World’s largest LGBTQI choruses festival, GALA, to work with Integra Planner for 10th year

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GALA Festival 2020 Minneapolis has signed a new deal with Integra Planner to use its event technology platform for the 10th year. Launched by former event organisers, Martin Brophy MBE and Chris Denning, the comprehensive solution takes the stress out of planning, organising and delivering events.

GALA Festival 2020 Minneapolis takes place 4th – 8th July at the Minnesota Convention Centre in Minneapolis, United States and is live-streamed throughout the world. The event is an international celebration of the LGBTQI choral movement and features five days of singing, community-building, dancing, workshops and parties. The event attracts over 10,000 delegates from more than 150 LGBTQI and allied choruses from North America, China, Mexico, Cuba and Europe.

The complex festival is organised by a core team of four people at GALA Choruses with the help and support of Integra Planner. With thousands of delegates and over 200 different groups and organisations, Integra enables GALA Choruses to keep all the festival data in one system which can be shared with participants, staff and the venue with everyone viewing the same, up-to-date information.

Martin Brophy MBE, Integra sales director said: “It’s been great working in collaboration with GALA Choruses for 10 years.

“Six months before the last festival in 2016 in Denver, Integra heard the disturbing news that a music copyright compliance company had warned GALA Choruses that they will have enforcers at the festival with copyright violations receiving fines of tens of thousands. Integra worked with GALA Choruses and enhanced the system so performers can upload song copyright details with proof and documents and after four weeks of intensive development we rolled out the copyright compliance module to be used at the event.”

Developing the Integra Schedule App enables all participants to view every event they are involved or connected with, arrival times and locations. Everyone can view events details and the details of each song, with all the composer details, if they like what they hear. Each person can view the range of 40-50 events on offer each day, favourite them and make notes with sharing on social media. Data is live so everyone knows about adjustments as soon as they are connected.

GALA Choruses’ executive director, Robin Godfrey, added: “Integra Planner works for GALA Choruses because it was designed from the ground up to manage a festival which is our most significant information management challenge.

“The team has been most helpful about adapting the system to accomplish other tasks for us such as committee meeting management and chorus data updating. As an international organisation, usability and access are vital factors in choosing Integra Planner.” 

Molly Hookings
Author: Molly Hookings

Molly joined the editorial team in March 2019. She has several years’ experience working in broadcast and journalism, as well as marketing and PR. Past experience includes working for the BBC and independent publishing houses. If you have a story you think Molly might be interested in, please email: molly@eventindustrynews.com