Can Chinese EV Manufacturers be a new Source of Sponsorship for Music Festivals.

Traditional sponsors of music festivals have been centred around alcohol brands along with financial services and telecoms. Sponsorship funds are always challenging to secure for organisers but are there new opportunities available form the multitude of Chinses electric vehicle (EV) manufactures keen to enter European and American markets?

In a new move by the Chinese EV company BYD (Build Your Dreams) the most notable deal to date has been their sponsorship of the Euro 2024 football tournament. This clearly demonstrates the company's intentions to break into the European EV market. It is likely that the numerous unknown Chinese EV brands will be looking for more sponsorship opportunities in the near future and music festivals could potentially be a great match. 

Demographics Matching. 
The majority of music festival-goers fit into the millennial and Gen Z categories and it is this group that are most likely to be concerned about sustainability and the adoption of electric vehicles as part of the solution to carbon footprint reduction. Most electric vehicles are built using innovative software which feature heavily in electric vehicle use and operation, and this fits well with a younger tech-savvy audience often found at festivals. EV brands are looking to reach future buyers and getting brand exposure at a music festvial may be seen as an ideal platform to reach their target audience. 

Sustainability Initiatives. 
Music festival organisers are putting significant importance on their sustainability credentials and obtaining sponsorship from an EV manufacturer may fit well with this ethos. Electrification of festival sites using solar and wind power is already being implemented to achieve a reduction in fossil fuel usage. Getting festival-goers to adopt electric vehicles can help with reducing the transportation carbon footprint too. The push by EV manufacturers to promote their eco-friendliness will align with festival-goer concerns about the overall carbon footprint impact of many music festivals. 

Sponsorship Deals. 
The Chinese EV manufacturers looking to increase their share of European and American markets include companies like BYD (Build Your Dreams), NIO, Xpeng and Li Auto for example. Whilst these organisations may have sponsorship funds available to push their brands, they are more likely to want more direct and interactive involvement with festival-goers. This may include displays and test drives on the festival site and if a site is including EV charging stations these could be sponsored by the EV manufacturer. 

New Tariffs. 
With many countries being flooded by cheaper Chinese electric vehicles governments have been considering an increase in import tariffs specifically for them. These new tariffs will probably make Chinese EVs more expensive than locally produced EVs, but the companies are looking to mitigate these tariffs by building local manufacturing facilities. Until the consequences of new tariffs are fully understood the Chinese EV manufacturers continue unabated to push their brand awareness for greater penetration and market share. 

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.

Image by geralt via Pixabay

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