Some of the biggest names in radio will flock to Leicester next April as DSU’s community radio station DemonFM has been confirmed as host of the SRA’s annual conference.
Some of the biggest names in radio will flock to Leicester next April as De Montfort Students’ Union (DSU)’s community radio station DemonFM has been confirmed as host of the Student Radio Association (SRA)’s annual conference.
The news, announced at the SRA Awards at London’s Indigo O2 on Thursday (10 November) evening, is music to the ears of the student-led station which last hosted the conference on the De Montfort University (DMU) campus in 2013.
Hannah Rowe, a third-year Politics student and DemonFM’s Station Manager, said: “I’m an odd mixture of ecstatic and relieved, as we’ve been putting work into this bid since June.
“I’m just now super excited to see the product of so much hard work and dedication by the members of DemonFM pay off. For three days in April, DemonFM is going to be abuzz with the energy of the best conference the SRA has seen yet!”
The conference sees hundreds of budding radio presenters and producers from student radio stations across the UK come together for sessions from some of the biggest names in radio and will be held on week commencing Monday 17 April 2017.
Speakers at last year’s conference, hosted by Xpress Radio at Cardiff University, included Radio 1 presenters Nick Grimshaw and Greg James, Radio X producers Pippa Taylor and Dave Masterman, comedian and BBC Radio Wales host Rhod Gilbert and LBC presenter Ian Collins to name but a few.
Hannah scooped the award for 'Demon of the Year' at The SULETS Demon Media Awards 2016 earlier this year.
Mike Mayes, VP Media and Communications at DSU, said: “I’m incredibly excited that DMU has been chosen to host the SRA Conference in 2017.
“Each year student radio stations around the country bid to host the conference and this year we’re very happy to have been selected. We’ve got a long heritage of supporting student media here at DMU with our radio station stretching back 21 years and a student paper having been produced since before then.
“DemonFM has made waves in the radio industry since then, with many of our alumni now holding significant positions in the industry. This conference will be a fantastic opportunity to showcase what we do and celebrate the hard work of not just us, but student radio around the whole country.”
The conference will take place across the DMU campus, focusing on the university’s new state-of-the-art conference centre, The Venue@DMU. Mike continued: “The conference falls at a perfect time for us; being hosted in April gives us a fantastic opportunity to showcase our new campus developments which will all be finished and looking amazing by then.”
James Gardner, DMU's Pro Vice-Chancellor Strategic and International Partnerships, supported the bid and has spoken about his excitement at the announcement. He said: "It is a coup for De Montfort University to host this event for a second time and a tribute to the hard work of all the student volunteers at Demon FM who have put together an impressive bid. It is the perfect 21st birthday present for them."
To attend the SRA Conference when it comes to DMU you need to book your tickets via SRA’s website here. You can also check out more information about DemonFM’s plans for the conference via their website here.
The announcement comes just days before Demon Media’s Demon21 celebration as the group – made up of DemonFM, Demon TV and The Demon – is throwing a party and one-off training day on Saturday 19 November to celebrate the anniversary of the radio station’s inception in style. Find out more about Demon21 here.
Demon Media entertained the crowds from thier stage at our biggest Activities Fair EVER during #FreshFest16.
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