Almost all music festivals were postponed to 2021 and whilst the pandemic continues to cause disruption there is still hope that festivals can return in the second half of the year. There has been much progress made in recent years to make festivals more sustainable but can they maintain this progress and improve further once festivals return later this year.  

Something that has affected many over the last year are mental health issues whether it be as a result of lockdowns or other issues like being unable to work. It is those working in the events industry that have been particularly badly hit by this. With the prospects of strict lockdowns at the start of 2021 it doesn't look like this situation is going to improve. 

As event organisers grapple with getting their events up and running at some point in 2021 there is of course a knock-on effect on booking performance artists. Organisers are running multiple scenarios and looking at all their contingency plans in light of the coronavirus pandemic that persists in disrupting normal life around the world. 

Many event organisers are deep into their planning for events in 2021, most opting for dates in the latter part of the year. Such is the uncertainty over the future effect of the coronavirus pandemic that event organisers are taking on the role of risk manager, what are the typical steps required for this change in focus? 

Over the last decade the interest and popularity of music festival that focus on music from previous generations has flourished. There is now a wide choice of retro music festivals for those interested in older music genres. Catering for those wishing to relive their youth because the current crop of popular festivals only offers the latest musical artists.    

2020 has been a catastrophic year for anyone working on the live events industry throughout the world. For those in Europe the impact of the coronavirus pandemic has been further compounded by the BREXIT negotiations and the potential fallout from any agreement on freedom of travel throughout Europe in the future.  

In a year of chaos for the live events industry many music festival organising teams have been laid off or at best furloughed there are many organisers desperate to put on their festival in 2021. Due to cost reductions and squeezed schedules music festival organisers are currently working flat out on their planning. 

When live events resume in the UK sometime in 2021 event organisers are going to be faced with a whole host of new restrictions and measures that will most likely be mandatory. Estimates suggest these new measures could account for up to 20% of event running costs, what are the likely measures that have a cost, hidden or otherwise.     

The development and progress of technology that can be used in the music festival industry has not stopped with the coronavirus pandemic. Conversely numerous software companies have been busy developing technology and software that will improve event goer experience and make festival organisers life's easier.  

With new surges in coronavirus infections throughout Europe and the rest of the world it appears that almost all festive and New Year events are facing cancellation. Although incredibly frustrating for the live events industry it is time to grin and bear it for the next few months to improve the prospects of live vents returning later in 2021.     

In these difficult times it's hard to believe that anyone would consider creating a brand-new UK music festival for the summer of 2021. Using the old Latin proverb ‘Fortune favours the bold’ is perhaps a relevant statement here, creating a new music festival is no mean task and in the current climate certainly risky. 

Whether it’s a large music festival or other smaller event all have some kind of online presence. The events sector is not renowned for their sophisticated websites and have a tendency to be scarcely populated with content, poor usability and navigation perhaps relying on an online reproduction of their event poster. 

The traditional source of revenue for music festivals are ticket sales, vendor pitch fees and sponsorship revenue. It's time that festival organisers got more creative and start looking at additional revenue streams. Creating alternative sources of revenue may help organisers with cash flow and assist in securing their financial survival. 

British music festivals have always had to provide suitable insurance coverage for their events. Festival organisers had a variety of policies to choose from to cover just about any eventuality. When coronavirus hit and festivals were cancelled some insurance companies paid out and others did not. What is likely to happen with insurance products in 2021? 

Since the emergence of Gay Pride events in the late 70s in many of the world's largest cities their popularity has spawned some great new music festivals. From LGBTQ+ friendly festivals a new genre of music festival has emerged in recent years targeted specifically at the LGBTQ+ community.

In response to an industry decimated by the coronavirus pandemic it’s a welcome sign that some of the big technology giants are improving their platforms to help an industry run their events albeit in a virtual environment. Previously used for small meetings or webinars the technology is being leveraged to allow for larger externally focused events. 

The QR Code has been around for years and is an easy way to transfer data making it popular across all business sectors. With the impact of restrictions from coronavirus measures the popularity of the QR Code is rising and could be one of the most useful pieces of technology available to the live events sector in 2021. 

For those living in a town or region with a well-run local council they are probably fortunate enough to benefit from some form of organised local festival or event each year. Each city or local council is tasked with promoting local attractions, businesses and an overall community spirit and holding an annual festival is often a good way of achieving this.

When the coronavirus pandemic hit earlier in 2020 many music festival organisers made the tough decision to postpone their 2020 events until 2021. For event goers and ticket buyers this was a frustrating period because the highlight event of their summer had been taken away. Most ticket holders opted to carry over their tickets to 2021 so constant updates are essential. 

As many music festival organisers around the world announce that they plan to go ahead with music festivals in the summer of 2021 what are the realistic chances for the intrepid traveller looking to travel internationally combining a holiday with attending a music festival in another country?