Features
Date Set For UK Venues Day 2022
The 2022 U.K. Venues Day, organized by the country’s Music Venue Trust (MVT), will go down at the newly refurbished St John at Hackney Church on Tuesday, October 18.
MVT, which represents almost 1,000 U.K. grassroots music venues (GMVs), has hosted this annual 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.
As the GMV sector moves into the post-pandemic era, “MVT will ensure that the opportunity for delegates to network, interact and share experiences with each is a key pillar of this year’s activity,” the Venues Day 2022 announcement states.
Beverley Whitrick, Chief Operating Officer at Music Venue Trust, said, “It has become increasingly clear that after a tough couple of years there will be no return to the past, and it is now critical that new connections are made and that alternative ways of doing things are explored. Venues Day 2022 is a fantastic opportunity to find out how people have adapted to such seismic change. The GMV sector has always thrived because of its vibrant sense of community so bringing everyone together to help reinforce this is hugely important. This event will be a unique meeting point to discuss the cultural, social and economic interests affecting grassroots music venues. Venues Day 2022 is built around one key aim; that every single delegate leaves having made connections or re-connections that will help them in a meaningful way.”
Another key theme for the event will be MVT’s recently launched ‘Own Our Venues’ campaign.
To support this campaign MVT launched Music Venue Properties (MVP) in May to purchase the freehold of GMV properties. By buying “Community Shares” through a dedicated crowdfunder, music fans and ethical investors will help raise funds whilst also receiving a 3% APR return on their investment.
See: Music Venue Properties: MVT’s Plan To Purchase Venue Freeholds
MVP has identified nine venues for a pilot project with an initial target of £3.5 million ($4.2 million) to purchase them before the end of 2022. On completion of purchase MVP will offer the majority of current operators an immediate rent reduction and help contribute to building repairs and insurance, while also guaranteeing long term security and market resistant rents. All rental income subsequently received from the purchase of venues will be reinvested towards the expansion of the portfolio
Throughout the day many of the event’s keynote speeches and discussions will have ‘Own Our Venues’ as a core narrative.
See: The U.K.’s Music Venue Trust’s Mark Davyd On Saving The Future Of Live Music
Mark Davyd, CEO of Music Venue Trust, said, “Our ‘Own Our Venues’ campaign is by far our most ambitious project to date and has already had a great start. Venues Day 2022 will provide a great opportunity to discuss, plan and share ways in which we can make this initiative a reality and secure the long-term future of the GMV sector.”
Tickets for Venues Day 2022 will go on sale in August, full program details will be announced soon. Parties interested in sponsorship or other partnership opportunities at Venues Day 2022 should contact [email protected].