Wide Days, has bean voted Best Networking Event or Service at Britain’s largest industry gathering, The Great Escape. The honour was announced on Saturday [May 10] at a ceremony in Brighton, which was attended by key figures from the international music business. Wide Days, was the only UK nomination in its category at the Yearly Music Conference Award [YMCA].
It was nominated alongside much larger international events Breakout West [Canada], Tallinn Music Week [Estonia], Waves [Austria] and Music Expo [US]. Wide Days was proposed for the award by industry veteran, Allan McGowan, who was moved to put it forward after being impressed by organiser Olaf Furniss, conducting a bus tour of Edinburgh for speakers and delegates.
“I have attended hundreds of music business conferences, but Wide Days is the first where the organiser has given a particularly well-informed guided tour of his city,” he says. “It helped create a connection with Edinburgh and was a fantastic opportunity to meet other delegates.”
Furniss, who organises Wide Days with music manager Michael Lambert, adds:
“In addition to running events, I am also member of the Scottish Tourist Guides Association, so when we invite people to speak at Wide Days I believe they should be introduced to our city, as well as Scottish talent. Music and tourism go hand in hand.”
Wide Days 2014 saw a considerable rise in the number of international speakers and included a focus on the German music market. This year’s event was marked with the announcement of a partnership with Hamburg's Reeperbahn Festival, one of Europe’s largest showcase and music industry gatherings.
The full list of winners is:
Best Networking Event Or Service: Wide Days Edinburgh bus tour (UK)
Best Delegates Bag: BigSound (Australia)
Best Delegates Bar: M&M Finland
Best Convention Centre: Eurosonic (The Netherlands)
Best App: Reeperbahn (Germany)
Best New Showcase Festival: Nouvelle Prague (Czech Republic)
Best Showcase Or Party: Aussie BBQ at Canadian Music Week
Best Export Office: New Zealand Export Office
Best City Champion: Tallinn Music Week (Estonia)
Convention Junkie: Michael Chugg
Brighton Legend in association with ACUMEN MEDIA LAW: Charlie Myatt 13 Artists