Published
Tue, May 16, 2023, 10:15
- Make Space will run in collaboration with Corsica Studios, Colour Factory, Soup, The Love Inn and Wire Club.
Resident Advisor has launched a scheme to support the next wave of club promoters.
Run in collaboration with UK clubs Corsica Studios, Colour Factory, Soup, The Love Inn and Wire Club, Make Space is a nationwide pilot programme that will equip five participants with specialist knowledge from industry-leading party starters. The scheme will also offer paid, real-world experience at some of the UK's best venues and provide participants with essential resources to help deliver electronic music events. Designed to be an introduction to promoting and community building, Make Space is open to anyone interested in putting on parties but unsure about where to start.
As a means of redressing the balance in promoter demographics, Make Space will focus on prioritising those from underrepresented groups. No prior experience is required and applications are encouraged from groups that are currently underrepresented, including women and people of gender minorities, people from the global majority and participants from lower socio-economic backgrounds. Grants and travel bursaries will be provided to successful applicants.
"We're acutely aware of how difficult it can be to access promoting parties in a meaningful way, especially in a small city with finite amounts of good spaces," said Manchester club Soup. "Promoting is mostly ephemeral because of the difficulty of being able to maintain it as a profession, but spaces like ours that have lasted over ten years are kept going through the input of macro-generational change; bringing the next wave of promoters through and helping them establish a foothold in the industry is paramount to keeping venues and local scenes alive and healthy."
London's Corsica Studios added: "What's become increasingly apparent is the lack of diversity in promoters across the sector, with a real shortage of diverse promoters making enquiries about holding events. This gets alarm bells ringing, really. Especially if one demographic is overly represented. It's about identifying those gaps in the scene, where there needs to be support and investment, and then acting on it."
More information, including the application form and T&Cs, can be found here. The deadline for applications is Sunday, June 11th, at 23.59 PM (BST). All applicants will be contacted on Friday, June 30th.
Year one of Make Space will act as a pilot with the hope of scaling the project up in 2024. If you're interested in becoming a partner for a future edition, please email [email protected].