Guidebook last version by Asociación Andalucía en Obra Social

This project has been funded with support of the European Commission. The sole responsibility of this public on lies with the author. The European Union is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein. Project Code 2012-1-TR1-LEO04-35473. 2

Definition of festival in English Festival: Pronunciation: /ˈfɛstɪv(ə)l/ noun 1. 2.

a day or period of celebration, typically for religious reasons: traditional Jewish festivals an organized series of concerts, plays, or films, typically one held annually in the same place:a major international festival of song

Reference http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/festival This Guidebook is based on the best practices learnt by all the partners through the arrangement of festivals at local level and through the exchange of practical results and the sharing of experiences through the transnational meetings. Thanks to face-to-face discussions and the exchange of experiences, good practices, skills and knowledge, the transnational meetings enabled the partners to identify and to set up those basic standards that form the backbone of this Guidebook.

Contents: Introduction....…………………………………….

Chapter 1 - Concept and programming of a Festival..…................................................................ 8 Chapter 2 - Management of a Festival…………………………………………………..

Chapter 3 - Arrangement for arrivals……………………………………………..

Chapter 4 - Contact with Participants and Confirmation……………………………………….

Chapter 5 - Preparing / Finding / Managing the budget and sponsorship……………………………. 39 Chapter 6 - Promotion and Dissemination Activities of a Festival……………………………..

Glossary…………………………………………… 51 Info about partners……………………………….

The summary of the project - Festival Entrepreneurship for VET…………………………. 67

Introduction When asked to define a festival, we could say simply, that it is an organised celebration that may include one or more activities such as music, food, film, theatre and dance. Festivals can vary in duration and size from a few hours to several days and are generally staged by community organisations, private enterprise or a combination of both. One of the main functions of this handbook is to provide guidance to both inexperienced and experienced festival organisers to help avoid or overcome some of the common problems that may arise when organising a festival. This handbook will provide practical advice and guidance and will identify the essential partnerships and steps related to planning and implementing a successful event. The main themes covered in the handbook are:      

concept and programming of a festival; management of a festival; regulations for arrivals, accommodation, catering and entertainment; contact with participants and confirmation, technical arrangements and precautions; sponsorship and preparing/managing the festival budget, promotion, publicity and dissemination activities of a festival. 6

Planning and hosting festivals can often be challenging but can also be very satisfying and rewarding for both the organisers and the audience. This step-bystep guide will hopefully provide enough help to take the fear of the unknown out of the process of organising a festival, but still leave room for you to be creative and innovative in any future festivals you intend to do.

CHAPTER 1 Concept and programming of a Festival When starting to plan a festival, the first step is to define a simple, structured concept and ensure the involvement and commitment of all participants. What is very important for the festival and its programming is the definition of a clear concept that offers a pragmatic approach to guarantee a structured, effective & successful event. The planning of a festival should ideally be focused on the main and core conceptual elements illustrated below:

Sponsorship Target Group

General Purpose

Geography

Resources

CONCEPT

Time Available

Constrains

Planned Activities

Local Needs

The planning of an event first of all entails identifying the elements that will allow us manage it properly later on. A number of essential steps, such as preparing a detailed action plan and a precise time schedule, are required to plan an event; these will also be used to monitor the progress made and if necessary, to modify strategies and objectives on an on-going basis where necessary. General Purpose For planning a festival it may be necessary to consider the following influences: • • •

• • • • •

type of celebration making profit for organisations, for charity etc. promotion of organisations, hosting events, cultural awareness, education, political aspects, equality and diversity, religious aspects; providing entertainment; attract tourists/community; formal, informal and non-formal learning process, 8 key competences, environmental impacts.

Target group To optimise the arrangement of a festival it is crucial to consider who you are aiming at: students, family, age group, etc. Sponsorship When starting to look for sponsorship itâ&#x20AC;&#x;s necessary to: -

inform the potential sponsors about the concept of the festival, simply and clearly. take into consideration the needs and interests of the potential sponsors.

Geography (Location) It is necessary to consider where the event will be held, the physical constraints such as space available, general sites, weather, transport links. You should make sure that parking is organised and traffic flow is good. If this is poorly organised, this can give a very negative impression of the festival. Planned Activities Since the beginning, itâ&#x20AC;&#x;s necessary to clearly plan which type of activities you are going to offer e.g. music, dance, workshops, sports, education, practical activities etc.

Time Available The organiser shall need to take into account the duration of the event, (depending on the available resources) and how much time is available for the planning and organisation. To avoid or to limit the mistakes it is necessary to plan well ahead and have enough time. In general, to organise an event, the organiser may need up to 11 months if it is a very large festival. In general five months, at least is usually needed for a significant event. Before starting the progress it‟s very important to check if there are other possible events that may coincide with the proposed provisional date of your organised event. Local Needs It‟s necessary to consider the context in which one intends to organise a festival and the related needs, constrains, obstacles. It‟s very important to be aware of the requirements of the area where the event will be held. For example: local government‟s priorities, cultural identity of the area, socio-economic aspects etc. Constraints The main one‟s being: security, finance, local laws and regulation, logistics.

Resources The available budget, human resources (paid and/ or unpaid workers), technical resources, equipment, expertises shall be taken into account. To help ensure a good event First of all, itâ&#x20AC;&#x;s very important to have a good and fluent communication between the other organisers. All the staff members and other key players should be frequently informed about the progress of the organisation by the organiser(s) who are responsible(s) of each step. In this sense the involvement of performers, staff, local authorities and other key players is essential. It is also particularly important to actively encourage the involvement of volunteers. Involving volunteers early into the planning of the festival will help foster more motivated and pro-active staff and help them feel more valued. Incentives such as training, work experience and free refreshments will also help with the recruitment of volunteers.

