A relatively quiet, and certainly damp August saw the ABO staff enjoying a little bit of time off for good behaviour and some feverish conference planning with the team at Liverpool Philharmonic. In between these two things we met with the following people and organisations on your behalf: Hasan Bakshi, NESTA; Diane Widdison, MU; Annie Edge; Mark Owens, Rhinegold Publishing; Lincoln Abbotts, Music for Youth; Migration Advisory Committee; SOLT/TMA; and Charlotte Jones, ITC. 

We also attended a DCMS/DfE National Plan for Music Education Seminar, PRS for Music's presentation on Adding Up the Music Industry, and attended BBC Proms concerts given by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, National Youth Orchestra, Philharmonia, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Gabrieli Consort & Players and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. 

Finally we played the annual inter-office "Kubb" match against the team from IAMA. The ABO were triumphant, taking this year's award in impressive style, though no doubt IAMA would claim that their loss was entirely down to the absence of their captain. For those of you mercifully in the dark about Kubb, you can read all about it here.

The ABO will be moving into the offices of SOLT/TMA at 32 Rose Street during October. Members will be informed of the exact moving date and new contact details shortly and we will attempt to keep disruption to a minimum.

Following Orla Molony's appointment to the position of PA to the Senior Vice-President, A&R Core Classical, Universal Music, the ABO has a vacancy for a Finance & Events Officer. The postholder will be responsible for general and financial administration of ABO events, membership recruitment and subscription renewals, and office management. The Finance & Events Officer is also responsible for day-to-day liaison with members, dealing with queries, sending out information and generally being an enthusiastic and supportive first point of contact for members.
 

For the job description and application form visit: http://www.abo.org.uk/Careers/Finance-and-Events-Officer/

The ABO will shortly bid farewell to its chairman, Simon Taylor, formerly Chief Executive of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, who has recently taken over as Chief Executive of the National Concert Hall, Dublin. We are hugely grateful to Simon for his contribution to the ABO during his time on the board and as chairman. A new chairman will be appointed following the Annual General Meeting on 15 November.

All Specialist Managers Meetings are now set for this autumn:

05 September: Scottish Members' Meeting, City Halls, Albion Street, Glasgow
13 September: Archivists Meeting, CBSO Centre, Berkley Street, Birmingham
28 September: Education Managers' Meeting, Wigmore Hall, 36 Wigmore St, London
07 October: Opera & Ballet Managers' Meeting, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Birmingham
11 October: Development & Sponsorship Managers' Meeting, Wigmore Hall, London
14 October: Digital Managers' Meeting, Barbican Centre, London
18 October: Chamber Orchestras Meeting, Cadogan Hall, London
20 October: Concert & Orchestra Managers' Meeting, Wigmore Hall, London
03 November: Finance Managers' Meeting, SOLT/TMA, Rose Street, London
11 November: Marketing Networking Meeting, Barbican Centre, London

If you, or a member of your team, would like to attend one of these meetings please log into the Members Area of the ABO website and then click on Events and book the relevant Specialist Manager Meeting.

The ABO's AGM / CEOs Forum will be held from 4.30pm-6pm, followed by drinks, in London on Tuesday 15th November. The venue will be announced in due course.

Dates for the autumn series of Brass Tacks one day introductory training courses are nearly all finalised:

All that you ever wanted to know about fundraising but were afraid to ask! - Tuesday 22 November
Course leader Sarah Gee is co-founder and Managing Partner of Indigo Ltd, a marketing and fundraising consultancy working with arts and heritage organisations to help them unlock the value of their audiences and visitors. She has previously worked as a marketeer and fundraiser for the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Academy of St Martin in the Fields and the ABO itself.
Course time & venue: 10am - 5pm at the Royal Over-Seas League, London.

Finance for non-Finance Managers - Tuesday 6 December
Course leader Maureen McCulloch is an accountant with extensive experience in charities and the arts. Until recently she was the Finance Director of the Reading Agency and has been a freelance trainer for many years. She is a Senior Lecturer at Oxford Brookes University.
Course time & venue: 9.30am - 4pm at LSO St Luke’s, London.

It is hoped to also run an Introduction to Marketing course and once a date and venue is confirmed details about this, in addition to the above courses, will be available on the Brass Tacks section of our website.

In response to the devastating cuts in arts and culture in the Netherlands, orchestras from all over the world are showing their support and concern about the situation in Holland. If your orchestra woud like to show its support, visit www.soldieroforange.nl

New evidence has confirmed the vital influence that attending and participating in the arts during childhood plays in adult involvement with the arts. The latest figures from the DCMS Taking Part survey, which provides national estimates of engagement with the arts, reveal that while 22% of the UK population have attended the theatre, dance or classical music as an adult but not as a child (aged 11–15), twice as many (44%) attended as children and still attend as adults. The contrast in participatory arts activity is greater still. Twenty-three per cent claim an involvement with painting or drawing as both an adult and child, but only 4% of adults who paint or draw did not do so as a child. The figures for playing a musical instrument, acting, dancing and singing show a similar pattern: 41% who do so as adults also did so as children, and only 14% of adults who currently participate in these did not do so as children.

The EU Culture programme offers a strand of funding each year for projects linking the European countries to one or more countries outside Europe. This strand offers up to €200,000 for projects with at least 3 partners from 3 European countries plus a partner from a "third country". The EC nominates one or more "third countries" each year, and for the May 2013 deadline, the countries are Australia and Canada.

