I’ve just got home from Abergavenny Writing Festival It’s a new event this year, and it’s a good one!
Most writing-focused events I’ve been to have been ticketed for the whole event, which is great because of the atmosphere you get and the sense of it being a whole event. This festival is ticketed per event (or at least, this year it is, they may change depending on feedback, one never knows). This is something I’ve seen for literary festivals, so it obviously works.
In this particular case, for me this year, it worked very well. Initially there was only one event which appealed, and if I had needed to buy a full day’s ticket, the additional cost on top of the fact it takes me half a tank of fuel to get to Abergavenny & back, would have put it out of my price range at present.
But it wasn’t! And then just last week I noticed another event timetabled for this afternoon which interested me, so I bought a ticket for that as well.
The other difference this pricing structure makes is that, had I paid for a full day, I would have made sure I attended all the sessions. Instead, I spent the 2 or 3 hours I had free wandering round the town.
In all, a really enjoyable day out, and top quality presentations in the sessions I attended.
So many thanks to Fergus Collins of BBC Countryfile Magazine, Liz Davies of the Abergavenny Chronicle, and most of all the lovely ladies behind Aber Writing Fest!
My brain is now fizzing with ideas for magazine features and articles, as well as planning out getting in touch with my local newpaper for future press releases…