In the figure below illustratesd the basic elements to be taken into account to make a good event

Marketing, Posters, Elvers

Sound Tech Lights SINGER

Owner of the location: -Stage

Our role: make artists be welcome Security Guard

Entrance Fee

Master of ceremony

Responsible for the organisation of the event

INFO: Communication - to make a goof event we need to inform, everyone must know what's happen

Moreover, itâ&#x20AC;&#x;s very important to disseminate the event to reach a lot of people, or the target group. Finally, soon after finishing a festival, it is good practice to evaluate the festival to identify good practice and areas of improvement for the next event. 13

CHAPTER 2 Management of a Festival

Roles and Responsibilities

Stage Management

Administration

MANAGEMENT

Staff

Security

Management Health and safety Health and safety needs to be a clear priority in the planning stage, as it is not only a legal requirement, but also will help to reduce the potential risks and hazards at an early stage. The event organising committee needs to examine the potential risks and hazards involved through a risk assessment for the event. A risk assessment asks basic questions such as “What could happen?” or “What if?”, “what measures do we need to put in to ensure that hazards and risk are reduced?”. The answers to these basic questions may for example determine whether police, private, uniformed security or peer security is required or a different technical set-up is needed. It may even determine whether the event is viable or not. As a festival organiser you have responsibility for the health and safety of staff and volunteers as well as for the general public who attend the festival events. This will ensure the continuation of the festival and the safety and protection of the people involved and the surrounding environment. Insurance You should also make sure that you have the relevant insurances in place – not only Public Liability (in case of the guests gets injured) but also employers liability insurance (even if the only people working there are volunteers) as well as insurance in case any of the technical equipment gets lost, stolen or damaged. 15

Stageplot A drawing/diagram of the stage sent by the artist, technical info/organisation of items on the stage, space needed for the performance and technical equipment should be provided. Artist rider The artist rider details such requests as: specifications on stage design, sound systems, lighting as well as the artist(s) wish list, ranging from travel & billing to dressing room/refreshment requirements. Technical equipment Make sure that you keep in frequent communication with all of the contractors and content providers (speakers, venue managers, bands etc). You also should make sure that all of the equipment you are using has been checked properly. Artist liaison The artist liaison has the role of ensuring the festival runs smoothly and that artists enjoy a well organised, stress free festival. He/she is the kep person acting as the interface between the organiser and the artist.

Contract between organiser(s)

the

participants

and

the

During the set-up and operation of the event it is critical to make sure that all of the technical contractors, artists and other external agencies are working to the specifications stipulated in their signed contracts and your own risk assessment guidelines. Always be aware that you have overall responsibility for the health and safety of every aspect of the festival and it is necessary for everybody to comply with their contractual obligations.

First contact with the artists/participants It should be a short description about the festival and the organisers. Usually through invitation letters or emails/ telephone calls. Map/guidebook/brochure about the festival area It is very important to inform all the participants about everything that is going to happen in the festival and where and how to get there. A clear map of the event is essential for event planning and management. The site plan can be also be distributed for setting up the event and is also invaluable for emergency services that may be used while the event is operating.

Distribution of tasks You should make sure that everyone knows clearly what they have to do, otherwise there will be a confusion. Clear, simple communication is essential. The schedule of the festival One of the best ways to promote a festival is to create a special web page dedicated to the festival. You can also include information on accommodation, ticket prices and location. Application form for the volunteer groups about their shows/needs You need to know the competences of each volunteer to use them effectively. This can be done through the application process. Transportation facilities You should provide all the information possible about how to reach the festival e.g. types of transport available, prices, timetables, duration of the trip etc. This will help the spectators plan their journey more easily. Stage management (performance) The stage manager is in charge of everything that may impact on the functioning of the stage, the performances that take place there and the backstage environment. They are the direct festival liaison between performers and all the concerns performers may have 18

with regards to the staging of their performance. They organise performersâ&#x20AC;&#x; technical requirements into a coherent system and they help coordinate the running order of artists on stage.

CHAPTER 3 Arrangement for arrival of artists/special guests Arrival by public transportation, airline or other If guests arrive via public transportation, through an airline or similar, there might be a need to arrange a pick-up to take them to the festival area. It is always good practice to have a driver or assistant to hold a sign with the festival logo and/or the name of the guest to assure the two parties find each other on the pick-up location. It is always useful to communicate with guests prior to their departure for the festival so that they know what to look for and expect. Make sure the driver has good knowledge of the route between the pick-up point and the festival area. They should preferably know of alternative routes in case of traffic jams. A pick-up coordinator should monitor information on traffic jams, changes in the schedules of connecting transport and communicate this information to the drivers. Extreme delays can cause disruption to the entire pick-up schedule and the coordinator is then tasked with reorganizing the schedule so that the festival schedule and guests are not affected. 20

Arrival by private transport Some guests will arrive using their own transport. Make sure they know the way, for example send them a map with directions before they depart for the festival and provide them with contact information in case they need further assistance or encounter problems on the way. Coordinate a friendly welcome upon their arrival and provide someone to help them to their accommodation and introduce them to the festival area. Arrival at the festival area The first thing when guests arrive is to direct them to their accommodation. If they have travelled far, make sure you are able to offer them refreshments. Provide the guests with a map covering the festival area in relation to their accommodation and where to find necessities such as canteen or lounge, facilities, pharmacy (or alternative basic medicine supply on location), internet (if applicable) and relevant members of staff involved with their performance. Festival audience The festival audience should be directed into the festival under safe and controlled circumstances making sure that crowds are prevented from running or behaviour that can cause chaos or panic. The audience should be made aware of where to find toilets, security and exits. Also provide the audience with maps over the festival area that clearly shows where to find essentails 21

