A
P A R A LLE L
W O R LD
Insights from
the festival
industry
While in many ways the music
festival sector is strikingly
different from exhibitions, the
two are facing many of the same
issues and trends. EN’s Nicola
Macdonald takes a look at the
latest festival innovations
Words: Nicola Macdonald
Additional reporting: Stuart Wood
S
ometimes exhibitions can feel
quite insular. Here in the UK, and
especially in London, we love to wax
lyrical about the tight-knit nature of
our industry. There’s competition, sure,
but at the end of the day we all share
common experiences, passions and
concerns.
But how often do we share knowledge
and best practice outside of our
comfortable exhibition bubble? Events
of all kinds and all sizes find themselves
tackling the same set of challenges
– albeit often with wildly different
Cover Feature
audience and stakeholder expectations
– so shouldn’t we look beyond our own
sphere for inspiration and insight?
This was the thinking behind this
month’s cover feature, which takes a
look at some of the latest innovations
in the world of music festivals, many
of which will be all too familiar to
exhibition organisers.
Sustainability, which unsurprisingly
is top of the agenda for music festival
organisers, frequently makes the
headlines, for both positive and
negative reasons. With greenfield sites,
passionate consumer audiences and
the watchful eyes of the mainstream
press, festival organisers are arguably
under far more scrutiny and pressure in
this regard than the average exhibition
organiser, especially in the world of
trade shows.
Corporate social responsibility comes
in all sorts of guises and which is rapidly
becoming a must-have rather than a
nice-to-have for all types of businesses.
It can range from alleviating the impact
of an event on the local community, to
sustainability, to ensuring that internal
and onsite staff are cared for, to setting
an example when it comes to artist and
audience diversity.
Technologies such as RFID and event
apps, which have long been a mainstay at
exhibitions, are also making their mark
in the world of festivals – and causing
dramatic changes in how they operate.
We’ll be taking a whistle-stop tour
around the world of festivals, from
cardboard tents and sustainable brand
activations to events that are embracing
technology and the insights it can
provide, and hopefully gaining some
insights ourselves along the way (and if
not, at least we’ll have some fun).
August — 19