Future Technology Innovations for Music Festival Planning

Technological innovations are changing the way everyone works and music festivals can expect to see some of these changes in the near future too. These innovations could potentially make the planning and running of music festivals easier and more efficient, so organisers need to get up to speed on any potential changes coming soon.

Whether it's the festival-goer's experience of ticket buying and accessing a festival site, or the logistics management and increased sustainability technology innovation can impact every aspect of a music festival. The collection and processing of large volumes of data combined with improved analysis are changing fast enabling organisers to make better informed and timely decisions when planning their events.

Event Management Software. 
A good event management software platform available online negates the need for paperwork and using multiple generic spreadsheets and documents. Everything can be located in one place with links between scheduling, logistics, artists, accreditation, vendors, and sponsors for example. The festival mobile app is now commonplace but even these are getting more sophisticated increasing the functionality and ability of what is possible for festival-goers to do on-site.

Digital Payments. 
Paper tickets are ancient history and with the exception of some smaller community events all festivals now use electronic tickets. Different technologies are being utilised like QR Codes and secure mobile data connections to confirm ticket and buyer details. These link well with cashless payment systems implemented on festival sites with festival-goers using RFID wristbands. These systems generate large amounts of data that organisers can now use to further analyse buyer behaviour and festival-goer profiles. Analysis of festival goer movement on-site can also help with crowd management and planning so action can be taken to avoid choke points and potential safety issues.

Artist Curation. 
Using event management software enables smart scheduling for artists with dynamic calendars so organisers can change shows and set times to increase efficiency or account for no-show and late running artists. Some artist curation professionals are now using predictive analysis to assist in selecting artists that maximise ticket sales. This analysis can further help in genre selection and ensure that a line-up is diverse. Matching artists to potential audiences can also help drive the festival's marketing strategy and build a logical running order for specific stages.

Sustainability. 
Everyone is prioritising sustainability as a key focus this year and technology and innovation is really helping to make this a reality in some areas. Power generators are now cleaner using solar, wind, hydrogen or biofuels and the newer generators are now incredibly efficient and intelligent ensuring that more power is generated for less. Equipment installed on festival sites is also advancing technologically and becoming more efficient too with a lower requirement for electricity to power them.

The speed of development in all these aspects of a festival will continue in the coming years making events more efficient, profitable and sustainable. Festival organisers collecting and using any data for analysis should always comply with any prevailing GDPR (General Data Protection Regulations) rules.

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 Christina Morillo via Pexels

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