Multi-Event Management for Festival Organisers.

As festival organisations grow over time many have expanded by creating more editions with additional locations and dates. Whilst managing a single festival event during the summer festival season is hard enough there are advantages and challenges when expanding to a multi-event format.

Creating new editions of a music festival is a logical step for organisers as a way of expanding their organisations but it can be a step too far for some. As well as potential financial advantages there are numerous pitfalls that can lead to problems both financially and logistically. The normal route to the creation of additional events is to have multiple locations over the typical festival season months or to have a winter and summer festival.

Advantages. 
The key advantage of creating more editions are the potential increases in financial revenue because the number of tickets sold could double. There are also economies of scale opportunities as the contractors and supplier network can be leveraged for cost reductions balanced against an increase in their business. There is potential for negotiating artists fees too based on additional bookings but many artists will stick to their rate card so that may be more difficult. If the festival organisation has an established brand this can be utilised for additional events. A known and respected festival brand can reinforce trust and make the ticket sales and artist booking process easier. Logistically the organisations experienced staff can be utilised to duplicate their work when organising additional events making the transition to multi-events easier.

Logistical Challenges. 
Along with the advantages noted above will come some challenges for any festival organisation venturing into multiple events. Although in theory an event could be duplicated additional factors to consider are the differing regulations between local authorities when granting licenses and permission to proceed which could add delays to the planning process. There could be challenges with resourcing as staff become thinly spread between multiple events which could lead to delays in festival site build up and supplier bookings for example. If the organisers are still using manual systems with spreadsheets and pen and paper there could be confusion between multiple event logistics and tasks. 

Festival organisers considering the creation of multiple events can always look at the option of consulting a professional Event Management Agency who are experienced in managing multiple festivals and events simultaneously for a variety of clients. There are software solutions available that can make the logistics planning and operation of a multi-event set up easier and many event agencies use these solutions for managing multiple events. Festival organisers keen to retain control over their events can use the same commercially available software to improve the efficiency and management of a multi-event organisation. 

For festival organisers planning their events using a software management platform like Festival Pro gives them all the functionality they need manage every aspect of their event logistics including functionality for multi-event management. 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, cashless payments and contactless ordering. 

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