How to Avoid a Music Festival Disaster

How to Avoid a Music Festival Disaster  

Putting your business name on a music festival can give you great exposure. But as we’ve seen in real life examples, this can also backfire greatly. Take the case of the Fyre Festival in the Bahamas, which was promoted as a luxury experience but turned into a disaster. Abby Ohlheiser reported for The Washington Post that headliner band Blink-182 and others canceled just before the event, many of the tents for the event were not set up by the time guests arrived and other significant problems occurred. What should have been great publicity for the organizers turned into the wrong kind of exposure.

Obviously, you don’t want your company's name associated with a disaster. So here are some tips on how to avoid a music festival disaster and create a successful experience instead.

Work With an Experienced Team

It’s essential to have an experienced team working on a large event like a music festival. You either need your own experienced team or to work with a production partner who understands the nitty-gritty of how a music festival works and what is needed, down to every detail. Foremost, you need a strong management team who can organize and execute the event plans, with a system in place for potential problems.

Focus on Practical Needs

Putting on a music festival is not just about the music and the marketing. There is a lot of background work that needs to be done – and done right. You need to ensure you have the necessary power for the specific event, as well as access to water and proper management of waste. An experienced team will think about potential problems and make sure the logistics are capable of working out in the earliest stages before moving forward with a particular venue or the rest of the event planning. Event professionals told BizBash that they probably would not have continued with the Fyre Festival's location, at least not before consulting local professionals.

Start Small and Take It Slowly

Apparently the Fyre Festival planning started a few months before the event, and organizers ran out of time. Professional organizers take much longer to plan an event of this scale, beginning the process at least a year in advance. The Fyre Festival organizers also went full speed ahead with marketing, while event professionals normally would perform a soft launch in the beginning and try to gradually build interest and a reputation. By taking more time, you also have the chance to test your site, learn and grow in the industry and work on fitting your tactics with the right audience.

Be Prepared to Cancel

Sometimes you simply cannot get an event to work out. Planning and proper management will generally prevent the need to cancel an event but you need to realize when canceling is the only answer. Event professionals told BizBash that the Fyre Festival organizers should have canceled when they knew they couldn't fulfill their marketing promises.

When you perform proper planning and work with event professionals, you can prevent a music festival disaster and create an event that successfully promotes your brand.

Red Bull at Lollapalooza

Lollapalooza isn’t going anywhere, and its ties to Perry Farrell, Jane’s Addiction’s farewell tour and high-spirited music has kept it rolling for over 20 years. Lollapalooza is one of the world’s finest events for parallel brands, food providers, record companies and long-term industry followers. This year’s Chicago-bound location will enrich Grand Park between July 29 and August 2, featuring iconic music inspirations like Metallica, Florence + The Machine and Paul McCartney.  

Connectivity and the Remote World

With highlights like Young Thug, Tove Lo, Tyler, Flying Lotus, Sam Smith and The War on Drugs, Lollapalooza’s intense visibility is viable for several marketing avenues. Modern connectivity, social media and instant-access multimedia—and Red Bull has, yet again, taken advantage of a multifunctional marketing doorway.

Lollapalooza’s multi-event days span across glory-filled restaurants, street events, jam sessions, product purchases and backstage interviews. Massive gatherings benefit musical shenanigans, and world-class artists are high-profile network leaders in the entertainment marketing world. Red Bull TV will broadcast the events as they occur, taking advantage of their internet media resources to expand brand awareness and associations.

Live Sets and Industry Quality

Red Bull’s brand connects with Lollapalooza at an empirical level. Lollapalooza is associated with enrichment, education and artistic value. More than a high-energy thoroughfare, Chicago’s hosting streets provide venues for some of the world’s best organizations. Over 100 thousand festival fans are brought brand awareness, and Red Bull’s experimental marketing tactics in 2014 are back.

Encompassing high-profile, altruistic partners like Working Bikes, the Love Hope Strength Foundation, Syd Rocks, Oxfam America and HeadCount, Red Bull TV effectively associates itself with multiple industries and caring foundations. Early-stage research projects, inspirational sustainability options, environmental conservation and economic awareness all promote Lollapalooza’s values.

Festival Highlights and Red-Bull’s “Wings”

Red-Bull Live’s unique angle further connects its brand with full access, exclusive shots and behind-the-scenes actions. As viewers tune in, the heart of Lollapalooza is discovered, and online access—essentially—generates a “better-than-live” window. In many ways, Red Bull’s innovative approach is possible due to its market segment. High energy, active lifestyle, music and classic fun are its associations, and Lollapalooza’s atmosphere is perfect for future marketing efforts.

While not entirely reliant on multi-brand networking, Red Bull’s reporter-like marketing approach further engrains it into online culture. Brands associated with active lifestyle have notoriously suffered such entry barriers, creating inaccessible, segmented markets. However, Red Bull’s midway access is generated through its nod to younger culture. The brand has already become somewhat synonymous with Lollapalooza—and it’s widely regarded as one of the event’s primary viewing spectacles.

Late July and Early August are great impact dates for Red Bull, and live performances enhance its brand access. While outreach, online access and market emergence are Red Bull’s primary goals, live brand association and boosted sales further their industry dominance. Viewers are reminded to “not miss a beat” on Red-Bull’s website, further declaring its attachment to Lollapalooza on an intimate level. Festival highlights, point-of-view shorts and unprecedented coverage have already been established by Red Bull’s 2014 Lollapalooza access—and they’ll only continue to benefit the brand’s powerful market presence.

Live web streaming for marketing

Broadcasting your event live on the internet is a great way to engage your audience. Some of the biggest music festivals in the world incorporate live event streaming to enhance user experience for their fans. To make your event stand out amongst all the others being held at the venues in Miami, incorporate these mechanisms and reap the benefits. Everyone loves a good show, even if they can’t make it there in person.

If you intend to put on a music festival streaming your event live is an excellent addition to your event production. Live event streaming has been a successful marketing tool for some of the most well known music festivals around the world such as Coachella, Bonnaroo and Miami music festival giant - UMF or Ultra Music Festival.

Most music festivals offer live event streaming for free to their audience; however there will be some costs to you the concert promoter provide the stream. There are a number of ways your ticket sales can aid in generating revenue. Make your ticket sales flexible by generating a number of different options for people to select from when purchasing tickets. You can offer different VIP packages with a special seating area, an opportunity to meet some of the artists, or a “speed pass” to long concession lines.

As a concert promoter your primary goal is to engage as large of an audience as possible. Some people may not be able to take off from work or have other obligations that prevent them from attending your music festival in person. Live event streaming is the next best thing to being there and thanks to event streaming options no one has to be excluded.