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events, festivals, and my views
On a Friday morning from 9am until 1pm I would teach a group of 25 students Sustainable Event Management. That’s a 4 hour block in which students were supposed to pay attention. Think about the time you sat in a meeting that lasted for four hours. Painful wasn’t it? Sure, I wouldn’t talk for 4 hours. There were breaks, exercises, group work, discussions but still…. 4 hours.
You probably already have a digital presence, but you need to make sure it’s the right one. You know the saying “too many cooks spoil the broth”? That stands true with having too many social media accounts. By stretching yourself thin the content gets diluted and engagement opportunities fall through the gap. Only use the channels where your target audience are listening and conversing.
At the festival site no queues for the stand where I had to change my ticket for a wristband. Long queues however for the merchandise stand that was next to it. Surprisingly there was no security to check my bags. I only had show my wristbands and I could walk onto the campsite. I can’t make up my mind whether this is a good thing or not. Let’s just say I was surprised.
Fuji Rock is often referred to as the Glastonbury of Asia. It’ll be warmer than Glastonbury but apparently I should expect rain. On their website, the festival warns for extreme temperature differences and potential heavy rainfall. The semi-British side of me sighs... “oh dear”. Besides the weather warnings there are warnings to keep away from bees, wasps, mosquitos and ticks.
How difficult can it be to provide a clear and easy to understand layout of your event site? It’s almost as if some conferences and exhibitions have become such mammoths that even the event organiser is losing track of what is going on. Event planners need to keep their audience in mind when designing the site and the layout of the site.
Before you do anything else you need to know whom you are organising your event for. Whether you organise your own events or whether someone hires you to produce an event: know the audience.
Once you know who your audience is you know how to cater for them. You should figure out what they like, what their expectations are. When you do know your audience you need to figure out how you can engage with them. Are they on Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat?
When organising an event for the first time you could look at similar events. What kind of audience do these events attract? How do they communicate with their audience? Perhaps you can improve some of their methods.
But look at what you want to achieve with your event. The feel, atmosphere, and event experience you have in mind: who is interested in that?
Knowing your audience is closely linked to what you want to achieve with your event. So have a look at your objectives. Is there an audience for that thing you want to achieve with your event? Do your research!
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When speaking to your preferred venue you need to ask them about the costs. Ask them what the total costs for food is. Than ask them to break it down per guest. Obviously your choice of menu will affect the price. Chicken is cheaper than lamb for example. The cost per person will make you realise how much they will charge per meal. Some venues will try their luck so…negotiate!
Week 3 of #EventTutorTips
Yes, an event should be an experience. Your audience wants to be entertained. Look at it this way: you do not go to a Britney Spears concert because of her voice. You go for the show, the entertainment. You know her songs but her performances need a show element to make it worthwhile. To make people talk about it.
I’m not saying your event is as mediocre as Britney Spears but more often than not an event needs more than just an act (singer, speaker, product) on a stage. You need something that people will engage with. Something they want to talk about. Offer your guests something more than what they've paid for.
It is difficult to explain what an experience exactly is. Northern Nights Music Festival is a young festival organised at the most beautiful location. That location offers an experience. At Lightning in a Bottle there are art installation all over the event site. The art offers an experience.
An event experience depends per event, per location, per event organisation, and per audience. So, is your event like a Britney Spears concert without dancers or backup singers? You can do better!
Find out about the #EventTutorTips UK competition on my Facebook and Twitter channels.
A site survey is an assessment of all the aspects of an event that are likely to impact your crowd safety management plan. Why is a site survey important? Well, it enables your crowd safety management provider to determine whether they can implement a plan with the resources available to them. So your site survey is the basis for your event safety plan.
Market research is extremely important when you plan your event. The key elements you need to research before you start organising your event or festival are:
Look at what you want to organise. Write down all those ideas and make it into a coherent story. Does that story have a beginning, middle and an end? This is where your vision comes in. What are you trying to achieve?
It is important to know where you want to organise your event. The location of your event has a huge impact on what your event will look like and how your visitors will experience your event. When choosing a location think of: accessibility, atmosphere, size, logistics, and your audience.
Please research the date you have in mind for your event. Look at the event calendar of the area (or the industry): what else is being organised around the same time as your event? Be clear on the duration of your event. How will your event impact the local area (traffic, logistics, security, etc.)?
Research your competition. You should look at other events that are happening in the same area and/or are being organised at the same time as your event. Competition can also come from TV (Euro 2016) or a national event (Queen’s birthday parties)
Audience profiling. Please do it. Who do you expect at your event? How will you reach this audience? Where is your audience? What is their age? You need to know whom you are organising your event for.
Research your event before you start planning it. You want to know whether there is a market for your event. Is your potential audience waiting for your event ideas? Try to find the answers before you spend your money.
As an event manager you’re in charge of planning, producing and organising an experience. You are bringing concepts to life. At certain points you are in charge of hundreds, if not thousands, of people working at your event. You are not only in charge; you are also responsible for their safety and their well-being. Event planners are not only project managers. They are hard working go-getters who make it look as if anyone can do it. And that’s when people realise that being an event planner is an actual job. So, what makes a good event planner?
Week 1 of #EventTutorTips
You need to create smart content. But what is smart content? To answer that question you need to know who the visitors of your event(s) are. Once you know who your visitors are you can figure out what they like, what motivates them, what they engage with and how they engage.
You need to look at your event and think about the different aspects your visitors can engage with. You can think of your artists, your acts, the artwork at your event, the vibe at your event, the creativity at your event, your event partners, etc.
Make sure you are out and about at your own event. Interview your acts, ask your artists to create content, take pictures, or shoot short videos. From build up to break down, make sure you document it. At Shambhala Music Festival they have 10 photographers taking pictures all weekend long. They use those pictures on their social media platforms during the festival and throughout the year.
Plan smart and creative content for your event!
Find out about the #EventTutorTips UK competition on my Facebook and Twitter channels
Should an alcohol brand be allowed to sponsor an event or a festival? Heineken sponsors Formula One, the US Open, and golf tournaments. Meanwhile Jamie Oliver wants to stop Coca Cola and McDonalds from sponsoring the Olympics. In the past BP has been criticized for sponsoring the Edinburgh International Festival. Oil and art don’t always mix well. So how do you find the right sponsor for your event?
The Queen celebrates her 90th birthday (again) this coming weekend. Turns out that when you are the Queen you have two birthdays. Apparently, the one being celebrated this coming weekend is the one where neighbourhoods come together for barbeques and street parties. Street parties might require street closures. Some even need risk assessments.
Finding out what people like to eat when they’re drinking lager with their mates might not sound like useful data. But I for one think that the info in this report is really interesting. Visitors would like free WiFi when at a festival. And phone charging facilities. Seems like quite obvious requests, right? So why do they still request it? Why do festivals not provide it? I think event planners can use this report to get inspired.
Getting a kick out of seeing all those visitors at my events is what got me into event planning. Looking at the students from last week’s workshop I could tell they had that same desire to organise and plan great events. To get that kick. Over the years I got that same kick out of teaching. Being able to get through to someone, to make them think, and to some degree (I hope) inspire them.
Are festivals the new nightclubs? Do people prefer to go to festivals several times a year instead of going out every week? Festival tickets are not cheap either nor are the drinks or the food. But people have the feeling they get more for their money. You can see dozens of acts, hang out with your friends, and meet new people. It is an experience!