such as camping area or other available accommodation, facilities, catering, toilets etc. Participating guests The arrival of participating artists/guests of the festival is a good opportunity to make positive and lasting first impressions. Commonly, guests will arrive on different days and times, by different means of transportation and with varying needs that need to be seen to during the process of their arrival. A guest manager and pick-up coordinator can work together to assure nothing is forgotten. Arrangement for accommodation Festival audience For festival audiences camping at the festival area, it's important to have the camping area clearly marked out and necessary facilities easily accessible on the festival grounds. It is also essential that this aspect is managed by designated people on-site. You may want to provide information of local acoomodation options (hotels, bed and bresakfast and hostels) to the audience. Participating guests The accommodation of participating guests should ideally, be preferably within walking distance of the festival area. Depending on the nature of the festival, participating guests might need accommodation separated and secluded from the festival audience. 22

Hotels and hostels If participating guests and members of staff are staying at hotels and hostels it is important to get several confirmations on all the bookings prior to arrival. Due to changing staff at the hotels and hostels, a booking might be missed or not properly make it into the booking system. Make one confirmation on all bookings before the festival starts and a second confirmation a day before the arrival of each guest or member of staff. Assist each participating guest upon check-in and keep a record of who stays in which room for faster and easier communication with the guests during the festival. Provide the hotel or hostel reception with contact information to the guest manager and other relevant members of the festival staff in case of emergency or if the guests have questions that the hotel or hostel staff are unable to answer. Other accommodation If the festival area is outside of regular infrastructure with no hotel or hostel within walking distance of the festival area, you might need to set up housing trailers, tents, camping wagons or similar to accommodate the participating guests. Make sure all guests have access to facilities with running water and

electricity. Also take care to make arrangements for their safety, privacy and the safety of their belongings. Catering Most commonly a local catering company is contracted for the duration of the festival. It is important to keep good communication with the catering company both prior to and during the festival. Health and safety regulations regarding catering vary between different countries and you need to look up what the laws and regulations are for the country and region of the festival. If applicable, do not forget to take notice of regulations regarding the serving of alcohol and licensing. Health and safety regulations should cover what responsibilities the owner of the catering company has towards the customers. Take note of what hours the catering company can serve and what time the kitchen opens and closes. As in any other instance, try to have responsibilities clearly distributed amongst members of staff. For example, who is responsible and will manage the situation of the kitchen suffers a power outage. If the kitchen suddenly has no running water, who will be responsible for regaining running water and when the kitchen then must be closed down, who deals with guests and festival audience that still need to eat. 24

Meal tickets To assure only members of staff and guests intended to be served by the festival's catering are served without charge, it can be helpful to implement a meal ticket system. Distribute meal tickets to members of staff and guests on a daily basis, one ticket per offered meal, as meal tickets are easily lost. Do not hand out more than a day's worth of meal tickets to a person at a time. Special dietary needs Ask members of staff and participating guests about allergies and special diets such as vegetarian, vegan, lactose or gluten-free meals before the start of the festival and inform the catering company of how many of each special dietary need will be dining every day. Double check with everyone and count on that some have failed to inform of their special dietary needs. Make arrangements for the most common special diets are provided for by the catering company. Check if any members of staff or participating guests are pregnant or diabetic and thus need extra attention paid to their eating schedule. Make extra effort to provide regular opportunities to eat for those individuals.

Some guests or members of staff will have especially tight schedules that occasionally won't allow them to visit the lounge or canteen area during its serving hours. Make sure these staff members and guests are aware of their limited schedule. A may be a good idea to employ a runner to fetch them meals/refreshments if desired.

Regulations for entertainment When planning a festival, it's important for festival audience, crew and the entertainment that things go as smoothly as possible. To assure this it is important that everyone knows their task. The text that follows explains standard crew, tasks and regulations for members of staff working on-stage at a festival. ď&#x201A;ˇ

Backline technician: Responsible for all electronic instrument amplification and drum-sets on stage. He/she should be also available during the performance to assist on stage, if any drums, amplifiers or instruments should break or fall.

ď&#x201A;ˇ

Lighting technician: Responsible for the lighteffects on stage.

ď&#x201A;ˇ

Sound technician: Responsible for the sound coming from the stage. 26



Microphone technician: Helps the soundtechnician to place the microphones and cables where they should be. He/she is also available during the performance on stage, if any microphone or cable should break so it can be replaced of fixed as fast as possible.



Monitor-technician: Responsible for the sound on stage. The sound that is directed towards the musicians.



Stage Manager: Responsible for the work on stage. This person is responsible for the people working on the stage (especially the stagehands), the artist (when they are performing) and the overall security on stage. This person must be on stage at all times during the performance.



Stagehand: Working on the stage, helping the stage-commander, backline-technician or microphone-man with various work on stage. This person does not necessarily need to be experienced in this kind of work. The most important thing is that it is a person you can trust, and can take orders.

All of these people need to be well prepared, preferably by reading the bands itineraries, stage plots and riders in good time before the gig. The backlinetechnician and stage-commander need to properly coordinate their work to be able to handle the stagehands and hand out their tasks. Sometimes there can be only 15 minutes between bands performing on the same stage so things need to be set up fast. Entertainment outside participating guests

festival

area

for

Some of the participating guests might want to use free time to do sightseeing or enjoy other forms of entertainment in the area, but outside of the festival. To assure the safety of these guests and make sure that they return in time relevant to their schedule, it may be advisable to offer a driver or assistant to help with the arrangements. If artisits/guests intend to venture away from the festival area on their own, it is necessary that you make sure that the festival manager has means of getting in contact with them and they have the contact information of the guest manager. This is also useful in case of emergencies or appointments appearing with short notice, such as interviews with media etc.

