The objective of organising and running a music festival can vary but whatever the aim of the festival is it is key to understand what factors are being used to measure the success of the event. A full understanding of these factors will determine the success or otherwise of the festival and help to drive decision making for future events.

With recent events the subject of effective crowd management has become very topical for all music festival organisers. What practical steps can organisers take to ensure their staff and volunteers are appropriately trained and that crowds are managed in a way that prevents future disasters from occurring.  

The business of organising any type of festival is becoming more complex and organising teams need to keep up to date with new developments in the industry. One possible route is to attend a relevant conference or exhibition to learn about new technologies and developments that can make their jobs easier and more efficient. 

Once a festival gets to a critical size the manual processes and procedures are just not going to cut it when organising the events. There will come a time when festival organisers need to seriously look at automating their logistics where tracking and engaging with festival-goers becomes key for the profitability and success of the event.

For every successful music festival there are probably and equal number that are poorly run and there are a multitude of reasons why a music festival is either successful or fails. What are the key signs that indicate if a music festival has not been well organised and what remedies can organisers take to rectify this.

Popular and successful music festivals often open the same format event in other countries to expand their brand presence. Creating a new edition of a music festival can be complex but there are numerous benefits of having an alternative location. What are the common pitfalls to avoid and what are the key benefits. 

Since the early days of the music festival as far back as Woodstock in 1969 festival-goers have been attending an ever-growing number of summer live music events. The seventies were dominated by the mega rock bands but were replaced by more mainstream indie pop music in the early eighties but the rock music festival genre continues to draw big crowds every year.

As music festivals get bigger and bigger each year the organisational structure may need attention to maintain efficiency and control. Festivals often grow from small grass roots events managed by small teams of multi-tasking individuals but with growth comes the need to assert more process into the planning and execution of these large events.

Many music festivals take place on an annual basis with some that have been going for decades. Smart festival organisers collect numerous amounts of data from each event and utilise this for future festivals. How can organisers efficiently collect and use historical data to make their future events more successful.

A large music festival could consume up to 300,000 megawatts of power over a long weekend, the same as a small city. With the current focus on reduction of emissions and plans to go carbon neutral what can music festival organisers do to meet the demands of their sustainability policies whilst maintaining their power requirements?

With virtually all music festivals cancelled in 2020 and many not returning this year some organisers have pushed ticket holders to rollover their tickets to 2022. This has potentially led to a shortage of tickets for the most popular music festivals next year. What is the current status of the UK music festival ticketing market for festival-goers without a ticket for 2022?

An essential part of any music festival is the attendance of vendors who supply festival-goers with food and beverage services or merchandise over the event’s duration. Vendor generated revenue can be a key profit centre for festival organisers so it is key that a dedicated vendor team exists to manage everything from booking and selection to on-site management.

Any large-scale festival relies on the work from unpaid volunteers to make their event happen. Without an army of volunteers festivals would not take place but with so much demand for volunteers every year what can organisers do to perfect their application process to ensure that the right number are recruited and appropriately managed. 

For anyone working in the festival sector there are numerous support networks and associations that provide a focal point for initiatives that can benefit the industry. Most of these organisations are generally country specific but there is an association that provides coverage for the whole of Europe, the European Festivals Association (EFA).

The tragic incident at Astroworld festival last weekend highlights the need for festival organisers to be ever vigilant about safety at their events. There are numerous facets that need to be planned and managed to ensure the safety of all attending a music festival but what are the primary factors organisers should consider?

When live music venues and music festivals were forced to close in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic many organisers shuttered their operations and ceased any activity to reduce expenditure. For venue owners and festival organisers with access to funds this downtime was seen as an opportunity to refresh and update their venues and festival operations.

The music festival sector has always relied on international performance artists as headliners which invariably means an element of travel. What are the obstacles that need to be overcome by music festival organisers when curating international talent and what needs consideration when booking artists that will have to travel.

As with many things in life it is often better to book early to avoid disappointment and the same principle can be applied to finding and booking performance artists for music festivals. What are the challenges in confirming acts and what benefits can festival organisers gain by getting their headliners and line-ups confirmed at an early date.

It is rare for any musician or performance artist to achieve success without the help of a professional management team who represent and provide essential advice to up and coming artists. The management team can help build an artist's career and get their music or material in front of key producers and negotiate contracts for live event appearances.

Running a successful music festival will depend to a large extent on the headline acts that can be secured. The selection of performance artists confirmed will help sell tickets and provides an excellent platform for the marketing and promotion of the music festival. What are the key steps organisers should take to negotiate with performance artists to secure them at the best rate.