Motivating Music Festival Staff to Counter Anxiety and Mental Health Issues.

Working in a music festival environment is known for long unsocial hours in return for low pay and yet remains one of the most sought after and rewarding career options. How can organisers manage this dichotomy and keep staff motivated whilst making provisions for wellbeing to ensure the continued smooth operation of events.

The nature of a music festival working environment makes it challenging for organisers to maintain high morale amongst workers whilst delivering an excellent event experience for festival-goers, artists, sponsors and vendors. This needs to be done without exposing staff to situations that can lead to anxiety and mental health issues which can impact on the event’s operations. What are the adverse wellness issues organisers should look for when managing staff and what steps can they take to keep everyone motivated. 

Working Environment. 
A music festival site is a high-pressure environment with tight deadlines often combined with dynamic live scheduling where instant problem solving is the norm. Organisers sometimes operate with limited resources which can increase every individual's workload leading to long working hours with little time for rest or sleep. This situation can be made worse when staff do not remain hydrated and are not eating properly. In addition, staff may have to deal with difficult people including artists, sponsors, vendors or unruly intoxicated festival-goers. 

Anxiety and Mental Health. 
Given the high-pressure unpredictable nature of the music festival environment, it is not surprising the this can take its toll on staff mental health. Contributory factors can be a feeling of being undervalued, extreme weather, noisy crowded and cramped working conditions plus a lack of communication, team working and training form management. Organisers should make themselves aware of potential issues and ensure that staff are fully trained to recognise signs of anxiety and mental health issues in each other. Insisting on regular breaks combined with promoting teamwork and wellness checkups can help prevent these situations. Larger scale events sometimes provide wellness hubs for staff along with access to trained professionals on a festival site. 

Motivation in Practice. 
The key to maintaining high morale amongst staff during the live dates of a music festival is often driven by motivational practices. Having a staff motivation plan can help maintain higher morale and needs to be implemented throughout the year. Conducting regular training sessions with staff to explain the purpose of the festival promoting joy, culture and community along with related exercises to promote teamwork amongst staff are essential. Organisers would also benefit from implementing a reward and recognition scheme that includes everyone with regular updates on work well done. A robust plan for communication before, during and after an event can help everyone feel included in the operational process. Pre and post event staff get togethers or parties can help promote teamwork and provides an opportunity for organisers to provide goodie packs, discount vouchers and other physical rewards. Training sessions related specifically to mental health awareness and an open discussion about staff scheduling and workloads can motivate everyone by making them safe in the knowledge that the organisers put staff first. It is not in the interests of organisers to have anxious staff with mental health issues, and they should do their utmost to implement proactive practices to ensure everyone's wellbeing. 

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.

Image by Engin_Akyurt via Pixabay

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