Warwick FF job

Subject: Warwick FF job
From: BB
Date: 10 Sep 08 - 03:34 PM

This just appeared in the Arts Council job listings - could be good for someone!

Barbara

"Warwick Folk Festival requires a part-time Festival Development Manager.

Warwick is one of the country's leading Folk Festivals, attracting 20,000 visitors to festival events in the town during the last weekend in July. The Festival Site at Warwick Boys School, Myton Road provides a range of music venues from a marquee seating 1,400 people, a theatre and dance hall to small intimate venues; camping for 4,000; a craft village and food outlets.

In the town centre there are dance venues for Morris and other forms of dance displays, culminating in a large procession of over 20 dance teams on Saturday afternoon. There are also concerts and music sessions in hotels, pubs, seminars and workshops, and open air concerts in the Market Square on Saturday Evening and Sunday Afternoon.


We are offering. 52 days work at a rate of £130.00 per day. The hours must be flexible and could include evenings and weekends. Reporting to Dick Dixon with a brief fortnightly report and a full report once a quarter to the Festival Board.

To apply:

Write a letter of application, describing why you think you would be suitable for this task, and the names and addresses of two referees, and enclose a full CV. Applications should be sent to Dick Dixon PO Box 429 Coventry CV5 6ZS. Or email [e-mail]

Closing date is Friday 10th October 2008.

Interviews will be held in the week beginning Monday 27th October. If you would like to discuss the post, please telephone Dick Dixon (07831 890 905) daytime or evening"

Subject: RE: Warwick FF job
From: GUEST,Girl Friday sans cookie
Date: 10 Sep 08 - 05:59 PM

I have just emailed this to a friend who just moved that way. Thanks.

Subject: RE: Warwick FF job
From: GUEST,Chaz
Date: 10 Sep 08 - 06:22 PM

So now you wonder why the festival ticket prices are so high?

CB

Subject: RE: Warwick FF job
From: Mavs82
Date: 10 Sep 08 - 11:09 PM

Chaz - Is it your opinion that all festivals, regardless of size, quality etc. should be run by volunteers who also have to try to hold down a full time job whilst cramming "organise large, multi venued festival" into their spare time?!

Or, upon reflection, is it fair to suggest that you would prefer to attend a professional, well organised and well managed festival? In the overall scheme of things, this kind of salary is going to make little difference to a festival - when you take into account the cost of such things as venue infrastructure etc. But then, it's probably fair to assume that you don't have an in depth, working understanding of planning a festival. Am I right?!

Subject: RE: Warwick FF job
From: Folkiedave
Date: 11 Sep 08 - 04:21 AM

At first glance this looks like a fund-raising/application for grants type job - so the first thing the person will have to do is raise the cash to pay for their salary!!

And after tax, NI, provision for holiday pay and travelling, computing costs and so on £6760 spread over a 10 months is not a huge sum.

Festival prices are terrific value for money (IMHO) but I am retired and can afford them. I realise not everyone is in the same lucky boat. So they steward.

The reason prices are going up are legion but amongst them are grant withdrawals regionally and nationally, sponsorship withdrawals as the credit crunch bites, rising infrastructure costs in line with general inflation, and increasing licencing, insurance and health and safety costs.

But not to worry - if you just want to go down to the pub and have a good sing with your mates then there is nothing to stop you - after all travel costs, instrument costs and beer prices haven't gone up.

Have they?

Subject: RE: Warwick FF job
From: Mad Spaniel
Date: 11 Sep 08 - 04:27 AM

not a lot of money at all, freelancers won't touch it at that rate.

Subject: RE: Warwick FF job
From: GUEST,squirrel nutkins
Date: 11 Sep 08 - 06:45 AM

At least Warwick is recruiting publicly and not behind closed doors from the old boys network.

Subject: RE: Warwick FF job
From: Mr Red
Date: 11 Sep 08 - 08:17 AM

I have mixed feelings about this. It signals growth and big is basically a statistic. Better has no correlation. And opinions will always differ.

I steward at Warwick because I like the festival and Dick Dixon has never felt the need to insult me when I voice opinions. He politely disagrees with me or thanks me as appropriate.
But where are the 20,000 people? Busy as the town is the number looks a bit optimistic, even adding the castle and three days together.

Subject: RE: Warwick FF job
From: GUEST,Sandra
Date: 11 Sep 08 - 08:24 AM

But you have never slated WFF in public!

Subject: RE: Warwick FF job
From: the lemonade lady
Date: 11 Sep 08 - 11:22 AM

"...suggest that you would prefer to attend a professional, well organised and well managed festival?" I would like to do that but it not be big, over priced and commercialiased.

"...it's probably fair to assume that you don't have an in depth, working understanding of planning a festival. Am I right?!" well that's where you're wrong actually, I organised a festival on a shoestring for a few years and I understand fully the planning of a festival.

CB

Subject: RE: Warwick FF job
From: The Badger
Date: 11 Sep 08 - 08:47 PM

Mavis, have just reviewed your previous postings. Please let us know your experience of in-depth festival planning that allows you to be so patronising - so that the Mudcat world may genuflect before you.
The Badger

PS: been there, seen it, done it - before you patronise me.

