How can we help?

The Association of Independent Festivals (AIF) is the UK's leading non-profit festival trade association. Created to represent and empower independent festivals, there are various strands to our work:

Being part of a unique network of promoters

Enabling festival organisers to connect with each other and take the temperature of the industry.

Campaigns and Advocacy

Providing a collective voice for the independent festival sector to Government, media, and wider industry.

Business Support

Supporting members in growing and developing their businesses- access to training and experts, in addition to a free legal helpline and accountancy advice.

Events and Training

Free and discounted access to AIF’s annual flagship Festival Congress conference and party alongside various training and social events throughout the year.

Meet the team

John Rostron
Chief Executive

John is responsible for managing the UK’s leading festival representative body.

He leads on lobbying and advocacy on behalf of the independent festival sector. He oversees all AIF campaigns, communications, partnerships, events and development of strategy to support member festivals. He manages day-to-day operations of the Association and also curates the conference programme at Festival Congress, AIF’s annual flagship conference for the festival sector.

Prior to joining AIF John spent several years working as a freelance bid writer for music and arts organisations. During that time he also co-founded the Association of Independent Promoters, which he lead as Chair until his appointment here. Previously John was an independent concert and festival promoter, developing acts from grassroots music venues to Arenas, and co-founded the Welsh Music Prize, celebrating and championing the best new music from Wales.

John has many favourite festival moments, including the Gene Clark No Other Band tribute at End of the Road Festival 2014, a weekend of delight at one of Pictish Trail's festivals on the Isle of Eigg in a year he can't remember and all the highs and lows of running his own Swn Festival between 2007-2017.

Phoebe Rodwell-Carson
Membership & Operations Coordinator

Phoebe is the Membership & Operations Coordinator at AIF. First point of contact for all Members & Friends, as well as general enquiries. She also keeps on top of all the admin, the AIF newsletter and social media.

Phoebe was previously Membership & Projects Coordinator at AIF as well as the Festival Congress Event Manager between 2018-2020, returning to the organisation in 2022. Prior to this she'd worked in Membership at the Music Managers Forum, on the Artist & Manager Awards, and had also done a few tours.

Favourite festival moment: going to a DJ set, up a mountain, in an igloo. Mad.

 
AIF Board Members

Alex Trenchard (Standon Calling)
Joe Barnett (New Bohemian Music - We Out Here)
Jon Walsh (Shambala)
Katherine Goodenough (Greenbelt)
Kate Osler (AEI)
Lauren Down (End of the Road)
Rebecca Ayers (Liverpool Sound City)
Stefan Poelman (ZEN Fest)
Steven Campbell (Eskimo Dance)
Suze Bayliss (Vision Nine - Boardmasters, NASS)
Zac Fox (Kilimanjaro)

Chairpersons

CHAIR
Matthew Phillip (Notting Hill Carnival)

VICE CHAIR
Nick Morgan (The Fair)