Festival Ticketing

Where do we start?

Remember that whole experience thing we talked about earlier? Well, it seems we’ve found another festival that knows what it’s all about. The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. Warning: This is not your typical music festival. There are actually hot air balloons involved, incase you couldn’t tell by the name.

Imagine 9 days, 750,00 people, and the equivalent of 54 football fields filled with hot air balloons. That’s exactly what you’ll see at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. But you won’t be a spectator at this event. Event attendees are allowed, invited actually, to roam throughout the festival grounds in the midst of the hot air balloons floating in the colorful New Mexico sky. Tempting, right?

Well, it gets better.

Now imagine everything I mentioned above VIP style. The festival offers attendees the opportunity to enjoy the sights of the Balloon Fiesta from the Gondola Club. Gondola Club = the best seat in the house. The Gondola Club also offers hot buffet meals, private bathrooms and parking area, and a shuttle service to Main Street.

Festival attendees even have the chance to have to have a first class ticket to… well, an unknown destination. That’s right, you can take a ride in a hot air balloon during the festival. Incredible view included. We can guarantee that for sure. Although, we would highly recommend making your reservation in advance. It’s probably in high demand.

Next up, the Dawn Patrol. I cannot wait to see this with my own eyes. The Dawn Patrol set flight while it’s dark out and don’t land until there is enough light to see their landing sight. The best part? These hot air balloons have lighting systems that essentially make their entire balloon glow. And that is exactly why I’m looking forward to witnessing the Dawn Patrol in action.

Although, I haven’t ever actually been to the Albuquerque International Fiesta, I hear the Special Shape Rodeo is yet another eye-catching event. The event is pretty self-explanatory. Hot air balloons that are shaped as different objects take flight. As the day turns to night, these same objects are featured on the grounds of the festival. This time though, they’re glowing. And there honestly couldn’t be a better name than the Special Shape Glowdeo.

And yes, there are fireworks.

Wouldn’t you say they have the whole experience thing down? Actually, I don’t think you can even argue. I know at least 750,000 people who agree.

All of this hot air balloon madness begins on October 2. We highly suggest making a bit of space in your schedule to attend. And bringing your camera.

www.balloonfiesta.com

Just like I mentioned in my last blog, it’s all about the experience. Period.

That is exactly where the Voodoo Experience fits into the picture. Experience is in its name. Literally. The Voodoo Experience is working to create this ultimate fan experience. Just like every festival should. Take a peek at their website. There is an entire section dedicated to the experience itself.

The festival does have headliners like Ozzy, Muse, Weezer, and Drake slated to play. But that’s only a miniscule portion of what you’ll actually experience at this place.

The Voodoo Experience does not just encompass a wide variety of musical talent. Artists ranging from Ozzy to Drake will be in attendance. Not an Ozzy fan? No worries, the Voodoo has got you covered.

Artists from around the globe will be displaying interactive pieces of art daily. The pieces will all be connected by a common theme, which has not yet been announced. Just imagine seeing these interactive exhibits under the New Orleans stars.

Oh and after you walk through the festival gates each night, the celebration continues. Voodoo 24/7. On Halloween. In New Orleans. Local and Voodoo artists will perform at venues in the French Quarter, Frenchman Street, Uptown, and the Warehouse District nightly. Be prepared to experience the vibrant spirit and culture of New Orleans. And bring your dancing shoes. You’ll need them.

It doesn’t stop there. Vooboo. Nope, that wasn’t an error on my part. Vooboo is an area on the festival grounds for kiddies ages 10 and under. The area will feature music, arts, crafts, and ketchup. Yes, ketchup. Hmmm.

Wondering what’s next? Save your pennies. The Voodoo Marketplace will feature arts and crafts from around the globe and unique to New Orleans. And of course, the drinks will be flowing and the food will be plentiful. Fill that piggy bank. This could be dangerous.

This unique combination is essentially added leverage for the dollars the fan spends on their ticket. It’s what keeps them coming back year after year. Because in all reality, they could catch Drake at their local concert venue rather than attending a festival. Creating this experience that extends well beyond the acts you see on the main stage should be the ultimate goal of every festival. And it’s exactly what the Voodoo Experience is doing. So take notes.

