European Festival Awards to honour Peter Smidt with Lifetime Achievement Award

08 January 2019 - Press release

The European Festival Awards is proud to announce that this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award will go to industry veteran, Peter Smidt.

After studying Art and Art Management at Groningen University in the Netherlands, Smidt began working for Buma Cultuur as a manager in 1995. Since then he has become responsible for the organisation’s European strategy, working closely with the European Music Office (EMO). Under the roof of EMO, he helped to launch the European Tour Support Plan (ETS) and co-founded the European Talent Exchange Programme (ETEP) – one of the most successful initiatives assisting European artists to cross borders.

Smidt is also the founder and Creative Director of Eurosonic Noorderslag, as well as the organiser of its renowned conference programme. Over the past two decades, he has also worked as a musician and composer; founded the music management and booking office Buro Gogo; and promoted both concerts and festivals for Grand Theatre Groningen, Bevrijdingspop Haarlem and De Oosterpoort Groningen. Furthermore, he has organised the EBBA Awards and was one of the initiators of the Music Moves Europe Talent Awards.

It is for all of the above reasons that Smidt will be presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 10th edition of the European Festival Awards on January 16 at De Oosterpoort in Groningen.