1. What was the reason for IMFCON and IFFS to come together as XLIVE?
When you look at the future of the festival landscape and its growth it was time to establish a more inclusive brand to serve all facets of the community. The marriage of ‘X’ and ‘LIVE’ was designed to focus on the experience of live events and how producers create compelling and sustainable events. Providing resources and information to industry stakeholders is a key goal of XLIVE.
2. Who should attend XLIVE?
Festival and event producers from all across the world will benefit from the rich discussion about the business of festivals. Music, film, food & wine, beer festivals and eSports organizers all have a lot in common and will learn from one another during the 3 day conference and expo.
3. What is the objective of XLIVE and what takeaways can attendees expect from the event?
Our goal is to provide the industry with resources and knowledge that will help festivals and other event producers create extraordinary experiences. Festivals have never been more popular and because of that the industry has to continually work to serve their communities and differentiate from other events. Key takeaways will include insights around the latest event technology, dealing with competition, brand partnerships, activation strategies, operations, art installations, talent booking, culinary experiences and community engagement.
4. How has the role of technology in live events changed over the years?
Technology has shifted from what was historically an expense to a strategic imperative that attendees expect. Not only do attendees expect to be able to access event information via mobile devices but live events themselves are finally beginning to look closely at their data assets. In fact, XLIVE is hosting the first ever Event Data & Analytics Summit next April in Los Angeles to address this growing area.
5. Are live event producers using VR/AR optimally or still pedestrian about it?
While VR/AR has gained a lot of attention over the past year it’s still very much in it’s infancy. Organizations are still understanding the most effective ways to turn these strategies on in addition to how to monetize and measure the value of VR/AR. The next 12-24 months will be a very exciting time for VR/AR in live events.
6. Do you see an international divide between communities in the live events space?
Geographically and culturally there are certainly differences however live events across the globe have much more in common than they do differences. They are all trying to accomplish many of the same things including serving their community, create lasting and memorable experiences, aligning their mission with cause related initiatives in certain instances and sustaining their organizations.
7. What is your view on India's contribution to the live events industry?
India is a country rich in history and culture with an incredible roster of events. With one of the largest populations on Earth and a dynamic societal structure, India has demonstrated how live events can serve as celebration for music, culture, food, travel and business events. India also has some of the most heterogeneous festivals in the world with people traveling from all parts of the world to experience rich experiences.
8. What according to you is an event/s that put India on the global map?
There are countless events in India that have global recognition, however, one that stands out is Sunburn Festival in Goa, now in it’s 10th year bringing together over 350,000 attendees from 50 countries. Aside from this India boasts some of the world's most spectacular cultural festivals.
9. Is there any representation from India at the CEO Roundtable?
We still have a lot of CEO’s yet to register for the roundtable so it won’t surprise me if we have representation from India.