Buy Tickets here if you’re ready to experience the experience.

So maybe I’m on a bit of a social media kick this week, but I
cannot stress the importance of joining in the conversation. Because
there aren’t going to be any of those awkward silences anytime
soon. I promise.

The beauty of social media is that it is essentially a two-way
conversation between your festival or venue and the fans. There
isn’t a single other form of media in which a business or brand
and a consumer can communicate directly and instantaneously. It speaks
innovation like none other.

Not only are other forms of media one-way, they are also costly. As
you know, in order to place a 30-second radio ad, you’ll have to
dig pretty deep in those pockets. Social media is FREE. But remember
how some of the best things in life are free? That’s what I
thought.

So I was curious. Why ARE businesses and brands so hesitant? The two
main reasons I hear as to why businesses and brands do not have
participate in the social media conversation are because they do not
have the time and are also highly intimidated by the fact that social
media is in fact a two-way conversation. It isn’t that annoying
radio ad that gets little to no attention and no response from the
people that matter. It’s an actual conversation that the
consumer can participate actively in. But so can you. Not only is it a
conversation, it’s advertising.

Remember how I also mentioned that social media is conversational?
Don’t shout. Use your inside voices please. Create a character
or voice to use on each of your social media outlets. Make sure
it’s consistent. Be creative though. The content must be
relevant and interesting. Keep people chatting. With that being said,
do your part to respond the moment a customer asks a question,
compliments your festival or venue, or even voices a complaint.
Deleting is NOT the answer. Imagine you are face-to-face. You
can’t run and you definitely cannot hide. It will only hurt you
in the long run. If a customer voices a complaint, respond to them.
But also use it as an opportunity to re-shape their opinion. They want
to be heard.

What if there is one of those awkward silences where you’re
unsure of what to say? Create a social media campaign. Follow it and
tweak it as need be. The campaign can be a combination of promotions,
giveaways, news, and updates. Remember to be adding a twist of that
personality and voice that I spoke of earlier. Use this campaign to
get fans excited. Get them counting down the days until they walk
through those front gates again, until they’re eating another
fudgie wudgie.

But for now… blog, tweet, post, and poke away. You’ll be
impressed at how effective joining the conversation can actually be.

As I roamed the festival grounds in Eau Claire, WI, it was very obvious that the Incredible Machine Tour was in town. And I couldn’t have been more excited. Sugarland’s tour buses and equipment semis were neatly lined up in the backstage loading dock area. It had rained (hard) on the Thursday of the festival so the grounds were a bit muddy. The buses and semis were dirty from the good ol’ Wisconsin mud. No one cared about being a lil’ dirty though, it was Sugarland time! The Incredible Machine is not only the name of the duo’s tour, but also of one of their latest singles. As I sat in awe watching the show, I heard the first note of “The Incredible Machine.” It was then that my wheels started turning.

I began to think about how a festival is in fact an incredible machine. The people who make these things happen do not get nearly enough credit and admiration for the work they do. As soon as the curtain is pulled on the final act of the weekend, planning is already well underway for next year’s production. And a production it is. As a fan, it is sometimes easy to underestimate and take for granted the sweat, time, passion, hard work, and long hours it takes to make this so called incredible machine happen. After all, as a fan, it is your job to take a break from the hustle and bustle for the weekend.

But next time, sit back for a second and take a peek at all that’s going on around you. From the moment you step foot onto the festival grounds and have your ticket scanned – to the vendors who have traveled from miles around – to the runners who drive the artists and their crews to and from the airport – to the security guard who warns you to “settle down” with a tough grin on his face. This list is endless. Really. All of these people work together to create this incredible machine.

Without every part of the machine working together in sync, the machine is broken. The festival does not happen as it should. Or could, for that matter. On the other hand, when everyone does their part and works together, it creates an incredible machine; an extremely memorable experience for all.

So… Take time to appreciate the incredible machine. Because as a fan, you’re the most important part. For real.

