If you want to throw the festival of the year, but are having trouble getting started, then this post is for you. Let’s explore how you can host an unforgettable outdoor concert with these festival planning tips. Let’s get started!
Start Planning Early
There are a ton of moving parts when it comes to hosting a festival — from hiring music acts to attracting vendors to finding advertisers and much, much more. So, it’s never too early to start planning and initial planning may begin a year or more out from the festival date. The more time you give yourself to bring everything together, the more relaxed you’ll feel on event day.
Hire Personnel for Festival Day
Beyond your immediate team, you’ll need people working on festival day to ensure everyone has a fun, safe time. Make sure you set aside funds to pay personnel or set up a volunteer-for-tickets deal for some workers like crowd control or ground crew. Take a look below to get an idea of who you’ll need to hire for your festival:
- Security
- Crowd control
- Ticket takers
- Maintenance and ground crew
- Customer service
- First-aid personnel
Get the Right Permits
In order to host an event on public grounds, you will likely need several permits from the city. There are a number of different special event-related permits that may need to be issued for a single event, from electrical to noise to food and alcohol. These permits serve to keep the event from getting out of control and to ensure everyone’s safety.
Develop a Marketing Campaign
You can plan and plan and plan, but if no one knows that the festival is taking place, attendance–and ticket sales–may suffer. This is a pretty big undertaking and it may be best to hire a third-party team or hire several individuals to work together, depending on how big the event is. There are several things you should consider implementing into your festival marketing campaign, such as:
- Website
- Social media
- Local newspapers
- Radio
- Billboards
- Event calendars
- Email campaigns
- Posters and flyers
Get the Right Technology
With an outdoor concert, an LED display will give everyone a view of the on-stage action. There are plenty of options out there, from smaller, mobile screens to giant modular LED walls. Additionally, you will need a reliable sound system that’s able to pump out the necessary sound so the whole crowd can hear. The size of your audience will dictate your display and audio requirements, so take an inventory of ticket sales and make your decision accordingly.
Track Feedback After the Event
Perhaps the most underlooked, yet incredibly important aspect of throwing a festival, is evaluating the feedback on the success of the event. Get your team together post-festival and talk about what worked and what didn’t. Monitor social media for chatter and ask attendees to fill out feedback on the website or even on cards at the event. Talk with your troops on the ground as well, as they’ll be able to tell you if everyone seemed to be having fun, where the weak points were and how to improve for next year.
Choose a Reputable Event Management Team to Help
Sometimes, the large task of hosting an unforgettable festival requires more than an individual or small group of people. If you’re feeling like things are slipping through the cracks, get in touch with a reputable event management team. These companies have the experience, skill and technology to ensure that your event goes off without a hitch.
Are you searching for a team to assist with your festival?
Then get in touch with Mathes Event Productions today. We’re the Southeast’s premier event management and technology team, ready to serve your unique needs when it comes to hosting a festival. With two decades in the event industry, our award-winning group of event specialists can supply you with the personnel or equipment required for an unforgettable concert experience.
Contact MEP today and see how we can elevate your upcoming event.
