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Managing Music Festival Site Branding.

Andy Robertson

No music festival is complete without its branded flags and banners that help promote the event’s image and brand. How much should organisers invest in their on-site branding and how can this be managed in a cost-effective manner to get the biggest impact without blowing the budgets. 


It’s easy to fall into the trap of ordering branded flags and banners without too much planning or thought which can lead to size issues, typos and little consideration for sustainability. A thorough plan needs to be established that details type of branding device, size, location, design and overall budget. Good planning will ensure that appropriate and impactful branding is installed at the right time and location within a specified budget.

Variety of Branding Devices. 
The budget available can dictate the branding devices used along with construction material and design lead times. Temporary flag installations are available in numerous shapes, sizes and materials. Other branded devices may include bunting, fence covers and screens for example. Organisers should make time to visit and discuss their options with suppliers as there will always be a lead time to factor in for design and manufacture. 

Design.
The branding design should be driven by the marketing team to ensure consistent imagery and messaging that reflects designs being used elsewhere like social media and the event’s website. Consider more generic festival design rather than including the year or event specific messages. This ensures that the branded materials can be used year after year and the costs written off over a longer period. Many festivals do update their logo every year or are celebrating an anniversary for example so factor in the cost of producing one offs. Critical to any printed material is the artwork design and approval process, something that is less important in the online world as mistakes can easily be rectified. Printing 100 flags with a typo will incur huge costs and delays, attention to detail is crucial.

Sustainability.
Careful consideration of materials used should be made to ensure that branded devices fit with the festival’s sustainability polices. Many banners and flags are made from Polypropylene, or polypro while some are made from Polyester. Suppliers can usually provide details of their own sustainability efforts particularly for PVC-free flex banners which are made from polyester canvas (also known as mesh), or PE woven material. A balance is often required to ensure durability against damage form adverse weather.

Whatever on-site branding solution festival organisers opt for there are suppliers that can offer comprehensive services to provide every type of branded device. They can usually offer site surveys to ascertain what can be supplied and the costs involved. Also consider the mounting frames which are often excluded from flag and banner printing so they probably need to be hired. If the branded materials are to be used for future events make provisions for dry and safe storage. With careful planning festival organisers can ensure they have impactful on-site branding that fulfils their design specifications, is sustainable and meets budgetary parameters.

For festival organisers planning their events 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, cashless payments and contactless ordering. 

Photo by Edward Lich via Pixabay

Andy Robertson
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