Production Futures’ next ON TOUR event will take place at the AO Arena, Manchester on Tuesday 30 April. The venue, recently underwent a £50m makeover, making it one most cutting-edge facilities (and the largest) of its kind in the UK. As its first Arena outing, this will be Production Futures’ largest and most ambitious ON TOUR event to date.
Set to attract a wide range of young people from across the North of England and beyond, this free-of-charge event will promote employability, transferable skills, diversity, free training, networking, and will present paid work opportunities to newcomers across the live event and broadcast production industry.
A host of world-leading manufacturers, supply and production companies, venues and distributors, will have representatives present at the event to provide advice, information and insights, and discuss specific job and training opportunities. As well as manufacturers and suppliers, Production Futures also works closely with a range of organisations, initiatives, education partners and associations, connecting employment and training opportunities to a diverse pool of talent. They too will have representatives available to answer questions and offer support.
Visitors will enjoy a packed schedule, which includes special guests, talks and panels, while industry workshops will offer young visitors the chance to engage in a wide range of activities, from preparing to be job-ready with industry-oriented CVs, to hands on exploration of lighting programming, CAD, audio engineering, as well as getting under the skin of music production, virtual production and event production planning.
Production Futures CEO Hannah Eakins is looking forward to the day: “We’re very excited to be presenting our latest event at such a prestigious and internationally renowned venue. The AO Arena is an amazing space that represents much of what is great about our industry, and we’re sure that staging our event under its roof will be an inspiring experience for everyone involved.
“The significance of the production sector to the UK economy shouldn’t be underestimated. The current skills shortage across the industry means that the next generation is well-placed to take advantage of a host of rewarding and creative careers and make a real impact. Many youngsters are simply unaware of the variety of opportunities that fall under the umbrella of the production industry, and our aim is to increase the visibility of these opportunities, and by doing so, improve the prospects of the whole industry.”
Jen Mitchell, General Manager at the AO Arena, added: “What an honour it is to be the home of Production Futures’ first Arena event! Their passion and commitment to ensuring ample and equal opportunities are available for young people to not only learn, but succeed, in careers across all aspects of live event production, is one we proudly share.
“Manchester is renowned for a diverse and creative culture in which live events can truly thrive, making it the perfect place for Production Futures to showcase their invaluable opportunities to the next-generation of the North. Who knows, hopefully we’ll be welcoming back some faces to the Arena as they embark on their exciting journey into a career in event production.”
As well as allowing young people and newcomers to attend the event free of charge, Production Futures also makes available a number of group travel bursaries for organisations and educational institutions.
