The provision of high value VIP packages for festival-goers has always been an essential part of the festival offering to ticket buyers. These VIP packages do present a dichotomy for organisers who are trying to balance what they offer against their sustainability credentials; how can they get the balance right without impacting on either?

Investors and entrepreneurs keen to create a new music festival will want a return on their investment as quickly as possible. Festivals are generally regarded as high-risk investments but how long realistically does it take to make a new event financially viable and what are the key factors that influence this journey.

A huge amount of trust is put in external contractors appointed by festival organisers to deliver quality products and services on time and in a professional manner. Delivering what has been contracted is only part of the obligations an external contractor must fulfil as their responsibilities on a festival site go beyond this.

There is often a vast amount of photographic and video material generated during a music festival by a range of individuals. The ownership, licensing and use of this material can be influenced by a multitude of factors. What steps can festival organisers take to protect their owned material yet maximise engagement with a wider audience at the same time.

The days of paper tickets for music festival entry are long gone and have largely been replaced by some form of electronic checks. As access control systems become more sophisticated organisers need to get a good understanding of how to set up a robust system that provides security, rapid traffic throughput and real time data simultaneously. 

Almost all artists need an experienced manager to oversee and guide them from discovery through to the creation of a long-term career. The artist's manager should bring a business and strategic perspective to the relationship. How is the function and role of these managers changing and what should artists focus on when choosing a one. 

It’s been a tough time for small pubs and bars in recent times with the coronavirus pandemic taking its toll on many businesses. Many of these small entertainment venues are struggling to generate paying customer visits and with rising costs margins are tight. How can these small venues leverage live music to generate increased customer visits and sales.

Most countries have some family friendly music festivals which cater for all ages with special attractions and allowances for children. What are the activities organisers can consider to make their events attractive to family groups where children are attending with parents or guardians.

For larger well known music festivals the theme design and stage construction can have an amazing visual impact. The artistic execution of festival themes are usually much anticipated by festival-goers, artists, sponsors and vendors. Who is responsible for the creation of these themes and the accompanying stage designs?

Aside from a handful of autumn events September usually marks the end of the summer music festival season for most of northern Europe and the United States. What are the critical actions that all event organisers need to take during the immediate period following a music festival?   

The line-up presented by festival organisers for a forthcoming event can impact significantly on ticket sales. The line-up curation process is a vital element of music festival planning but what are the key factors that ultimately drive ticket sales. Balancing budgets with artist availability and festival-goer's expectations can be very challenging.

It has been a troubling few years for the music festival sector in Europe and the United States with media reports suggesting numerous festival entities closing their doors for good. For investors and those working in the sector where are the growth opportunities in the coming years coming from?

There are a wide variety of reasons why someone creates their own independent record label. In an industry dominated by multinational corporate record labels how can a new independent label compete. What are the driving forces behind differentiation and financial success for a new label just starting out.

Touring can be a stressful and tiring process for many performance artists with tight schedules and constant travelling. It is essential that they have peace of mind that every aspect of their tour is suitably covered by insurance which is usually arranged by the artist's management team or the organisation responsible for arranging the tour.