It's part of every music festival organisers responsibilities to ensure environmental sustainability which is a key part of their event management. After years of complaints from local communities and other concerned organisations about damage to the countryside or public parks after a music festival the clean-up operation post event is a vital part of every music festival. 

Depending where are you are in the world cruise ship music festivals are ether common place or something that is completely new. The idea of running a music festival on a cruise ship whilst touring around beautiful destinations for several days or a week is quite compelling but where are these cruise ship music festivals happening? 

Scotland is not the first place people think of when it comes to festivals but the country actually hosts over 200 of some of the most diverse and interesting festivals. With a steep cultural history, friendly and legendary hospitality Scotland is a great place to visit along with stunning scenery and a festival scene that is certainly thriving.

Although PSY Trance as a music genre has been around for some time it’s only over the last ten years that it has emerged into more mainstream popularity. The emergence of the PSY Trance dedicated genre music festival is testament to the growing popularity. Where did this popularity come from and will it remain a niche genre? 

No music festival is complete without its advertising poster, it’s something that has been around for decades that once served a slightly different purpose. In the 1950’s and 1960’s festival organisers used printed posters and flyers to advertise their events featuring well designed graphically impactful images and a list of artists appearing. 

Whenever someone checks out a music festival it’s sometimes interesting to see who is behind that festival and look into the history of that event over the years. Too many festivals seem to hide behind an anonymous shield of their website and social media channels with content and news magically appearing from the ‘organisers’     

Having been restricted for over a year many festival goers are itching to get back to the festival scene. Most music festivals in the UK have moved their dates to late summer with plenty of potential for festival congestion over the shortened season and so event goers are going to be spoilt for choice.  

With many large-scale music festivals confirming dates for late summer 2021 what protocols are likely to be required, either mandatory or recommended. There are several pre-entry screening solutions available for event organisers to consider, each with varying implications on cost, time delays and crowd management 

Since the announcement by the British government about the timeline for opening up the UK post COVID-19 the date of 21st June has been a key focus for potentially holding live music events. How are music festival organisers dealing with these timelines to bring their festivals back to life in 2021. 

With some of the larger music festivals recruiting several hundred volunteers the task of managing them on-site during the festival can be challenging. What are the steps organisers can take to mitigate any potential issues and at the same time give volunteers a fair balance of work and free time?

There are numerous festivals that base themselves on a single site where capacity is almost unlimited. These large scale festivals are often based in remote locations with limited infrastructure, to overcome these issues some festival organisers opt for more urban location but split over multiple venues to cope with audience numbers. 

The jam band phenomenon has been around for some time and gained popularity in the 1960’s with The Grateful Dead by combining numerous genre styles with long improvised ‘jam’ sets. These grassroots festivals continue to be popular followed by a core group of fans and devoted followers. 

A significant number of live events from large scale festivals to smaller locally themed events take place annually in many countries. These events are organised by a small number of dedicated events staff either volunteering their time for free or within auspices of a local government organisation committed to providing a service to the local community. 

When stage pyrotechnics are used as part of any live show it will add a special wow factor adding to the experience and atmosphere for event goers. Incorporating any kind of pyrotechnics into a performance is not just simply using fireworks it’s a complex planning process that requires experience and technical ability. 

It can be daunting to manage any substantial crowd whether it's a live event at an indoor venue with finite numbers or an outdoor mega festival with over 100,000 visitors. Fortunately there is professional help available for any event organisers who don’t have the experience or resources to manage such large volumes of visitors.  

A key to providing the best quality service in a safe environment in the events industry is the quality of the training given to staff. Whether they are contractors, working for a supplier company or an event volunteer what training and certification is the most important and relevant?          

During the current coronavirus pandemic, the support and advice from industry associations has played a crucial role for anyone involved in the live events industry. Some have been more proactive and vocal than others but overall, it has been a time for members to really benefit from their membership.        

As music festival season for 2021 starts taking shape with many organisers announcing dates and line-ups its timely to remind ticket buyers of the ‘Take Your Tent Home’ initiative. Started several years ago this initiative is still relevant today as it has always been and a gentle reminder by music festival organisers will do no harm. 

A key change will take place in October 2021 regarding Allergen Guidance for the preparation and sale of food. This is particularly relevant to festival vendors who are catering for thousands of people over a few days all with slightly different dietary requirements. Vendors need to get up to speed with the new Food Standards Agency Allergen Guidance. 

With the recent coverage of the #MeToo movement the awareness of unwanted sexual harassment on women has been raised. This harassment is not confined to public figures or the entertainment sector. It is also still prevalent at music festivals around the world. What steps can festival organisers take to mitigate this unacceptable behaviour. 

There can be a distinct contrast between large professionally run music festivals and smaller festivals that may be organised in a more chaotic way. Irrespective of size of event an often-overlooked aspect of any music festival is the customer service provided to event goers. The visitor experience can influence future attendance and social feedback.

Some research suggests that in excess of 50% of music festival event goers take illegal drugs when attending a festival. What measures can festival organisers put in place to control and inform visitors about potential dangers of taking unknown substances and make their events safe and enjoyable for everyone.    

With so many potential visitors to a large music festival it is also inevitable that some security issues will be encountered. There is no reason why the actions of a few people should disrupt the success of a festival and overall enjoyment for all event goers. Having a great security process set up is vital to keeping a festival safe and secure for all.

As UK music festivals hopefully rebound later in 2021 there are the usual issues that still need to be addressed from sustainability to more inclusive audiences. There are millions of music fans and a considerable number of festival goers who are disabled in some way. What can festival organisers do to make their events more inclusive.  

Some time ago in 2019 and early 2020 music festival organisers would have been booking their contractors and suppliers. Having been relatively dormant for a year, music festival organisers confirming dates for late summer will need to double check with all their suppliers that everything can go ahead with their revised dates.  

Irrespective of their size every music festival relies on volunteers to help make their event happen. Even the smallest festivals utilise volunteers but it is the larger festivals that the management of volunteers becomes more of a challenge and the number of volunteers needed to make the event a success goes into the hundreds.

While the current status of many UK music festivals is in flux the next few weeks will be a crucial time for deciding whether or not to go ahead with an event in the late summer months. Aside from the financial considerations it is the logistics planning that could be a major deciding factor on going ahead or postponing yet again.  

With music festivals restarting from May or June it's time for music festival organisers to reactivate their operations and condense planning into three or four months. For festival organisers that put their events team on furlough it's time to bring them back to work and jump on a multitude of tasks that need to be completed quickly.  

After the recent announcement from the UK government that music festivals could resume from late June this year there has been a flurry of activity in the sector. Festival organisers with great preparation plans have been able to reactivate activities quickly with timely announcements and ticketing information. 

Although the usual route of entry to a career in the live events industry is through experience and networking with the right contacts an alternative route may be to get a formal qualification. What options are available in the UK for anyone keen to start a career in the live events industry?