EUCLID is organising a "brokering" initiative to help develop partnerships between UK arts organisations and those in Australia and Canada. There will be seminars in the UK, Australia and Canada that will promote this opportunity, and those attending the UK seminars will be invited to submit details of their organisation and any project ideas, and these will be compiled into a dossier that will be distributed at the seminars in Australia and Canada.

There will be 3 half-day seminars in the UK in September, two in England and one in Scotland. The English dates are as follows, and the cost to attend is £20 for Connexus members (£50 for non members).

• London - 6 Sept , 2-4.30pm - UCL (Tottenham Court Road)
• Manchester - 15 Sept , 10am-12.30 - Cornerhouse Arts Centre

The Edinburgh seminar is on 12 Sept from 2-4.30pm at the offices of Creative Scotland, and is FREE to Scottish artists and cultural organisations - thanks to support from Creative Scotland - but you still need to book your place online. Attendance at the Edinburgh seminar includes free Connexus membership for 6 months.
 

To book a place, visit www.cultureuro.info. PLEASE NOTE THAT PLACES ARE LIMITED. To take advantage of the 60% discount, you first need to join Connexus (more info below) and you will then be sent a code to enable you to claim your discount when booking. Membership is £16 per annum, and you can join at www.culture.info.

Since its inception in 2007, the ISPA Fellowship program has awarded 49 fellowships to emerging leaders in the performing arts field from 24 different countries from around the world. ISPA is now accepting applications for its 2012 Fellowship Program . The Fellowship program facilitates emerging leaders’ participation in the ISPA network by providing them with financial support to join the ISPA Membership and attend the New York ISPA Congress. Particular attention is given to candidates from developing economies, but applications are accepted from all regions of the globe. And remember, “emerging” may mean emerging in their careers or emerging in the international performing arts.

Information on the eligibility criteria and application process may be found on the ISPA website under the Fellowship Program. The deadline for applications is Friday, September 16, 2011.

Katie Moffat, an experienced PR and Social Media Consultant, will provide delegates with the techniques, processes, knowledge and skills required to harness the potential of social media within their press and PR strategy. Katie will explain how to identify and approach key influencers, bloggers and journalists using social media and how to evaluate and measure online press and PR activity.

This workshop is aimed at anyone working within PR (either in a full time press role or with press as just part of their job) wanting to explore the potential for social media.

Date and time
Manchester, 8 September, 10.00am to 5.00pm
Belfast, 15 September, 10.00am to 5.00pm (In partnership with Audiences NI and free to attend for Audiences NI members)
London, 29 September, 10.00am to 5.00pm

Cost
The cost is £133 +VAT for AMA members or £193 +VAT for non members. For more information and to book, visit the AMA website or e-mail anne@a-m-a.co.uk

Following requests from members, this half-day workshop led by Nicole Newman, Development Director at English National Opera, will explore best practice principles for those seeking to raise sponsorship income for their organisation. Nicole will talk about what is changing with regard to sponsorship practice as a result of today’s funding and economic climate. And she will provide delegates with the insight and confidence to approach potential partners and create the right sponsorship package for them and for your organisation.

The workshop is aimed at those in officer to manager level sponsorship roles (either full-time fundraisers or where fundraising is just part of your role) and those in more senior roles who are relatively new to commercial sponsorship.

Date and time
Glasgow, 13 September, 1.30pm to 5.30pm
Leeds, 20 September, 1.30pm to 5.30pm
London, 27 September, 1.30pm to 5.30pm

Cost
The cost is £75 +VAT for AMA members or £125 +VAT for non members. For more information and to book, visit the AMA website or e-mail anne@a-m-a.co.uk

Audiences London has recently launched a series of practical and informative seminars for the arts and heritage sector, packed with opportunities to hear from colleagues and develop skills and knowledge. The seminars cover the principles of audience development, cultural tourism, marketing planning, the essentials of research, project evaluation and connecting with local communities. All seminars are facilitated by experts whose practical experience ensures that the content is relevant and up-to-date. Seminars take place in Central London starting from this September.

For further information and to book your place visit www.audienceslondon.org/events or email bookings@audienceslondon.org or call 020 7407 4625 for further information.

Mick Elliott has taken up the position of Chief Executive of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, replacing Simon Woods who left to take over as Chief Executive of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra earlier this year.

Gijs Elsen is the new Chief Executive of The English Concert.

Katherina Miller has been replaced by Sam McShane as Assistant Orchestra Manager at the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.

Alexandra Rowlands has moved from the Hallé Orchestra to be Corporate Relations Manager with London Philharmonic Orchestra while her former position of Sponsorship and Corporate Membership Manager has been taken on by Emily Mathew.

There have been staff changes at the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. Duke Dobing as been succeeded by Clare Norburn as Director of Development, Sally Drew has joined as Development Manager, Trusts and Foundations and Ellie Cowan has been appointed Education Officer following Natalie Chivers's departure. Steve Rock has replaced Dee Yonjan as Finance Officer and Georgina Cooksley has been replaced by Toby Perkins as Graduate Intern.

Annabel Marsland has been appointed Marketing and Development Assistant at London Sinfonietta.