Nha Trang, 12-15 June 2011 - Putting Vietnam on the international arts map with a new national festival – that’s the ultimate aim of a workshop taking place in Nha Trang from 12 – 15 June this year.

Inspired by the likes of the UK’s Glastonbury festival, participants are hoping that in the future they too can create events with international appeal and international artists.

Attending, Tri Minh the man behind the Sound Stuff festival will be joined by electronic musician and founder of Hanoi New Music project, Kim Ngoc and a further 20 arts leaders in continuing to learn the basics of festival organisation.

The 20 include festival producers, directors of performance troupes, theatres and culture governing bodies from different cities and provinces across Vietnam. Lessons include vital tips about sponsorship and fundraising for festivals. The four-day workshop is the fourth in the series covering all aspects of festivals and is hosted by British Council Vietnam (http://www.britishcouncil.org/vietnam).

Guiding the learners through the different steps of fundraising is British festival veteran William Culver-Dodds. Mr Culver-Dodds is associate director of Festival and Events International which provides advice and project management for festivals, public events, performing arts and venues worldwide.

In his role as chief executive of Harrogate International Festivals Mr Culver-Dodds was responsible for an annual multi-arts festival based in Harrogate, a picturesque town in the North of England.

He said: “In 2009, over 90,000 people attended events promoted by us generating an estimated £4.1 million worth of income into Harrogate for hotels, restaurants, and many other local businesses. What’s more, B.B. King, Van Morrison and Amy Winehouse were just a few of the big names which performed in the Jazz & World Music programme in the festival.”

The workshops are part of a three-year capacity-building programme on Arts Festival Management co-organised by British Council Vietnam alongside the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam. Previous workshops were held in Hanoi, Hue and Ho Chi Minh City.

Neil Webb, British Council director for arts and creative industries East Asia said: “We are very happy to have this chance to work with many talented arts performers, managers and decision-makers in festival management through a series of workshops. The British Council hopes that this project will create a stronger cultural infrastructure for the promotion of arts festivals. The core group of participants are now aiming at creating a new national festival in Vietnam. The proposal has been completed and submitted to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. We hope this will happen in near future.”

Aims of the programme

To equip participants with the knowledge, skills and understanding to effectively prepare and oversee the development of a festival fundraising strategy

Delegates will participate in 10 sessions over the four day workshop. The sessions will: 

• introduce a topic/ an activity and why it is needed for a fundraising strategy
• demonstrate how the activity is practically applied using verbal and PowerPoint presentations together with written and interactive individual and group activities
• invite delegates in four groups to undertake the activity to apply their learning to the proposed new International Vietnam Arts Festival
• bring the groups together to share and discuss their learning.

William Culver-Dodds 

• A highly experienced cultural entrepreneur who combines creativity and enthusiasm with commercial realism. 
• Proven, professional experience honed over 25 years, fifteen years as Chief Executive of a substantial cultural organisation
• Excellent communicator and trainer with experience across the public, private and education sectors.

Key Skills 

• As a cultural entrepreneur - extensive experience in creative, cultural programming with a proven record of designing innovative and sustainable cultural projects
• As a successful fundraiser - strong track record, generating over £2 million income from private, public, trusts, higher education and foundations sectors with experience of creating powerful brand sponsorships for corporate partners
• Experience in building strategic partnerships - proven track record in creating collaborative partnerships with regional and national stakeholders
• Persuasive communicator – effective interpersonal skills with ability to communicate at all levels
• Organisational development – deep knowledge and understanding of organisational models, governance, leadership and management structures.

For more information, please contact: Mr Vu Hai Dang, Communications Manager at dang.vu@britishcouncil.org.vn or Ms Ha Thien Ha, Arts & Culture Manager at ha.ha@britishcouncil.org.vn, British Council Vietnam, 20 Thuy Khue, Ha Noi, T +84 (0)4 3728 1920, F +84 (0)4 38434962.

• The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations and the world’s leading cultural relations organisation 
• The British Council connects people with learning opportunities and creative ideas from the UK to build lasting relationships around the world
• We operate in over 100 countries and territories worldwide and have been in Vietnam since 1993
• In Vietnam, we focus on Education and Society, English and the Arts
• The British Council is a non-political organisation which operates at arm’s length from the British Government