Billboard (12/20/18) Brandie, Lars
The Australian Festival Association (AFA) unveiled on Dec. 21 will be the first industry body to represent Australian music festival professionals. AFA is chaired by festival veterans Jessica Ducrou, Matthew Lazarus-Hall, Rod Little, Adelle Robinson, and Danny Rogers, and its goals include helping members "deliver safe and well-run" festivals around the country and establishing "world-leading operating standards" for the industry. According to a joint statement, AFA was founded "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." Festival owners, operators, and managers, as well as site managers, production managers, and bar operators can join AFA, along with venues and venue groups working alongside the festival industry; membership plans for nonprofits operating in festival sectors are in the works. Yearly AFA membership covers administration, legal advice, media strategy and other services, while options are available to festivals that have been running for three years or more, are ticketed and licensed to sell alcohol and have a capacity of at least 2,000 patrons.
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