Retailer and Consumer Brands Sponsoring Music Festivals.

The lifeblood of any major music festival is securing sponsorship for their event. Revenue from sponsorship deals can form a significant profit centre for festival organisers. As the popularity of music festivals increasers retailers and other consumer brands are increasing their investment in the sector.

Music festivals rely heavily on sponsorship deals from alcoholic drinks brands but there is a finite amount of sponsorship budget available to invest in festivals each year. With sponsorship budgets potentially being tightened in the current economic climate and an increasing number of festivals being launched there are more organisations chasing alcohol brand sponsorship. Many festivals have diversified their sponsorship arrangements by dealing with alternative segments including telecoms, financial services and even car brands. There does appear to be more interest in festivals from retail and associated consumer brands if there is a really good fit.

Supermarket Retailers.
Retail shops and supermarkets are tied to physical locations and online delivery sales but working with a large music festival provides them with a mobile presence along with an opportunity to promote their brand. In the UK, the Co-op already has a deal with Live Nation for pop-up stores at their festivals and opportunities are likely to increase in the future with Lidl also entering the fray. A cashless pop-up retail store offers a less expensive option for festival-goers who may prefer to snack rather than queue and pay inflated prices from a mobile food vendor. The stores can also offer other useful items like sun block and toiletries for example.

Consumers Brands. 
Aside from the alcoholic drinks brands there are opportunities for other food and beverage brands particularly if they are launching a new range of products. Music festivals can be great places to showcase new products that fit well with festival-goer profiles especially for organic, healthy and sustainably produced products.

How Can Festival Organisers Capture this Sponsorship. 
These retailers and consumer brands often have substantial marketing and sponsorship budgets so organisers should be creative in offering deals. Rather than thinking of them just as pitch space sales it is preferable to offer a complete package of which the pitch space is just part of the deal. Retailer and consumers brands are not looking to make a profit form their on-site sales, for them it is about reaching their target audience and reinforcing their brand as this can mean increased sales and loyalty at physical store locations well after the festival. The collection and presentation of profile data for festival-goers will be an essential part of making any sponsorship deal attractive.

The key to securing a commercial deal with retailers and consumer brands is ensuring that both parties are aligned with a good fit. A small organic food retailer may not work at one of the larger festivals but could be perfect for a smaller boutique music festival.

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 a dedicated sponsor module. 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.

Photo by freestocks.org via Pexels

<< Back to articles