Safety and ICE-document Special requirements Some of the artists/guests might have special needs, such as a disibility or a need for an interpreter etc. The festival manager should be aware of all these needs before the start of the festival so that it is possible to make proper preparations to accommodate these needs. All members of staff in any way affected by these special needs should be informed and made aware of this information to help accommodate them. ICE-document The guest manager should prepare a document with useful information in case of various emergencies - an ICE (In Case of Emergency) document. The guest manager and guest assistants should carry this document with them at all times. The ICEdocument should cover the following. Health care accessible to the festival area, such as pharmacies, clinics, emergency ward, defibrillator, dental care. Include address, open hours, telephone numbers. If available in the region, include a health care advice number, available 24/7. Police. Emergency phone number and address, open hours and telephone numbers to the nearest police station. Include information on procedures to report loss of passport or other important identification. 29

Embassies, if the festival has international guests and/or members of staff. Include address, open hours, phone numbers and procedures to replace a lost passport. Airline companies, if guests or members of staff have arrived by airplane. Include customer service number, open hours and procedures to report lost luggage. Credit card companies, such as Mastercard, Visa, American Express and Diners Club. It could be useful to include contact information and procedures to report lost or stolen credit cards for the major companies. Contact information of available drivers â&#x20AC;&#x201C; should only to be contacted directly in case of emergency. All other transport should be arranged through the drivers' coordinator.

CHAPTER 4 Contact with Participants and Confirmation Contact through e-mail Communication through e-mail has great benefits when settling and deciding details as there are many things around the participants that will affect several people amongst the festival staff. When e-mailing participants, add the participants' e-mail addresses in the main address field and add address to all affected staff in the Carbon Copy (Cc) field. When replying e-mails, unless a participant has asked a personal question that needs to be treated differently, always â&#x20AC;&#x153;reply allâ&#x20AC;? so that all exchanges are shared with all affected parties. If any participant or members of staff need their address to remain hidden, use the Blind Carbon Copy (Bcc) field. This way only the sender and the hidden recipient will know of the address. While it is good that all relevant staff receives important information, do try to limit the amount of staff included in Cc. For example, if the festival has a manager that has main responsibility over transport, accommodation and food for the participants, then there is no need to include the catering chef, hotel staff and transport coordinator in the Cc field. The guest manager will take responsibility to forward only the information relevant to respective party. Festival managers however should always be included in Cc so they can get a full and complete view of all proceedings of the festival's preproduction. 31

Telephone contact and videoconferences Contact over phone is a preferable way to make a more personal impression prior to the festival, if there is a need for that, but important details are always good to have in writing. If you keep contact over phone or video conference, have pen and paper (or other means to take notes) at the ready in case important questions come up or any decisions are made. It is easy to forget a detail that in the end turns out to be very important. Contact during preproduction Contact with participants during the preproduction of the festival will most likely be conducted through e-mail or possibly also over phone or similar means. Contracts Contracts serve many purposes and have a very important role in assuring that both parties - festival managers and participants - are operating on the same level of understanding and agreement. The more you and the contracted person(s) empathise when agreeing the contract, the lesser the risk of conflict during the festival. Conflicts can be anything from general displeasure with arrangements to misunderstandings about transport. Don't be afraid to be detailed in the contract, this demonstrates good forward thinking. If you are unfamiliar with writing contracts it is advisable that you seek expert help or at the 32

very least ask for a second opinion on your existing contracts from someone with knowledge and experience before they are ratified. Contact during the festival During the festival most contact will most likely be done in person, but in case participants use free time out of the festival area, it is advisable to have a way of contacting them at all times. If they do not possess a mobile phone with service at the location, for example due to being out of their own country, it is advisable to advise them to purchase a (or provide if the budget allows) a prepaid Simcard or similar solution so that you can be in contact at any time. Participants might forget appointments, there might be interviews with press scheduled at the last minute or the participants might want to get in contact with the festival staff without having to chase them down. SMS or txt-services can be used to send participants reminders of upcoming appointments in their schedules, for example interviews with press, time and place of pick-up from hotel and similar. It is however preferable to also provide participants with printed daily schedules on the day before as they retreat to their accommodation.

Technical Arrangements and Precautions First of all, provide a friendly welcome to the artists and guests to your festival on arrival. Initially, you should give basic information about the festival (this could be sent before hand), approximately how many visitors are expected at the festival and how many visitors you can permit in front of the stage. Also brief the artist on any special theme or visions you might have as managers of the festivals as it could potentially be of interest to the artists and their performance. Schedule Make a schedule for the artist, including arrival time, set-up, sound-check, performance times, catering times and availability, and closing time. The address of the venue should always be provided. Papers can also easily be misplaced, therefore ensure that schedules are easily accessible and available on a daily basis to the relevant people which are up-dated. This also permits you to make changes to the schedule during the festival where necessary.

Technical rider from the organiser Make a list of all equipment and services you know you are able to provide the artists with. Here‟s an example:   

Drum set: Pearl VB825/C, base drum, floor tom, 2 hanging toms, hi-hat stand, 3 cymbal stand. 4 vocal microphones, SM58 + 4 stands Sound engineer etc.

Do not include equipment or services on the list that you have not properly confirmed will be at your disposal for the entire duration of the festival. This could possibly lead to problems with the artist(s) performance and unduly affect the quality of the entertainment.

