Festival season is nearly upon us.
While last year was thankfully able to go ahead, a few notable exceptions and some Covid related red tape left many feeling a bit cheated.
This means that 2022 is the first time in three years that a fully-fledged, restriction-free, all holds barred summer of love can happen. Naturally, we’re giddy at the prospect.
However, we’re not just going to be observers in all this. While the NotLost festival of misplaced possessions is some way off, we are present at a couple of key events.
Attendees of both British Summer Time and All Points East will be delighted to know that if and when they lose their phone, we’re going to be there to return it safely to their pocket / flowery bum bag.
All Points East
Spread over six dates in August, All Points East remains one of the UK’s premier day festivals. It’s now in its fourth year (not including 2020) and boasts a typically strong line-up of British and global talent.
Acts generally lean more towards electronic, indie and rock, with mind-bending visuals almost a given – especially on the main stage.
As with most festivals these days, music isn’t the only thing on the menu. Catering to your every need, a range of food stalls are available for the hungry and there are more bars than you can shake a stick at.
If an abundance of music, food and drink weren’t enough, there’s also a funfair with rides and games aka extra ways to spend money.
Dates / Lineup
19th of August: Gorrilaz, Idles, Greenteapeng, Femi Kuti
20th of August: The Chemical Brothers, Kraftwerk, Daniel Avery, Floating Points and more
25th of August: Tame Impala, FKJ, Caroline Polacheck
26th of August: The National, Fleet Foxes, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Kurt Vile and the Violators
27th of August: Disclosure, James Blake, Joy Orbison, Koffee
28th of August: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Michael Kiwanuka, Sleaford Mods
British Summertime
Getting ready for its first outing since 2019, British Summertime is back with a bang. It hosts some of the biggest names in music, ranging from contemporary artists to the ones you can’t believe are still going.
As always, it’s going to be held in Hyde Park, with such a venue an absolute necessity for its 65,000 attendees.
While the main event is across three weekends at the end of June / start of July, there is also a mid-week outing called Open House, which is completely free and offers a range of activities and entertainment.
Dates / Line-up
24th of June: Elton John with special guest
25th of June: Rolling Stones
26th of June: Eagles, Robert Plant, Alison Krauss, Little Big Town
1st & 2nd of July: Adele
3rd of July: Rolling Stones
8th of July: Pearl Jam, Pixies, Cat Power, White Reaper, The Murder Capital
9th of July: Pearl Jam, Stereophonics, Imelda May, The Last Internationale
10th of July: Duran Duran, Nile Rodges & Chic
Why lost property at festivals is so important for customers
It’s difficult to understate just how vital a cohesive lost property process is to any large-scale event.
When you finally set foot through the gates of a festival, it’s not hard to take leave of your senses. Chances are it’s been on the calendar for months, and might even be the jewel in your crown of summer activities.
While we’re delighted for you, it does lead to a certain level of wanton abandon. This, exacerbated by the traditionally destabilizing effects of alcohol, makes losing things all the easier.
Then, you have the constant moving around. From stopping at the bar every thirty minutes to charging around trying to find your favourite acts, you probably cover more ground at a festival than you do in weeks of pretending to go to the gym. Every place you visit represents another potential location to drop your phone, wallet or keys.
So, as you might imagine, lost property at festivals tends to pile up.
Lost property as part of the festival experience
If you’re running a festival, lost property needs to be thought about in relation to the overall experience. While it’s hardly your fault that people lose their stuff, the handling of it, is most certainly in your control.
When attendees return home, they’re weary, poor and hopefully for you, sad it’s all over. If they’ve managed to lose their phone in the process, that sting is likely to be felt that much more.
If you can provide an efficient service, and above all, give the impression you care, you’re far more likely to leave a guest feeling happy. Even if the item isn’t found, a process that doesn’t infuriate people will go a long way.
How a lost property process can save festival staff time
For large festivals especially, the job of sorting out lost property falls upon the staff. Now, if there’s a proper process in place, this isn’t too much of an issue.
However, this often isn’t the case. If the right tools aren’t there, registering items and handling enquiries becomes incredibly burdensome.
Each task needs to be dealt with manually, as staff spend valuable time writing descriptions of found possessions, taking calls, and searching through excel spreadsheets or piles of stuff.
Naturally, this is a terrible use of time for everyone involved. A digital solution can dramatically reduce this, giving everyone more time to improve the guest experience.
For reference, Leeds festival last year had 1,152 items handed in. A manual process meant it took them 10 mins to process each one, our platform brought that down to 30 seconds. That’s nearly 200 hours of saved time.
How lost property at festivals should work.
Using NotLost’s digital system, the entire process can be automated, with minimal staff input required. Here’s how it works.
- A staff member finds a lost phone, takes a picture and uploads it to the NotLost platform, along with any useful information
- Our image recognition software creates a profile for the phone and a corresponding found item ticket
- When our names and phoneless customer enquires, they are directed to a self-service form where they enter all the necessary details
- Our matching software connects found and missing items, which are validated by a staff member
- The no-phone customer gets an email with a range of return options and they select which one they want
Find out more
If you want to streamline your festivals lost property process, get in touch with us on +44(0)20 8037 3970 or drop us an email on Josh@notlost.com.