Partnering with Local Cultural and Tourism Organisations for Music Festivals.

For any music festival organisation that locates an event in an area that has a cultural centre or is has popular tourist attractions there are opportunities to partner with government funded entities. Both parties will gain benefits from the relationship and will have a synergistic impact on the potential success of any proposed festival.

Most countries are keen to promote anything related to their cultural heritage or areas that attract tourists. Bringing in visitors to these areas contributes towards the local economy and helps to raise awareness of the importance of these areas. If a festival organisation is considering venues close to such areas partnering with support entities is a logical consideration.

Cultural Centres. 
Any town or city with a strong history and heritage will invariably have an entity responsible for the promotion of the area. They will usually be part controlled by local authorities and may receive funding from a mixture of local or central government plus charitable contributions. Their objective is to protect and promote cultural heritage and sites of historical interest.

Centres for Tourism. 
Local government controlled and funded tourism centres are common in coastal areas that regularly attract summer tourists. The funding model will be similar to cultural centres and staff will be employed and work with a local authority department for example. These departments often have partnership deals with many commercial organisations with the objective of promoting the area, it’s attractions and events.

Partnering Benefits. 
When considering a location to hold a music festival the early planning phase should consider the likelihood of obtaining the necessary licences, any restrictions and local collaboration opportunities. It is essential to reach out to local cultural centres and tourism offices to explore how they can work together. These organisations are usually enthusiastic to welcome a new event like a music festival as it brings in visitors to the area. In addition, a music festival helps to raise awareness of the local area and brings in extra revenue to the local economy. These entities will certainly be able to assist with joint promotional activity and in some circumstances can provide funding or connect the festival organisers with potential local sponsors. Other support may come from assistance with sourcing local artists, vendors and volunteers. If a good relationship develops this can substantially help when the time comes to apply for any event licences. 

Partnering and collaborating with local cultural and tourism offices can really help boost the awareness of a forthcoming music festival. Joint press releases and shared branding can help boost ticket sales along with increasing a festival organisation's public persona both locally and with those intending to travel to the festival from elsewhere.

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. 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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