What’s Inside a Music Festival Control Centre.

Any sizable music festival requires complex planning and scheduling but to bring an event to life needs on-site management of all operations and logistics. The command centre is the hub that controls every aspect of a festival to ensure that everything runs smoothly in a safe and well managed environment.

Sometimes referred to as control centre, operations hub or command centre it is a place on a festival site that is the nerve centre for an entire event. The centre is where all information about the festival operations is gathered, and key decisions are made in real time for appropriate and timely action. It is an unseen aspect of every music festival but without it an event can quickly spiral into chaos. How does this control centre function and what’s inside a typical room that ensures a safe and enjoyable event for all festival-goers. 

Construction and Location. 
The central control centre will usually be a temporary construction like a portacabin or converted container that is located in a backstage zone. The room will sit in a secure area that has robust access control processes to prevent unauthorised entry. A constant supply of power and Wi-Fi services is required with redundancy built in so that services remain uninterrupted in the event of a power cut. In addition, it may be one of the few areas on a festival site that has air conditioning which is often required to maintain the performance of computers, servers and other technology installed in the control room. 

Key Functions. 
The control centre acts as a communications hub and it is where key decisions are made based on incoming information. Department heads will often hold regular briefings and updates about any issues that need to be dealt with so instructions can be issued to relevant staff for action. Incidents are usually logged in the control centre which can be anything from power outages to crowd control issues for example. The function of the control centre is to assess this incoming information and ensure that the right action is taken to resolve any issues. In the event of any serious incidents the control centre communicates directly with emergency services and should have the ability to communicate directly with festival-goers. This is especially important should it be necessary to evacuate a festival site in a controlled and safe manner. 

Technology. 
With advancements in technology used to operate music festivals there will always be a need to install numerous computer systems and servers to enable the operation of event related software. This may include event management software that is essential for all operations from artist scheduling, ticketing, accreditation and access control for example. There is also a need for software that supports CCTV feeds which can be linked to AI-powered video analytics that detects crowd density, unusual movements, or unattended items and automatically flag them for the security teams. Communications equipment that may include two-way radio base stations and walkie talkies are essential to maintain contact with staff throughout a festival site in a variety of functions. In some instances, organisers may include a satellite phone for emergencies should all external networks go down. As well as all the high-tech equipment organisers may use whiteboards which can allow staff to quickly note and highlight actions and concerns, however, the modern whiteboards are increasingly electronic and interactive so that notes can be printed or sent to mobile devices for example. 

Core Personnel. 
The space in a control room will be limited due to the installation of technology and communications equipment, and organisers will always limit who has access. The key management role of festival or operations director will be the individual most likely to spend the bulk of their time in the control centre because they are responsible for making the final decision on every aspect of the festival. Other core personnel that will be based in the control centre will most likely be those responsible for communications and security. Other department heads responsible for production, hospitality and artist management will likely be occasional visitors to the control centre because their main roles and tasks will require them to be elsewhere on the festival site. The control centre is usually the location chosen for short daily briefings with core department heads where issues can be raised and resolved quickly. 

For festival organisers planning their next event 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 Borys Zaitsev via Pexels

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