“ It wasn ’ t an easy summer but , looking back on it , it was a great summer , it was great to get people back out again .”
Yasmin Galletti , director at live event production agencies We Are The Fair and We Are OPS , has worked on events throughout the UK this summer . While she was part of the team that helped launch the Otherlands festival in Scotland , in general the company took on fewer clients than usual this year .
“ That meant our team could dedicate more time to the planning of fewer shows and also supporting promoters through really challenging times ,” she says . “ It has led to hugely positive feedback across all the shows we worked on , from audience and promoters alike , which I ’ m really proud of .”
Galletti says one of the biggest challenges across the festival sector this year was slower-than-usual ticket sales : “ Many events struggled to break even this year because of increased costs of around 30 % and slower ticket sales . It was a shock for promoters after the ‘ ticket-rush ’ of 2021 , and it meant a lot of big ideas planned earlier in the year had to be scaled back . It also put a strain on the ability to deliver things to the highest possible spec because , understandably , budgets were tighter .”
Striking the balance Event owners have reported cost increases of between 25 % and 35 % this year , and with inflation predicted to reach 14 % in 2023 those costs show little sign of coming down any time soon . Meanwhile , the “ cost of living crisis ” is already seeing consumers
The 150th Open drew record crowds
John Giddings Yasmin Galletti Paul Reed
“ It wasn ’ t easy but it was a great summer , it was great to get people back out again .”
– Isle of Wight Festival promoter John Giddings
struggle with the soaring costs of dayto-day essentials . One of the biggest concerns as event operators plan for next year is how to strike a balance between covering costs and keeping ticket prices at an affordable level .
“ Something has to give ,” says Reed . “ Festival organisers are extremely aware that people are making very difficult decisions in their daily lives , let alone their entertainment options . So , you ’ ve got to price it sensitively .
We are seeing more festivals adopting payment plans with small monthly payments .”
“ We ’ re facing one of the biggest challenges we ’ ve ever had ,” agrees King . “ It is a crisis for many , many people and we need to be reflective of what our customers are saying . The cost of tickets is almost entirely driven by the cost of operation . We must make sure that we cut our cloth accordingly , so that a reasonable
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