CONFERENCE 2020
The first International Literature Festivals Conference was held during the 2020 Emirates Airline Festival of Literature (4-9 February 2020), hosted by the Emirates Literature Foundation. The conference provided an opportunity to exchange ideas, examine common issues and discuss mutual challenges, with 29 delegates attending from 25 festivals. All continents were represented, with festival directors coming from as far afield as Australia, New Zealand, South America, Canada, The Caribbean, Africa, Indonesia and many countries in Europe.
During the conference there was an agreement to establish a Global Association of Literary Festivals, a forum through which Festivals can share best practice and explore partnerships, perhaps introducing new audiences through reciprocal working. This will be a long-term proposition connecting literary festivals around the world.
It is hoped that the conference will become a bi-annual event, with other literary festivals hosting the conference in future years.
Festival Directors’ Comments
"On all counts it has been a wonderful experience and I’m very grateful for your energy, vision, generosity and kindness."
Anne O’Brien, Auckland Writers Festival, New Zealand
"Thanks so much for hosting such a wonderful forum! It was so incredibly generous of you and far exceeded my expectations."
Janet DeNeefe, Ubud Writers and Readers Festival, Bali
"I am especially grateful to you for providing us with an opportunity to meet our peers, to discuss common issues and solutions, and to share our passion for books and ideas."
Leslie Hurtig, The Vancouver Writers Festival, Canada
"To see the festival and take part in the conference and meet all the wonderful colleagues was just amazing! Looking forward to collaborating world-wide in the future!"
Lola Shoneyin, AKE Arts and Book Festival, Nigeria
"What a fabulous experience you organised for us all. I felt so happy being amongst all the other people across the world who do the same mad job as me (us!). I made some wonderful connections"
Nicola Tuxworth, The Times and The Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival, UK
"We had a stimulating and wonderful time in Dubai. The conference of Festival directors was informative and it was cool to become connected with these people."
Carolyn Greer, Brooklyn Book Festival, USA
"Thank you for all your hard work in making the Literary Festival Directors Conference so interesting and successful. As a relative new girl on the literary festival block, it was great to meet which such a diverse and talented group of people and to hear and share ideas. I am sure some very positive collaborations will come out of the meeting."
Narisa Chakrabongse, BangKokEdge, Thailand
"The gathering you created was beyond extraordinary and I cannot thank you enough for the enriching experience I had. To meet such a warm, bright, generous big-hearted group of like-minded people from every corner of the globe was truly brilliant."
Edwina Johnson, Byron Writers Festival, Australia
"Thank you so much for inviting me to be part of the Festival Directors Conference - it was really interesting, very well organised and we were very well looked after."
Cristina Fuentes La Roche, Hay Festival of Literature and the Arts, UK
"We were so impressed by both your program for the conference and the festival sessions we were able to take part in. All very inspiring and in such a welcoming, engaging and professional spirit. We felt very privileged to be a part of it"
Kristine Terp Jensen, Louisiana Literature Festival, Denmark
"I was so impressed by the initiative, and by the quality of the conference content. I love the idea of an ongoing network"
Clare Mackintosh, Chipping Norton Literary Festival, UK
ATTENDEES
Lola Shoneyin
AKE Arts and Book Festival, Nigeria
Anne O’Brien
Auckland Writers Festival NZ
Narisa Chakrabongse
BangKokEdge Thailand
Ulrich Schreiber
Berlin International Literature Festival
Liz Koch
Brooklyn Book Festival, USA 2020
Carolyn Greer
Brooklyn Book Festival, USA 2020
Clare Mackintosh
Chipping Norton Literary Festival, UK
Pia Cortez
Bay Area Book Festival
Amalia Sanz
Filba Internacional, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Mauro Munhoz
Flip Brazil International Literature Festival of Paraty
Cristina Fuentes La Roche
Hay Festival of Literature and the Arts
Ankur Bhardwaj
Teamwork Arts/Jaipur Literature Festival, India
Marina Salandy-Brown
NGC Bocas LitFest – Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
Christine Saratsiotis
Toronto International Festival of Authors, Canada
Bea Colley
Southbank, London
Nicola Tuxworth
Cheltenham Literature Festival
Ian George
Cheltenham Literature Festival
PROGRAMME
Who do you think you are?
The USP, brand and identity of each literary festival, how does that happen and is it important? Creating a clear vision and identity and how to communicate it to authors, audience, sponsors
Panel:
Cristina Fuentes La Roche
Hay Festival of Literature and the Arts
Marina Salandy-Brown
NGC Bocas LitFest – Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
Razi Ahmed
Lahore Literary Festival, Pakistan
Moderator:
Julia Wheeler
How Important is Brand?
- Super important in order to attract funding
- Copyright everything to counteract imposters/copiers, guard the brand
- Taglines are important
- The Bocas festival literary pedigree is in Trinidad and efforts to create an eco- system of literature has resulted in Caribbean writers now winning literature prizes.
Sponsorship
- Discussion on ethical responsibility in accepting money from extractive industries/banks. Mining is a fact of life in emerging economies.
- Lahore receives no government support and sponsorship comes from foundations, individuals and trusts.
- Festivals must be creative in developing funding sources
- NGS Bocas: No history of philanthropy and in some locations money laundering is an issue. Be careful where the money comes from. Due diligence!
Founders – can it be hard to let go?
