Christopher BarrettMusic Venue Trust (MVT), which represents more than 900 UK grassroots music venues, has announcing details of Venues Day Live and Venues Day Online; physical and digital events which the charity claims will be the largest global gathering of grassroots music venue operators and staff teams ever held.
Taking place on 5 October at EartH in London, MVT’s seventh annual Venues Day Live will consist of a full day of keynote presentations, panels and networking. The theme of this year’s event will be Celebration, Catharsis, Community.
MVT said Venues Day Live will provide an opportunity for those working in the grassroots music venue community to reunite and celebrate the sector’s achievements and survival over the past 20 months, while providing a forum for discussion and debate alongside networking opportunities for live music service providers to engage with small and medium scale music venues.
The day will start with a keynote address from Bobby Vylan of punk-grime duo Bob Vylan followed by a full programme of panels and presentations.
Venues Day Online, will take place a week later and offers an opportunity for people who were unable to travel to London to take part in Venues Day Live. It will tale place via virtual conferencing platform HopIn.
MVT strategic director Beverley Whitrick said, “It’s been two very long and strange years since we last all gathered for Venues Day 2019. Venues Day Live and Venues Day Online have been specially designed to bring people together as a community, despite the ongoing challenges and pressures caused by the crisis.
“We don’t think there’s anyone in our community who hasn’t faced the very real prospect of having to permanently close their doors or had to make incredibly tough decisions about members of staff that they know are absolutely fundamental to what their venue represents. And yet despite all this, we are still here. Still fighting, still determined. And most importantly of all, still standing together trying to support each other.”
From 21 September combined tickets for Venues Day Live and Venues Day Online, and online tickets only, will go on general sale from www.musicvenuetrust.com