Our international training programme, now in its second year after a sold-out first edition in 2023, is a complete guide to transforming your partnership opportunities and generating more revenue for your film festival.
The course will be led by film festival and business development expert Jennifer Frees, an experienced trainer who is globally renowned for building one of the most successful partnership programmes in the film festival world at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Over the last eight years, Jennifer has trained over 150 festivals through ICO courses alone. After leading large-scale economic recovery and growth initiatives in Canada through the pandemic, and launching an international consultancy dedicated to commercial strategy for creative industries, she now serves as Chief Business & Marketing Officer at TIFF.
Course participants will also receive additional expertise from Catharine Des Forges, Director of the Independent Cinema Office. Catharine and the ICO have a proven track record, having created and delivered the international gold standard in film festival training, Developing Your Film Festival (DYFF) for 11 years.
This course builds on that expertise with a more specific and intensive training programme on sponsorship and partnerships. Delegates will come away with new contacts, new skills and, most importantly, a practical toolkit for transforming your partnership approach that you can use immediately.
If you want your film festival to attract and retain valuable new revenue-driving partners and ensure its prosperity for years to come, this is the course for you.
- This is a three-day programme running from 16-18 April 2024
- Hotel accommodation in the heart of Oslo and most meals will be provided from 15-19 April
- Spaces are limited to only 12 delegates.
We are delighted to be partnering with the Norwegian Film Institute, Eventive, and Creative Europe Desk Norway to deliver this opportunity.
Course details
Partnership and Revenue Success for Film Festivals is taught by Jennifer Frees and Catharine Des Forges, with additional case studies from around the world.
The fee for attending the course is £2,499. This includes four nights’ accommodation in Oslo, course materials, and most meals (all breakfasts and lunches, as well as one networking dinner).
There is an option to attend the course without accommodation for a fee of £1,999. If you would like to take up this option, please speak to a member of the ICO team if your application is successful.
During your stay in Oslo, we will have several networking events for you to better get to know your fellow attendees. These include a networking dinner and a film screening.
Course Location – Oslo
For this edition, the course is taking place in Oslo at the Norwegian Film Institute. You will be situated in the heart of the city, a few minutes walk from all amenities.
“Jenn is a pragmatic yet creative business development leader. She guides teams to think big, bold, and develop sound roadmaps to achieve world-class results.”
– Joana Vicente, CEO, Sundance Institute
Information webinar
On Thursday 1 February, we were joined by course leaders Jennifer Frees and Catharine Des Forges for an information webinar on the Partnership and Revenue Success for Film Festivals training programme.
You can watch a recording of this information session below, highlighting what we will be covering during the programme:
What you will learn
Day One – Core Concepts of Partnership Strategy
On the first day, you will interrogate key principles that should guide a professional and competitive partnerships and fundraising strategy. Topics will include understanding and defining your unique value proposition, how to identify what a sponsor needs, expanding your target pipeline to align with your festival’s values, and creating compelling saleable assets.
Day Two – Diving Into Your Biggest Partnership Conundrums
On day two we will dive deeper into common partnership struggles, including how to plan for and achieve revenue growth across new and existing partnerships, how to increase your team’s business development efficiency through generative AI, and ramping up your negotiating skills by anticipating and overcoming common sales objections.
Day Three – Festival Spotlights
Our final day will shine a spotlight on your festival to discuss as a group your current partnership revenue and relationship situation and challenges. Using the tools you developed over the previous two days, we will work together to generate practical solutions to take back home with you.
Our goal is that you will leave this training and immediately use these propositions, with a world-class partnership toolkit that you can adapt for your current and future needs.
“I feel empowered with up-to-date knowledge in this specific field and ready to take my film festival to the next level.”
– Sandra Lipski, Founder & Director, Evolution Mallorca International Film Festival
Testimonials
“Jenn has an innovative approach to partnerships. A compelling sales leader, she is able to envision and articulate a festival’s unique value proposition beyond the classic elements to inspire partners to reach for more.”
– Cameron Bailey, CEO Toronto International Film Festival
“Jennifer is my colleague and inspiration, she’s bold and visionary. We’ve met while I was working at Vilnius International Film Festival and delivered several sessions on sponsorship at Developing Your Film Festival. I succeeded to increase VIFF sponsorship revenues x5 times in 5 years and I share that achievement with Jennifer for sure.”
