Output Belfast And AVA Partner For Major Music Conference

Output Belfast has partnered with AVA to bring Ireland's leading music conference to The MAC and The Oh Yeah Music Centre in Belfast's Cathedral Quarter on Thursday, 01 June.

More than 800 delegates are anticipated to attend over 30 sessions, workshops, masterclasses, panels, keynotes and state of the nation addresses across all aspects of the music industry - with a focus on creative skills (writing, performing and producing) and business skills (management, streaming, music and image, networking and wider creative industry partnerships).

Supported by Belfast City Council, Belfast City of Music and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, and with sessions delivered in partnership with organisations such as The Ivors Academy, PRS for Music, Help Musicians, Resident Advisor, BBC Introducing, SCGI, CMU and On Music, delegates can expect the most diverse programme of music industry education and networking the city has ever seen. The conference is free to attend and open to all.

This new partnership between Output and AVA will propel the music industry's growth in Northern Ireland, and celebrate emerging and established talent alongside the wealth of opportunities being created for music and electronic arts throughout Ireland.

Announcing the details of Output Belfast & AVA Conference 2023, John Walsh, Chief Executive of Belfast City Council, said: "Music is so important to Belfast. We're only the third UK city to become a UNESCO City of Music – and the very first city on the island of Ireland to receive this prestigious accolade. The diverse talent, innovation, and creativity we have is incredible – we're so proud of our music culture, the expression it gives, and the huge contributions it makes to our quality of life and economy.

"And we're excited to see its continued growth and vibrancy, showcased recently at SXSW, on stage, on TV and cinema screens, at music festivals and on dancefloors globally. This new partnership between Output and AVA is very welcome indeed – providing much needed practical support to artists to bring their work to the next level. Our Council Members recently approved a £100K boost for Belfast's music industry, investing in venues, a new digital music support service and marketing platform, and industry mentoring as part of our ‘Music Matters: A Roadmap for Belfast'. So we're delighted to be investing in this conference as part of our support for the creative industries – and look forward to seeing the new partnerships and projects which will undoubtedly result from it."

Mark Gordon, Founder of Output Belfast, said: "AVA, under Sarah McBriar's leadership, has been instrumental since 2015 in amplifying the extraordinary talent and skills in Northern Ireland's thriving electronic music scene - and it's brilliant for me personally that having been a part of their conferences in Belfast, London, and as far away as India - that we now get to bring their expertise, networks and skills to what has now become Ireland's leading music conference. This promises to be by some considerable distance the most important music conferencing day Belfast or Ireland will ever have seen, and I'm delighted with our partnership."

Sarah McBriar, Founder of AVA said: "Mark Gordon and I have worked together since AVA began in 2015. We understand the great potential of the music industry across the Island of Ireland, and we believe that bringing our two conferences together will further boost what's possible for the event, the conference content, and its ability to inspire and elevate both artists and the industry. We plan to instigate greater education, greater support, and greater attention to what is creatively possible."