Opportunities

Who We Are

AVA & UP Productions is in the business of making moments.

We are part creative agency, part cultural institution — built to connect audiences and brands with music, art, fashion, and youth culture through experiences that endure long after the lights go down.

UP Productions is the agency engine at our core, specialising in the design and delivery of real-world brand experiences. Working across conferences, retail pop-ups, and large-scale event activations, we provide end-to-end services — strategy, creative, design, production, and operations — translating bold
ideas into cultural engagement and measurable impact. From intimate brand activations to multi-city touring productions, we don’t do ordinary. And we don’t work with people who do either.
Our mission is to instigate innovation, collaborate with artistic talent, and develop culture through creative arts, music, design, and discussion.

AVA Festival & Conference is the flagship expression of that mission. Founded by UP Productions in 2015, AVA was built with two distinct identities: an International Showcase Festival & Conference operating as a ticketed event, alongside community-focused conference and free fringe programme
operating as a not-for-profit. What began as a one-day, single-venue event with 1,500 attendees has grown over the past decade into a 30,000+ attendee, multi-venue celebration of Audio-Visual Arts — spanning Belfast and London, with satellite events worldwide and a global online audience of over 25 million viewers.

We are a fast-moving, ambitious team — obsessed with quality, driven by creativity, and always looking for new ways to translate ideas into experiences that resonate.

We’re growing our commercial division and looking for a Senior Operations & Partnerships Manager to sit at the heart of our partner relationships and event delivery machine.

The Role

This is a dual-focus position — part partnership & relationship builder, part operational engine.

You’ll identify commercial relationships, pitch and secure long-term partners, and manage retained commercial contracts through to on-the-ground activation, while also owning the systems and processes that keep our commercial operations running smoothly.

You’ll be extremely detail-oriented, always with a commercial lens. Leading the operations of all of our AVA & UP Productions events and bars, co-ordinating our teams, you’ll bring partner commitments to life across physical and digital touchpoints — on-site at our events and in the room when it matters,
constantly thinking about how we create more value for our audience, our business, and the partners
who trust us.

Above all, you’ll bring a genuine growth mindset. You’ll be eager to help build the business, push boundaries, and evolve our offering — spotting opportunities others miss and having the drive and creativity to pursue them.

For full details of the role, view the job description

Apply via this form

Deadline – 6pm on Tuesday 19th May 2026

If you have any questions contact info@avafestival.com

We’re deep in the planning for AVA Belfast 2026.

Let us know a bit about your idea via this form, and a member of our team will get back to you soon.

Thank you for your consideration, if you have any questions contact info@avafestival.com 

We’re deep in the planning for AVA London 2026.

Let us know a bit about your idea via this form, and a member of our team will get back to you soon.

Thank you for your consideration, if you have any questions contact info@avafestival.com

Each year, our stages bring together global talent, multidisciplinary voices and thousands of attendees seeking new ideas, creative exchange and unexpected discovery.

If you have a perspective, project or provocation that aligns with our 2026 themes — Future, Impact, Creative Pathways, Community — we want to hear from you.

Apply to speak at AVA London 2026 via this form 

We design, produce, and operate impactful real-world brand experiences, including event marketing and brand activations. If you’d like to discuss a project, explore a partnership, or book our team, simply visit our website, UP! Productions and reach out to us. We’d love to hear from you.

We’ve launched the 2026 edition of the Creators Forum, our artist development programme for aspiring DJs, electronic music producers and musicians.

The Creators Forum is designed to support creative growth through studio access, mentoring and practical skills development.

APPLY HERE FOR THE CREATORS FORUM – BELFAST EDITION

Are you a Northern Irish-based Arts Student, working in visual-arts or fine-art?

We are looking for people to join the AVA 2026 Bars Team, working on one of several bars in the ticketed arena. Applicants must be 18 years or older and have previous bar experience.

APPLY HERE FOR THE BARS TEAM

Join AVA Belfast as a trader. 

We’re looking for unique and creative traders, charities, and service providers to join us for a weekend of music and fun. Unlike other festivals, we don’t allocate pitches on a first-come, first-served basis. We evaluate each application based on its merit, so please provide as much information as possible, including photos or sketches of your stall and products.

At AVA, we value high-quality, creative, and visually appealing stalls that align with our festival’s ethos. We want to ensure that our festival marketplace is full of good-quality food and products at fair prices. When completing your application, please ensure your stall and pitch sizes are accurate, as we use this information to plan our market areas.

APPLY HERE TO BECOME A TRADER

Thank you for considering trading with AVA Belfast 2026, if you have any questions contact info@avafestival.com

Join AVA Belfast as a Volunteer

AVA Festival Belfast is gearing up for a big year in 2026, and we want YOU to be a part of this experience. Volunteers are the heart of our festival, and for our 2026 edition, we’re searching for a talented team to help us create an unforgettable event in the heart of Belfast.

APPLY HERE TO BECOME A VOLUNTEER

Thank you for considering volunteering with AVA Belfast 2026, if you have any questions contact info@avafestival.com