PREMIUM SERVICES
Steph Dodd, Kambe Events
Hugo Campbell, Togather
Nick Morgan, We Group
Harry Lister, Pink Moon
Leonie Wakeman, AEG Presents
“ Providing a great experience from announcement through to the show is really important to us so it’ s important that we look at the full lifecycle of an event,” says AEG Presents UK senior director of commercial and ticketing strategy Leonie Wakeman.
“ We want to ensure a range of VIP and hospitality packages are available as soon as we go on sale. These are offered to the‘ super fans’ and dedicated fan club members, along with advance upgrade opportunities via the festival app. Onsite upgrades are also key. When general access customers arrive, they see the benefits of our premium viewing and hospitality areas and choose to upgrade for a more elevated experience.”
Offering such premium packages and spaces involves close management of an event’ s site and careful consideration of crowd flow and logistics.
“ This planning is done well in advance,” says Wakeman.“ It means we know exactly how many premium packages can be sold without compromising the experience for anyone attending, regardless of ticket type.”
Immersive experiences
As a Somerset local, The Pop-Up Hotel founder Mark Sorrill has long been a Glastonbury Festival regular. He launched his high-end event experience operation in 2010.
At next year’ s Glastonbury guests can choose to stay close to the site in what the company is calling the Festival Fields, or the more tranquil retreat of the Halcyon Fields. Having previously welcomed Hollywood stars Margot Robbie and Brad Pitt, this is a premium experience that festivalgoers must purchase alongside their ticket. With most of their accommodation already sold out, demand for these premium products mirrors the popularity of the festival.
Says Sorrill,“ If you go to a festival like Glastonbury, it’ s often not about the headliners. It’ s about the secret areas you stumble upon, what you see and discover with your friends, and this is what we’ re trying to emulate.
“ We’ re not an official part of Glastonbury but our inspiration comes from the festival. Our aim is to create an immersive experiential weekend that complements what happens on the site, to help people stay in the moment as much as they can.”
At next year’ s Glastonbury, The Pop- Up Hotel will again provide 300 spaces in Festival Fields along with the new Halcyon Fields offering. Prior to the festival tickets going on sale, deposits
Mark Sorrill, The Pop-Up Hotel
for accommodation can be paid, then refunded if needed.
“ After a fallow year, demand is unprecedented; we’ ve never known anything like it,” says Sorrill.“ Which is why we’ ve launched the Halcyon Fields. It’ s also to diversify our offer. Here, it’ s about the restorative vibes with great views of the main site and Pyramid Stage. We’ re hoping it will be like The Healing Field in offering somewhere to recharge.”
Since 2012, Pink Moon has grown into an events company that offers a range of festival solutions, from luxury accommodation and VIP lounges to toilets, showers, tents and marquees.
“ Ever since Covid eased, more people are willing to pay for convenience,” says Pink Moon MD Harry Lister.“ I compare it to Deliveroo or Uber Eats, customers want products to be easily accessible and this applies to festivals too- they prefer for their tent to be there when they arrive, which is why premium experiences are more popular. The events themselves might not have grown too much but the percentage of people in boutique camping certainly has.”
Over the course of the summer, Lister’ s company worked across 20 festivals including Latitude, Isle of Wight and Electric Picnic among others. In 2025, at the Isle of Wight Festival, Pink Moon provided boutique camping for 8,000 guests over five bespoke campsites and constructed 3,000 structures.
“ Increasing numbers of people now have the mindset that if they’ re going to spend a weekend in a field, then they’ re going to do it well,” says Lister.“ We can
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