Artist Backstage Scheduling Logistics for Music Festivals.

Any large-scale multi-day music festival can feature hundreds of performance artists and scheduling their set times and other logistics can be challenging. What do organisers need to consider when planning the artist’s running order taking into account backstage limitations, accommodation and transport logistics.

Getting artists and musicians onto a stage at a scheduled time with the right equipment, set up and in the right mindset is essential to delivering a quality performance. The logistics behind this can be complex and it takes significant planning and coordination to achieve a seamless flow of quality performances. What are the key factors influencing how festival organisers can produce a quality event with satisfied festival-goers and artists. 

Back stage Size Limitations. 
Even sizable festival sites can have backstage space limitations which can impact operations for organisers. Temporary structures typically will include a green room, dressing rooms and secure storage for instruments and equipment. The number of individuals with access to these tight spaces needs to be limited to avoid overcrowding so a carefully planned accreditation process for access passes needs to be implemented. Essential people will usually include stage managers, technical crews, hospitality staff and artists. With these space restrictions meticulous scheduling is required so that instruments and equipment used by previous artists are removed and replaced ready for upcoming acts. With limited green room and dressing room capacity artists should vacate the backstage area as soon as possible after their performance. The next scheduled artist needs to arrive in good time but not too early, so they end up standing around waiting. In some cases, it may be necessary to create an additional green room in another zone on-site to act as a staging area for artists due to perform soon. 

Running Orders and Schedules. 
The key to the smooth operation and running of acts is the set time allocation conducted in the planning phase once all artists have been confirmed. A logical running order often means putting similar types of acts next to each other where equipment set-ups are more likely to be the same which minimises changeover times. Headline artists with large crews and complex gear set-ups should be scheduled towards the end of running orders due to the longer transition times needed. Artists, crews and technical engineers will need to be issued a comprehensive schedule in advance of the live event dates to ensure that everyone knows where they should be at a given time. These timings are matched to the artist’s riders so that everything is in place for sound checks, slick set changeovers and hospitality services. 

Accommodation and Transport Considerations. 
Size limitations on a festival site may mean that artists will be accommodated off-site in a local hotel, which they may prefer anyway. Organisers will need to schedule timely transport between accommodation and the festival site taking into account estimated travel times and expected backstage arrival times. Organisers sometimes bulk pre-book local hotel accommodation for artists and crew even before artists have been confirmed giving them options when agreeing contracts and riders. Some artists may be arriving at nearby airports so scheduling their pick-up and festival site arrival times can determine their set times. 

Contingency Planning. 
Stage managers will need to incorporate contingencies into their running orders and set times as the planned schedules rarely reflect reality. Artists can run late, be delayed in traffic or transport can be affected by bad weather so set times may be shifted and planning will usually incorporate additional buffer times for set transitions. In extreme cases artists may become ill and need to cancel their performance or even go AWOL. Using an event management software tool like Festival Pro can help plan running orders, set times, schedules, transport, accommodation and accreditation in a single solution. The dynamic nature of schedule changes can produce real time running orders which can be issued to relevant parties as they change. 

For festival organisers planning their next event 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, site planning, cashless payments and contactless ordering.

Image by HubertPhotographer via Pixabay

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