Music Venue Trust (MVT) has announced that a limited number of remaining tickets for its 10th annual Venues Day event are now on general sale.
The event will take place at Woolwich Works, London on Tuesday, October 8.
Hundreds of delegates from across the UK’s grassroots music venue (GMV) sector, representing venues throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, will be attending the event.
“The 10th Anniversary edition of Venues Day will celebrate a decade of the grassroots music venue movement and will be the largest gathering of people who run GMVs in the world,” said a statement. The event will offer an opportunity to reflect on progress made in the UK and the challenges still being faced by the sector.
The event follows the news of a funding boost for Music Venue Trust from Coldplay, who will donate a share of proceeds from their 2025 UK stadium dates to the organisation.
MVT, which represents over 800 UK grassroots music venues (GMVs), has held the one-day event for the sector since 2014, with delegates representing venues, promoters, agents, artists, government departments, funding bodies and a wide range of ancillary service providers.
This year’s Venues Day theme will centre around the importance of the artists and the role GMVs play in inspiring, nurturing and connecting them with audiences while offering them an opportunity to experiment and develop new ideas. It will also offer networking opportunities, the chance to share experiences and information and a platform to discuss important issues.
This annual opportunity to bring our community together to update on progress, offer support, forge new connections and celebrate the wins is needed now more than ever
Bev Whitrick
A series of panels exploring the common goals of artists and venues has now been confirmed with speakers including Sam Duckworth (Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly), Lily Meff (The Meffs), Kwame Kwaten (Ferocious Talent), Stina Tweeddale (Honeyblood), Nathan Clark (Brudenell Social Club), Rhoda Dakar, Tom Gray (The Ivors) and Jane Beese among others.
Long-time MVT patron and Chairman of LIVE, Steve Lamacq, has also been confIrmed to deliver this year’s keynote welcome address. A staunch supporter of the GMV sector for decades, Lamacq has played an integral hosting role at Venues Day in previous years.
Longtime supporters of MVT and headline sponsors Ticketmaster, Fred Perry and Jack Daniels have also enabled Venues Day 2024 to offer subsidised delegate passes and travel bursaries to ensure that venue representatives from across the UK can attend
Venues Day 2024 will end with a fully catered afterparty for delegates (supported by Ticketmaster) and special guests who have been instrumental in MVT's work over the past 10 years.
Bev Whitrick, chief operating officer at Music Venue Trust, said: “The landscape for GMVs in 2024 is still challenging. Ten years of work has not solved everything, but this annual opportunity to bring our community together to update on progress, offer support, forge new connections and celebrate the wins is needed now more than ever. Venues Day 2024 is THE event for the GMV sector and everyone who has a stake in it.”
Tickets for Venues Day 2024, priced £168, can now be booked here.