b-side
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersPortland, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
b-side firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- b-side
- Legal name
- b-side multimedia arts festival
- Website
- https://b-side.org.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where b-side is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Portland
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
b-side business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Public Funding: Core revenue from public sector funders including Arts Council England, Dorset Council, and Portland Town Council. B-side is described as a publicly funded organisation.
- Donations: Accepts donations through their website (Donorbox) and during events. Many events are free but donations are welcomed.
- Ticket Sales: Some events require paid tickets (e.g., £5 for The Nettle Dress film, £8.50 for Section 28 and Me performance), while most events remain free.
- Sponsorship: Corporate sponsors including Agincare and CB Reid provide financial support.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free events with optional donation |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Standard ticketed events |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
b-side product offering
Product offeringCore offering
b-side is a non-profit arts organisation that commissions and produces contemporary site-responsive art, anchored by an annual international arts festival held on the Isle of Portland, Dorset. Year-round it runs community programmes (LGBT+side, Artachat evenings, Scone Club, Riso Club), artist development opportunities (Platform Bursary, New Curators Programme, residencies and commissions), and BnB-side accommodation for visitors to the island.
Product overview
b-side is an internationally recognized arts organization based on the Isle of Portland that commissions new art, produces an annual international arts festival, and offers accommodation through BnB-side. The organization operates multiple interconnected offerings: the core annual festival (which includes a fringe programme for community-submitted events), year-round community programmes like the Community Connections Programme (featuring Artachat evenings and Scone Club), artist development opportunities including commissions, bursaries, residencies, and the New Curators mentoring programme. Additional offerings include the BIG Weekend events and access to a refurbished project space (Outpost) for workshops and exhibitions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- BnB-side: Bed and breakfast accommodation operated by b-side for visitors to the Isle of Portland
Products and services
- b-side Annual International Arts Festival Annual international arts festival held on the Isle of Portland featuring site-responsive artworks, walks, talks, workshops, and participatory experiences commissioned specifically for the location. Open to general festival visitors, local residents, families, and arts enthusiasts.
- BnB-side Bed and breakfast accommodation at 77A Fortuneswell, Portland DT5 1LY, inviting visitors to stay on the island. Doubles as a community meeting space hosting Artachat evenings, Scone Club and LGBT+side events.
- Festival Fringe Events Community-organised events running alongside the main festival, allowing local residents and artists to submit and host their own creative events during the festival period.
- Community Connections Programme Year-round season of events, films and food designed to bring communities closer together, including Artachat evenings, Scone Club, and LGBTQ+ community gatherings.
- Artist Commissions and Bursaries Opportunities for artists including bursaries, commissions, residencies, artists CPD, and work with young people. Includes the Platform Bursary (£500) for emerging visual artists, delivered in partnership with CODA Arts.
- New Curators Programme Mentoring programme for emerging curators resulting in community co-created performative walking tours and collaborative projects.
- b-side BIG Weekend Multi-day weekend events celebrating local culture and communities, including the 2025 event honouring Portland and Weymouth as Towns of Culture.
- Project Space (Outpost) Refurbished project space used for workshops, exhibitions, and community events including Artachat evenings.
Quantifiable outcome
- 1000s of attendees at annual festival
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use b-side
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
b-side technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
Feature1 record
b-side partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- CODA ArtscorePartnership for Platform Bursary 2024, providing bursary artists £500 to experiment and create work, with access to mentoring from both b-side and CODA.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
b-side competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Artangel: Artangel is a long-established UK contemporary arts commissioning body producing site-specific work in non-gallery settings. Comparable to b-side in commissioning site-responsive art, but operates at a national scale with much larger production budgets.
- Arnolfini: Arnolfini is a Bristol-based contemporary arts centre with galleries, performance, and community programmes. Comparable to b-side as a multi-disciplinary contemporary arts venue with education and community engagement, though with larger scale and permanent venue.
Direct peers
- Cove Park: Cove Park is a Scottish rural artists' residency and commissioning organisation offering residencies, bursaries, and community programmes. Closely comparable to b-side on artist development, residency offerings, and rural-coastal siting.
- Aldeburgh Festival / Snape Maltings: Aldeburgh Festival and Snape Maltings run a coastal Suffolk arts festival with site-responsive programming, residencies, and community engagement. Comparable to b-side in scale, rural/coastal UK setting, mix of ticketed and free events, and publicly funded model.
- Folkestone Triennial: The Folkestone Triennial is a place-based contemporary art festival on the Kent coast commissioning site-specific work. Directly comparable to b-side in model: a coastal UK town, recurring festival, Arts Council England funded, and international artist commissions tied to local geography and community.
Emerging players
- Create London: Create London is a contemporary arts organisation commissioning place-based work in East London boroughs. Comparable to b-side in commissioning artists to engage with local context, though operating in an urban rather than rural/coastal setting.
- Spike Island: Spike Island is a Bristol-based centre for contemporary art and design combining studios, exhibitions, and artist development programmes. Comparable to b-side on the artist development and exhibition programming dimension, though without the annual festival model.
- Common Ground: Common Ground is a UK arts and environmental charity using the arts to celebrate distinctiveness of place. Comparable to b-side on the 'art + place + community' axis, including nature-based projects similar to Whispers from the Wood.
- Situations: Situations is a UK public art commissioning organisation producing place-based projects with communities. Comparable to b-side in its site-specific, community-engaged commissioning model, though with broader geographic programming across the UK.
Regional players
- Towner Eastbourne: Towner Eastbourne is a regional contemporary art gallery on the Sussex coast with a strong community and learning programme. Comparable to b-side on coastal UK contemporary art with public engagement, though primarily a gallery rather than a festival organisation.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
b-side social profiles
Digital presenceb-side financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
b-side leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
b-side funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
b-side M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about b-side
What does b-side do?
b-side is a non-profit arts organisation that commissions and produces contemporary site-responsive art, anchored by an annual international arts festival held on the Isle of Portland, Dorset. Year-round it runs community programmes (LGBT+side, Artachat evenings, Scone Club, Riso Club), artist development opportunities (Platform Bursary, New Curators Programme, residencies and commissions), and BnB-side accommodation for visitors to the island.
Is b-side a public or private company?
b-side is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was b-side founded?
b-side was founded in 2008. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is b-side based?
b-side is headquartered in Portland, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does b-side make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Public Funding is the primary driver. The others are donations, ticket Sales and sponsorship.
Who are b-side's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Artangel and Arnolfini. Direct peers are Cove Park, Aldeburgh Festival / Snape Maltings and Folkestone Triennial. Emerging players are Create London, Spike Island, Common Ground and Situations. Towner Eastbourne is listed as a regional player.
Does b-side have an API?
No public API is recorded for b-side.