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Music Festival Welcome Packs.

Andy Robertson

Festival goers have generally been happy to gain entry to the festival site and start enjoying the atmosphere. The branded welcome pack containing useful freebies was once the domain of the VIP ticket holder but this is changing and festival-goers now have higher expectations considering the high price of tickets. 


It can make a huge difference to festival-goers if they receive unexpected gifts and freebies at the event entrance. However, this should not just some branded freebie from a sponsor randomly thrown together it needs to have more thought and careful planning just like every other aspect of the festival organisation.

Having a well thought out and professionally presented ‘welcome pack’ for festival-goers provides opportunities for sponsors as well as promoting the festival brand on items that can be retained by visitors after the event.

Planning. 
Working with key sponsors plan the type of items to include in the welcome pack and offer the branding aspect of their sponsorship package along with opportunities to distribute products. Once all parties have agreed on the contents ensure that the budgets are adhered to. Costs can mostly be covered by the sponsors but expect to get competitive pricing from suppliers if buying in substantial volumes. Seek reliable suppliers of the selected contents and get samples of all proposed items and make sure that sufficient time is given to allow for branded artwork approval, manufacture and delivery. 

Sustainability and Safety. 
All selected items should be thoroughly checked to ensure that they meet the festival's stance on sustainability and of course that they meet any necessary safety requirements. Avoid single use plastics and thoroughly check manufacturers credentials.

Useability and Longevity.  
Avoid just throwing any cheap give-away into a welcome pack, make sure some thought is given to the selected item’s useability, usefulness and longevity after the event. The items in the welcome pack could be used for some time after and this presents great long term branding for the festival and sponsors.

Good Examples to Include. 

  • Lanyards (with barcodes or QR codes containing ticket details etc).
  • Rain ponchos.
  • Re-useable drinks bottles (glass or metal).
  • Festival site maps.
  • T-shirts.
  • Sunshades and hats.
  • Drawstring backpacks.
  • Sun block.
  • Condoms.
  • Earplugs.
  • Candy and snacks 

When selecting items ensure they are appropriate for the intended audience, if children are welcome then create a pack specifically for them. It's also wise to consider a more upmarket welcome pack for VIP festival-goers who may well expect more considering they have spent more on their tickets. However the welcome pack is put together and whatever it contains it can bring an extra level of delight and satisfaction to festival goers. On a final note, ensure that when conducting post event feedback research on the festival-goers experience that their opinion of the welcome pack is sought so that the learning can be incorporated into future event welcome packs.

For organisers planning their music festival using a software management platform like Festival Pro gives them all the functionality they need manage every aspect of their festival 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, cashless ordering and ticketing.

Image by ASHFAQ ALI from Pixabay

Andy Robertson
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