling World Championships.
Before the awards took place, the conference included a live AAA Backstage podcast recording with legendary UK concert promoter Harvey Goldsmith CBE. His interview covered everything from 1960s psychedelic misadventures with Peter Fonder to the forthcoming Live Aid musical, as well as a call to support the grassroots sector and a fervent criticism of the secondary ticketing market.
The conference panels focused on three key topics; developing industry talent, tackling disturbing crowd behavioural trends, and how to address a post-pandemic reluctance among young people to attend events as costs rise. Other speakers included Continental Drifts MD Chris ‘Tofu’ MacMeikan MBE, Black Deer Festival co-founder Gill Tee and LIVE CEO Jon Collins.
After collecting her award on behalf of Glastonbury Festival, Eavis said, “Everyone is talking, sharing ideas and wanting to move forward. It feels like there’s a lot of [sustainability] progress being made in the industry.”
The full list of award winners:
AAA Editor’s Award
Glastonbury Festival
AIF First Minister for Festivals
Giles Watling MP
Best Operations
Beth Smith | LS Events WINNER
Jess Helliar | Bongo’s Bingo Highly commended
Best Visitor Experience
The O2 WINNER
Ryder Cup 2023 Highly Commended
Event Promoter of the Year
Mega Events WINNER
Black Deer Live Ltd Highly Commended
Employer of the Year
We Organise Chaos WINNER
Far and Beyond Highly commended
Best Brand Activation
Banking Horizons Summit | PwC Creative Experiences WINNER
LEGO Hogwarts Express | Wasserman Highly Commended
Legacy Award
Dreamland Margate WINNER
OVO Hydro Highly Commended
Best Engagement Zone
Eurovision 2023 | Culture Liverpool WINNER
Cosmic Wisdom | Celestial Highly Commended
Best Launch Event/One to Watch
Rock ‘N’ Roll Circus | AGN Events Ltd WINNER
Project 30 Highly Commended
Best Production Manager
Frankie Tee | EnTEEtainment Ltd WINNER
Ángel Piñeiro | Bring the Noise Highly Commended
Best Site Manager
Tom Wilkinson | We Organise Chaos WINNER
James Brown | Engine No 4 Highly Commended
Best Ticketing Operator
AXS Europe WINNER
Ticketmaster Highly Commended
Diversity & Inclusion
2023 UCI Cycling World Championships WINNER
Keychange, The F List Music & LiVE Music Highly Commended
Freelancer of the year
Sarah Payne WINNER
Beth Symons Highly Commended
Rising Star
Courtney Clarke | The Royal Parks WINNER
Maya De N’Yeurt | Hospital Records Highly Commended
Save of the Season
Method Events WINNER
Robyn Templeman Highly Commended
Unsung Hero
Mark Hehir | NEC Group WINNER
Liz Lloyd | Professional Security Magazine Highly Commended