Subject: RE: Warwick FF job
From: Mavs82
Date: 16 Sep 08 - 12:17 PM

The Badger - I approach all threads from the perspective of a person who has spent years in the events and conferencing world. I do not claim to be perfect, but I resent the idea that festivals just "happen".

I do not intentionally intend to be patronizing, but generally find that many of the posts on Mudcat seem to be posted by people who have grand ideas about what a festival should be but little or no understanding of the work involved.

Clearly, that doesn't apply to everyone, but it seems to be the majority.

Further to this, I would point out that (IMHO), if you want to make holier than thou' comments, making puns on my screen name is somewhat childish.

I believe that, like everyone else on Mudcat, I have a right to voice my own opinions. I'm not here to represent anyone, just voice personal views - is that ok with you?! That said, having reviewed the rest of the posts on this page, it seems I'm not the only one who doesn't see the salary on offer as over the top.

However, as you deem my opinions unworthy, I will think twice before posting again so as to avoid offending you.

Subject: RE: Warwick FF job
From: Schantieman
Date: 16 Sep 08 - 01:45 PM

Warwick has been a nice, friendly and fairly compact festival, if somewhat excessively noisy at times. BUT (and if I ever find out how to change text size that would be a big but) I go to festivals to sing and dance, not to listen to amplified 'stars'.

The proliferation of large, electrified festivals with large numbers of paid singers and enormous marquees is most distressing. It happened to Sidmouth, until it all collapsed in a heap, it seemed to be happening to Bromyard last weekend and Warwick may be going the same way. I hear (though I haven't been for 10 years or more) that that lovely little festival at Towersey has also expanded grotesquely.

Sally had exactly the right idea with her little DIY festival: three or four pubs with good (in two cases home-brewed) beer; a village hall and a campsite in the park. Cost? £12 per person for the w/e plus a few quid to pay for the band if you went to the ceilidh.

Surely folk is about making our own entertainment?

(or am I talking myself out of possible jobs here?)

Steve

Subject: RE: Warwick FF job
From: Acorn4
Date: 16 Sep 08 - 04:11 PM

I think there's room for both. Two of my favourites are Shrewsbury, which is on a mega-scale,and "Sussex Folk and Ale", which is just a village hall and enough barrels for a weekend.

Vive la Difference!

Subject: RE: Warwick FF job
From: Schantieman
Date: 16 Sep 08 - 04:23 PM

ah oui!

chacun a son gout

Subject: RE: Warwick FF job
From: Mavs82
Date: 17 Sep 08 - 05:07 AM

I would agree that there is a market for both. If there wasn't then there wouldn't be any 'stars'. That only works because they have a large following of people who do want to go and see them.

And yes, I thought twice about posting that for fear of offending people.

With regard to Sally's festival, if it provided for the people who went, great, but different people go to different festivals for different reasons. Surely it's wrong to say that something is bad becuase it's not to our own taste - we should be tolerant of the fact that there are different tastes and celebrate that fact. Folk has many facets and the difficuty is trying to provide for everyone

Subject: RE: Warwick FF job
From: Peter K (Fionn)
Date: 17 Sep 08 - 05:27 AM

Badger, which festival have you run that was anything like Warwick?

Subject: RE: Warwick FF job
From: Joe G
Date: 17 Sep 08 - 08:03 AM

I believe the great thing about festivals is that they are all so different. You pays your money and makes your choice. Personally I prefer the chance to see hugely talented artists using superb sound systems to communicate to large audiences eg Shrewsbury, Musicport. I also enjoy the smaller events but more as social gatherings than for their musical content (with a few exceptions).

Subject: RE: Warwick FF job
From: Mavs82
Date: 18 Sep 08 - 04:56 AM

Hmm, it seems I'm not such a heretic.

Subject: RE: Warwick FF job
From: Folkiedave
Date: 18 Sep 08 - 05:43 AM

No Maeve you are not alone. I am not even sure "stars" is the right word, few of them inhabit that world even when they are - if you see what I mean!!

How about "people who are aiming to be(or already are) the top of their profession"?

Subject: RE: Warwick FF job
From: selby
Date: 18 Sep 08 - 06:07 AM

I have been involved in a couple of folkie type things in my time and I can assure you that the money that is being offered is small potato. One festival I know of, if it turned over week in week out what it turns over for the period of the festival would be in the FTSE 100 and that is all done by volunteers, huge responsibility, for if you are lucky thanks well done good festival, more often than not, its this is not right thats not right and aggro.Please dont begrudge someone a reward for doing a difficult job with the added bonus that with the reward comes the buck stops with you very publically and if you are not succesfull everyone will know and casticate you.In my opinion whoever takes it on is a very very brave person and good luck to them and every organiser.
Keith

Subject: RE: Warwick FF job
From: selby
Date: 18 Sep 08 - 09:26 AM

I agree thread drift but as with all things to do with festivals you start of doing one job and end up with others
Keith