APRIL | THE COLUMNISTS |
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Access has hand picked an experienced panel of columnists who this month tackle the over-saturation myth, expanding a festival, and launching a venue... |
The right angle on festivals? Jonathan Emmins, founder, Amplify
We Brits love a festival. It’ s a love affair that, far from starting in the ��s, goes as far back as the fifth century when our pagan ancestors rolled around in the mud and the moonlight. �ut, thanks to a few high profile misfires and miscalculations, some think festivals are waning.
There’ s no denying that there are challenges, like a risk of over� saturation and the downturn of hedonism. �ut abstemious festival� going doesn’ t mean festivals are dying. �ar from it. Last year 3. � million people attended a festival in the �� and the market is estimated to be worth ��bn to the economy.
�nd as for �over�saturation’ � one person’ s over�saturation is another person’ s diversification. �rom Ghostfest to �oreverland and the �op �unk �ile �p, every musical tribe is now catered for. �n this way, festivals provide unrivalled opportunities for reaching niche audiences � the nirvana of contemporary marketing.
�nd yet there are some common mistakes that brands regularly make when dipping their toes in the festival circuit, with the number one error being prioritising stand� out over adding value. Too many brands focus on �how can we be visible’, rather than asking �how can we be integral to the overall festival e�perience’.
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City pressure Sarah Nulty, Tramlines festival director
The first Tramlines attracted 3�, ��� and has continued to see that level of footfall. The Tramlines weekend is bigger than the festival itself and has become a fi�ture in everyone’ s calendar.
�e invest more and more in marketing each year, but beyond that it is also the entire city putting on a show. �t’ s like a giant collective where each venue around the city pulls out all the stops, turning �he�eld into a giant festival site for one weekend.
�n ��1�, for our 1�th anniversary, we’ re moving to a new site, Hillsborough �ark and are moving all stages so we are a single site festival. �e really wanted to do something different, and the sites we were using limited us in terms of adding anything e�tra.
�e’ re going bigger than ever with our lineup, and working with key venues and artists in the city including The Leadmill and �on Mc�lure ��everend and The Makers� who’ ll host a stage on site.
�ne of the reasons we have moved to a one site model is to really focus on the delivery. �t’ s important for us that, as we grow, we absolutely nail the customer e�perience. Having our entire team on one site, not spread across the city �uggling the offering will ensure that.
Continued at access-aa. co. uk
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How to launch a venue Simeon Aldred, CEO, Vibration Group
There’ s no one�si�e�fits�all model to successfully launching a new venue. �c�uiring all the necessary licensing and planning rights can seem an elaborate web of processes. �ur specialism at �enue Lab is being able to strip away this comple�ity. �orking with landlords and councils, we’ ve driven two key elements that we know will propel a venue’ s long�term success.
�irst, it’ s essential to understand a venue’ s identity and sense of place. How will the venue talk to the public� How will it relate to their interests and resonate with their wants� �t’ s vital to think about the impact and meaning a new space will have to the people who visit it. �hen we established �rintworks’ purpose, we created a super�simple brand with an offering that the market could easily understand. �s a massive warehouse with an industrial aesthetic, we positioned it as a �cultural space for London’.
� year after launching, the market recognised our simple proposition� �rintworks is a great music space which is also available for hire and super�versatile. �rom this starting block, we’ ve worked hard with our partners �roadwick Live to get the brand right, investing in the space, the content, our partnerships and all comms around the shows.
Continued at access-aa. co. uk
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