The average music industry trade show/conference can be a cold place for a small music biz. UnConvention Belfast is set on changing that. This music convention is dedicated to giving a forum for the indie/grassroots industry to exchange advice and ideas - something that isn't always easy to find at some of the larger events. Here, two of the founders of UnConvention Belfast - Nick Fitzsimons of Penny Distribution and Tracy Dempsy of Soul Ambition - discuss the event, the planning and their ideas for the future of UnConvention.
First, can you just tell us a little bit about how the idea to host an UnConvention in Belfast came about? Why do you think is it important for the indie music industry to have access to such an event?
Nick Fitzsimons: While at UnConvention Manchester, Andrew Dubber introduced me to Jeff Thompson, founder of Fat Northerner Records and co-organizer of UnConvention Manchester with his wife Ruth. I was so enthusiastic about how something like UnConvention might work in Belfast and he was incredibly encouraging that we put one on in Belfast (as long as he was invited, of course!) I think the event is important because of the relative irrelevance of most music conferences to grassroots organizations - aged Music Industry vets talking about the time they bought their first Elvis 7" is fun and all, but not exactly inspiring.
The main thing about UnConvention Manchester was the sense of camaraderie, that we were all pushing toward the same goal and most importantly, that we weren't alone in that endeavor.
Tracy Dempsy: In summer last year, I piloted a music clinic, which was a day of coaching and networking opportunities for musicians and music businesses. The feedback was that there weren’t enough networking events in Belfast; there were seminars but not really opportunities for open discussion. From that Rich set up a regular monthly meet-up for people in the industry, which worked really well. A month or so later we went to UnConvention Manchester and were really inspired by that - it was a natural progression to take that back to Belfast and build upon it. The format is great for any industry; but particularly great for indie music as it reflects both the growing DIY nature of music careers and the convergence of music and technology.
What has the response been among local music scene? Are you expecting a large crowd?
NF: Huge response from Irish MI, nearly 200 registrations so far, enormous support from public sector bodies etc. :)
TD: Absolutely - and not just among the local music scene. People are coming from further afield than Belfast; the UnConvention ethos is so inspiring and we’ve been able to reach a huge audience from online promotion as well as networking outside of the UK - it’s really snowballed.
What has the planning process been like?
NF: We approached it as trying to make it as fun as possible, as little like a "chore" as possible, by focusing on each of the organizers particular talents or experience At the heart of it all has been the desire to bring people who want to learn, to meet, to inspire each other, together but also recognizing that at a conference it's the conversation BETWEEN delegates that matters, not the conversation between panelists - it's why we introduced the "Barcamp" style workshops, where participants could show up and lead a workshop on a particular subject. The likelihood is that their input will be more interesting than anything a "planning" committee could devise.
TD: Frantic, but enjoyable. We’re all so passionate about the event it Doesn’t really feel like work. Plus we’d a great basis to work from having experienced UnConvention Manchester. But we didn’t plan for snow! So hopefully that won’t turn out to be a problem?
Is UnConvention Belfast largely independent, or have you worked with the people behind UnConvention Manchester in the planning?
NF: It's been largely independent but with a close eye and close communication with the organizers of UnConvention Manchester. We had our own ideas for the event, but we're always looking at joining the two experiences - Jeff & Ruth have been so forthcoming with helping us promote it, sharing ideas on how to make it better. At the end of the day, each UnConvention will be about developing the music industry in that particular region (i.e. the music industry outside of London), so there will be quite a bit of independence within it.
TD: It’s independent. We’ve been inspired by them of course but our team has a wide range of experience, skills and contacts so we’ve been able to run with it ourselves.
What is your vision for UnConvention Belfast beyond this first event? Are you hoping to make it an annual event?
NF: It honestly depends on demand. It may be worth repeating a year from now. Ultimately, we'd like to create a UK wide network of UnConventions, sharing ideas, experiences and stories and getting opportunities to collaborate with music businesses throughout the country. But that's just an idea at present.
TD: I'd love to see it be an annual event in Belfast, but UnConvention's bigger than that - there's already talk of UnConvention Dublin, and we know UnConvention Manchester's happening again in June. So it's growing in every direction. That's the nature of it, and of the industry as a whole; grassroots on a global level.
Last but not least, what can attendees expect? Can you share a little about the panels, shows and so on?
NF: As above, attendees can expect to be part of the conversation at all times - we're planning to have the UnConvention Twitter feed displayed at the side of the stage at all times so attendees can twitter @unconvention with questions for the panelists and interact in real time, or twitter @unconvention with their twitter name requesting to speak to someone with a particular expertise - there'll also be a whiteboard where attendees can write up their company name and contact info, as well as who they'd like to meet.
