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Today's read ... 8️⃣ minutes

Headliner Shane Boylan is loving Jon Pardi's Tequila Little Time

Hungry? If you aren't now, you will be after reading about event food trends in our Headliner; and if that's not enough, we're digging further into the complexities of food and beverage vendors in this week's

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Back of House Festival ALL CALL on Clubhouse. Plus why event pros have abandoned the industry & Japanese organizers ask attendees not to speak to each other.

The first platform of its kind, EventFund partners with independent promoters and venues to cover upfront event expenses in exchange for a cut of ticketing revenue. They are currently accepting applications, and more information can be found on their website.

A new virtual venue for live entertainment, Flymachine, has been launched by the founders of Ticketfly, Superfly, [namethemachine], and ATC Management. It allows fans the “freedom to move around, interact, and have their own experience, rather than passively watch a broadcast.”

Exit stage left. Has the pandemic caused event professionals to pivot careers? Read why events are returning but some workers are not. Full-time salaries, benefits, and stability play a big part in decisions for many.

Ticketmaster has integrated with Snapchat’s Snap Map, the platform’s location sharing function, to allow users to purchase tickets for upcoming events through the app. 

Relief is near. The first round of venues should be receiving relief from the Shutter Venue Operators Grant this week. Read how venues in Chicago have been turning towards grassroots fundraisers to stay afloat in the meantime.

While many places are expecting a summer of reopenings, the City of Toronto has officially canceled its whole slate of major summer events due to COVID-19 concerns.

The Exit Festival in Serbia announces they’ll accept Bitcoin payments for tickets. 

Out of around 58,000 attendees of the UK Events Research Programme trial events, only 15 people have contracted COVID-19.

A New York State Senator is seeking to eliminate ‘dynamic pricing’ in Broadway ticketing through a new bill to protect buyers from price increases caused by change in demand.

In a recent announcement, the organizers of the Japanese festival Fuji Rock urge attendees not to speak to each other (paywall) while at the event to mitigate the risk of COVID-19.

A Fall Filled with Festivals -- See Which Lineups Dropped this Week

• Lollapalooza is officially back this July 29 through August 1 with performances from headliners, Miley Cyrus, Post Malone, Foo Fighters, and Tyler the Creator, and many more. Tickets are on sale now. Proof of vaccination or negative tests will be required upon entry each day. 

• Austin City Limits will be returning for two weekends this October. Their recently announced lineup features George Strait, Billie Eilish, Stevie Nicks, Miley Cyrus, DaBaby, Erykah Badu, Rüfüs Du Sol, and many more. Their three-day tickets for both events sold out in record time.

• Pitchfork Music Festival slated for this September 10-12 will welcome artists including Phoebe Bridgers, St. Vincent, Thundercat, Animal Collective, and Big Thief.

• After an eleventh hour postponement of their event several weeks ago, Byron Bay Bluesfest has announced their new dates of October 1-4 with a lineup of mostly local acts.

• According to Secretary of State Oliver Dowden, the long-awaited government-backed insurance might come to rescue the UK festival industry (paywall), but only if the commercial insurance market cannot offer support by the scheduled reopening date of June 21. 

• ShipRocked Cruise is returning in 2022 with Lamb of God and I Prevail at the top of their bill.

• In Chattanooga, TN, the Moon River Music Festival produced in partnership with AC Entertainment will return September 11-12 featuring Wilco, Lord Huron, Dr. Dog, Hippo Campus, and more.

• The Peach Music Festival, dedicated to the Allman Brothers Band, will take place July 1-4 in Pennsylvania. See the full lineup here.

• Pearl Jam will return for Eddie Vedder’s Ohana Festival in California this September 24-26. This will be their first concert in three years. Others to perform include Maggie Rogers, My Morning Jacket, Kings of Leon, Black Pumas, and more.

• The rescheduled Hella Mega Tour with Green Day, Fall Out Boy, and Weezer will start July 24.

