For anyone interested in festivals, the last few months have been turbulent.
Some organisers have pushed forward with plans. Others had no choice but to hibernate until 2022.
Glastonbury was the first to go. The amount of work required to get a 200,000 person party setup requires absolutes. There is no room for uncertainty. Unfortunately, other events were quick to follow.
Boomtown cited a lack of government insurance which would cover costs in case it couldn’t go ahead. The list goes on.
Download gets the nod
All this doubt caused some deep grumblings in the music industry. No safety net for festivals combined with the emergence of the Delta variant spelt bad news.
Hope arrived in the form of a government announcement on the 28th of May. Download festival would be going ahead as a pilot scheme. Que delighted rock fans up and down the country.
The rock festival will run with a diminished capacity of 10,000. But, there would be no social distancing restrictions. Those who want to can dance and mosh without a care in the world.
Entry to Download would be, like all other pilot schemes, contingent on a negative covid result.
This test event will be used to assess the potential spread of the disease. A series of government sanctioned warehouse parties in Liverpool at the start of May brought only 15 cases. The hope is that that Download will deliver a similar result.
The implications for large events
How Download pans out could be decisive in what the government decides to do as far as big events are concerned. If there are minimal transmissions it will boost hopes for some serious fun this summer.
As organisers wait for various pieces of information, it could prove a tense few weeks.
Should everything go well with Download, festivals are in a great position to provide special memories to those who might struggle to remember their last proper party.
Providing a magical experience is reliant on so many things. The music, production and catering will of course take centre stage. But it’s important to remember the little touches that make the event run well. Turning negative experiences into positive ones and winning customers for years to come.
Digital solutions to analogue problems
Features like cash loaded wristbands and functioning apps can be a key part to the overall experience.
When utilised correctly, they can make festivals, which are by there nature chaotic, smooth and seamless.
There are of course times when this doesn’t work. Boomtown Fair had a technological meltdown at the gates in 2017 which shut down it’s digital ticketing system.
This contributed to queues lasting up to 9 hours with punters lacking access to water. Not exactly a slick process.
Needless to say this shows the need for systems across the board that help, rather than hinder any event.
Lost property processes at festivals need a digital facelift
Festivals present a unique type of problem when it comes to lost property. Tens of thousands of people in constant flux, generally indulging pretty heavily results in possessions being left, lost and scattered at a dizzying rate.
This means that on top of the other logistical challenges faced by the festival team, managing and logging lost property can prove burdensome.
With so many other responsibilities for staff to attend to, sorting and returning lost property should not be a priority.
As well as being time consuming for staff it can provide a painful experience for festival-goers. A dehydrated, hungover and exhausted reveller will feel even more put out by a drawn out process. Especially if it turns out to be a fruitless search.
As you might have guessed, we’re not just here to raise problems. We have a solution ready to go.
The best way to manage lost & found
Using NotLost’s tailor made lost property software, your staff can digitally log a missing pair of sunglasses in an instant.
As soon as the misplaced shades are handed in, a photo is taken and it is uploaded to our secure database along with any relevant information. Our image recognition software then creates a profile of that item.
Upon enquiry, you can direct customers to a self service portal. They enter the details of the sunnies and our matching tool scans all the items to find the right one.
When the specs are located, our lucky individual chooses from a list of return options. They select the one they want and that’s it. Job done.
The benefits
When you have an automated lost property system it creates an easy process for everyone. It can be boiled down into three main benefits.
1. Save time for your staff
Your team now doesn’t need to spend hours managing lost and found enquiries. They just log the item and support your customers when necessary. This means they have more time for the important things. Creating a fun, safe and memorable experience for the revellers.
2. Create a positive experience for the attendees
As we already touched on, an out of date process can leave revellers with a sour taste in their mouth. You’ve gone to all the trouble of putting on the party of the year, why ruin it with something so easily fixed? Even if the item isn’t found in the end, a good process means minimal time is wasted.
3. Improve sustainability
Festivals often come under fire for not being eco friendly. One way you can do your bit is by making sure that as many lost items as possible are returned to their rightful owners. This means less rubbish in the tip and less trips to the dump for your team.
Don’t just take our word for it. AEG implemented our software across their events with fantastic results.
“A slick, effective and customer focused solution that is now a core part of our festival operation”
AEG Director of Events, European Festivals
Our special offer
We really want to help make this festival season the best it can.
That’s why we’re offering a special ‘return to festivals’ deal for any enquires made with us before the end of June.
If you’d like to find out more, please, get in touch.