Technical rider from the artist It is good practice to request a complete list from participants, covering all the equipment they will need, bring and use at the festival. It is important to ascertain this so that you as the organiser have time to brief and prepare the sound engineers and stage management regarding set-up and efficient use of equipment. If certain equipment is unusually bulky, this might also demand special preparations with transport and stage setup. Request that the artists send this list to you at least two weeks prior to the festival. This should be included as part of the contractual arrangements. It is always good practice to send artisits friendly, but insistent reminders if their list has not arrived once you reach the two week deadline. Stage plot A stage plot is a simple sketch/diagram that the artist makes to show you as an organizer their stage set up. It should also include requests for numbers of monitors and how many vocal microphones the artist needs. If anything is unclear, donâ&#x20AC;&#x;t hesitate to ask for clarifications in good time. Precautions Always follow the health and safety regulations in your country. Take note that safety regulations may differ and change depending on which country you are operating in and therefore may be subject to up-dates. 37

Even if you feel confident you know the local safety regulations, it is always advisable to double check.

CHAPTER 5 Preparing / Finding / Managing the budget and Sponsorship BUDGET

Finding Who + Where

Preparing and Spending Reduce & be Smart

Managing How toâ&#x20AC;Ś

SPONSORSHIP

Who ?

SPONSORSHIP

What ?

How ?

WHO ? IDENTIFY SUITABLE SPONSORS

Non - Profit Organizations Private Business

Local Goverment

Individuals

WHO

Regional Goverment

NGO's

Media Public Organizations (e.g Bank energy)

HOW ? HOW DO WE RECRUIT SPONSORS ?

Contract / Agreement Evidence of previous events (Establish credentials)

Promote + VE Image Being part of a team

Information Session (Potential Sponsors)

HOW Professional Presentation (Spokes Person, Sponsorship Team)

Clear Idea of Event (e.g. Concept, values, when, time, audience etc.)

Information Pack + Example of Publicity

WHAT ? TYPE OF SPONSORSHIP

Material + Equipment

Utilities (e.g. electricity)

Technical Support (Expertise + Guidence)

Economy

WHAT Transport

Publicity + Marketing

Venue/Space

Labour

Health & Safety (e.g. First Aid)

Awards/ Prizes

CHAPTER 6 Marketing, Promotion and Dissemination Activities of a Festival Marketing, promotion and dissemination of activities for a festival, requires careful thought and planning. It is advisable to have a nominated person or small team of people (with the right expertise), within the larger festival management team to be responsible and oversee this aspect of the festival. Before commencing, it is important that an operational plan and budget is agreed at the beginning of this process to help prevent excessive spending. This is one aspect of the festival that can easily go over budget if it is not planned and managed well. Marketing and promotion of the festival should start as early as possible so that materials and ideas can be thoroughly checked, resourced and standardised. It is also helpful that the target audience has the information about the festival in good time too, to help organise their own situation and to further spread the word amongst family and friends. It is important to also involve key partners at this stage e.g. sponsors, to ensure that the promotional strategy and materials are mutually acceptable to everybody involved.

Promotion and dissemination of the festival activities Choosing the appropriate title/concept for your festival One of the most challenging aspects for any festival is choosing the right title. The title is the festival brand and should effectively convey the idea and concept of the festival. Ideally it should be short and simple, memorable and easily recognisable. Attention also needs to be paid to the type of lettering, imagery and colour scheme used for presentation, so that it is eye catching and attractive. Once this is agreed, the branding needs to be standardised on all promotional activities. Preparing publicity materials Good publicity and marketing is one of the major cornerstones to any festival and most often events can succeed or fail on the strength of how well it is publicised. Organisers need to invest as much time, energy and resources available to create the best quality publicity materials to appeal to their target audience. Publicity material can range from printed posters, leaflets, brochures and flyers to e-posters on the internet and social media sites. For large festivals, audio and visual material may be needed if you decide to commission commercials on radio and TV.

What to include for publicity materials The brand name (the standardised version), the location, the start/finish time, who is appearing, and contact information for the event (e.g. a web address, email address/a telephone number/ a postal address), names of sponsors (if relevant), the cost and any concessions and how to purchase tickets (if the festival is not free). For printed and electronic materials, type and images should be of the best quality possible. Standards should be set for print quality, such as the quality of the image resolution, type of font, font size etc. The lettering and explanation of the festival should be concise, clear and eye catching. You should avoid long sentences on posters, leaflets and websites and try to keep to simple vocabulary. For e-materials, you may wish to add hyperlinks to other sites. To give a good impression, it is important that the links are kept active and any â&#x20AC;&#x17E;dead linksâ&#x20AC;&#x; are removed as soon as possible. Therefore somebody from your team should be tasked with the regular maintenance of the website. All materials should be proof read thoroughly. If you are using images that are not your own, it may be necessary to ensure that you are not breaking any copyright law. Therefore, you will need to seek permission to use images which are not generated by the festival team. 47

It is sometimes useful to include a site map on your materials for people unfamiliar with the area. If the intention is to publicise the festival internationally, the publicity materials may have to be accurately translated into other languages depending on your target audience. Dissemination - reaching your audience Starting this process early and continually keeping up the publicity of the festival in the public domain, is one of the keys to a well- attended event. Assembling and effectively managing a publicity team is another key factor. Publicising a festival can be very labour intensive and often involves visiting many places and people during unsociable hours, particularly within the two week period leading up to the festival. Here are a few ideas that you could consider. ď&#x201A;ˇ

Draw up a contact list from your existing contacts both professional and personal. Contact can be made to the people on your list using e-mail, telephone, or by post. You could further ask your contacts if they would be willing to also communicate basic promotional information about the planned festival.

ď&#x201A;ˇ

Prepare leaflets/flyers for the promotion of your festival and put them on notice boards, shop windows and hand or leave them out in specific public areas where you may expect to 48

see a large number of people. It is often good practice to use flyers intensively the day before and on the day of the event to help remind people of the festival and capture anyone who is still not aware of the festival. 

