A group of leading music industry figures have consolidated their influence to form the Australian Festival Association (AFA), a new peak body representing our national festivals.
The AFA has been formed to represent the interests of Australian festivals, and is committed to providing the safe and sustainable delivery of festivals across the country as well as establishing Australia as a world leader in operating standards for the industry.
On the board of the AFA sit five of the music industry's power players, each bringing a wealth of experience and knowledge to their roles: Jessica Ducrou (Splendour In The Grass, Falls Festival, Download) Matthew Lazarus-Hall (CMC Rocks QLD), Rod Little (Groovin The Moo, The Plot), Adelle Robinson (Listen Out, Listen In, Field Day, Harbourlife, Curve Ball) and Danny Rogers (St Jerome’s Laneway Festival).
The five founding board members announced the formation of the AFA with a statement outlining the aims and commitments of the organisation, along with services that will be made available to members.
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Read the full statement from AFA:
'The AFA was formed to represent the common interests and aspirations of the Australian festival industry. The AFA is committed to helping members deliver safe and well-run festivals around Australia, and establishing world leading operating standards for our industry.
'We are establishing this industry group so that our members can develop informed and unified strategies in response to a range of issues, including event liquor licensing, drug policy, harm minimisation practise, building code compliance, green initiatives, user pays policing, event medical guidelines, and third party ticket sites.
'Our aims are to make festivals safer for patrons, and reduce friction between festival promoters and regulatory bodies, by aligning evidence based practices and decades of combined industry experience with the requirements of government policy. We are also committed to ensuring the ongoing viability of festivals as thriving businesses, significant municipal events and sites of global cultural exchange in the interest of all Australian citizens.
'We support our members to continually improve their operational practices through access to our extensive resources, including festival best practice guides, liquor license application troubleshooting, AFA forums and conferences, industry contacts and legal advice.
'Where our interests conflict with those of regulatory bodies, we strive to find rational, evidence based solutions, by learning from the concerns of those parties, and sharing our views and experiences with all stakeholders.
'Annual AFA membership will cover administration, legal advice and media strategy designed to achieve the AFA’s mission as well as give members a cohesive and consistent voice. Membership options are open to festivals that have been operating for three years or more, are ticketed and licensed to sell alcohol, have a capacity of 2,000 patrons or more, and are prepared to operate their events within best practise guidelines.
'Industry memberships are also open to festival professionals such as site managers, production managers and bar operators, as well as venues and venue groups working alongside the festival industry. The AFA also has membership plans for not-for-profit groups working in the festival landscape.'