– Mindaugas Morkunas, Former Head of Development & Sponsorship, Vilnius International Film Festival
“Jenn has great insight into the film festival environment and she was very generous in talking about it. I especially remember her boldness and how she encouraged us to be bold, that you were not asking but giving, in a tight collaboration with the sponsor. Her talk was so inspiring that regardless of the impossible comparison between our small festival and TIFF, it didn’t sound like rocket science, and her tips helped us to increase our budget 4 times during the last 8 years.”
– Xavi Lezcano, Co-Director, Americana Film Festival
“I had a fantastic time on the 2023 training programme. Jenn covered a lot of information in just 3 days in an approachable, engaging and fun way. I now feel I have the right tools to build successful new partnerships and am excited to apply my learnings.”
– Lucy Wardley, Festival Producer, Open City Documentary Festival
“I learned so much from Jennifer’s presentation – from an overview of sponsorship strategy to how to approach a pitch. She introduced ideas, like a funding pipeline, how to utilise LinkedIn and how not to approach funders with a scattergun list of every single thing your festival is doing which you think might interest them. Her insights were spot on. The blueprints and suggestions she offered have worked for a multi-million dollar festival, like TIFF and were also applicable and practical to small-to-medium-sized festivals, like WOFFF and other festivals in attendance at the Roundtable. Jennifer is approachable, knowledgable and practical. She’s a funny, engaging and an inspiring speaker and workshop host. It was a delight and an education to share a platform with her.”
– Nuala O’Sullivan, Director, Women Over Fifty Film Festival
“The course was an intense learning about advanced sponsorship practice, that has made me much more equipped and inspired for continuing my work with finding new money for our festivals.”
– Ingvild Vaale Arnesen, Head of Communication and Marketing, Stiftelsen Festivalkontoret (Oslo Festival Agency)
Speakers
Jennifer Frees
International Festival Business Development Expert and Chief Business & Marketing Officer, Toronto International Film Festival
Jennifer Frees has diverse experience in revenue leadership, marketing, business development, and strategic partnership for the private, public and non-profit sectors. Her innovative projects have won marketing and design awards for highly regarded international brands, as well as generating over $180M for her non-profit clients globally. Jennifer has served on executive leadership teams at the Toronto Region Board of Trade and TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival), leading units including Membership, Marketing, Analytics, Events, and Partnerships. Jennifer is an internationally sought-after business development speaker and workshop facilitator, and provides senior sales, negotiation, and business development advisory services for an array of organizations in the creative sector.
Catharine Des Forges
Director, Independent Cinema Office
Catharine has spent over 20 years working in the exhibition sector for a variety of organisations including the BFI and Arts Council England. She has worked as a freelance programmer and arts consultant and progammed for festivals and cinemas both in the UK and internationally. She has lectured on film at a number of UK universities and is a regular contributor to industry events and a frequent filmmaker Q&A host. Catharine founded the ICO in 2003 and has been its Director ever since. She is also a voting member of BAFTA.
FAQs
How do I apply to attend the course?
Applications for the 2024 edition of the Partnership and Revenue Success for Film Festivals training programme remain open.
You can find all the necessary materials at the bottom of this page.
What is included within the course fee?
The fee for attending Partnership and Revenue Success for Film Festivals is £2,499. This includes four-nights’ accommodation, course materials, and most meals (all breakfasts and lunches, as well as one networking dinner). The hotel nights covered will be 15-19 April.
There is an option to attend the course without accommodation for a fee of £1,999. If you would like to take up this option, please speak to a member of the ICO team if your application is successful.
Where is the course taking place?
This iteration of Partnership and Revenue Success for Film Festivals is taking place in Oslo, Norway. You will receive details on the location of the course once you have been accepted onto the programme.
How long will it take for a decision to be made on my application?
You will receive an email within three days to confirm receipt of your application. Successful applicants will be notified within one week of the deadline.
How will the decisions be made on applications?
Each application will be assessed by two members of senior ICO staff, who will then discuss and finalise the decision.
We welcome applications from staff members from established film festivals all over the world.
There are no restrictions on the type of film festival you represent. You may be in a paid / unpaid or freelance position at your festival but must be in a position to influence change in your organisation. You must have been working in festivals for a minimum of two years and be based at an established festival or event that has been running for at least two years.
Who should I contact if I have any further questions?
If you have any further questions about the course, then please get in touch with us via email at the following address: training@independentcinemaoffice.org.uk
We will endeavour to answer your questions via email but we are also happy to have a conversation over the phone or via Zoom – just let us know when you email.
In partnership with
