Introduction to outdoor arts and festivals in the UK and Europe
XTRAX offers tailored sessions for festival or event programmers, researchers, venue managers, local authority staff, city or town centre planners, or other arts professionals who wish to learn more about the Outdoor Arts sector. A session can cover areas such as:
- Main outdoor festivals in the UK
- Overview of the outdoor festival scene across Europe
- Showcase festivals, marketplaces and networking events in UK and in Europe
- Creation centres, residency spaces or other places that support artists to create outdoor work
- Key sector developments across the outdoor arts scene in UK and Europe
- Resources for finding more information
- Tips for developing a useful network
Practical guide to programming and managing outdoor arts events
XTRAX can offer support to anyone considering developing their own outdoor events or festivals. This session can include:
- An overview of different types of events and festivals
- Successful programming; finding and securing the right artists
- Conventions in outdoor arts and practical requirements of artists
- Event delivery and team management
- Sample contracts
- Dealing with challenges
- Health and Safety for working in public spaces
- Finance and budgeting
Audience development and evaluation for outdoor event organisers
We can provide organisations with an overview of current Audience Development practice in the UK including:
- Examples and Case Studies of Audience Development activities at UK festivals
- Evaluation and data: measuring the impact of your activity
- Costs and resources
- Where to find more information
Managing a commissioning partnership
As managers of Without Walls, a consortium of festivals dedicated to raising the quality and profile of the UK outdoor arts sector, XTRAX can offer consultancy to anyone who is interested in finding out how to build a commissioning partnership and how to facilitate collective decision making.
Commissioning new outdoor work: Practical guidance for commissioners
XTRAX can assist aspiring commissioners, with information on best practice in commissioning, including advice on how to select, commission and support the creation of small or large outdoor arts projects, bringing them to a successful conclusion on time and within budget.