Confederation of Passenger Transport’s Post

Heading to Glasto this weekend? Read our top tips for surviving the festival season

What's special about smaller festivals? Why do we love the smaller folk festivals over the 40,000+ pax mega-events? One big plus is that we're not in a concrete stadium or jostling for a view of the stage with thousands of others, but in the beautiful location of the Cobargo Showground, surrounded by mountains, wide open skies and just a short drive away from some of the best beaches in the world. But the best of it is that small festivals create a unique connection between the artist and the audience. Unlike larger festival stages or stadium shows, where the artist is just a speck in the distance, we bring performers and audience together in more intimate performance settings. The closeness creates a very special vibe and allows a deeper personal connection between artist and audience. Audiences become active supporters - a role that goes beyond just enjoying the music but involves actively engaging with the artist's work. The voice of the artist is unfiltered (no vocalizers!). And, at a time when streaming platforms dominate, live performance is a much more vulnerable, human experience. Ticket sales and associated merchandise sales throughout the event provide a more tangible and direct source of income, allowing artists to continue creating music and to maintain creative control over their work. People have written theses about the benefits of supporting small festivals, live music and the benefits for community connectedness and resilience but the best thing to do is come and see for yourself, especially if you've never done a smaller festival before. Cobargo Folk Festival 1-3 March 2024 Program on-line mid-February. Cobargo Showgrounds NSW. https://lnkd.in/gVaY_9ny #cobargofolkfestival2024 #cff2024 #cobargofolkfestival #cobargofolky #cobargofolkie #folkfestival #folkwhocare #yuinfolkclub #lyrebird #cobargovillage #visitnsw #cobargo #farsouthcoast #sapphirecoast #yuincountry #festivals #festival #folkmusic #resilience #communityresilience

How a Music Festival Was Saved From the Mud: The Story Behind the Success: Torrential rain in the days leading up to #LollapaloozaArgentina had turned the #HipódromodeSanIsidro field into a mud pit. Trucks carrying band equipment got stuck, hindering access to the venue and threatening to cancel the show, challenging the event's logistics. **Time was running out, and everything had to be in place and in perfect condition for the festival.** While some trucks, their wheels stuck in the mud, couldn't move, the #WaiverLogísticateam, with their characteristic #experienceandingenuity, improvised a system of levers using wood and other available resources. Gradually, with the skill and effort of the operators, the trucks were pulled out of the mud, successfully overcoming this challenge. **Once again, Waiver Logística's story at Lollapalooza demonstrates their ability to adapt to the most difficult situations and their commitment to #excellence.** This makes them an indispensable ally for any event. **The next time you attend a festival, remember that behind the spectacle there is a team of silent heroes working to keep the music playing.** **When it comes to facing any challenge to achieve flawless logistical execution, Waiver Logística's #experienceandappliedknowledge, demonstrated in major music events, are the calling card that guarantees #perfectlogisticalexecution, no matter if it rains, there is mud or thunder.** We deliver, no matter the circumstances. Contact us today for a hassle-free show! Address: Manuela Sáenz 323, 6th Floor, Office 617/618, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina. Contact us Phone: +54 (11) 5273-9700. Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected]

Did you know Edmonton is Canada’s “Festival City,” with more than 50 unique festivals each year? These include the Edmonton Fringe Festival, Edmonton Folk Music Festival, Taste of Edmonton, Edmonton Heritage Festival, and more. We need to do more than just cheerlead these wonderful events. our #YEGbusinesses, need to actively benefit from them. To sustain this momentum we gained during the playoffs, we have outlined six actionable steps for you to take to elevate your business to the next level: 1. Prep Your Space🫧: Maintain clean, attractive facilities to impress customers and enhance their experience. 2. Staff Appropriately🤵: Ensure sufficient, friendly, and knowledgeable staff to provide excellent service and foster customer loyalty. 3. Engage with Visitors🏢: Create a welcoming atmosphere and build long-lasting relationships by making visitors feel they belong. 4. Offer Specials🍾: Use themed menu items, drink specials, and exclusive discounts to attract customers and encourage reviews. 5. Promote the City 🏙️ : Train staff to recommend other local businesses and attractions, boosting the city’s economy. 6. Be Present Online📱: Leverage social media to amplify your business’s presence and engage with customers. Get involved in summer festivals to create a positive feedback loop that benefits both businesses and the community! Read the full article on how to keep the momentum going here: https://lnkd.in/grG8gZfy

The true cost of festivals isn’t just the ticket price. 🎟️ Let's dive into three ways festivals affect the environment and how we can help. Read more in our latest blog: https://loom.ly/PdQQv_c

🦺 Heath and safety concerns have been raised following plans to grow Boardmasters Music Festival 🦺 Read more: https://buff.ly/49xdUke #events #eventsindustry #eventprofs #eventprofsUK #eventsafety #crowdsafety #trafficmanagement #trafficsafety

