Joining the discussion:
Juliette Olivares
Project Officer
Live DMA
Juliette Olivares is Project Officer at Live DMA, where she develops practical tools and resources for European live music venues, clubs and festivals, with a focus on audience development and inclusive practices.
She enjoys collaborative work and brings methods, questions and tools to help teams reflect on their own practices and find what works best for them. She also volunteers as a programmer for a community radio station.
Jörg Kosinski
Board member
LiveKommbinat Leipzig e.V.
Jörg Kosinski is a board member of LiveKommbinat Leipzig, the association representing the city’s clubs and live music venues. His work connects venue operators with local government and policymakers to improve the conditions for independent music spaces.
He has contributed to initiatives including Leipzig’s cultural venue map and its Night Council, which bring the needs of nightlife into city planning and public dialogue. He has authored numerous studies on the night-time economy and is currently co-leading the Saxony Music Report 2026. At City Talks, he brings a practical perspective on how cities and venues can build lasting partnerships.
Audrey Guerre
coordinator
Live DMA
Audrey Guerre is coordinator at Live DMA, the European network representing over 3,000 live music venues, clubs and festivals. Her work focuses on European cultural policy, with a particular emphasis on the conditions shaping the live music sector.
She leads and contributes to research and advocacy initiatives at EU level, translating field-based knowledge from venues, clubs and festivals into policy recommendations.
Audrey is regularly involved in dialogues with European institutions, sector organisations and policymakers, and contributes to cross-sector coalitions addressing issues such as the future of EU cultural funding programmes.
Her approach is focused on the long-term sustainability and diversity of the live music ecosystem.
Mark Davyd
CEO
Music Venue Trust
Mark founded Music Venue Trust in 2014, an award-winning charity which works to protect, secure and improve Grassroots Music Venues across the UK. MVT represents over 800 venues and has campaigned to change laws and policies, to gain greater recognition for the vital work GMVs do and make them more sustainable.
Mark has co-owned Tunbridge Wells Forum for over 30 years, spent 20 years as CEO of the award-winning music charity Rhythmix and owns Outstanding Music, a 360-degree music company.
Mark is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a regular speaker at international conferences and was NME's Person of the Year in 2020. Since then he has won a number of awards for his work.
Tamás Szép
Owner / promoter
Nappali Bar Pécs, Hungary
My name is Tamás Szép, and I’m from Pécs, Hungary. I’ve been organizing music and cultural events for 20 years, and for the past 15 years I’ve been running the Nappali Bar in Pécs, one of the city’s most popular underground concert venues. The ongoing development of the city’s cultural life is very close to my heart, and I’m happy to participate in any project that helps keep non-mainstream culture alive and brings it to both young and not-so-young people.
I’m also active in other civic causes and volunteer with gastronomic and social organizations.
Mila Georgieva
Head Producer/Board Member/Founder
SoAlive Music Conference/Bulgarian Music Association/Tales of Sinemoria Festival
Mila Georgieva is one of the most active Bulgarian professionals in the field of music, focused on the popularisation and promotion of the Bulgarian music scene around Europe and beyond.
She is Head Producer of SoAlive Music Conference, the major music industry event held annually in Sofia, Bulgaria, with a focus on artists from the Balkans and South Eastern Europe. She is also Founder and Head of Tales of Sinemoria Festival.
Mila is currently Chair of the European Music Council and a board member of the Bulgarian Music Association (BMA), where she leads the organisation's international and export activities.
Her professional experience includes working on various international capacity-building projects in music, working with the film and video game music production and recording company "Four for Music," and over 10 years as an independent artist manager.