The UK Leading Bands Forum (UKLBF) has stated that it, "welcomes" the recent decision made by Kapitol Promotions, organisers and owners of the National Championships of Great Britain, to re-instate the four band automatic invitation to the Royal Albert Hall contest.

It follows the recent announcement made by Kapitol that since implementing the National Forum's decision to apply a three-band automatic invitation last year, they were subsequently asked to reconsider the approach.

It was stated that they had engaged "with stakeholders and National Forum representatives" to assess the long-term musical and commercial considerations of hosting the event and had "received overwhelming support and agreement" for the change.

Pleased

The UKLBF has now stated that although "surprised" by the unexpected announcement, they were "pleased that this reversal safeguards the competitive balance and prestige of the Championships".

The UKLBF stated remit is to work in cooperation with decision makers at all levels on areas of mutual benefit directly affecting the current and future promotion and development of major contests and events.

In that respect the press release stated that over 20 months they had "worked to establish an open dialogue with Kapitol Promotions, offering our platform as a ready-made conduit for gathering collective feedback from bands across the country."

Missed opportunity

However, they added: "Despite these approaches, no formal engagement has taken place as of yet. We believe this omission represents a missed opportunity to incorporate the perspective of the musicians who are directly affected by these decisions, and we will continue to pursue an open dialogue in the future."

The press release went on: "The UKLBF is concerned by the lack of direct consultation from Kapitol Promotions or Regional organisations with its member bands in reaching this decision, which raises serious questions about how "overwhelming support" was measured and how widely stakeholder views were sought.

However, the Forum would like to confirm that had the UKLBF been invited to partake in the conversation, it would have unanimously endorsed this change. The UKLBF is committed to supporting and working with Kapitol on future initiatives with the mutual aim of building on what is already a prestigious event."

The UKLBF is concerned by the lack of direct consultation from Kapitol Promotions or Regional organisations with its member bands in reaching this decisionUKLBF

Concerned

The organisation also stated that they were concerned that the announcement only appeared to have been made "after public comment and media enquiry, rather than through proactive communication with bands themselves.

This they felt, "continues a pattern where key competitive decisions are taken without the voices of competing musicians being heard."

Constructive feedback

The UKLBF stated that it remained, "committed to constructive engagement with all stakeholders in the banding movement.

We stand ready to provide informed, representative feedback on future proposals directly from bands and their musicians, ensuring that decisions reflect both the long-term health of our competitions and the needs of the bands who bring them to life."