ABOUT THE GREAT ESCAPE CONVENTION

The Great Escape convention is the UK’s premiere music business conference, bringing together thousands of music industry practitioners for three days of talks, panels, parties and showcases every May in Brighton. With its hub in the Brighton Dome complex, the convention runs alongside The Great Escape festival, Europe’s leading festival for new music, taking place in venues across the city.


Delegate passes get you into the whole convention, including panels, parties and networking sessions, as well as priority access to festival venues, subject to capacity. They are currently available at the special early bird rate of £120 HERE.


PANELS
By day delegates at The Great Escape attend a packed programme of talks, panels, interviews and insight sessions, hearing and learning from, and debating with, leading figures in the new music industry, including artists, managers, promoters, agents, publishers, label owners and digital experts.


Key topics from across the wider music industry are covered, including music rights, artist deals, live events, digital platforms, music marketing, the role of brands and the media, and the state of different international markets. Meanwhile the art of music making is discussed through one-to-one interviews with leading artists, producers and songwriters. A passion for new approaches, independent thinking, and great new music runs throughout The Great Escape panels programme.


Amongst the speakers to appear at The Great Escape in 2011 were: DJ Shadow, Frank Turner, Paul Epworth, Chris T-T, Adam Ficek, Topspin’s Ian Rogers, AEG Live’s Jessica Koravos, Planet Rock’s Jonathan Arendt, Cooking Vinyl’s Martin Goldschmidt, AudioBoo’s Mark Rock, The Windish Agency’s Steve Ferguson, O2’s Jasmine Skee, PRS For Music’s Will Page, BPI’s Tony Wadsworth, Merlin’s Charles Caldas, BASCA’s Patrick Rackow, 4AD’s Ed Horrox, Columbia Records’ Ollie Hodge, Radio 2’s Jeff Smith, Deloitte’s Paul Lee and James Bates, CMJ’s Matt McDonald, Wall Of Sound’s Mark Jones, Secretly Canadian’s Chris Swanson, The Guardian’s Caspar Llewellyn Smith, and music industry legend Seymour Stein.


The 2012 programme will be announced throughout the Spring. Keep an eye on the Great Escape website, convention Twitter feed and CMU Daily for the latest updates.


PROGRAMMING
The Great Escape convention is programmed by the team behind CMU, the biggest news provider to the UK music business. Writing about and reporting on the wider music industry daily, they are fully up to speed with the very latest developments in the new music business, and bring that knowledge and expertise to the convention’s programme.


CMU work closely with a number of great content partners to create some of the programme, in particular PRS For Music, who produce a whole day of sessions on day one of the convention, including the always acclaimed keynote from their Chief Economist Will Page. Other content partners have included PPL, the Music Publishers’ Association, ACUMEN, the Music Development Association, LIVE UK and MusicTank.


NETWORKING
While delegates can learn and debate via the panels programme, The Great Escape is also a place for the music industry to do business, with thousands of delegates from across the world seeking to find new talent, new partners and new opportunities.


There are several formal networking opportunities, allowing delegates to meet UK and international delegates from specific strands of the music industry. Plus informal opportunities to meet, chat and do business abound. There are several free parties exclusively for delegates, plus those specifically looking for meetings can register with and utilise the online delegates directory. The convention hub in the Brighton Dome provides a free meeting space, while bars and cafes to suit every persuasion fill the streets around the main convention venue.


Registered delegates will receive information about networking opportunities in early Spring, so buy your ticket now to ensure places at all the key networking sessions.


GIGS AND SHOWCASES
The Great Escape festival is Europe’s leading festival for new music, with over 300 bands playing in venues across Brighton, with big names, the buzziest new acts, and brand new artists from across the world on offer. Delegates get priority access into festival venues, subject to capacity.


Various media, trade bodies and export offices host themed showcases both during the day and in the evening, selecting bands from The Great Escape’s festival programme. These can be helpful for delegates wanting to see as many new artists as possible during their three days in Brighton. The festival programme, website, app and text service can also help delegates navigate all the great music on offer.


TRAVEL & ACCOMMODATION
Brighton is just one hour from London by train, with train services from both Victoria (Southern Trains) and London Bridge (First Capital Connect) station. The London train line also calls in at Gatwick airport, which is just over half an hour away from Brighton. By road, London to Brighton takes about 80 minutes on the A23.


Brighton is full of hotels, B&Bs and hostels, meaning there is somewhere to stay during the three days whatever your budget. The official convention hotel is The Queens, right on the sea front and seven minutes walk from the Dome. A great place to stay at any time, The Queens Hotel is the late night hang-out for delegates at The Great Escape, with the delegate bar open throughout much of the night.


A room for three nights is available from £420, with a flexible deposit system in place for those managing cash flow, but keen to secure a room right now. There’s more information about The Queens here: http://escapegreat.com/book-hotel/book-industry-delegate-hotel


For those on a tighter budget, this year the TGE hostel of choice is Journeys, which offers three nights bed and breakfast for £90. More information here: http://escapegreat.com/book-hotel/festival-accommodation


SOME FACTS & FIGURES
3000 industry delegates attend The Great Escape convention annually.


30% are from outside the UK and travel to TGE from all over Europe, the US, Canada, Japan, India, Australia and New Zealand.


Among the delegation you will find: A&Rs, agents, brand managers, broadcasters, colleges, composers, digital companies, distributors, event organisers, export offices, festival bookers, festival promoters, financial advisors, journalists, labels, lawyers, managers, marketers, merchandisers, music publishers, producers, promoters, trade bodies, venue operators and more.


61% of the delegates surveyed post TGE had seen an artist that they wanted to do business with.


89% of the delegates surveyed said that they made new contacts useful to their business.