With our GIVEAWAY currently running (have you entered yet?) for free tickets to VegFest London 2013, I thought it would be interesting to find out just how an idea becomes a festival. Also how one man morphs into an entrepreneur, and head honcho of everything hemp.
Tim Barford kindly found some time out from running Yaoh and managing London Vegfest, to answer a few burning questions I had for him.
Why did you set up VegFestUK? I set up VegfestUK back in 2003, just for the crack really, seemed like a good idea for a party at the time. The vegan thing was obviously a lot smaller then so it seemed a really good idea to get it all in one place and then throw a big party around it and invite everyone to come. It’s worked a treat. Loads of people have taken their first steps towards a veggie, flexi or vegan lifestyle by coming to one of our events.
How and where did it begin?.
The first show was in Bristol at The Watershed on November 1st 2003 – we had 40 stalls, and around 1200 visitors, plus about 300 more in the bar next door! We had a room for live music and some demos, and also a talks room, and it went from there. There was a classic moment when a Pink Panther went round the whole show and gave every stallholder a glass of champagne – that Panther must have known what was around the corner for VegfestUK, its turned out to be an incredible success story on every level.
How it has expanded over the years, as in venues and attendance numbers?
The first few years the show grew but not dramatically – we moved to the L shed in 2004 and the show grew to 80 stalls and around 4,000 visitors which was amazing. 2005 and 2006 continued at The L Shed with similar numbers and then in 2007 the L Shed shut and we moved over the river to our current home, The Amphitheatre. This gave us room to expand as it was all outdoors, and we now have a regular 140 stalls and around 20 – 25 000 visitors over the 3 days. It’s wonderful. Brighton has expanded too, with 135 stalls and 7,000 visitors since its launch 5 years ago. And with London in its first year, we await to see how that will go, as it stands a month ahead it’s looking like a cracker
Have there been any knock on effect achievements because of the Fest? Lots of other shows including the West Midlands and the North East Vegan Festivals have taken inspiration from our shows and gone off and started their own, which is really amazing. And a lot of people have started eating more vegan food after coming to our events – hundreds of thousands of people. And with our media and PR presence growing every year, we are reaching more and more people through a lot of different channels.
What is your vision for future events?
My vision for future events is that every food festival in the world is a vegan festival. Might seem a long way off but that is what I am working towards. Meanwhile we’ll keep what we doing and keep it interesting and going, it’s got its own energy now, the vegan thing, its growing of its own accord cos now so many people are on this tip. It’s for real.
What is your current favourite meal (is this an impossible question? probably, I can never answer it). I love hemp (*I should have guessed he’d say that!), especially dehulled hemp seed in smoothies. hummus and pitta with salad and olives. And noodles with chilli and garlic. Just discovered raw courgette noodles and a raw pesto which is pretty cool.
What a guy!
I can’t wait for VegFest London. Come too! Enter to win free tickets.
I hope to see your there. Please come say hello.
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