Starting out a career in Production Management? Or curious about what happens behind the scenes at live events and performances? Join us and our friends at Factory International for a 2-part hands-on workshop.
Dates
Monday 11 August & Monday 18 August 2025
10.30 AM - 5.30 PM
Location
Bradford & Manchester
Price
FREE (donations welcome)
Register by
Wednesday 23 July 2025
at 11 PM
Bradford 2025 has meant that this has been such an exciting year for live events and performances across our district, with stuff happening in temporary, touring, traditional, outdoor, urban, rural, walkabout and unusual venues alike!
Production Managers are the people who blend the creative with the logistical to ensure the magic actually does come to life. Overseeing all aspects of event production, Production Managers are there from the initial planning to final execution, ensuring events run smoothly, safely and efficiently. They manage the technical aspects, logistics, and creative elements, working with various suppliers and teams to bring the event vision to reality.
For this two-part workshop, Bradford Producing Hub has teamed up with the brilliant folks at Factory International’s Factory Academy to host a hands-on insight into the world of production management and how to build a career that turns a creative vision into experiences to be enjoyed by audiences of all kinds.
Who this workshop is for
This workshop is for you if you’re aged 18 or over, living in or working in the Bradford district, and interested in pursuing a career in Production Management.
- Perhaps you’re working in live events and want to formalise your experience and gain insights from industry experts
- Or maybe you’ve run modest events at small or DIY spaces and want to see how large-scale venues operate
- It might also be that you’ve worked or volunteered at events and have been inspired to break into a production or technical role
If this sounds like you, we’d love to see you there!
What the workshop covers
These 2-day workshops are:
🎟️ Completely free to attend
💰 Worth at least £150 per attendee
We expect these sessions to be popular, so attendees will need to commit to attending both sessions to make the most of the insights and learning opportunities.
We will cover travel and lunch costs – if you need any additional financial support to attend, please see the FAQ section at the end of this page.
Day 1: Workshop in Bradford
Date: Monday 11 August 2025
Time: 10.30 AM - 5.30 PM
Location: Loading Bay, Bradford
This day will kick off with introductions from Factory International and Manchester International Festival.
We’ll then explore:
- The role of a production manager and the skills required
- Other career pathways in live events
- Venue types, staffing structures and job roles
- Finding work and getting started in the sector
Day 2: Workshop in Manchester
Date: Monday 18 August 2025
Time: 10.30 AM - 5.30 PM
Location: Aviva Studios, Manchester
We’ll travel together as a group from Bradford Interchange
After travelling together by train to Manchester, we’ll head to Factory International’s amazing venue – Aviva Studios.
This day will include:
- An exclusive tour of the venue with behind-the-scenes access
- How events teams communicate and collaborate
- Health & Safety essentials for live productions
- A hands-on session on staging configurations and lighting basics
How to register
Please register for these workshops by completing the registration form below.
We have 15 places available on these workshops – if we receive more registrations than places, then we will select attendees based on their answers to the registration questions. It’s important that we prioritise this opportunity for those who have been working in live events in some way, and have the capacity and ambition to grow their careers in production and technical roles.
Registration closes on Wednesday 23 July 202 at 11 PM.
We will confirm places on Monday, 28 July 2025. Please pencil the workshop dates in your diaries on registration for a place.
About Factory International
Producers of extraordinary art from world-renowned figures to Manchester’s rising stars.
Whether you’re into music, dance, performance, theatre, exhibitions or gaming, we’ve got something for you. But don’t expect your run-of-the-mill programme – we pride ourselves on bringing different artists and types of art together. This is Manchester, after all – a city with a history of innovation that’s hard to beat.
With our vision to invent tomorrow together, we’ve always got an eye on the future. We’re all about new ways of creating and collaborating to bring you unforgettable art and experiences. At our new home Aviva Studios, you’ll find a year-round programme that does just that.
We’re also training the creative workforce of the future through the Factory Academy,
supporting artists to realise their potential, and working with local communities to build our programme.
And we don’t stop at Manchester – we take our work to partner venues and festivals all around the world and create extraordinary digital experiences – inviting everyone to play in our virtual world.
FAQs
To help you prepare to complete the registration form, here are the questions we ask in the form:
- Where did you hear about this opportunity?
- What is your full postcode?
- What is your connection to Bradford?
- Please tell us about any support or access needs we need to consider when communicating with you, and for you to be able to attend these workshops.
- Briefly tell us about your experience working in live events
Under 200 words or 2-3 paragraphs is fine - What attracted you to these workshops, and in what ways do you think they will benefit you?
- Are you currently working with Bradford 2025? If so, what is your role?
I.e. Young Creative, Events Volunteer, Apprentice, etc.
We offer bursaries of £75 for full-day development events such as this.
So that we can support as many artists as possible, please only request a bursary if this is something you need, for example, if you are freelance or required to take unpaid leave to participate in the activity.
To apply for this funding, please complete a Bursary & Access Fund form once you have booked a place at this event.
We will provide return train tickets to Manchester from Bradford, and we can cover any other travel and access costs that may otherwise present a barrier to you being able to participate in this event. Access costs can include childcare and other caring costs; BSL, language and other interpretation costs; as well as access support workers, or any other access costs you might face.
To apply for this funding, please complete a Bursary & Access Fund form once you have booked a place at this event.