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.

When hundreds of musicians and artists are booked for a multi-day music festival the efficiency of their load-in and load-out can impact on numerous operational elements. How can music festival organisers plan and mange this to eliminate any potential issues and ensure the smooth running of the event.

Performance artist’s instruments are a key part of their overall package and are often uniquely personal. From custom made guitars to other specialist equipment instruments are valuable assets that are vital to their performance. What are the considerations for artists and festival organisers when handling instruments during an event. 

Any music festival with multiple acts scheduled to appear over multiple days will need to have a well organised backstage space. The backstage area will usually have so much activity it may get very chaotic and this can impact on technical presentation, safety and the planned running schedule.

It has been well documented in the media this year that the recruitment of volunteers for music festivals has been a challenge. This can have serious implications for the logistics and safety of any large-scale music festival but for organisers this can be compounded by difficulties in getting volunteers sufficiently trained in a timely manner.

The After Party concept has been around ever since organised events took place. In more recent times they have developed into more sophisticated and organised events in their own right. What are music festival organisers doing to maximise opportunities from running an official after party event.