Event Buyers Live reveals details of a packed and prestigious speaker programme

•Only 100 live event organisers can attend EBL

•Registration closes on November 1

•EBL promises informative, insightful, and inspiring content

The organiser of Event Buyers Live, the hosted buyer event for the live events industry, is excited to reveal details of its packed speaker programme taking place at Carden Park Hotel and Spa, Chester (November 13-15).

Bursting with experienced event industry leaders, the event’s ninth outing will feature dedicated roundtable and workshop sessions on Protect Duty, safeguarding, flexible working practices, festival operations, and a panel session delivered in partnership with GL events UK on how to value engineer your event.

Protect Duty will be the focus of EBL’s only workshop. Caroline Harding, chief executive of Symphotech, will lead the session alongside Garry Jones, director of Storm4Events and course director for the UK Police Counter Terrorism Security Coordinator training, Graeme Timms, head of health and safety at Alexandra Palace and chair of the Safety Advisors Group for Entertainment, and Lloyd Major, director of Halo Solutions.

Harding said: “There has been a lot of discussion around counter terrorism this year. With so much speculation and uncertainty around new legislation, the details of which are yet to be confirmed, I look forward to joining Garry, Graeme, and Lloyd. We hope that we advise guests on how to prepare their events and discuss how best to mitigate and reduce risks in this area with practical steps they can take.” 

Event Buyers Live welcomes only 100 of the live event industry’s most respected organisers to the luxury estate near Chester. Accompanying the 100 will be just 45 event suppliers and venues for networking and pre-qualified face-to-face meetings. The event is also respected for its relaxed yet informative roundtable discussions which give organisers an opportunity to have productive discussions around real-world topics that pose interesting challenges on site.

Arc Event Consultancy’s Becs Leach and freelance safeguarding specialist Dawn Grant will deliver roundtables on flexible working practices and safeguarding respectively. Plus, the Association of Independent Festivals (AIF) will deliver a festival-focused roundtable too.

Sam Herd, head of event planning and delivery at the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), event management specialist Jack Saward, owner of Saward Marketing and Events, and David Tunnicliffe, commercial director of GL events UK will take part in the only panel session to feature at the event.

Tunnicliffe commented: “With increases in commodity costs and event budgets tighter than ever, winning a contract or appointing a supplier can often be only the start of a tense process of negotiation which can risk making or breaking the event supply chain. When clients and suppliers are able to work together to value engineer a cost-effective solution for the delivery of event infrastructure, without compromising on the essentials of the event, you know you’ve found a relationship worth maintaining. And when a supplier can bring innovation and imagination to the table, using their experience and flexibility to make a client’s life easier, you’ve really hit the supply chain jackpot!

“GL events talk a lot about client collaboration, so I am looking forward to putting my money where my mouth is and taking this conversation to a wider audience at Event Buyers Live. I am delighted to be joined by Sam and Jack. We won’t be the only members of the panel – but there’s a bit of a twist here so I won’t spoil the surprise!

Caroline Clift, editor of StandOut magazine and EBL’s content manager, said: “It’s been great to get out on site this summer and hear what challenges industry professionals are facing. Protect Duty is certainly a concern, safeguarding is a rising issue that is thankfully being given more careful consideration, and event professionals continue to work with their supply chain to find the most innovative answers to on-site headaches.

“Our content programme reflects the challenges being faced by our sector and provides an opportunity to spark conversation and gain different perspectives. That’s why it’s so good… our sessions are honest and relatable, so if you would like to attend #EBL as a hosted buyer, get registering now. There are still more speakers to be revealed but with a line-up this strong, why wait?”

•Registration for the industry event closes on November 1. Register at www.eventbuyerslive.com