Far more than another industry event, Lifting the Lid unpacks the realities of our world, interrogating the structures that shape our sector and asking: who controls culture, how can we sustain careers in a precarious landscape, and what does it mean to create events that embody values, care, and community?

Featuring some of Bristol’s most vital voices

Program:
Doors 2PM:
Food and drinks provided (first come first serve)

Intro 2:50PM

3PM - Panel 1 - Beyond the Booking: Values, Vision, and Creating Culture
Lexx (Soft Butch) - Host
Ru Robinson (The Jam Jar)
Aysha (Bristol Ballroom)
Kesh (AnExperience)

4:30PM - Panel 2 - Making it Work: Income, Burnout and Longevity
Adam Crawford (The New School, Bristol Fire) - Host
Eva Lazarus (Artist)
Kaptin Barrett (DJ)
Mike Cridland (Dark Arts Mgmt)

5:50PM - Panel 3 - Who Controls Culture?: Power, Access and the Future of the Industry
Glow (The New School)- Host
Jazpa (Big Team - Outreach Manager, DJ)
Andrea Mahoney (Bristol Beacon - Creative Skills and Studios Manager)
Rider Shafique (Poet, MC)
Jamell (Trinity - Director of Culture)

We’re bringing together the people who shape the scene - to talk money, culture, collaboration, opportunities, challenges, and the future of the grassroots music industry.

No gatekeeping. No hype. Just real insight, shared wisdom, and community-led discussion.

Across the day, we’ll explore:
-How systemic barriers are upheld and the collective action needed to dismantle them.
-How to build sustainable careers doing what we love.
-What it takes to embed cultural responsibility and build lasting communities.

Panel 1: Beyond the Booking: Values, Vision, and Creating Culture

Inviting promoters to move from brand aesthetics to intentional space-making and meaningful collaboration. Exploring how values show up in practice and influence the spaces we create (i.e., event staffing, artist care, audience experience) and how promoters can embed cultural (and social) responsibility into their work and be agents of change in the industry. Building your dream team to create events that do more than entertain

Themes:
Building your network: who’s on your team/building your creative collaborators
Value setting: what kind of space are you trying to build and why is it needed?
Action mapping: how do those values show up in practice?
Representation: does your wider team (e.g., techs, security, etc), audience, and content reflect your ethos?
Community impact: how does your event serve beyond doors open-close
Safety and care: designing events that protect your people
Integrity in collaboration: what you will/won’t compromise on, what happens when values clash or aren’t upheld by collaborators (e.g., artists, venues, etc)

Panel 2: Making it Work: Income, Burnout, and Longevity

Explore how to build a sustainable career in promotion, financially, emotionally, and creatively. Covering freelance realities, financial strategy, building your audience, and how to protect your energy and vision while navigating collaboration and compromise.

Themes:
Realities of freelance and how to make it work for you
Building a brand that reflects your values and cuts through the noise
Financial (in)stability - funding, budgeting, and income diversification
Collaboration and team dynamics
Creative control vs. compromise - boundary setting and negotiation
Self-care - knowing when to maintain vs. build


Panel 3: Who Controls Culture? Power, Access, and the Future of the Industry

Examine the state of the industry through the lens of cultural power. Who decides what audiences see, whose voices are heard, whose presence is platformed, and who is excluded. Explore how gatekeeping operates and upholds systemic barriers, the consequences of exclusion, and what change is needed to shift the balance of power. Honest reflection on venue politics, perceived value, and the power of collaborative efforts

Themes:
Who controls access, visibility, and legitimacy (venues and funding)
The cultural impact of underrepresentation on and off stage
What it means to take up space that has historically been gatekept
How our identities and geography shape opportunity
Building new pathways and power outside traditional structures
What cultural change could look like through solidarity and redistribution

Stay tuned for the full panel talk line-up drop
Wednesday 14th January
Free tea and coffee + nibbles

*If finances are a barrier to attendance please get in touch with [email protected] to request a community ticket*

Entry requirements: no age restrictions — Read more — Read less