OCTOBER | COVER FEATURE
relate directly to elements of a show such as egress , traffic management , etc . Audience tolerance is shrinking , and they expect instant gratification and service . Only last week , a customer complained directly to me because he waited more than four minutes in a VIP queue .
“ Additionally , they hide behind social media and the culture seems to have been embraced that complaints lead to concessions for future events which is something we do not endorse as its sets a precedent . This means that we are under even more scrutiny and so there is more pressure year-on-year for shows to be seamless . Not that it is advisable in any way but , even if they wanted to , shows aren ’ t able to cut corners because of this additional scrutiny as well as the licensing process , pressures from local residents , notwithstanding the increased competition in the festival market .”
On the plus side , Morgan adds , there are now more shows than ever , and these are selling out or at least meeting their desired ticket sales . However , with more festivals comes more demand on the supply chain . “ This includes inventory of course , but also human resources – there is only a finite number of suppliers out there and the demand is increasing all the time for their services , so there is definitely an issue developing here which has the potential to pose huge risks to shows .
“ This year , we have seen staff reliant suppliers across the board really stretched – the work they do is crucial to the success of shows and they have all had a really tough season . There have also been comments from the transport sector that there is a strain on infrastructure due to the number of shows on over any one weekend especially in London so I can imagine that licensing will take these issues into account next season . There has also been criticism of Local Authorities commercialising their green spaces so as an industry we are increasing up against more barriers .”
Creative corners
With this proliferation of new festivals comes increased pressure to create experiences that hit budget and expectations . It ’ s a delicate balance that requires knowing where to compromise , according to Continental Drifts managing director Chris Tofu MBE .
“ We are ‘ cultural vibe ’ engineers , so our bugbears are around not having proper times to run , and crazily early closing times . The universal situation relating to main stage acts and the answers in developing the audience expectations for amazing off main stage experiences and developing them with even a quarter of the cost of one main stage act is so complex . It ’ s a tough landscape and requires balls of steel , and the cleverest boxing I ’ ve ever seen is needed .
Organisers that get the balance right reap the rewards , Tofu adds . “ Acts that don ’ t pull people through the door sometimes are the ones that people will always speak about . On the whole we are in a super ‘ vibed up bubble ’, so miss out on some of the customers ’ regular complaints .
“ Things have come on so much in terms of customer care since all this began . Two lineups can look the same , but on the ground they could be different events with one group absolutely ‘ cultish ’ about the event as they feel so well treated .
“ Trying new and innovative stuff is the future , but so is looking after the punter and making them feel involved . As an organiser , I know it ’ s super complex . Marketing , and making a noise , is getting harder and harder as we all rely on the same methods and pages ( e . g Facebook ). Like the political situation now , it ’ s grassroots – and people talking to each other – that have a massive effect .”
Like Tofu , Morgan agrees that we are reaching a key time for festivals where change is hard to predict . “ It felt like this season was at boiling point and we ’ ll probably soon start to see some shows
Above : The lacklustre ‘ unicorn ‘ at Monstrous Festival Below : Tappit ’ s Jason Thomas
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