Folkemødet has a challenge in getting all organizers to pay up

With a completely open festival site consisting of a city, the organization behind Folkemødet has a challenge in getting all organizers to pay for the democracy festival to take place. But they are trying.

If you click on the Lead Agency website, you will see an invitation.

“Come with Lead Agency to Denmark’s democracy festival in Allinge,” it says.

And then an address:

“We are based at Slægtsgården in Østergade,” writes the PR and communications agency, which also says that it has participated in the democracy festival on Bornholm since the first years.

If you go to the official website of Folkemødet, it does not appear anywhere on the long list of actors that festival guests can meet that Lead Agency is one of them. Nor does it state that the agency is located in the half-timbered building, which is located in the middle of the festival area in Allinge.

The reason is that Lead Agency is one of the actors planning events outside the official Folkemøde this year.

That’s part of it.

It is not only a challenge for the association behind Folkemødet to ensure that as little as possible is arranged outside the official program, where everything else is open and everyone is invited.

According to information from Politiken, there has been a recurring discussion internally at the festival organizer over the years about what can actually be done about the companies and organizations that participate in a large way and benefit from the attendance and festivities in Allinge, without however wanting to contribute financially to the People’s Meeting’s coffers. That is, the one that will finance the democracy festival to be held for around 60,000 guests – that things like toilet facilities, security, waste and everything else are under control.

Overview

You can experience this on Politiken’s stages

Politics traditionally has a large program at the People’s Assembly.

Experience, among others, Roald Als in conversation with Mette Frederiksen, Danish Prime Minister in debate, Elisabet Svane and Noa Redington, a live edition of Bente Klarlund’s letterbox, Margrethe Vestager interviewed by Christian Jensen and much more.

The musical performances are provided by Anne Linnet and Peter A.G. Nielsen.

See the full program here.

At Lead Agency, CEO and partner Marianne Hjaltelin states that the agency has contributed “to both development and financing” over the years.

“After Folkemødet 2023, we chose to rethink our presence because, after more than a decade, we met a need from both ourselves and our customers for innovation and the development of alternatives to the traditional stage presence with panel debate upon panel debate,” she writes.

She further states that last year, Lead Agency reached an agreement with the then management of Folkemødet on a so-called “goodwill sponsorship”. This is a special agreement, and it is something she hopes will be able to continue, and Lead Agency is therefore not one of the examples of companies that Folkemødet has not been able to get into its pockets, she emphasizes.

Failed to do all

Signe Saabye Ottosen, the director of the Folkemødet Association, will not comment on specific examples.

In general, however, the director confirms that the festival has a challenge in getting all organizers to contribute financially to holding the Folkemødet.

“It’s not a big problem, but we recognize that it’s a problem that could potentially undermine the community that Folkemødet is. And we’re really upset about that,” says Signe Saabye Ottosen.

“It takes something to get a festival like Folkemødet established and built from the ground up, so that a small town with a daily population of 1,500 can suddenly accommodate 60,000 on a daily basis.”

The director adds:

“Over the years, we have succeeded in engaging in dialogue with some of these actors and gaining a common understanding of the value of the community and the value of contributing to the community. But that does not mean that we have succeeded with everyone.”

While the number of participants in Folkemødet has increased and increased, there has been ongoing debate about how the prices for being able to participate have gone in the same direction. There are different models for how organizers can contribute financially to the festival in addition to the expenses they may have for accommodation and the like, and typically the organization behind Folkemødet will in return be able to sign off by having your name on the official list ‘Those participating in Folkemødet’.

But when it comes to those who neither book into a tent nor onto a stage via the official festival organizer, but for example rent a farm, a backyard or a house and then hold their own events there, there is generally very little that Folkemødet can do.

Not even in the case where, for example, Dansk Fjernvarme rents Næsgaarden a little outside the festival area and arranges its own debates here. Again this year, the organization plans to invite people here, without this resulting in a contribution to the official festival program or the organization behind Folkemødet’s money box.

But in this case it is not due to ill will, assures Rune Birk Nielsen, press and communications manager for the utility companies’ industry organization.

“We have asked the organization Folkemødet several times if we could become part of the Folkemødet program,” he says.

According to Rune Birk Nielsen, the organization has been rejected because Danish District Heating still wants to stick to its agreement to rent Næsgaarden on the outskirts of the city.

“We would really like to pay to be part of that program, but I understand that we can’t. They don’t want events outside their own area to be part of the program.”

Neither can nor should

According to information from Politiken, there has previously been some discussion among the people behind Folkemødet about whether fences could be erected around the official festival site – in an attempt to clarify what is the official Folkemødet and what is not.

It has also been discussed whether, for example, stickers could be distributed to the organizers who are official and have contributed to the economy behind the festival. This was not an idea that was taken forward either.

Signe Saabye Ottosen says that they have chosen to follow the path of dialogue: to try to explain that you can become part of the official public meeting program at “completely reasonable prices”:

“The Folkemødet association cannot and should not be a policeman. And hopefully we will get these actors who may act outside the community to take responsibility for the community that Folkemødet is.”

Kristian Corfixen