An Interview with Greg Parmley, Co-Founder of the International Festival Forum (IFF) – Part 1

Ticketmaster is proud to team up with IFF (International Festival Forum), a major force within the festival industry, in a joint commitment to enhancing the live entertainment landscape. This year, the event will take September 26th- 28th at London’s Omeara.

With 750 of the world’s top festivals represented, and 350 of the world’s leading booking agents, the main activity at IFF is who’s playing where the following summer. IFF is different to any other more traditional music business event in that the conference panels make up a very small portion. Principally, it’s about networking, booking and a showcase schedule that’s seen early performances from the likes of Lewis Capaldi, Tom Grennan, Idles, Yonaka, Bob Vylan, Sam Ryder, Slaves, Raye and many others.”

Coming out of the pandemic, so many of us spend more time on Zooms and email than ever, but you can achieve a lot more during a ten-minute in-person conversation. Over the last nine editions, IFF has proved a very efficient platform for agents and festivals to meet up and book line-ups.
One thing that hasn’t changed though, is IFF being invitation only. We’ve always had a strict entry policy so that the event remains purely about bringing the festival industry’s key buyers and sellers together in the autumn booking period

With delegates from over 40 different markets, having a place to exchange ideas, tips and information is only going to be a positive thing. We see that working with a great artist showcase, for instance, where there’s an immediate buzz. Or in some of the conference sessions where a range of opinions and insights from different markets adds to the global conversation.”