Neal Thompson is a fluent Welsh speaker and freelance consultant who has worked in the live music industry for the past twenty years. He is the artistic director of Llangollen Fringe Festival and co-founder of FOCUS Wales, an annual international showcase festival and conference, held in Wrexham, Wales. Now in its twelfth year, FOCUS Wales hosts over 250 live acts and 400+ music industry professionals from across the globe and welcomes 20,000 festival goers to the city centre, each year.
Neal is an advocate for the arts and is also a founding member of the Events Industry Wales Advisory Group which was set up in 2020 to represent the interests of live music and cultural events.