The Selection Process of Non-Food and Beverage Vendors for Music Festivals.

Every large-scale outdoor music festival will allocate zones for food and beverage vendors which are an essential part of the event infrastructure. Adding non-food and beverage vendors gives organisers additional revenue and provides products, services and experiences for festival-goers that enhances their overall festival experience.

A big outdoor music festival can have hundreds of vendors on the site which can make them a challenge to manage operationally. Most organisers zone their vendors by type of service offered but to get the perfect mix of food and beverage and other vendor types relies on a robust application and selection process. The selected vendors must match the anticipated demand from festival-goers to ensure they are commercially viable as well as providing a wide range of offerings that match festival-goer budgets. How can organisers perfect their selection process for non-food and beverage vendors.

Festival Site Planning.
Planning for music festivals can commence up to a year in advance of the live dates with the site plan being an integral element of the early-stage process. A good site plan is often segregated into zones that are logically placed for operational efficiency and easy crowd management and control. The site must also have a logical layout that is easy for festival-goers to navigate with specific zones for performance stages, audience zones, restricted backstage areas, camping zones, food and beverage, and other vendor types, for example. Once the vendor zone has been identified it is further divided into pitch spaces with fees that recognise size and position with the highest fees for pitches with the best visibility and footfall. Other key infrastructure considerations can be the supply of electricity and connectivity with non-food and beverage vendors unlikely to need water supplies, for example.

The Non-Food and Beverege Vendor Mix.
The common vendor types seen at many music festivals can include fashion and clothing, arts and crafts, camping equipment, merchandise, memorabilia, lifestyle specialists, charities and the provision of services like phone charging, secure lockers and wellness services. The ideal mix should match closely to the demographics of the festival-goers that will attend and where possible organisers should avoid too many competing categories to ensure a wide variety and selection. For large festivals the number of vendors applying for pitch spaces usually outnumber the availability so organisers should prioritise specific relevant aspects. In the current climate priorities are being given to products and services that can demonstrate sustainability, recycling initiatives, fair-trade links and locally sourced or made products.

Application Process.
Most large music festivals will provide details for their vendor application process on their website which usually includes a form to be completed and submitted online. Critically, organisers must always provide specific details of what they are looking for so that vendor applicants can provide the most relevant data about their offering. The application form will request specific details of the business type (sole trader or limited company) along with years of trading and festival experience. Vendors will be expected to include details of the products and services to be sold with examples of pricing and photos which can help bring an application to life. Additional details on sustainability and fair-trade credentials can also help to sell the vendor to organisers. The application will also request practical details like pitch size and electricity needed along with staffing arrangements and details of insurance and other product compliance requirements.

Assessment and Key Considerations.
Organisers will have a specific number of available pitch spaces available, and they will select vendors that can provide a range of products and services to festival-goers. Key to selection is how a vendor's offering matches the demographics and age profiles of festival-goers in addition to the event's identity. The overall commercial viability of a vendor is a major consideration because the prices charged must fit within typical festival-goer budgets but also ensure that the vendor can make an operating profit after paying staff and pitch fees, for example. If a vendor's application included testimonials and case studies from customers and previous festival participation it can help boost its chances of selection especially when combined with photographic evidence of pitch and product presentation. Vendors must be able to demonstrate that whatever they propose selling is safe and compliant with any relevant regulations with no hazardous materials used. Organisers are especially wary of vendors who may be selling counterfeit goods (common in the fashion and clothing business) which should be avoided at all costs. Organisers will be looking for comprehensive sustainability and fair-trade credentials which always resonate well with festival-goer audiences.

For festival organisers planning their next event using a software management platform like Festival Pro gives them all the functionality they need manage every aspect of their event logistics. The guys who are responsible for this software have been in the front line of event management for many years and the features are built from that experience and are performance artists themselves. The Festival Pro platform is easy to use and has comprehensive features with specific modules for managing artists, contractors, venues/stages, vendors, volunteers, sponsors, guestlists, ticketing, site planning, cashless payments and contactless ordering.

Image by Elias Jara via Pexels

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