THE AIF TEAM

Chief Executive Officer

John leads the Association of Independent Festivals’ lobbying and advocacy work, representing the interests of the UK’s independent festival sector at national level. He oversees all AIF campaigns, communications, partnerships, events and strategic development, ensuring the organisation supports its members in a rapidly changing landscape.

He is responsible for the day-to-day operations of AIF and curates the programme for Festival Congress, AIF’s annual flagship conference for the festival sector.

Before joining AIF, John co-founded the Association of Independent Promoters, serving as its Chair. His background spans several years as a freelance bid writer for music and arts organisations, as well as a career as an independent concert and festival promoter, developing artists from grassroots venues through to arena stages. He also co-founded the Welsh Music Prize, established to celebrate and champion outstanding new music from Wales.

Campaigns & Resources

Sophie is a project manager with extensive experience delivering large-scale music and arts events across the UK. She joins the AIF to manage campaigns and resources, bringing a deep-rooted understanding of the independent festival sector and a commitment to championing member needs.

Her background includes a long tenure as Event Producer at Standon Calling, alongside work in production and as a freelance bid writer. Having secured funding for the Multi-Venue Festival Development Programme in 2024, she has now launched the Fallow Festival Fund 2026 and will lead our new LIVE Trust-funded Micro & Very Small Festival Development Programme.

Beyond festivals, she’s an occasional runner and wannabe yoga-person, but mainly enjoys spending time with her daughter. She looks forward to connecting with the AIF community to deliver meaningful work.

Support to CEO

Eleri leads on AIF’s financial management and manages its membership services. She works closely with John and the wider team to support the organisation’s day-to-day operations.

With more than a decade’s experience in finance, coordination and organisational support, Eleri brings a calm, thoughtful and practical approach to her work. For the past five years, she has worked in the not-for-profit sector, including for a charity dedicated to widening access to the arts. Process-driven by nature, she enjoys bringing order and structure to busy workloads, and providing practical support to AIF’s team and members.

Based in North Wales, Eleri spends her time outside work with her family and loves cooking, being outdoors and attempting to master the harp.

Marketing & Communications Manager

In her new role, Brown takes ownership of AIF’s marketing channels to steer strategic communications that amplify the reach, profile, and collective voice of the organisation. Playing a pivotal role within the national trade body, she will lead campaign visibility, craft compelling sector storytelling, and drive deeper engagement across the festival ecosystem and fan community.

A passionate champion for live music, Brown brings over 15 years of experience across live music, festivals and entertainment in Australia and the UK to AIF. Along with vital creative energy and strategic vision to support the independent festival sector - a defining cornerstone of the UK’s music industry

AIF Sustainability Advisor

Bryonie's work is grounded in the operational delivery of sustainability, aiming to bridge the gap between goals and action through practical strategies. As part of The Earthed Collective consulting across industry, as Sustainability Coordinator at Shambala festival & Kendal Calling festival, and previously at Hope Solutions, she works to deliver change with teams on-the-ground informed by evidence and experience, with a keen focus on education, circularity, and collective power. Bryonie’s key skill is making sustainability practical, accessible, and achievable.

Festival Congress Manager

Lauren is the Festival Congress Manager for AIF, leading the development and onsite delivery of the annual AIF Festival Congress. She began working with AIF in 2023 and works more widely as a Site Coordinator across the UK’s outdoor events industry. With a background in site management and production coordination, she has supported a broad range of independent festivals, cultural events, metropolitan events and large-scale public gatherings.

Before moving into freelance work, Lauren gained a first-class degree in Business and Events Management and spent several years working in conferences and exhibitions.

Outside of events (although her love of them runs deep), Lauren is an avid traveller who does her best to avoid the winter months — though it’s becoming harder and harder to say no.