Melvin Benn
Melvin Benn had a ten year background of producing political and campaigning festivals throughout the UK before establishing The Festival Office Ltd in 1989 to create and produce festivals for the Mean Fiddler.
This was the same year that the Mean Fiddler took over the Reading Festival, which has sold out ever since. In 1999, Benn took the event to Leeds. In 1996 Benn took ‘The Festival Office’ to be part of the Mean Fiddler Music Group and became Managing Director. In 1999 he became Group CEO taking Mean Fiddler and its associated companies into a plc structure. This made Mean Fiddler the first publicly quoted music company on to the UK Stock Exchange.
Benn is also the licensee for all Finsbury Park outdoor shows and sits as a representative on the Concert Promoters Association (CPA). He was influential in re-writing the Guide to Health and Safety at Outdoor Events (‘the Pop Code’), and regularly makes presentations to the Emergency Planning College, the police and other bodies.
In August 2007 Benn sold the majority of the Mean Fiddler Music Group venues as well as the Mean Fiddler Music Group name to concentrate on the full festival portfolio ; Carling Weekend Reading & Leeds, Latitude, Rise, St Patrick’s Day, Fleadh and the involvement with Glastonbury Festival under the new name of Festival Republic.