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Be more creative with the content of your event

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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

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Win my Event Planning workshop – and a personalised tutorial!

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Win my Event Planning workshop – and a personalised tutorial!

It’s competition time! Share some of my #EventTutorTips through Facebook or Twitter – and you could be one of the winners!

To celebrate this summer’s bumper UK events and festival season, I’m giving away my Event Planning workshop to one lucky winner each week between 20 June and 17 July 2016. 

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4 questions to ask yourself about sponsors and your event

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4 questions to ask yourself about sponsors and your event

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?

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Make your portaloos more appealing

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Make your portaloos more appealing

It doesn’t matter whether you organise a one-day event or a festival weekend: your visitors deserve a clean toilet. I know… it’s difficult maintaining the cleanliness of those portaloos on a busy event day. But still, there’s no reason for them to be disgusting.

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5 steps to remember when creating a risk assessment for your event

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5 steps to remember when creating a risk assessment 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. 

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3 ways to influence your event audience

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3 ways to influence your event audience

During a busy Bank Holiday weekend in Brighton, with several events taking place at the same time, litter surfaced in the streets almost immediately. So, that made me think. Why do people throw their rubbish on the street and not in a bin? Who is the first person to litter or leave rubbish behind?

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5 things to research when planning your event

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5 things to research when planning your event

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. 

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Are you passionate about event planning?

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Are you passionate about event planning?

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.

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Are festivals replacing nightclubs?

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Are festivals replacing nightclubs?

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!

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Drugs and music festivals

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Drugs and music festivals

What if we allow testing kits at the festival and a visitor has given us his pill to be tested. The test comes back and says it is okay for consumption. Turns out that the test didn’t work properly. What happens if that person dies as a result of taking that pill? Who is than responsible? Can someone be held responsible? Is it the event organizer? Is the festivalgoer? Is it the person testing? Is the licensor? Who if anyone?

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The added value of sponsorship at festivals

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The added value of sponsorship at festivals

The festival season is upon us! In America alone more than 800 festivals will take place this festival season. Last year in the UK more than 14 million people attended a festival. This number is said to rise in 2016. With such audience numbers companies might be keen to sponsor music festivals. Except when you are BP, than you are not so keen anymore on sponsoring live events.

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When music at festivals becomes noise

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When music at festivals becomes noise

Afrofest Music Festival in Toronto, Canada, has been told they can no longer organize a 2-day festival as a result of noise complaints. The alternative is a one-day festival. City councilors, neighbours, and a festival organizer are arguing about music levels. Or noise levels. So, when does music becomes noise?

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Waste Management At Music Festivals

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Waste Management At Music Festivals

In a waste management plan you identify how you will deal with waste and the different waste streams at your event. There are different forms of waste. You can think of rubbish, air pollution, noise pollution, soil pollution, and sewage. When creating a good waste plan you should look at the layout and logistics of your event site.

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Festival Audiences: The Eco Tent is Here!

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Festival Audiences: The Eco Tent is Here!

Jakob De Proft has written this week’s blog for The Event Tutor. Jakob lives next door to one of Europe’s biggest music festivals, Rock Werchter, in Belgium. The number of tents left behind at this festival each year inspired him to create the most eco-friendly tent ever made. This is Jakob’s blog about the Fling Tent. 

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Why do market vendors at music festivals always sell the same stuff?

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Why do market vendors at music festivals always sell the same stuff?

Oh come on! Surely I'm not the only one who has never been bowled over by the amazing assortment of market stalls at a music festival? Or perhaps it is just me. Either way, as an event planner you have a say in what comes onto your event site. And you can write that down in your vendor policy.