Depending on your target audience, you may be able to advertise your festival in local schools, colleges, universities, public buildings (town hall) and community centres.



Promote the festival through other events such as meetings, concerts, other festivals, public gatherings, etc.



You can prepare a website or use social media sites, e.g. Facebook page /twitter page for your festival promotion. It is essential that this form of publicity is constantly up-dated when necessary.



Launch event – invite key people to a launch party or dinner to help publicise the festival. The people invited could in-turn promote the festival through their own contacts.

Using local media (or national media if the festival is large enough). Media can include newsletter notices, radio advertising, television advertising (however, this is expensive and requires a substantial budget), the internet, newspapers and magazines. Advertising in local newspapers can be very effective but 49

can also be expensive too. This form of advertising tends to be more effective nearer the time of the festival. Final Thoughts Any festival whether it is large in size, small in size, involves music, food, dance or a variety of activities, needs common set of key elements to have a chance of success. The key elements to a successful festival can be condensed into the following: develop a good concept with the right attractions, plan, organise & communicate meticulously, have a competent, hard working and wellmotivated team, select the right venue, publicise the event well, obtain enough finance to realise your concept and manage your finances prudently. The most successful festivals usually have these key elements. However, even the best run festivals are never perfect and there are often lessons to be learned. If you are new to organising and running festivals or even if you have organised festivals before, through experience you can always improve on each festival you run. This guide is based on actual experience of festivals. Hopefully it will help you avoid some of the common difficulties that can arise and enable you to reflect and consider what is needed to organise a festival to make the whole experience less daunting and more enjoyable for everybody.

GLOSSARY Access: To make sure everything goes smoothly and prevent accidents or theft on a festival, all personal and visitors should be issued with a braclet or cards with different colors or letters to show the security personel where they can access. For example, a "triple A-pass" means Access All Areas. If you are given this level of access, you have unlimited access to all parts of the festival. Accreditation: Accreditation is the process in which journalists and others from the media should be given access to events where participants and access is restricted. Artist contract: During a festival, it is not uncommon that there can be differences between the organiser and artist on the festival day. To prevent this, itÂ´s best to have an artist contract, where all the terms and conditions between the artist and festival organiser are written down and agreed upon. Artist host/liaison: The person responsible for the artists off stage. This person should be able to answer any questions the artists might have, or at least put them in touch with the person they should talk to. Backline technician: This person in responsible for all the electronic instrument amplification and drumsets on stage. 51

Backstage: Backstage is an area on the festival where the artist or performers can prepare themselves and relax before a concert or gig. Crowd management: Crowd management refers to communication to the crowd and relates also to the subsequent safe control of the crowd. It usually uses vocal or other signals to persuade a crowd to follow necessary instructions for health and safety reasons. Crowd control: Crowd control is the next stage on from crowd management to prevent the outbreak of any disorder using physical barriers or reasonable force. Decibel: A logarithmic unit of measurement that measures noise pressure and is directly related to the volume level of the sound. It is used to indicate the volume of sound coming from the PA system and backline amplification. Ditch: Refers to the area of separation between the stage and the crowd. Ditch personel: Refers to the people working in the ditch. This can be for example people working in security or commissioned photographers or external photographers given permission by the festival organisers. Festival map: A map of the festival area so the visitors easily can find their way around the area. 52

Front of house: The place where the sound and lighttechnician is situated. Often a place in the middle of the crowd, in front of the stage. Lighting technician(s): The person(s) responsible for the light-effects on stage. Operations Manager: The person in charge of the festival area. This person decides where different stages, backstage, marketplaces, restaurant and other things should be located. Rider: often included as part of the artist contract. A rider is a document that the artist sends to the festival to inform the people responsible what the artist needs on and off stage to perform. This can involve everything from the correct drumset on stage, to special kinds of drinks backstage. The rider usually includes a map of how the musicians want their instruments setup. Security Manager: This person is responsible for coordinating security throughout the festival. Sound monitor technician: This person is responsible for the sound on stage. The sound that is directed towards the musicians. Sound technician (s): This person(s) responsible for the sound coming from the stage. Stage Manager: The person responsible for the work on stage. This person is responsible for the people working 53

on the stage, the artist when they are performing and the overall security on stage. This person must be on stage at all times. Stagehand: A person working on the stage, assisting the Stage Manager and backline technicians with various work on stage.

INFO ABOUT PARTNERS Darıca İlçe Milli Eğitim Müdürlüğü Our institution is an umbrella organization. It leads and controls every education activity in Darica which is a multi-cultured area. There is one manager, three assistant managers and twenty five officers who serve in twenty one units such as Research and Development, Assignment, Personnel etc. It has twenty four primary schools, nine high schools, sixteen private education institutions, a kindergarten and a public education centre under its authority. Our institution is located in Darica which attracts attention with its natural beauty and developing industry. Every year hundreds of people migrate here to look for work by moving away from social problems in their hometown. These immigrants are from different regions of Turkey and they have diverse cultural and familial values, traditions, life styles and even languages. The immigrant families that live according to their cultural rituals have difficulty in getting accustomed to city life and other cultures so they are exposed to social exclusion. The mission of our institution is to support and accelerate social, economical and cultural development in national unity and solidarity to; raise active and exclusive citizens to catch contemporary civilization; to implement the laws and other legislations towards the aims and objectives of Turkish National Education System; to improve the 55

contentment of its employees and institutions by following the innovations in education and by carrying out the education system effectively. To reach its mission, our institution pays great attention to every educational issue and institution as well as organizing local and international projects/activities which not only improve and stimulate education but also find solutions for the social problems of our public and meet their needs. A unit has been founded within our institution which organizes activities to cope with socio-cultural problems of our citizens who are mostly immigrants and to stimulate educational activities and to improve entrepreneurial skills of the target group.

