More Than A Festival
At lot of times, we attend festivals to enjoy the music, the food, the shopping and the shenanigans with our friends. As entertainers though, we should be taking advantage of our time in the hosting city to mix business with pleasure. Many opportunities can be created to increase brand awareness, to capture moments for social media and to build upon our networks. After all, it costs to get there with airfare, hotel and festival ticket costs.
Here
are a few tips you can use to maximize your time and funds while attending the
festivals.
1. Attend
professional events such as a brunch, meet up or panel.
At most major festivals, conversations are being held to discuss upcoming trends by industry professionals. This is a great way to build your community with others in the room. When the moderator surveys the room to see who is in attendance, pay attention to those with whom you may be able to partner with in the future. Have something in hand to present to your new connect, that will allow them to remember you later. Remember, they will come into contact with several people as well.
Ask a question! Announce your name and website and/or social media handle, as part of your introduction. This is a great way to introduce yourself to ALL of the people in attendance; while gaining valuable information. You may find that other attendees that have the same issue or possess knowledge on that subject, will connect with you after the panel.
2. Pop-Up Shops are a great way to build and
nurture relationships.
Visit the pop-up shops of your favorite products and services to introduce yourself to the founder, marketing reps, and/or media covering the event. Pick a time when foot traffic will be minimal. Keep your introductions brief, but let the representative know you would like to follow up with them after the festival. Develop the conversation organically. Who knows, it could lead to a future endorsement, sponsorship or influencer deal.
Create your own pop-up shop. Sell merch or partner with others to sell merchandise at their local store. Come up with a custom design strictly for the festival to commemorate the event. Keep your price point affordable to those attending – remember they also had to pay for airfare, hotel, and tickets.
3. Document the festival in pictures.
This is a great time to do vlogs, Snap Chat, Instagram
Stories/IGTV, recaps, etc. Use the colors of the city as your background. Take
B roll or pictures for future videos and blog posts. If you have already
developed your editorial calendar for the year, think about capturing content
that you would not ordinarily get in your home town. With the beautiful
landscapes, backdrops, and amazing performances, you’ll have plenty of material
to posts. From fashion, food, performance reviews, and behind the scenes
experiences, there are plenty of moments that can be documented to make it more
than just a festival.
4. In town a few days early, schedule
interviews.
If you have a YouTube channel or blog, schedule interviews in advance and meet up at the festival. Do on the spot interviews with local artists or professionals in your field. Take advantage of down time to capture blurbs from those attending the festival. Have coffee with local reporters in the area, to acquaint yourself with them and to gain a perspective on the entertainment scene in their town. If you are a performer, make the host city another stop on your promotional tour. Connect with any and everyone who can help you promote your music.
5. Create your own opportunities to be heard.
It’s a music festival! Create your own opportunities in and around town to get your music heard. Host a listening session at the hotel, local record store, colleges in the area or at a small meeting space. Do open mics. Partner with performers who have stage time scheduled and see how you can be a part of it. In some instances, you may have to pay for time slots on stage. But depending on the audience, it might be worth the pay. Find out in advance about local busking permits and obtain one in advance to showcase your music. It may seem a little extreme, but the goal is to expose your music in as many markets as possible.
6. Promote Local Businesses in Your Hometown for a Fee
If you know you will be hitting up several festivals this year, design a promotions package for local businesses in your local area for you to promote them in the different cities you will be visiting. You could hand out flyers, free products or use your transportation as a moving billboard. It’s a great way for you to get food and gas money; and may even be a way for you to fund your whole trip.
Enjoyed these tips on how you can maximize your festival experience? Leave a comment below and let us know which one you’ll be using.