During my 21 years on this Earth, I have attended my fair share of country music festivals. As in, I have probably been to every country music festival in Wisconsin and Minnesota at least once. Twice in most cases. It’s true, I have been going to these things since I was in middle school. I have grown up with them. Just as children of the 60’s are graced with the title of “hippie child”, I am 100% deserving of “festival child”. And I’m proud of it. In short, I’ve witnessed lots of (for lack of better word), interesting traditions that take place at these things. Perhaps the quirkiest tradition I have noticed (and taken part in) though is none other than the lawn chair line.

Just so you understand the full experience and not just the definition, I’ll give you a little peek into my favorite lawn chair line adventure. And an adventure, it was. You’re stumped, aren’t you? What in the world is a lawn chair line?

As “Closing Time” by Semisonic played over the festival sound system, there was a definite separation of the crowd. Some were stumbling their way to the beer tent while others were wandering aimlessly, lost souls hoping to bump into their campsite… eventually. These are the people who probably wouldn’t even know their own name if you asked. There were some who stampeded the gate; anxious to get back to their camper after a long day in the Wisconsin humidity. But none compared to those who were headed to the lawn chair line. These are the die-hard fans; the ones that will do anything to catch a drumstick or guitar pick or even a glimpse of a shiny tour bus. I was one of those for the night. I was headed to the lawn chair line. I wanted nothing more than to see Alan Jackson from row one. And by row one, I mean row one of the general admission lawn chair seating. Row one of the general admission seating at this particular festival was behind both the VIP and reserved seating, yet for some reason these seats are still treasured. I had saved all of my babysitting money to buy the ticket and I was determined to be as close as possible to Alan Jackson. These are the VIP seats of general admission seating, if that makes sense.

After sprinting back to our campsite to grab pillows, sleeping bags, a bottle of water, a snack, and our lawn chairs, of course, we rushed to the lawn chair line. Yes, Mother Nature would be tucking us into bed. Bed? Wait, we would be spending the night on the rock hard ground under the stars. I’m not sure that qualifies as a bed. By the time we arrived, there were at least 20 people in line. Those 20 people were considered our competition. We laid our sleeping bag on the damp ground and crawled in. The gates opened up at 11 am. That meant there were 12 torturous hours remaining.

As I drifted off into a light sleep, I heard footsteps stumbling toward me. I then felt a heavy body crash down on top of me. A drunken cowboy had crashed on his way home from the beer tent. He officially qualified as one of those lost souls I referred to earlier. I dosed off again only to be awakened by another lost soul tripping over my sleeping bag. She didn’t fall on top of me though. She bit the dust. Joke was on her.

I awoke to the cock-a-doodle-doo of a rooster. Literally. It was the crack of dawn. My body was stiff from sleeping (if you could even call it that) on the hard ground. I didn’t care though, I was ready to see Alan Jackson. It was only 6 am and the humidity of the Midwest had already kicked in. As I sat in line sweating, I dreamed of going back to the air conditioned camper. For the remaining 5 hours until the gate opened, we alternated shifts of going back to the camper for a cool down. We rotated every hour, on the hour. And you had better not be late. During my “on” shifts, I worked on my tan (farmer’s tan) and counted down the seconds until my partner in crime would return. Eventually, after 3 long shifts, it was time for the lawn chair race. The moment we had been waiting for. Although this idea may seem humorous and perhaps a bit ridiculous, it was taken extremely seriously by those who participate. Especially after spending 12 hours in line.

Four security guards with matching neon yellow t-shirts and tough grins stood before us. We were constantly updated on the status of the opening of the gate through the chatter of their radios. A stern voice finally came over the radio and said, “Gates open in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, and open.” My heart was pounding. And just like that, the chutes opened and we were off. “The Race Is On” by Sawyer Brown played over the festival sound system. Dust flew. And so did people. I witnessed at least 5 bodies hit the ground as they tried to beat the person running next to them for the next best spot. I may or may not have been one of them.

Although I can admit to despising my life for the 12 hours I spent “sleeping” in the great outdoors of Wisconsin, I can also say I had the time of my life in my first row seat rocking out to “Chattahochee”. Scraped knees and all. And that is the legend of the lawn chair line… because I can’t say I will ever be “lawn chair lining” again.