Planning for Music Festival Staff and Volunteer Wellness.

Any sizable music festival will need a significant number of volunteers to ensure a successful event. Festival organisers rely heavily on their full-time staff working closely with volunteers where the work can often be stressful combined long hours. How do organisers create robust plans for the wellness of all staff and volunteers working on a festival site.

It is not unusual for a large festival to have hundreds of volunteers working during the live dates of an event. With thousands of festival-goers in attendance the work can be challenging and stressful. It is not unusual for a small number of volunteers to go AWOL which can increase the pressure on those remaining. If staff and volunteers are not well looked after the impact on the smooth running of the event can be severely affected. Festival organisers should create wellness plans that address the mental, emotional and physical needs of their staff and volunteers that will be on-site during the event. 

Wellness Policies. 
Organisers will probably have experience of working with volunteers for some time and fully understand typical wellness challenges. The volunteer management team will usually lead any wellness planning initiatives and the creation of policies should form part of their responsibilities. Any wellness policies should cover key aspects like mandatory breaks, sensible shift rotations and sleeping arrangements. The wellness policies created can utilise technology like event management software to ensure that shift schedules are transparent and fair. Scanning tools can be used monitor staff and volunteer check ins for the start and end of their shifts along with meals taken. This can help identify anyone who is not taking the required breaks and food intake or are working for excessive hours. 

Training and Induction Processes. 
It may be possible in certain recruitment scenarios to scan potential candidates for their physical and emotional suitability for a festival working environment which can help prevent problems later. The volunteer training programme should fully prepare recruits for the demands and challenges they are likely to face and this can help with the final selection decision. The training should also cover wellness priorities like taking breaks and getting enough food and sleep. This can also include advice on stress management, hydration and recognising burnout in oneself and others. Any training programme will aim to fully prepare volunteers for the realities of working on a festival site and organisers will do their utmost to promote team bonding exercises which help to build great team morale. 

Festival Site Wellness Infrastructure. 
The wellness planning phase has produced policies and the training has fully prepared everyone who will be working on the site prior to the event. Organisers must follow through with these by providing a working environment that caters for staff and volunteer wellness. Key to the smooth operation of the event is having a clear and effective communication strategy for everyone working on site, usually through walkie talkies or mobile apps for example. These channels of communication can provide opportunities for managers to remind individuals about taking breaks and getting food and water. Organisers should provide suitable quiet zones reserved for staff and volunteers where they can relax, recharge and obtain refreshments when not working. Although many organisers for multi-day festivals will leave volunteers to make their own arrangements for accommodation it is becoming more common for them to provide dedicated volunteer camping zones where tents and facilities are provided free of charge. 

For festival organisers planning their next 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 volunteer management 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.

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