This article was published in 2011.

The Yorkshire Festivals Network will be working in partnership with the team behind the UK Festival Conference & Awards to bring the inaugural event in the new City Sessions programme to the city of Leeds.

Taking place in a different location each month, City Sessions is a series of mini-conferences across Britain to help festival businesses learn, share information and find solutions to common problems.

The Leeds event tackles the subject of "Surviving the Age of Austerity: how festivals can beat the economic downturn" and takes place on Friday March 25th, 3-6pm, at the O2 Academy.

The format of the event will be a panel discussion and open debate, followed by a networking session.

On the panel will be Fiona Stewart (Director, Green Man Festival),
James Barton (CEO, Creamfields Festival), Jim Mawdsley (CEO, Generator & Director of Evolution Festival), Holly Payton (MD, World Festivals Network), Dr Stephen Henderson (UK Centre for Events Management).

With information on new ways of managing the relationship between artists and festivals from Frank Wilkes, Director of Plugged In Yorkshire.

The event is targeted at anyone working in or with the festival industry across Yorkshire, the North East & North West.

For more information visit www.festivalinsights.com.

The Yorkshire Festivals Network is based at UK Centre for Events Management / Leeds Metropolitan University, and is funded by the Arts Council as the region's support service for arts, cultural and music festivals.