How to prepare for a global industry conference with Spafax’s Philippa Starns
Audio Manager UK at Spafax Philippa Starns heads to her eighth WOMEX this year. British Underground ask Philippa how to successfully prepare, engage with and enjoy global industry conferences like WOMEX.
Phlippa Starns
Hi Philippa. To begin, please tell us more about what you do at Spafax and why you attend WOMEX.
Spafax are a Content Service Provider who work with approximately twenty airlines. We provide inflight entertainment, including movies, tv, video and, more importantly, audio! I programme the Audio for IAG which include British Airways, Aer Lingus and Iberia. This involves all genres of music and spoken word such as podcasts, audio books, documentaries, comedy. Spafax creates a custom feature on BA called “In Conversation” where I interview celebrities - or interesting people. Previous guests include Simon Le Bon, Martyn Ware from Heaven 17 and Martin Fry from ABC. I also present The Well-being Show and the BA City Guide. Every year, I head to WOMEX to scout and sign up record labels and individual artists so we can play their music onboard all the airlines we work with.
What was your first WOMEX experience like and how has this evolved over the years?
My first WOMEX was in Cardiff in 2013 and that's where I met the infamous Crispin Parry, British Underground’s CEO. We began working together and Crispin recorded a British Underground show for me exclusively for British Airways, showcasing exceptional up and coming talent. I met lots of people that first year, like Paul from Songlines and Joe from Far Out Recordings, and I've worked with them ever since. Cerys Matthews produced the Opening Ceremony at St David's Hall in Cardiff too. I hit the ground running that first year and am now much more organised and usually arrive with a full diary for back to back meetings.
How does WOMEX differ from other conferences?
WOMEX is great. It’s the one time that everyone from the global music industry, music artists or those who have a love for music from every genre, gathers. You meet tons of interesting people and as far as conferences go, it’s very relaxed. During the week, there is lots of networking between 4-6pm, and then we have a break to eat before experiencing the live music programming. The showcases vary so much, so there's really something for everyone. The best part is that the networking and music programme is all included with your ticket!
WOMEX conference 2023 by Jacob Crawfurd
What are your top 3 must-have items you pack when attending a conference?
Water, water….and water! There’s non stop talking at conferences so you do get dehydrated quickly and so need to permanently have a full bottle on you. I also pack flat comfortable shoes as there’s lots of walking everywhere and I hate to say it, but a hood or waterproof jacket is a must. I've been a bit unlucky and experiences rain in Gran Canaria, Porto and Lisbon.
“The art of great business relationship building is to be personable and friendly.”
Can you describe how you experience all the different cultures at WOMEX?
I experience all the different cultures through food, drink, music showcases, languages and dancing - I love that certain cultures have a large group of people around their stand at 4pm without fail. There's a real social atmosphere at each stand, from the South American crew to the Spanish, Italians, the French and everyone in between.
What is the art of great business relationship building?
The art of great business relationship building is to be personable and friendly. Most people who attend WOMEX are pretty laid-back, although it is important to build a relationship, follow up on return, keep in touch and do what you said you'd do. This year, rather than reaching out to lots of new people, I'm focussing on consolidating the relationships with people I've met previously, so I can bring back new music and programming for our clients.
Asmâa Hamzaoui & Bnat Timbouktou (Morocco) at WOMEX 2019. © Jacob Crawfurd / Crawfurd Media
What advice would you give to an emerging industry professional who is looking to expand their network this year?
As I tell my kids, “failure to prepare is preparation for failure”, so definitely have some meetings lined up in advance, but not back-to-back. This is because it’s great to have five minutes in between to catch your breath, visit the bathroom and get more water.
I’ve learnt to leave the laptop in the hotel room as it's too easy to lose if you’re going straight-out afterwards, so I need to be super organised with everything I need on my phone and ensure that I have my cables and adapters for charging. I recommend wearing a small crossbody bag for phone and keys and this year you’ll need a jacket as it's October in Manchester. Leave it in the cloakroom on arrival though - it gets hot in the conference hall. When you arrive, get your bearings pretty quickly and if possible, get to WOMEX before it really gets going on Wednesday afternoon. The one gaping hole at WOMEX and a gap in the market is the lack food at the conference hall. There’s usually not much of it and it can be restricted on choice. While it’s less of a problem in the evening with lots of local restaurants it’s best to pack your own lunch and snacks for the daytime.
The Horizons Regional Stage is a partnership between our nations. What do you love about the concept of a stage that hosts acts from England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland & Wales?
I love all the people that work on the Horizon stages as it's so nice meeting folk from the five corners, and hearing all the different accents. They are all friendly and bring cultural offerings for the 4pm bar, from homemade Welsh cakes to Scotch whisky and Irish whisky. Horizons is a great showcase for the merging cultures of the five nations and been lovely meeting the Manchester contingent the last couple of years. So, I'm looking forward to seeing them in their natural habitat. Like most conferences, WOMEX is a work hard, play hard environment, but one where people from all over the world come together through their love of music. Enjoy!
Tickets to the Horizons Regional Stage, Albert Hall (Manchester) from Thursday 24th October - Saturday 26th October at WOMEX 2024 are open to the public. Buy your tickets here.
The Horizons partnership is managed by British Underground on behalf of Arts Council England, Culture Ireland, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Creative Scotland, Wales Arts International, Arts Council of Wales and British Council.
