Are you looking for musical excitement, possibly a new career, and tremendous networking opportunities? Ever consider starting your own festival?
If there’s nothing that's a few hours drive from your place, then you should consider it. It’s truly an educational experience.
I’m remembering an old expression that goes something like this: “We’re building this plane as we’re flying it.”
If you have good people skills, patience, and the desire, then almost anything is possible. When I refer to audience members and customers, these references include the musicians who will “make” your event. You’re selling this event to both performer and listener.
Know your audience and know what they want.
You must have evidence to “sell” your festival proposal and it must be impressively packaged. We started almost a year ago with a survey of 700 “targeted” (i.e. employed) consumers. We asked them what entertainment they’d like to see come to our small town (17,000 folks) and when we started asking other groups for assistance, the survey results gave them the confidence they needed to agree to back my proposal. And we continued to keep the other groups involved by going to their regular meetings and “reporting” to them, thus building co-ownership and paving the way for future requests for support.
Get organized and build your “board of directors”.
These need to be passionate people who share your vision and can be trusted. Not everyone who agrees to serve will find the time to do what needs to be done, so plan to be flexible and let folks come and go as they need to. You will have to ultimately take responsibility for everything, so choose your team carefully, but don’t be afraid to share ownership.
Get a venue with liability insurance for “free”.
In our case, we went to the city art/jazz festival and asked them if we could join in their festival weekend. They gave us space and we’re partners in advertising. We’ll have several hundred folks who aren’t really our customers dropping by just to see what’s going on, but with careful traffic management and a good house manager, it seems like a win-win situation. Some big churches have amazing sound systems, if your event is “family-friendly”.
Give the listeners a good deal for their money.
You are going to ask your audience to pay something, even if it’s only the opportunity cost of their skipping their cousin’s wedding to attend your festival. Make sure that you give them everything you promise, plus a little something extra at no extra cost. The Cajuns near my area call it “Lagniappe”, and it’s like the 13th donut in a baker’s dozen; it’s caring for everyone that comes through the door and making each one feel special. Succeed at this and you’ll have customers for life.
Build/borrow a media contact list.
Gather media contact information and write a press release for the festival and email when possible. We checked that our event was listed in every nearby community calendar and made one regional radio station visit during “drive-time”. We plan to make several more media visits in the coming weeks.
Money – the bottom line.
Here are some aspects to consider:
Sponsors – Ask local banks, beer companies and retailers to help your festival get off the ground in exchange for “sponsorship”, VIP tables for their employees and special recognition and the event. It really helps if your festival has non-profit status and exists “for the cultural good of the community.”
Vendors – If you’re holding a guitar festival, perhaps some luthiers and music retailers would pay for “booth space” where they could display their wares and talk to customers.
Grants – Arts councils, civic organizations and clubs may give you cash if your event benefits their constituents/community in some way.
Tickets – investigate your options. Do you need the national advertising of a Ticketmaster? Does someone have a ticketing system already in place that you can “borrow”?
Other fees- Some festivals offset operating costs by charging fees for band applications, concessions, t-shirts, but that’s after they’re up and running. Don’t sweat the small stuff.
Security and Rules
If you’re lucky enough to have partnered with another event, then perhaps you don’t need to worry. Otherwise, make sure someone with experience is in charge of security. Rules must be posted.
Schedule your event as if everyone had Attention-Deficit Disorder...
...but don’t try to pack too much in one day. Some festivals avoid morning activities altogether, but this is after considering your audience.
Plan for the future.
Recruit your replacements as you go and don’t be afraid to offer ownership in the festival; it builds a sense of community. The more the merrier, right? Don’t forget to have a registration table, even if the event is free. This is where everyone signs in with their email address, giving you a marketing list for next year. Begin a patron drive and offer something (coffee cup, bumper sticker, t-shirt) in exchange for membership. Ask next year’s admission fee in an up-front donation and potential hedge against inflation. If you’ve satisfied your audience, then this offer might appeal to some.
Expect the unexpected.
You must try to make everyone happy, but you’ll never make everyone happy. If you’ve always tried, then you’ve done your job. Are there too many folks and not enough seats? If so, that’s a blessing and not a problem at a free event. It’s a serious problem if you’ve sold more seats than your venue holds. Handle problems with as much grace as you can possibly muster and never let them see you sweat.
Every event is an opportunity to do market research (and thus gather convincing evidence) for the next year. Wouldn’t you like to do this for a living? It’s not unheard of for unpaid positions to become paid ones, especially if the event is a success. I’m personally keeping my fingers crossed.
Jon Jinright is a mixer and someone who knows the tricks and techniques of producing music in the music industry to make it sound best. Check out John Jinright's songs, yarns, videos and recipes about Music Production on his blog, ControlRoom- Mixin' It With Dr. J.
Are you looking for musical excitement, possibly a new career, and tremendous networking opportunities? Ever consider starting your own festival? 
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