Collection and Marketing Use of Data for Music Festival Entities.

The data collected by music festival entities is a vital element that contributes to successfully running any modern event. The data held by a festival entity is often used to estimate the financial value of a business, so it is essential that organisers have robust plans for the collection of data and its proposed marketing use.

There are multiple opportunities for festival organisers to collect key customer data but there should be a valid reason along with future plans for its use. There is no business logic in simply collecting data and holding onto it without managing its use. Data can be used by organisers to drive revenue through strategic marketing campaigns as well as improving operational planning and creating profiles that demonstrate compatibility for potential sponsors and vendors. What are the key steps organisers should take in managing the collection and use of data.

Data Protection Regulations. 
The UK and Europe are covered by data protection legislation called GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) and similar legislation or rules also exist in most countries around the world. GDPR covers the rules regarding the collection, storage and use of personal data and applies to all businesses without exception. The key data collection principles include obtaining data with clear consent, allowing individuals to opt-out or delete data held plus the provision of transparent privacy policies. The rules also make provision for the secure storage of data and that all marketing efforts remain ethical with the selling of data to third parties only allowed with specific consent. 

Planning Data Collection. 
There are numerous opportunities presented for the collection of data and organisers need to carefully plan what data they will collect and from where. More importantly, they should create a robust plan of why and how they propose to use that data. They may want to collect data to enable accurate profiling of customers to gain a better understanding of buyer behaviour and demographics. In addition, the collection of numerous data points allows organisers to tailor campaigns that are more relevant and personalised which should enhance the overall engagement experience. The most common data collection source is from ticket sales which can include personal information like age, gender, location, email address, telephone number, payment method and amount spent. Social media channels also enable the collection of more general data like clicks, engagement and followers but produces only wider audience profiles for future campaign segmentation and is not generally personal data collected by the organiser. Other digital sources can be engagement and traffic to a website producing audience profiles (Google Analytics) and interaction with emails for example. In some cases, organisers attempt to catch data on festival site behaviour which may include gate traffic (times and volumes) along with vendor and merchandise purchase behaviour from RFID usage. 

Security and Storage. 
The security of personal data is a key element of the GDPR requirements and organisers should ensure that personal and behavioural data is securely stored. In most cases personal data will be held in a fully encrypted cloud-based database using AWS or Azure services which provide high level encryption with multi-region backups. Organisers should ensure that they implement strict access control protocols so that access is only provided to staff or agencies who need data relevant to their role. There should be ongoing monitoring of access logs along with regular data audits especially for any sensitive data held. 

Marketing Campaigns. 
The marketing campaigns planned by organisers should utilise data to maximise sales and revenue generation and at the same time be relevant to customers enhancing their overall experience when interacting with a festival entity. Improved efficiency and ROI can be achieved by targeting customers based on previous purchase data and overall profile. Organisers will almost always generate the most ticket sales revenue by targeting customers in their own databases who have previously purchased tickets. Campaigns using customer data are always more cost effective than general advertising used to generate new sales, this emphasises the value of data held. Organisers also want to attract sponsors and vendors to attend their events, and the customer behavioural data can be an invaluable sales tool in securing deals. 

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

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