For many European and North American festival organisers the festival season usually runs from May to September every year. As we enter late September it's time for organisers and their staff to take a well-earned break. Why is this an important time for festival organisers and what are the benefits to staff.

The passing of time has not been kind to old alternative rock bands with many seeing their peak popularity back in the late seventies and early eighties. All good things come to an end and the next few years may be the last opportunity to see any of these aging bands in a live environment.

A festival site infrastructure can take weeks to build and organisers need to ensure that sufficient support is available during this period, through the event dates and during breakdown post event. How do festival organisers mange their on-site maintenance to ensure that everything works and operates as intended.

The world of marketing engagement maybe shifting and many organisations are starting to put more emphasis on published content rather than advertising campaigns. There are some underlying reasons why this form of marketing is now trending so how can music festival organisers capitalise on this trend.

The post-COVID world was supposed to be a boom time for music festival organisers with pent up demand driving attendance. Whilst some music festivals were sold out others had to be cancelled because of poor ticket sales. What's been the driving force behind the success or failure of music festivals in 2022.

Sustainability credentials are becoming more and more important for festival organisers and every festival entity now issues public statements on their commitment to running sustainable events. These commitments extend to all the suppliers and contractors used by festival organisations and this new initiative is intended to formally address this.

Although music festivals are usually scheduled to run in the summer months when the weather is better there is always a chance of adverse weather conditions hitting an exposed remote site. What can organisers do to ensure that their festival site is protected from harsh weather conditions ensuring the safety of all site visitors and safeguarding equipment.

Every multi-day music festival will have a range of accommodation options including basic tent pitches to luxury yurts and campervans. The American style RV really takes the campervan idea to a new level and they are becoming increasingly popular at the UK’s biggest festivals. Why are these large RVs gaining popularity in a frugal climate and will this continue.

Some music festival sites can be huge making it a challenge for staff and volunteers to quickly get around the site. There are numerous reasons that organising staff may need to quickly get to another part of the site, what are the range of solutions available for rapid transit that meet cost and sustainability considerations.

As the summer festival season draws to an end it’s time for music festival organisers to conduct a thorough review of their event. This is an essential process that helps to identify what went well and what did not and the results can be incorporated into the planning process for future events.

The impact of technology on the music festival sector has been rapid in the last decade. Use of evolving digital technologies has enhanced the user experience for festival-goers and made operational management faster and more efficient. What aspects of music festival operations should organisers be focussing on.

Almost every sizeable music festival now uses a mobile app to support their event making them available for festival-goers to download to their mobile devices. The amount of data that can be obtained from users can now be used in numerous ways by festival organisers to make improvements to their future events. 

The coronavirus pandemic had a significant impact on the music festival sector with many full-time permanent staff being made redundant or at best furloughed. People affected were forced to find alternative employment but once events resumed it has been challenging to get experienced people to return to the industry.  

Almost every outdoor event has traditionally offered a physically printed programme detailing schedules and background content for sporting events and music festivals. With the advent of the internet and online digital versions is there really a place for the glossy official printed programme anymore.

In the current economic climate, many music festival organisers have faced challenges in attracting ticket buyers. The marketing tactics used in promoting festival tickets can be complex but when executed well can get an event sold out well in advance of the festival dates giving the organisers much needed cash flow. 

Music festival organisers are endeavouring to reduce their overall carbon emissions as part of sustainability policies but this is challenging when they have little control over emissions produced by festival-goer travel. What can organisers do to reduce carbon emissions produced by travel to and from a festival venue.

Allowing ticket buying visitors to bring their own food and drink onto a music festival site has always been a contentious issue. Traditionally festival organisers have been quite strict with festival-goers insisting that visitors must purchase food and drink from on-site vendors but is it time for them to be more flexible.

Festival organisers invest much time curating the best artists for their events often working within strict budgetary requirements. Even once an artist is confirmed in principle it can be the start of lengthy negotiations to finalise legal contracts, agreements and riders. How can organisers navigate this legal minefield to satisfy all parties involved.

Performance artists and musicians are not immune from injury or sickness and in some cases, this may cause them to cancel or reschedule their appearance. What steps can festival organisers take to mitigate and manage instances when scheduled acts are unable to perform.

Most music festivals take place in remote locations usually on a farmer’s field with no infrastructure. These venues need substantial work to convert them to reflect what most people will recognise as a music festival site. This transformation will require the installation of temporary structures, what do organisers need to be aware of when commissioning these.