PREMIUM SERVICES offer different price points for people too; we want to cater for as many as we can.”
Pink Moon also provided services to five nights of the Oasis Live‘ 25 tour in Manchester’ s Heaton Park, working with SJM Concerts and Live Nation to offer a VIP backstage area that involved building various structures and facilities.
“ The Oasis tour was amazing to be a part of,” says Lister.“ We looked after more than 2,000 people each night. It was the most popular event we’ ve ever done and great to play a small role in what were the biggest gigs of recent times.”
Tailored experiences
Togather has worked on 48 large events this summer ranging from the Isle of Wight Festival and Wilderness to smaller London day-festivals including Gala and Rally. The company aims to enhance food offerings by pairing festivals with highquality independent culinary providers.
One of the talking points from the Love Supreme jazz festival was the Ottolenghi pop-up dining experience which caught media attention after Loyle Carner performed his song Ottolenghi and dedicated it to the celebrated chef.
“ Food quality has become a real hook for festivals, partly because the festival scene has been so competitive,” says Campbell.“ An important part of organising an event is to get festivalgoers to return the following year and food is key to that, particularly now Gen Z and millennials see food as an important part of their identity.”
According to the SIAL Network, which runs a huge number of food and beverage trade shows and exhibitions, perspectives are shifting with food‘ increasingly becoming a language of self-expression’ and growing numbers of young consumers seeing what they eat as an important characteristic. Campbell says that after tickets and accommodation, food accounts for the next biggest percentage of a festivalgoers’ budget which is why Togather believes it’ s so crucial to provide great quality. At Wilderness, its team built the Slurp Shop; a bespoke space that resembled a photo booth from
the outside. On entering, festivalgoers discovered a surprisingly large area with a bar, DJs and noodles to enjoy.
“ People want to step into another world when they go to a festival, and at Wilderness there’ s so much to do; people dressed in crazy attire and all these amazing nooks and crannies to get lost in,” he says.“ We wanted to respond to this with the Slurp Shop by providing a hidden space themed around food. It became a talking point at the festival and was a cool way of keeping the event and the culinary pairing exciting.”
Shambala is a festival many might not immediately associate with premium experiences, with it primarily being known more for its sustainable commitments, community focus and radical creativity. However, for an additional £ 45, attendees at this year’ s event could upgrade their experience to the Dragonfly Camping site.
“ We didn’ t want to change what Shambala is at its core, so it was something we thought about carefully,” says Steph Dodd, MD at Kambe Events; the company behind the festival.
“ Shambala is built on inclusivity, so has not previously embraced VIPstyle packages. Instead, we designed Dragonfly Camping with a range of price points and options, so it adds a layer of comfort while still being an accessible option. We also kept sustainability very much in mind with [ posh ] compost loos and a Fair Trade coffee stall.”
Attendees could access showers, a dedicated bar, 24-hour reception, closeproximity car parking and a pamper parlour among numerous other treats.“ We wanted Dragonfly Camping to stay affordable, so at the entry level you can pitch your own tent and still get elevated touches,” says Dodd.“ From there, people can choose to go further with boutique pre-pitched options like a furnished yurt or tipi.”
Shambala’ s approach to elevated experiences is aligned to its organiser’ s ethos, yet illustrates how this trend for premium experiences is taking place right across the festival industry. It is clear that festivalgoers now expect more at events, and those organisers who are reacting with creativity and invention are best placed to take advantage.“ Our goal is to deliver onsite experiences that appeal to a range of audiences,” says AEG Presents’ Wakeman.“ At the Ateez show at BST Hyde Park this year, we offered a free photobooth in the VIP Garden area and exclusive t-shirts. Really understanding who the audiences are and what they value onsite, from premium upgrades through to merch offerings, is essential to ensuring we deliver the high standard of customer experience our festivals are known for.”
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