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.
Becoming an AIF member was invaluable for our business, especially as we expanded to multiple festivals. The AIF team work tirelessly to offer a support network to events organisers, facilitating the crucial share of information and allowing the independent festival sector to have a stronger voice in the industry.
Andy Smith - Kendal Calling
Being a member of AIF is invaluable to Sound City, as an independent festival it's great to be part of a membership organisations that has our ideals and value at heart. Paul and his team have been so supportive... We're proud to be members.
Becky Ayers - Sound City
We find the opportunity to attend AIF organised events helps us to get to know the organisers and their festivals. This helps our understanding which enables us to provide a much better service and ultimately more competitive premiums.
Music Insurance Brokers
AIF membership has given me plenty of knowledge and insight into the festival industry... AIF members provide a support network amongst organisers and an open platform in which to talk to each other... As an organisation the AIF collectively and successfully fights bigger campaigns that individually, small independent festivals would be not able to achieve alone.
Goc O'Callaghan - ArcTanGent
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)