“I have a greater working knowledge and feel more confident in what I am doing. What I learnt has been useful on a day-to-day basis and proved invaluable for running our festival last year.” — ICO course participant 2006
This two-day event has been developed especially for film festivals of all sizes from all over the UK.
The course will comprise a choice of introductory and advanced level workshops, presentations from a wide range of specialists in the field and practical sessions for discussion and ideas-sharing.
It will also include invaluable networking opportunities on a national scale.
Sessions will include:
a) Marketing and audience development 1
Aimed at smaller and recently established festivals with a low level of resources, this session will cover establishing and communicating your identity, developing effective audience development strategies and making the most of your print marketing materials.
OR
b) Marketing and audience development 2
Aimed at medium to larger festivals, this session will cover specific approaches to attract new and develop existing audiences, adventurous marketing techniques and methods of encouraging audience engagement.
The session will be led by Andrew McIntyre, Director, Morris Hargreaves McIntyre.
a) E-marketing 1
For festivals with a small marketing budget, this session will look at online marketing tools that you can use at little or no cost, including social networking websites, plumping up your website, taking advantage of your e-list and publicity listings.
The session will be led by Andy Freedman, Managing Director, Substance PR.
OR
b) E-marketing 2
For medium to larger festivals, this session will examine successful models of online marketing and promotion to engage audiences.
The session will be led by Andrew McIntyre, Director, Morris Hargreaves McIntyre.
Sustainable development and strategic planning
With more and more festivals coming onto the scene, competition for audiences and funding is fierce. Hear from panellists from a range of festivals about how to successfully find your niche and undertake long-term planning to ensure your survival and future growth.
Speakers will be Kathy Loizou, Director, Showcomotion; Albert Wiederspiel, Director, Hamburg Film Festival; Chris Fell, Head of Film, Leeds City Council and Julieanne Crothers-Gibson, Director of Policy Development, NI Screen (Chair).
Building creative business partnerships
Speakers from festivals of all sizes will share their experiences and advice on the processes of researching, approaching, pitching to and maintaining good relationships with corporate sponsors.
Speakers will include Sadie McKinlay, Head of Development, Edinburgh International Film Festival; Louis Savy, Director, Sci-Fi London and Yen Yau, Strategic Partnership Manager, First Light (Chair).
Sharing practice and creative ideas
This session will be a practical workshop offering a unique opportunity for film festival staff from all over the UK to get together to discuss key issues, common problems and recent opportunities facing the sector. You can submit suggestions for subjects to be addressed in this session on your application form. On the day, you will be able to join one of three groups for a facilitated discussion on the most pressing concerns and solutions to them.
Cost:
The price for this course is £130 + VAT (£152.75). This includes lunch on both days, refreshments and networking drinks. Bursary support towards fees, travel and/or accommodation is available from various Screen Agencies and the ICO.
This project is funded by the Skillset Film Skills Fund, which is supported by the National Lottery through the UK Film Council and the film industry through the Skills Investment Fund. Skillset is the Sector Skills Council for the Audio Visual Industries. www.skillset.org