Online

Industry Insights: Bookings & Programming w/ Ellie Stokes

25th March 2025

7.30 pm

£8.30 or free for sustainer & soulmate Saffron members

Saffron and Team love are delighted to present a new three-part series of online workshops designed to demystify pathways into the festival scene for artists, DJs and aspiring industry professionals.

WORKSHOP 1: BOOKINGS & PROGRAMMING W/ ELLIE STOKES

Ever wondered how festival lineups come together? Join us for an online workshop and discussion with Ellie Stokes—Love International programmer, DJ and graduate of Saffron’s Mix Nights course—as we explore the world of bookings and programming.

In this session, we’ll dive into the role of a festival programmer and how it interweaves with Ellie’s own journey as a DJ. Using Love International as a case study, we’ll break down the process of curating a festival lineup—from the initial vision to final bookings—covering timelines, key decision-makers, and how programmers liaise with artists.

This workshop is ideal for artists looking to understand the inner workings of festival programming, as well as those aspiring to work in the field themselves. It will conclude with an audience Q&A, giving you the chance to ask Ellie your questions about the industry.

ABOUT ELLIE STOKES

Stokes was already working within the music industry when she started to channel her passion into DJing – she was working at vital independent venue The Love Inn, one of the hubs of Bristol’s underground music culture, where she’s now the booking agent and venue manager.

When the Saffron’s Mix Nights DJ course began (helmed by Danielle, Em Williams and Daisy Moon), Stokes found the right nurturing environment to discover her instinct for selecting and spinning, initiating a career which has grown exponentially ever since.

In 2018 she became a resident at Bristol’s leading club space Motion, and played life-affirming slots at premier league events and spaces such as Glastonbury, Love International, Warehouse Project, Love Saves The Day, Corsica Studios and Simple Things.

She now heads up programming and identity development for Love International Festival, helps steer queer dance party Bitch, Please! and is also a partner in Futureboogie Recordings.

ACCESS

Access to these sessions is free for sustainer and soulmate members of Saffron’s online community, Saffron Members Club. Membership packages start at just £5.50 per month and provide access to regular online workshops, an online community space, video masterclasses, free music tech tools, discounts and much more. If you are unable to afford a ticket but believe you would benefit from attending these workshops, please email us on members@saffronmusic.co.uk.

Join Saffron Members Club

Workshops are open to people worldwide but will be running at 7.30 pm UK time so please bear differences in time zone in mind. If you purchase a ticket but aren’t able to attend live, you will automatically be emailed a recording of the workshop(s) after the event.

We are committed to making our online events as accessible as possible. We have created a guidance document about this – Click here to view the accessibility document. Alternatively, please email us with any access requirements you may have.

GENDER POLICY

The gender imbalance in the music technology industry is well-recognised. While we are absolutely not ‘anti-men’, we see that a shorter-term solution is to provide fellowship and learning environments that are not dominated by the cisgender male perspective. Therefore, these workshops are intended for women, non-binary, trans and gender non-conforming people to attend. While we do not ban cisgender men from attending, we hope that they will respect that this event is not intended for them.

ABOUT TEAM LOVE

Team Love is an independent, Bristol-based, event production company platforming innovative content and musical programming to create engaging, exciting and high quality experiences for our audiences. Social responsibility is central to their work, producing events which contribute to wider change in the local community and beyond.

https://www.teamlove.org/ – Instagram – LinkedIn

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