Music Festivals and Green Sponsors.

Sponsorship deals are the lifeblood of most music festivals providing a significant portion of their overall revenue. The move to more environmentally sustainable events and the reduction in their carbon footprint makes the selection of appropriate green sponsors more challenging for organisers.

Sponsorship funds for events and music festivals from large corporations continue to grow in the global events sponsorship market (estimated to be worth in excess of $10 billion). Securing a sponsorship deal is essential for most music festivals and traditionally organisers have sold packages to companies and brands who pay the most. The emphasis of sponsorship deals is now shifting with a greater focus on green credentials. This presents a dichotomy for festival organisers who may get offered a large sponsorship deal from a brand with a poor record for environmental sustainability and carbon emissions against a more environmentally friendly brand with a lower sponsorship budget.

Finding the Right Sponsors. 
The public perception of large corporations can influence how they act and being seen as a company that is tackling sustainability and carbon emission issues is something they want to publicise. There is an increase in the number of brands keen to demonstrate their green credentials and music festivals are seen as an ideal platform to achieve this. A growing number of marketing agencies and consultancies are now focusing on building strategies for brands that want to publicise their green initiatives. Festival organisers can approach these agencies to source a sponsor with the right credentials that match their own green objectives.

Checking Green Credentials. 
For music festivals sourcing sponsors in the UK a good source to check a brand’s green credentials is the ‘Green Claims Code’ developed by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), a government initiative. Green claims help show how a product, service, brand or business provides a benefit or is less harmful to the environment. The CMA estimates that up to 40% of green claims made online are misleading. In addition to checking the ‘Green Claims Code’ festival organisers should conduct their own due diligence by asking potential sponsors for comprehensive details on their green initiatives including appropriate evidence.

Joint Marketing.  
Once a sponsorship deal has been made with both parties satisfied that the relationship is appropriate joint marketing can be implemented. The sponsor will be keen to publicise their green credentials and demonstrate their own initiatives. Equally the festival organisers will use the sponsor deal as a way of showing how they carefully selected brand relationships based on their own green standards. Every music festival now has a sustainability policy with initiatives that reduce their carbon footprint and selecting the right sponsor will contribute to their overall aims. 

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.

Photo by Vijay Sadasivuni via Pexels

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