Margate Festival: Festival Producer Brief We are seeking a creative and ambitious freelance Festival Producer or Production Company to deliver Margate Festival in 2016, now in its third year. This is an exciting opportunity: the appointed person or company will establish the Festival as an independent organisation taking the Festival forward as an annual event. Margate Festival is a partnership between Turner Contemporary www.turnercontemporary.org, Dreamland Margate www.dreamland.co.uk/ and supported by Kent County Council; all three partners are committed to supporting the Festival in future years. Both Turner Contemporary and Dreamland Margate are actively involved in the delivery of the Festival programme, along with Margate s creative organisations and people. The appointed person or company would be expected to start on or around 3rd May 2016. Fee 16, 800 (funding dependent) Also see Fees below for additional conditions. The total Festival budget is 71,000 (funding dependent) plus additional in kind support from partners. Background Margate Festival was formed in 2014 by Turner Contemporary with a summer-long Festival, Summer of Colour. In 2015 partners appointed an independent producer who delivered the highly successful Tribes, a month long summer festival. It united the creative sector in Margate and presented an extraordinary range of cultural activity - including visual arts exhibitions, performance, theatre, music, film screenings, lectures and debates - alongside workshops and participatory projects which involved audiences in hands on experiences and co-creation of works. Across one month, the Festival worked with 150 artists across 38 events, attracting in the region of 9566 visitors. A third of visitors questioned had never been to an arts event in Margate before and 65% were visiting a new Margate arts venue that day. Most of those questioned were from the local area, and identified as infrequent consumers of arts and culture. Next Steps Margate Festival is moving toward independence, with ambitions for a new organisation to be established by 2017 and operating as a fully independent and sustainable organisation in the next three years. The partnership between KCC, Turner Contemporary and Dreamland continues, supporting the progression of this exciting cross-disciplinary festival. We have worked with local stakeholders to develop a vision for the festival, which includes:
establishing an independent organisation to lead the festival forward the development of local skills, shared principals and audiences growing artistic ambition and attracting larger regional and national audiences over the next three years. The appointment of a producer or production company able to create an independent structure for the Festival is an important next step. The Producer will develop and produce the artistic programme; continue to nurture the creative partnerships in Margate that underpin the Festival s success; build audiences and put participatory practice at the heart of the Festival, moving towards models of community coproduction; and deliver opportunities for upskilling across the town via professional development and skills sharing programmes. Main Duties 1. Planning and delivery of Margate Festival 2016: a) Produce a programme of commissions, performances and events for Margate Festival, a month long Festival 25 th August to 25 th September 2016. The programme will be inspired by Turner Contemporary s summer exhibition Seeing Round Corners https://www.turnercontemporary.org/exhibitions/seeing-roundcorners. The commissions budget is 14,000, for 4 commissions (depending on funding). The structure and partnerships for delivering the programme are in place, having been developed as part of the last two Festivals. b) Manage an open call for proposals from Margate s creative sector. The budget is currently 12,000 (depending on funding), we anticipate 8 to 12 projects will be supported. The open call for 2015 s festival generated an inclusive atmosphere within the festival: it led to a festival rooted in place, celebrating Margate s extraordinary range of independent artists and arts organisations. Momentum locally is now self-generating, 2016 s open call is being keenly anticipated. c) Sustain and develop the relationship with Margate s creative sector including managing the Programming Group, made up of people and organisations involved in the Festival. Collaborate with a range of partners including visual arts venues, dance, theatre, music organisations, higher education providers, local businesses and community leaders to deliver the programme. Unlock additional skills represented in the independent arts organisations and artists engaged in the festival d) Support delivery of a CPD programme to develop event management skills and raise ambition across the town. Six sessions are currently planned in the lead up to the festival, hosted by Turner Contemporary and led by senior staff from Turner Contemporary and Dreamland Margate, alongside invited guest practitioners. e) Work with Dreamland Margate to support a Festival volunteer scheme, creating a cohort of community-based ambassadors for the Festival who will develop the offer of previous years and create a town-wide welcome. f) Create (with the local curator) and manage the annual Festival brand and marketing material, supported by the marketing departments at
Dreamland Margate and Turner Contemporary. The marketing structure, including a website and twitter feed, are in place from previous Festivals. Partners will promote the Festival via their marketing routes to a local, national and international audience. g) Lead and Chair project teams to ensure efficient and effective planning including the Partners Management Group, providing the required reporting. E.g update on project plans and budget. h) Events management of delivery of the Festival programme including negotiation with venues, licensing and use agreements, risk assessments, stewarding and health and safety requirements, artist and supplier contracts (with the support of Kent County Council). In previous years, artists commissioned via the open call have taken a lead in their own event management, with light-touch supervision from the Festival. i) Budget planning and financial control to ensure that projects are delivered in a cost effective way and within agreed budgets. j) Fundraising to meet the income targets for 2016, currently 2000 in addition to funding for future years k) Procure and manage the Festival evaluation; report back to funders on Festival outcomes; deliver case studies and an evaluation report that makes the case for future funding. 2. Establish an independent and sustainable independent organisation to take on the leadership and management of Margate Festival within 5 years. a) With the support of Partners produce a vision and business strategy for 2017 and beyond. b) Create an appropriate independent structure to take the Festival forward post 2016. c) Develop the fundraising strategy for the festival in 2017 and secure future funding. Person/Company Specification Person Specification Essential Desirable
Qualifications Events Management qualification (s) A degree in a relevant subject Knowledge Enthusiasm for and an extensive knowledge of contemporary art, in all its forms Knowledge of Margate and / or knowledge of cultural regeneration projects. Skills and Experience Experience of setting up a new arts organisation and the financial and legal structures needed. Proven experience of engaging new audiences in the arts and participatory arts practice. A proven track record of commissioning new work and working with emerging and established artists An interest in Professional Development for artists and arts professionals Evidence of Project Management Skills A proven ability of planning and managing festivals or arts events, including carrying out risk assessments
A creative, enthusiastic problem solver who can work well both alone and collaboratively A great communicator who can inspire a wide variety of people, from arts professionals to local volunteers Proven fundraising experience An ability to manage budgets, and report to funders A proven commitment to learning from evaluation We are looking for a Producer/production company to start on the 3rd May 2016. Partners to the Festival have committed funding for this year and a bid has been submitted to the Arts Council England (ACE) Grants for the Arts scheme, result due May 30th. Fee 16,800 freelance fee if ACE bid is successful, based on an expectation of approximately 2 days per week on average, although this will not be evenly spread throughout the year. However, if the ACE bid is unsuccessful, we will use 2016 to develop the Festival infrastructure and resubmit bids in August 2016 for a Summer Festival in 2017. In this scenario we will pay a Producer fee of 4500 to lead this work, which will take place between May and November 2016, with most of the activity taking place May to August to develop and submit funding bids. The role will require flexibility with longer hours during the run up to and delivery of the festival in summer 2016. Out of hours working will be necessary as will the ability to travel. The Producer will be based at Turner Contemporary in Margate. Deadline for applications: Tuesday 29 March 2016, 5pm. Please email applications (using Turner Contemporary s application form) to info@turnercontemporary.org Interviews will be held at Turner Contemporary on Thursday 14 April 2016.
To find out more please contact Karen Eslea, Head of Learning and Visitor Experience, Turner Contemporary on 01843 233000 or keslea@turnercontemporary.org