Dienst Beroepsopleiding – vzw EPON DBO is a part of the Flemish Department for Education and Training in Belgium. Our aim is to develop innovative approaches and policies for VET in Flanders. We want to create a maximum of opportunities for students and course participants of vocational training. DBO is a member of the Flemish interdepartmental Work Group for the Entrepreneurial Education Action Plan to promote entrepreneurship education in schools on all levels. Through various (EU) projects DBO wants to promote entrepreneurship among young people in schools. DBO organizes a business plan competition in upper secondary education and a school competition with the trophy „schoolteam with the best entrepreneurial competences‟. DBO supports teachers 56

involved in entrepreneurial education by offering them teaching and course material, ICT-tools, e-learning and ecommunication platforms, … DBO contributes in the professional development of school teachers on entrepreneurship by organizing practical exchanges in enterprises, workshops, guest lectures and discussion groups. Every year DBO hosts two study visits to Flanders on entrepreneurship education within the framework of CEDEFOP.

Institut für Projektbegleitung und Kompetenzentwicklung -prokompetenz- e.V. Pro-kompetenz, founded in 2003, registered association, recognized as “Friendly Society” Objectives: Design education for promoting, developing and using human potentials in a more holistic and sustainable way. Support education providing input from many years of practise and applied research. Specific areas of expertise:  

Develop innovative pedagogical concepts and learning environments Implement innovative learning settings, pedagogical-didactical approaches for learning with digital media 57

ď&#x201A;ˇ

Formative evaluation, provide input to project implementation and product development, Quality Assurance Thematic areas: AE and VET, innovation and knowledge management, HRM, learning for social integration

Pro-kompetenz staff has coordinated or been involved in more than 40 EU projects. Therefore, the involved staff is experienced in project implementation and financial management of projects. Financial monitoring is guaranteed by continuous external monitoring from an external, independent accountancy and tax office. In national projects, promoted by the German Federal Ministry of Research and Education, prokompetenz has provided guidance and input in order to develop and to test new learning approaches. From projects related to social issues and activities, related to activities in social centres - City Community Centres, and social organisations as well as city administration, we have links to widespread the information and to involve learners besides our own staff in the project.

Centro Machiavelli Scuola Lingua e Cultura Italiana

Centro Machiavelli is an Italian Language School and VET Agency in Florence, founded in 1978, member of TANDEM NETWORK, an International Association of Language Schools Network since 1988, officially recognised from the Ministry of Education since 2003, certified by ISO9001:2000 certification of quality since 2005, recognised as a consultancy and training organisation for Lifelong Learning accredited by the Tuscany Region since 2008. Centro Machiavelli operates also within EU programmes and in training activities such as mobility, study visits, multilateral projects within the EU LLP Programme (Comenius, L. Da Vinci, Grundtvig, Transversal Programme, etc.) with partners from Germany, France, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Ireland, Romania. From Oct. 2009 to March 2011 Centro Machiavelli has been Coordinator of the COMENIUS Multilateral project "ELLVIS - English Language Learning programme for Visually Impaired Students". The results of ELLVIS project are a viable alternative solution to the "book and tape" methodology. This multimedia language course is aimed at those who are unable to use these technical aids, who need further assistance and prompting through a system that supplies 59

other than audio-based feedback, namely by the 'forcefeedback' reaction that the joystick offers. Starting from Dec. 2009 Centro Machiavelli is also partner of the project VET4VIP, Vocational English Teaching for Visually Impaired People - LLP TRANSVERSAL PROGRAMME KA2 Languages, which will finish at the end of May 2012. The Vet4Vip project implementing a set of tools for language teachers on how to integrate blind and visually impaired learners into their language classes. The project wants to encounter this problem with a combined package of: 1. Train the trainers course for language teachers on how to deal with vip and how to use and create teaching materials for this target group. The tools are tested by: ď&#x201A;ˇ ď&#x201A;ˇ

Test seminars on national level Test seminars evaluation

2.Adaptable computer-based training modules for English designed for blind and visually impaired adult learners. To achieve these goals, the partnership consists of adult training institutions, language schools and schools for the blind from Germany, Italy, Ireland, Netherlands, United Kingdom.

Arte-Via Cooperativa Editorial, CRL

ArtĂstica

Arte-Via Cooperative, in LousĂŁ, district of Coimbra (Portugal) is a regional, cultural non profit association, whose members work as volunteers, founded in 1999, that has a senior university promoting classes for elder people and migrants namely painting, yoga, and English, Italien and spanish languages. The cooperative is organising events such as readers communities, international seminars, writing contests, art exhibitions and multimedia performances. The Arte-Via Cooperative is an institution without lucrative purposes that develops its action in a local, regional and national level. Its context is inserted in a social, economical and gender inequality. Therefore, we try to fill in some necessities with an informal formation program according to the basilar European principles of apprenticeship throughout life. Until now, our activity has always had the support, either from the population, or from public or private institutions, local and regional. Since 1999, when Arte-Via was founded, we gave a major contribute to the cultural development, in a large sense of the region where we are integrated. The fundamental basis of the work conception of Arte-Via Cooperative, as voluntary body, is the involvement of all the learners and trainees that develop their activity in the project area, in this case, arts. So, 61

from the phase of conception to the dissemination phase, all them are going to be actively involved, participating with their ideas, conceptions and ways of implementing and developing good practices. Arte-Via will also cooperate and interact with others local and regional institutions working in the same field. Arte â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Via Cooperativa ArtĂstica e Editorial, CRL is working in the art field and our main objective is organizing activities and events related with the project method and according to the purpose of the partnership and the Arte-Via annual plan, mainly the development and improvement of the skills of our artists. From the beginning of its foundation, Arte-Via uses in a practical way the results of the several and different projects to benefit the adult learners and professionals, so that they feel that their work has contributed to ameliorate the quality of their skills and in general, of their lives. So, the results will be artistic works that can be read, seen and heard, and at last, experienced. We also use all media to disseminate the results and also internet, especially our site.

