May was a very busy month for the ABO with the SMM season in full swing. Finance Managers, Marketing Managers, Education Managers, Development and Sponsorship Managers and the Chamber Orchestras all had very successful meetings and many thanks to all those who attended. In addition, members of the ABO team also met with the following people and organisations on your behalf:
 

Making Music; iTunes; Gramophone; Ulysses Arts; DK, Mediasnackers; SOLT/TMA; World in our City Steering Group; Ruth Hansford, BBC; DHA Communications; NYO; City of London Sinfonia; Travelex; Kings Place; Marshall Marcus, Southbank Centre; Arts Council England; Julie's Bicycle; Mayor of London music education group.

We also attended: Glyndebourne Festival reception; RPS Awards; OAE Season Launch; NCVO Members Assembly; TMA Management Awards; National Music Council; NAYO AGM and the Orchestras Live Conference at Kings Place. The audit passed off without incident, we attended concerts by Gabrieli Consort and Players, BBC Concert Orchestra, LSO and RPO and Orla and Jenny attended the YPIA Music panel debate on the recording Industry.
 

Our final Specialist Manager Meeting for this season will be:

9 June: Concert & Orchestra Managers Meeting, Wigmore Hall, London.

This event will contain an afternoon workshop on PACT / BPI agreements given by Marc Stevens of the LSO. If you would like to attend this meeting please log on to the Members Area of the ABO website and then click on Events - Specialist Managers Meetings - Concert & Orchestra before the booking deadline of 2pm Monday 7 June.

Reports of the season's SMMs will be appearing on the Members Area of the ABO website over the next month so if you were unable to attend an event of particular interest do remember to look up the report for this meeting.

We have three one day Brass Tacks training courses on offer this summer:

Thursday 17 June - All that you ever wanted to know about Fundraising but were afraid to ask!, Course leader Sarah Gee, Senior Consultant with Dixon Raines. Course venue: Royal Over-Seas League, London.

Tuesday 22 June - Finance for non-Finance Managers, Course leader Maureen McCulloch, a chartered accountant with extensive experience in charities and the arts who has been freelance trainer for twenty-two years. Course venue: Royal Over-Seas League, London.

Thursday 15 July - Introduction to Press & PR, Course leader Kate Whyman, a freelance PR consultant specializing in music and the arts. Her client list includes BBC Radio 3, Cadogan Hall, London Mozart Players, Mayor of London, British Arts Festival Association, Festival and Events International, The Old Market and Brighton Festival of World Sacred Music. Course venue: LSO St Luke's, London.

For more detailed information on the content of these excellent courses please visit the Brass Tacks section of the ABO website. Prices start at £90 for members to attend and there are discounts available for multiple bookings for the same course.
 

Now that the dust has settled after the election we can confirm the following ministerial appointments of relevance to our sector.

The Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP is the new Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, with Ed Vaizey MP confirmed as Culture Minister. Michael Gove MP is the new Secretary of State for Education, with Nick Gibb MP Minister for Schools. Eric Pickles MP is the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.

Michael Moore MP is Secretary of State for Scotland, following Danny Alexander’s precipitate move to the Treasury, Cheryl Gillan MP is Secretary of State for Wales, and Owen Paterson MP is Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

The ABO is absorbing the news of £6.2bn of public spending cuts announced by the Treasury on 24 May, including £1.165bn cuts to local government, £704m to the devolved administrations and £88m to the DCMS, with £19m of additional cuts to Arts Council England’s funding in this financial year. For the DCMS announcement click here and response from Dame Liz Forgan click here . ACE are working swiftly to scope the impact of these cuts and we hope to have more news soon.

We do not envisage that the emergency budget scheduled for 22 June will lighten the mood.

The DCMS is also currently consulting on proposals to restore the shares of the National Lottery Distribution Fund to 20% for each of the good causes of sport, heritage and the arts. They propose to do this in the following two phases:

• On 1 April 2011, to increase the share apportionment for arts, heritage and sport to 18% each of the Lottery and reduce the Big Lottery Fund to 46%.
 

