Agent joins Live & Direct line-up.

Music Week's live conference partnership with the Vodafone Live Music Awards has signed up leading booking agent Ed Bicknell as a guest moderator.

Live & Direct, organised by Music Week Events in partnership with the Vodafone Live Music Awards, is taking place on September 19, ahead of the awards themselves that evening.

The full list of speakers is close to being finalised, with William Morris Agency international chief Ed Bicknell now on board as a guest moderator for the day.

In what is set to be one of the highlights of the day, Bicknell will moderate The Next Generation session. During the session, Bicknell will quiz some of the newest players in the live industry on their thoughts on the rapidly changing business.

The session will feature Live Earth organiser Lily Sobhani, Barfly's Jon McIldowie, Bestival's Rob Da Bank, Dex-Ray's Amy Thompson and Matt Woolliscroft of SJM.

Bicknell, a veteran booking agent and former manager of Dire Straits, has helmed the William Morris Agency's London-based international music division since it opened in January.

Bicknell says, "I'm really looking forward to mixing with the young pretenders on the Next Generation panel - it's just great to be asked to participate. Maybe I'll learn something!"