Festivals - Organising the Organisers By Cilla

Isn't the Internet a fantastic thing? I recently posted a message on www.ents24.com, a music forum, letting people know about the music section on thisisUll.com. Later that evening I returned to the forum to see if my posting had been looked at - it had. A chap called Pete had left me a message after visiting thisisUll.com.

He wanted me to contact him to talk about our history. I was intrigued, of course, so I rang him. It turned out to be Peter Thomas, a man who actively helps community projects all over the place, enabling groups to get together and organise community events and schemes. His remit goes as far as website building - training site publishers in how to tune into their readership. I'm proud to say he thinks that thisisull.com has got it right!

Pete explained that he's about to deliver training for the Association of Festival Organisers, taking him to Bristol, Leeds and Peterborough and he's also running a short workshop at the Association's Annual Conference in Buxton, Derbyshire. Pete's background is in journalism and he explained: I have this obsession about effective communication. So often prejudice is founded on ignorance. Shared knowledge can lead to understanding and help clear away so many misconceptions.

And he believes that when organising a festival - whether it's Glastonbury or the Lord Mayor's Parade, organisers must realise that it's what the festival-goers themselves make of it that matters. How can you begin to improve a festival until you've got some feedback from festival-goers about what they want, what they enjoy, like or dislike, how they found out about the festival?

Yet very few festival organisers ever get much by way of direct feedback from festival-goers.

It makes sense to me. Just let me tell them about the fabulous port-a-loo at Pickering Park last July 6th - Glastonbury septic tanks eat your heart out! A festival isn't just about music. It's a complete package. For example at Glastonbury there's so much going on that I could almost enjoy it without the music.

In an effort to provide the festival organisers with some real feedback, Pete is canvassing opinion from the people who actually go to festivals. So I asked if maybe thisisull.com readers could have the opportunity to have their say!

So Pete has devised a list of questions he thinks will help put his point across to some of the country's festival organisers. They may get a surprise! If you'd like the opportunity to say what you think and be heard, send us an email to festivals@thisisull.com. Here are the questions:

1. What is it that makes for a good festival - especially the smaller events? 2. What do you enjoy? 3. What makes you want to go back again? 4. What would you like to see more or less of at festivals? 5. Is price an issue? 6. How do you find out about festivals? I don't know about you, but I think it's a good idea - how will they know if we don't tell them? Now there's no excuse!

Links: Pete's website www.ptcommunications.co.uk

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