ICMP students have been enjoying a fantastic summer of live events with many studying our Music Business and Entrepreneurship degree gaining invaluable industry experiences at music festivals.
From Creamfields to Barn on the Farm via Secret Garden Party, 2022’s summer months have been full of festival action with numerous ICMP students working at these events.
Doing so has enabled them to get to grips with a rich variety of roles in press and media, health and safety and licensing, all of which are crucial in making these events happen.
ICMP Music Business Module Leader Jamie Johnston has utilised his network of contacts to help facilitate these fantastic opportunities for our students.
Commenting, Jamie said: "I’ve a long career history in live music, particularly at festivals. I was a stage manager at Reading and Leeds Festival when I was younger, then Secret Garden Party and have site managed and worked on the production of various arts events. The modern day music festival is an entire ecosystem in itself so there are plenty of opportunities out there."
We have great working relationships with alumna who have gone on to enjoy careers in live music who have been helping offer opportunities. In the future, we’re looking to develop more connections with events for students on our new BA in Live Event and Festival Management."
Izzy Eddies has been working for Live Nation and Festival Republic across multiple events over the course of summer of 2022, including Creamfields South.
She said: "My job was working on health and safety inductions so I literally had to meet every single person coming to work on site. I think I met around 2,000 people in those four weeks. But from that I met people that I now call really good friends (and colleagues).”
By having access behind the scenes you meet a lot of invaluable people, not just for the doors they can open for you but also because you can rely on them to pick you up when you need it (which you’re going to need!)"
She continued: "The people on site make the experience worthwhile. Not to mention, if you work hard, they’re willing to help you out some more."
"I was under the impression that I would go to work, get the job done, go home and get on with my summer but when I returned from Creamfields I’d made some amazing friends, unforgettable memories and had my next job lined up."
BA Music Business and Entrepreneurship graduate Barbara Rubio Rial recently worked at the Barn on the Farm festival, via Greenhouse PR, as a content creator.
Her role involved capturing photos and video from the side of stage and in the pit, plus taking videos and interviews with fans and around the site. All of this content has been used on the festival’s social channels, and will be shared over the coming year to maintain high engagement ahead of marketing 2023's event.
Commenting, Barbara said:
You need to believe in yourself and say yes to everything. That’s how you make things happen. The experience I took from this event was invaluable."
Alongside Barn in the Farm, Barbara also worked at this year's Secret Garden Party festival as part of their box office team. All of this experience aligns with Barbara's career aspirations as she is keen to move into a management role, particularly within the live arena.
She said: "I’d love to work in the live music industry, the multi-dimensional nature of live events really suits my work ethic – I enjoy multi-tasking and getting hands-on across the many different aspects of these large productions."
These events not only offer our students some vital experience but give them the chance to see how much work feeds into making these events happen. As Izzy Edwards says:
Working for Festival Republic has opened a lot of opportunities for me, you never know who you’re going to meet. So I think it’s the perfect place to start (or stay) when thinking about the future."
"I don’t think I could be in a better place and if you’re thinking about working in events or festivals, DO IT."
Fancy carving out a career in the Live Events industry?
Did you know we've recently launched an exciting new Live Event and Festival Management degree course?
This ground-breaking new course has the ever-changing live music ecosystem at its heart. Developed in consultation with key bodies of the live events industry, this highly practical contemporary course will connect you to the cutting-edge of the fast-moving and constantly evolving live events sector. You’ll be encouraged to look to the future to see what’s possible, as you collaborate on real-world projects and build impressive creative, business, management and innovation skills.