Ellis Wins Festival Achievement Award

T In The Park chief Geoff Ellis will be presented with the annual Lifetime Achievement Award at the UK Festival Awards.

He was to collect the gong at London’s IndigO2 Nov. 18, when the awards bash followed the UK Festivals Conference in the same building.

Awards managing director James Drury said Ellis was chosen because of his “charismatic leadership, dogged attention to detail and inspirational good humour.”

In 1992 he moved to Glasgow and during his time at DF Concerts he has seen the company grow into Scotland’s biggest promoter, organising hundreds of gigs per year covering venues of every size from its own 300-capacity King Tut’s to stadium shows at Hampden Park and Murrayfield.

Ellis has also overseen the expansion of T In The Park to the point where it now pulls 85,000 people per day.

The expertise DF Concerts has amassed through organising large-scale gatherings saw the company selected to oversee preparations for Pope Benedict’s visit to Scotland earlier this year.

Ellis is also one of the UK concert industry’s leading campaigners regarding the outlawing of ticket touts.