Access All Areas April 2018 | Page 11

APRIL | THE COLUMNISTS
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 ’.
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
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
11