- Where there is a strong and involved community, they may take responsibility/ownership
- In some cases it can be difficult to just pass something on. Relationships, multi ethnicities and a strong board mean that it can take a number of years to hand over.
- Festivals are like machines and ideally, one is able to think, plan and then step back.
- Part of the process is to grow eg Lahore has developed strong links with the Asia Society in London and now travels to London.
Who Pays?
- Different festivals have different models. Audience consensus was that it is good to charge in case external funding fails. Also, ‘having skin in the game’/commitment is important for stakeholders.
- Charge less for schools.
- Brooklyn is free and the inclusive outreach is part of the brand.
- Another model is that events are free for the low income; also a small fee can be refunded if they attend.
The Complex Challenges of Programming
Vision, Strategy, Themes – The balancing act -popular culture vs niche, local vs international authors, crowd-pullers and providing a platform for new writing
Panel:
Liz Koch
Brooklyn Book Festival, USA
Bea Colley
London Literature Festival, Southbank, UK
Marit Borkenhagen
Norwegian Festival of Literature
Moderator:
Julia Wheeler
What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
Crisis Management –plus the influence of digital media and how it helps/hinders
Panel:
Isobel Abulhoul
Emirates Airline Festival of Literature
Syima Aslam
Bradford Literature Festival, UK
Ankur Bhardwaj
Teamwork Arts/Jaipur Literature Festival, India
Ray Eglington
Four Communications Group
Moderator:
Brandy Scott
Literary Conversations Across Borders
The role of festivals in breaking down stereotypes with author Roudha Al Marri
Panel:
Ahlam Bolooki
Emirates Airline Festival of Literature
Anne O’Brien
Auckland Writers Festival NZ
Janet Deneefe
Ubud Writers and Readers Festival Bali, Indonesia
Moderator:
Julia Wheeler
Festivals on a Shoestring
Can festivals be financially self-sustaining?
Challenges of sponsorship and ROI, fundraising, charitable giving, corporate and public sector investment, marketing, digital rights. We look at different models and tips on how to save money and market your festival without a big budget.
Panel:
Edwina Johnson
Byron Writers Festival, Australia
Lola Shoneyin
AKE Arts and Book Festival, Nigeria
Anna Kulp
Leukerbad International Literary Festival, Switzerland
Moderator:
Vivienne Wordley
Literary Tourism; Building a Cultural City/Destination
Literary Tourism – The importance to the tourist industry and building a cultural city/destination
Panel:
Mauro Munhoz
Flip Brazil International Literature Festival of Paraty
Carolyn Greer
Brooklyn Book Festival, USA
Christian Lund
Louisiana Literature Festival, Denmark
Moderator:
Amandeep Bhangu
The X Factor
Audience attraction
How do we get people through the doors – free or ticketed? Day passes? Capturing the audience attention – marketing strategies and specifics, digital v traditional methods etc.
Panel:
Christine Saratsiotis
Toronto International Festival of Authors, Canada
Ulrich Schreiber
Berlin International Literature Festival, Germany
Andrea Gissdal
Emirates Airline Festival of Literature
Moderator:
Julia Wheeler
Smooth Operators
Perspectives on delivering a seamless event. In conversation:
Panel:
Ankur Bhardwaj
Event Management Director, International Festivals Jaipur
Chris Bradley
Sponsor (Chevron)
Moderator:
Vivienne Wordley
Buckingham Literary Festival UK/Santa Fe LitFest USA
Julia Wheeler
Publishers, Authors & Literary Festivals – A Happy Partnership?
Panel:
Flora Rees
Emirates Airline Festival of Literature
Leslie Hurtig
The Vancouver Writers Festival, Canada
Nicola Tuxworth
The Times and The Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival, UK
Graeme Simsion
author
Moderator:
Julia Wheeler
Literary Conversations Across Borders
The importance literature plays in including ‘others’ and in building bridges across communities.
In today’s uncertain world, with some people taking increasingly polarized positions, it has become ‘us’ and ‘them’. As communities have become entrenched in their views, looking inwards and being unable to see another’s point of view, what part does literature play in bringing about understanding and showing us that we should be building bridges and not walls? Talk by Khoula Al Mujaini, Director of Fairs and Festivals, Sharjah World Book Authority,
Panel:
Khoula Ali Amed Al Mujaini
Sharjah Book Fair –attends 130 book fairs per year. They are developing new local authors through workshops and use an Emirati publishing house.
Moderator:
Amandeep Bhangu
Literary Festivals & The Future
Literary Festivals and The Future – sustainability, streaming/broadcasting digital rights, tech solutions, audiences changing profile/ expectations
Panel:
Ian George
The Times and The Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival, UK
Ulrich Schreiber
Berlin International Literature Festival, Germany
Cristina Fuentes La Roche
Hay Festival of Literature and the Arts
Moderator:
Amandeep Bhangu
Closing Remarks: Isobel Abulhoul OBE
CEO and Trustee of the Emirates Literature Foundation
The establishment of a Global Association of Literary Festivals was discussed, to enable the conversations to continue.
Next Conferences to be organised:
Nigeria, 27 – 30 October 2022
Brazil, Paraty July 2024
"To see the festival and take part in the conference and meet all the wonderful colleagues was just amazing! Looking forward to collaborating world-wide in the future!"
Marit Borkenhagen, Norwegian Festival of Literature, Lillehammer, Norway