• Then on 1 April 2012, to increase the shares for arts, heritage and sport to 20% each of the Lottery and to reduce the apportionment share for the Big Lottery Fund to 40%.

For further information please visit: http://www.culture.gov.uk/consultations/7070.aspx

The latest version of the MPA / ABO Guidelines for Professional Music Hire is now available to download from the Information - Factsheets section of the ABO website.

Strategic Commissioning, the way in which many public services are now being delivered, has developed from two decades of public service reform and focuses on improved efficiency and effectiveness. Understanding and responding to the challenges and opportunities presented by the Commissioning of services is an important part of planning a sustainable future for many arts and cultural organisations. The Arts Council has worked with Arts Professional, and other partners like MLA and Arts and Business, to produce a special supplement that explores the issues surrounding Commissioning. The supplement profiles the experience of different arts organisations, a Commissioners perspective and opinions from individuals and organisations who are working with the Commissioning process.

The content is available free at www.artsprofessional.co.uk/magazine. Additional resources are available at www.artscouncil.org.uk/strategiccommissioning

• PRS for Music Foundation launches New Music 20x12 as part of London 2012 Cultural  Olympiad
• Composers, ensembles, festivals and music organisations are invited to submit ideas

PRS for Music Foundation has launched a new programme to put new music centre-stage of the Cultural Olympiad in 2012. The brainchild of private patrons, David Cohen and Jillian Barker, New Music 20x12 will support 20 new works each lasting 12 minutes. It will be delivered by the PRS for Music Foundation in partnership with the BBC, LOCOG (the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games) and Sound and Music.

The call for proposals invites music organisations, festivals, ensembles, promoters or venues from England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to present ideas for new work, in any musical genre, that they would like to commission from a UK-based composer. Each work will premiere in 2012 and receive at least 2 additional performances. The works will enable audiences across the UK to enjoy exceptional new music inspired by this once-in-a-lifetime celebration of our culture with the world.

A panel of experts, chaired by Roger Wright, Controller BBC Radio 3 and Director, BBC Proms, will be announced later this year and will select the best 20 works following the deadline for applications on Friday 1st October 2010. All selected works will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and some may be considered for inclusion in other official events relating to London 2012. In addition to financial support for the commissions, New Music 20x12 will include networking and professional development opportunities for the selected composers and musicians.

For more information about New Music 20x12 and how to apply see www.prsformusicfoundation.com

The European Commission is gathering views on various issues impacting the cultural and creative industries in Europe, from business environment to the need to open up a common European space for culture, from capacity building to skills development and promotion of European creators on the world stage. The responses to the consultation will inform the Commission and help it ensure that EU programmes and policies involving cultural and creative industries are "fit for purpose". They welcome contributions from citizens, organisations and public authorities. The deadline is 30 July.
 

For further information click here and to complete the consultation on behalf of an organisation, please click here.
 

As a charity or a business, you could unncessarily be losing thousands per transaction on your international payments through poor exchange rates, hefty fees and from the lack of dedicated foreign currency services provison. www.sendmoneyhome is a online foreign exchange website that provides a free, independent and impartial service dedicated to helping businesses maximise the value of their international corporate payments. Often businesses and charities use their banks as a matter of course or convenience to make their international payments, when there are foreign currency specialist who can provide better rates. With no chargeto open an account, no transfer fee plus a better exchange rate, a foreign exchange specialist can often save a company between 1-5% per transaction.
 

Banks generate large profits on foreign exchange transactions by charging a fee and selling currency at the interbank rate plus a significant margin. As currency specialists are buying in bulk, they can get much closer to the interbank rates than banks, thereby saving clients thousands. Sendmoneyhome.org was initiated by the UK government over five years ago and now provides companies, charities and individual consumers with advice on their money transfers. For more information, please contact Emmanuel Addy at emmanuel@sendmoneyhome.org  or on 0207 100 5641.

Jonathan Kuhles is moving from the Philharmonia Orchestra to work as Senior Individual Giving Manager at English National Opera.

Lawrence Jones, founder of the Manchester-based web hosting firm UKFast, has joined the Board of Directors of Manchester Camerata.