StudiefrĂ¤mjandet Studieframjandet is a non-profit adult education organisation operating in the central part of Sweden. Further it is a none government organisation, partly financed by the National Government and Municipalities. 62

Studiefrämjandet works primarily with nonformal adult education, the main focus of our work in areas connected to our 18 member organisations. Among these organisations are the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (SNF), the National Federation of Swedish 4H, the Swedish Hunters‟ Association, the Swedish Tourist Club (STF), and MoKS – an umbrella organisation for music and culture associations. Additionally, we also co-operate with numerous other non-governmental organisations (so called NGO‟s). Studiefrämjandets role in the project will mainly be to:   

document the workshops design the logo of the project prepare the DVDs containing the data and materials produced throughout the project.

Studiefrämjandet has several projects which mainly aim to create new and better condotions for participants in the risk of social exclusion.

Lancaster College

and

Morecambe

Lancaster and Morecambe College (LMC) is a public sector college of Further Education and the main provider of Vocational Education and Training (VET) in North Lancashire and South Cumbria in the North West of England. LMC is situated between the city of 63

Lancaster and the seaside town of Morecambe and serves the local area and the outlying rural communities. It currently has around 1800 full-time students & 3000 part-time students. Its main role is to provide training in vocational skills leading to employment and/or academic skills leading to a University place. LMC works collaboratively with local employers and agencies to provide the local economy with a skilled and motivated workforce leading to sustainable employment in a variety of sectors. LMCâ&#x20AC;&#x;s role in the local economy and community is reflected in their mission statement; â&#x20AC;&#x153;Providing Lancaster and Morecambe and surrounding communities with an outstanding student experience fullfilling vocational, personal and employment goalsâ&#x20AC;? LMC has a successful history of running events that serve the needs of local community and its own students. It is keen to further develop a strategic approach to holding these events that involves students, staff and local organisations to benefit the wider community. LMC has been part of many innovative international projects and initiatives in the LLP. LMC was the first VET College in the UK to be awarded the Leonardo da Vinci Certificate of Quality in Mobility and holds an International School Award for its Transnational work. 64

Asociación Andalucía En Obra Social We are a Spanish NGO in Granada, Andalusia. As the largest of the 17 autonomous communities of Spain, is the best to evoke the most emblematic images of a country famous for its flamenco shows and the pure passion. It is a land that has given rise yet has inspired great writers, poets, actors and painters. Andalucia gave birth to Pablo Picasso and Velázquez and fascinated novelists such as Ernest Hemingway and Washington Irving. It is the scene of one of the most performed and famous operas of all time, "Carmen" by Bizet. It is a unique place where East and West blend and coexist people of Christian origin, Gypsy, Arab and Jewish. Our NGO was founded in 2009 in Granada; one of the jewels of Spain and one of the most visited cities by tourists from around the world, the capital for a long time of the Arabs. Granada offers the most important memories of this time in Spanish history, with the world famous "Alhambra". We mainly there and in the village Herrera; which is situated in the south-east of the province of Seville and has a privileged geographical location as it is located in the center of Andalusia. Major cities (Seville, Granada, Cordoba and Malaga) are less than an hour away. Our main objectives are: education and non-formal and informal education, promoting social inclusion and employment of excluded social groups by origin, ethnicity, culture or religion, to support any person or group of people in need, promote cooperation and cultural exchange between the association and any other associations, governments, institutions and organizations. 65

To achieve this, the association organizes cultural activities for further development and dissemination of the culture of Andalusia, organizes all kinds of cultural and artistic events, including exhibitions, conferences, workshops, courses, concerts, travel, tours, festivals and competitions. Some of our activities are: development of projects that run the European Union guidelines, network work together with other institutions and agencies, both public and private, volunteer work, which is actively involved in the development and implementation of projects of the association, courses and workshops and guidance, integration actions of different groups in society, awareness-raising on gender and equality.

The Summary of The Project- Festival Entrepreneurship for VET Who:This partnership involved institutions providing vocational education, representatives of working life, non-profit organizations and bodies responsible for vocational education and training at a local level. The target group included the teachers, trainers and other staff of the institutions mentioned above who were interested in, or responsible for, organizing activities to improve the professional skills and competence of the participants. What&How: This project improved the quality and increase the volume of cooperation between institutions which were interested in organizing festivals and need a higher degree of professionalism. It was a recognized feature of the partners that working in collaboration with local employers and agencies could have benefits in the long term by creating sustainable employment opportunities to meet the demands of the labour market. In this project the competence and entrepreneurship of the target group were improved through active involvement of each partner in peer learning, team building activities and workshops. Besides, participants made observations and research good examples organised in partner countries. At the end of this project the participants prepared a guidebook about organizing festivals based on their work and experience gained in the project. 67

Moreover, an international festival was organized in the country of the coordinator and participants from each part of Europe were welcome to this festival. This partnership went beyond this project and its results and products were exploited. When&Where: This Project started in September 2012 and ended in July 2014. In two years' time there were flows to each partner to maintain the partnership and implement the project activities efficiently.

This book was written by the participants of FestEVET team under the framework of Lifelong Learning Programme â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Leonardo Da Vinci Project â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Festival Entrepreneurship for VET. In this book, you can find information about hoe to arrange a festival or event. It is designed for those participating in a festival organization. The tips in the book will help you in the process of organizing your festival.