• Dead & Company joined by John Mayer will kick off their North American tour this August. 

Certifications, Guides, and Recommendations: The Art of Returning Safely

The live industry is definitely on its way back, and safety continues to be a top priority. National Independent Venue Association and Event Safety Alliance have teamed up with Association of Performing Arts Professionals, Coalition of Performing Arts Centers, and National Independent Talent Organization to release ‘Safe in Sound,’ their comprehensive guide to reopening live events safely after the pandemic based on CDC recommendations. Download the guide here. 

Additionally, venues in North America might soon be equipped with a safety certification from Oak View Group, CAA Icon, and Sharecare. Venues will receive their Health Security VERIFIED certification once it is assessed that safety protocols are all in place. Fans will be able to easily identify locations’ safety statuses. Also, Lasher Louis Productions has created a COVID Venue Guide. Finally, the Vax Live concert from Global Citizen that took place earlier this month raised around $302 million making more than 26 million vaccine doses available.    

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Shane Boylan is an experienced and active member of the live event community, specifically with Food and Beverage Hospitality Operations. With 10 plus years of private and public event experience, Shane has led the charge in streamlining logistics and operations for F&B execution. After the recent launch of his Food and Beverage Hospitality consulting company, he sat down and taught us about how he uses his unique skill set to build a new brand.

Food Trends for 2021: More variety, food “experiences,” and the chicken tender champion 

The food and beverage industry may have been the most prepared to go back to live events, but that doesn’t mean those working in the industry aren’t making changes as they prepare for the 2021 festival season. In fact, they are always making changes, keeping up with the hottest trends in food products, service, and experiences, all while vigilantly following stringent health and safety guidelines.

Shane Boylan, a seasoned pro in the live event hospitality world, gave us some valuable insights into our favorite part of any event - the food and the beverages. Shane spent 12 years working his way up the ladder at National Concessionaire, serving as Director of Operations before he became Director of Food and Beverage for Live Nation. In early 2021 he decided to venture out on his own and start Event Hospitality Solutions, with the goal of using his unique experience working on both the concessionaire and the promoter side to remove the friction between the two with a focus on hospitality at festivals and venues.

We all know that food and beverage is an important part of every event (for some of us, it’s the best part). It’s an added revenue generator for promoters, in many cases, an attraction in-and-of-itself for attendees, and of course fuel for staff, talent, and volunteers. Seems like a no-brainer. Of course, like many things in event production, good food and beverage requires a lot of planning, experience, and hard work. Shane walks us through it:

Your first return to live events will be:

Or

71% of BOH readers would start their own festival if funding was easier to acquire. 

▶️  Marauder is seeking a Marketing Specialist to help increase client presence utilizing both organic and paid social media and similar digital touchpoints.▶️  McCallum Theatre is hiring a full-time Director of Ticketing Services in Palm Desert, CA.▶️  Apply to be the part-time Box Office Administrator for the North Carolina Opera in Raleigh, NC.

▶️  Check out Event Marketer’s Nine High-Tech Solutions to Explore in the COVID-19 Era.

▶️  Listen to this: Powerhouses Sharon Van Etten and Angel Olsen, join forces on new track, “Like I Used To.”▶️  Need an icebreaker for your team? The Kasem App is a music sharing game that integrates with Slack. 

May 24-26: You can still register to attend BizBash’s Connect Las Vegas virtually where they will showcase innovative ideas, tools, and resources for a new era of events.

May 27: Join us for our 👋Back of House ALL CALL on Clubhouse as we discuss Food and Beverage at events with concessionaires, vendors, venues, and event pros.

June 2: The Event Tech Innovation Summit will explore the new world of hybrid events.

June 3: The 2021 Podcasting Summit from Music Business Worldwide where podcast pros will help labels and DIY musicians alike determine whether “To Pitch or To Podcast,” give tips on capitalizing on catalog music to give their fans even more of what they want.

June 8-10: Get your FREE VIP ticket for US & Canada Event Tech Live 2021.

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