Coordinating Music Festival Vendor Operating Hours.

A large music festival could have several hundred vendors booked to cater for the needs of festival-goers. From food and beverage suppliers to merchandise sellers the scope of vendor types is wide and working to the correct operating hours is essential. How can festival organisers manage and coordinate appropriate operating hours for all the vendors present on a site.

Managing and coordinating operating hours for music festival vendors requires careful planning to balance the needs of festival-goers, event schedules and legal or local requirements. A ready supply of food and beverages at appropriate times is a key requirement along with helping vendors to maximise their sales revenues. What are the key considerations for organisers when planning vendor operating hours for their music festival. 

Licensing and Local Regulations. 
At an early stage in the planning process organisers will need to apply for the necessary permits, usually from their local authority. This may include temporary event permits, alcohol sales permits and additional permits for extending operating hours. This process can be complex with initial applications frequently rejected so organisers need to submit thoroughly thought-out applications. Sales of alcohol are usually limited by prevailing laws (ending at 11pm or midnight for example) so events intending to run late will need to apply for an extension. Local regulations will also cover noise restrictions and curfews limiting operating hours and will vary depending on the location, local residents and the local authority. Event and vendor insurance policies may impose operating hour limits, so organisers need to incorporate this into their planned hours. 

Contracts. 
Once the event opening and closing hours are established along with specific operating hours for vendors these need to be incorporated into any contracts and agreements between organisers and vendors. Many contracts will contain clauses relating to schedules for set up and breakdown times along with permitted operating hours for each day the festival is running. Organisers may also include specific clauses with financial penalties related to non-compliance with operating hours which may include staying open later than permitted or closing too early which may impact on festival-goer needs. On site coordination is essential to ensure that vendors comply with agreed operating hours but with flexibility built in to allow for adverse weather conditions or other operational challenges. 

Vendor Types. 
Whilst merchandise and wellness vendors are usually allowed or required to operate during the festival’s core daylight hours the situation may be very different for food and beverage vendors. There will be peak demand for food and beverages at given times during the day and night on a festival site usually coinciding with traditional mealtimes (breakfast, lunch and dinner). Other factors could be the artist scheduling with breaks between acts seeing high demand for alcoholic beverages. 

Resource Management and Supplies. 
Vendors will be expected to provide sufficient resources and personnel to cover the required operating hours. With some vendors operating extended long hours it is essential that they provide the required breaks for workers complying with any legal requirements. Nighttime operations by vendors should comply with prevailing health and safety requirements especially related to the provision of appropriate lighting for example. Food and beverage vendors should ensure that they plan for expected volumes and operating hours to ensure that they do not run out of supplies which would cause them to close earlier than specified operating hours. 

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 vendor 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, site planning, cashless payments and contactless ordering.

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