From the stage production through to transport and crowd management a successful festival is reliant on teams whose work starts way in advance of the first performance.
A music festival from the audience’s point of view can be absolutely seamless; you just turn up, find your mates and watch the bands you’ve come to see. Under the surface there’s a whole network of crews, suppliers and co-ordinators who are keeping the site going.
Booking the artists and selling the tickets is only half the job. You also have to manage the catering, power, the temporary facilities, the equipment deliveries and the welfare of the visitors. All the various departments are interdependent so clear communication as much as the running order is absolutely vital.
Food Service Depends on Cleanliness and Organisation
Festival goers can be there for a full day or indeed a whole weekend so food provision is absolutely vital to the experience. The vendors will need preparation space, storage, water and arrangements for waste collection and disposal.
Cleaning equipment has to be appropriate for the task. A professional pressure washer for the food industry may be useful for certain heavy-duty cleaning applications where surfaces, drainage, and operating conditions allow. Select commercial equipment for the application and use it according to the manufacturer’s instructions and the vendor’s hygiene procedures.
Pressure washing in itself doesn’t constitute adequate food safety controls. Organised workspaces, regular cleaning and clearly defined responsibilities all help the catering team to maintain standards as they are serving customers during the peak of the day.
Stage Production Requires Technical Coordination
Before the artist even gets on stage the production team have got the staging, the sound, the lighting, the video and the electrics all coordinated. Those systems have to work together within the constraints of the site and the performance schedule.
Sound engineers will be planning their coverage across the audience area and the lighting team will be in the process of preparing their cues and equipment for each set. The artists’ technical riders will have been checked to establish what the artists require in terms of mics, instruments, monitors etc.
Between acts the stage manager is in charge of the changeovers so that the crews can move the equipment, do their checks and get ready for the next act.
Backstage hospitality also requires planning. The artists and crew are going to be on site for long periods of time and you need to have a reliable provision of food, drink and water as well as appropriate breaks. The Plateful inspired catering concepts can be of assistance in terms of menu planning but the fundamental considerations of dietary needs, service times and capacity are all still very much the case.
Transport and Logistics Keep the Site Moving
A festival site is well and truly beginning to take shape long before the first ticket holder even arrives. The trucks are in and the staging, lighting, sound, catering gear and all the associated temporary facilities are being delivered in accordance with very tight schedules.
Logistics groups will be managing vehicle access, unloading areas, storage and movement around the site. A delay in delivery can have an impact on a number of departments, particularly where there is a requirement for equipment to be installed in a particular sequence.
Remote locations present their own set of problems in terms of access (limited road access) and ground conditions which can vary with the weather. Artist transport has its own logistics to deal with, with the artists, their managers and technical crew all coming in from various places.
A viable delivery schedule gives each team the time and space in which to prepare.
Crowd Management and Welfare Support the Experience
Visitor safety is a matter of planning right across the site. Entry points, footpaths, barriers and clear signage all help people to find their way and reduce the potential for confusion in busy areas.
Security, stewarding and medical teams all need clearly defined roles and reliable means of communication. The organisers will also of course have to consider attendance, site layout, weather and any relevant local requirements as part of their planning.
Accessible routes, welfare points, toilets and drinking water all play a part in the comfort with which people can spend their time at the event. Staff are briefed to be able to guide the visitors and to be able to deal with anyone who may require assistance.
The performances are probably what the audience will remember most, but the experience is all about the various operations working in tandem from the very first delivery right through to the final departure.