Summertime is festival time! 🎶 But planning the next trip to see your idol can be a hassle. That's why we did the research for you and share some tips on how to enjoy your favorite music in a sustainable way: https://lnkd.in/gZA5pkxv Here are some actionable items  Plan your experience: - When and where is the concert? Could you extend your stay or combine the event with your summer holidays close to the festival? This does not only support the environment but also reduces your budget and time commitment if you do not have to leave home twice.  - Are you traveling with a group? When choosing the train, check if your region offers reduced fares for group tickets. - What are you not allowed to bring to the venue? Leave items like these at home to save the environment from further trash and you from losing your favorite companions that are living in your bagpack. - Check if bringing reusable cups, bottles, dishes, and leftover boxes is an option. There are many more aspects you can read about in our blog article. Enjoy your festival and inspire others! #Festival #Summer #SustainableLiving #MusicLovers #Travel #Vacation #Holidays 

Our first “big” music festival was a great experience for Fink. Here are a couple of things we learned… ✅ Fresh food sells. We were one of a few traders who made all their products from scratch including sauces. We were amazed how few traders were using fresh meat and the overeliance on bought-in sauces. ✅Efficiency is everything. We adapted our menu so we could serve a customer every 20 seconds. ✅The trader community is amazing and will always help their neighbour out of the 💩 ✅Team morale is important. It’s a real slog and if the team are having a good time it makes the weekend much more enjoyable. ✅Matching the food offer to the demographic of the festival is key. ❌ Using the “middle-man’s” EPOS systems and getting paid is a nightmare! A month has passed since the event and we still haven’t received all the funds. ❌Cash flow. If traders are made to wait for funds after every event, how can they enaure they can buy stock, pay staff and sustain a busy calendar of festivals. This would be avoided if they were still able to use their own till systems. ❌Can you have a healthy work life balance in the festival catering scene? 100 hour weeks and very little sleep really takes it’s toll! ❌Commissions are far too high and this translates into inflated tariffs for the festival gooer Ultimately this is a high-risk/high reward game and we’ll be using festivals to diversify our revenue streams. If you have any festivals you can recommend for Fink, please comment below 👇

Friday rant post! Music festivals and events have really become a snake pit. Yesterday, Glastonbury announced its 2024 lineup, and the internet was full of negative comments: 'Tenth year and by far the worst lineup. No wonder there were no leaks,' 'This may be the worst lineup the festival has ever had!' These comments are just from the public; however, I have also seen journalists with criticisms, with claims the festival is missing the rock genre in the lineup and more. Interestingly, these are the same journalists who will shamelessly apply for free press tickets and show up at the festival afterwards. I have never been to Glastonbury (though I would, of course, love to go), so this is purely observational. However, the world of festivals has been through so much in the last couple of years due to the pandemic and its effects, and now it is suffering due to rising production costs. Yet, people still feel it is fine to undermine all the efforts promoters and other event organizers are making. Are we not living on the same planet? I also understand that with social media, everyone feels entitled to sharing their opinion. However, as I have written a couple of times already, my grandma taught me that if you don't have anything nice to say, it's totally fine to be quiet. Not a single promoter is booking acts for the festival with the idea of pleasing everyone, and it's never going to happen. Want to see acts at Glastonbury (or any other festival)? Fine, buy a ticket, spread the word, and bring your friends with you. Don't like the lineup? Keep it to yourself and attend some other festival. What people should really write about GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL EVENTS LIMITED is that it will be the first time ever that two out of the three headline performers will be women. There! #glastonbury #femaleleaders #careermentoring #mentoring #music #business #sustainability #experience #career #management #environment #festival #event #femaleentrepreneurs #womeninbusiness #womenentrepreneurs #wellbeingmatters #coaching #uk #womenempowerment

ICYMI - we launched Five Percent for Festivals at this years Festival Congress. The 5% For Festivals campaign is an awareness campaign that seeks to inform festival-goers about the problems that music festival promoters have faced over the last 5 years, encouraging them to contact their MPs to lobby for a much needed VAT reduction on tickets. AIF CEO John Rostron said: “We really are at a critical point for the UK’s festival sector. Five years ago, it would have been impossible to imagine that promoters would have to endure something as damaging as the Covid-19 pandemic – but many of them did, without passing the inevitable cost onto the consumer. To think that, since then, they have had to manage the effects of Brexit, war in Ukraine, inflation and an energy crisis is staggering. That festival-goers were able to enjoy some of the fantastic events they did in 2023 is testament to the resilience and passion of those promoters. But we lost 36 festivals last year, and with six festivals having postponed activity in 2024 or closed the gates for good, we are on track to see well over double the number of casualties this year. “UK festivals need time to recover and rebuild. They need help from our Government. A reduction in VAT on festival tickets from 20% to 5% for three years is an evidence-based, simple, sensible remedy that would ease the financial burden on promoters enough for them to return to health. We need this action now.” Visit the website: https://lnkd.in/ebQ87_Mf