“The criminal gangs responsible for most thefts
and other crime at festivals don’t bother going to
cashless events as they know it will be slim pickings,
making the events safer and more enjoyable. RFID
is also extremely secure. The NFC tags used by our
system are encrypted to the same standard as military
communications, making them more secure than
bank cards and impossible to hack or clone.”
Plus, continues Jenner, cashless wristbands can
actually mean attendees are tracked less than they
would be through their own contactless bank card or
phone.
“RFID cashless offers festivalgoers a degree
of independence and freedom from the global
corporations that track every purchase we make with
our bank or credit cards in the outside world,” he says.
“With our system, you can be fully anonymous and
know that no sbank, mobile network or government
agency is able to see what you are consuming inside
the event. In today’s world, this is an increasingly
attractive perk.”
Cover Feature
A NEW APP-ORTUNITY
A topic that inspires strong opinions in the
exhibitions industry, the question of event apps has
also raised its head in the world of festivals.
“There has definitely been a shift from print
to digital in the live events space,” says Frederic
Monfet, general manager at Greencopper, a Canadian
company that has worked with festivals such as
Coachella, Roskilde Festival and Reading & Leeds.
“Having everything online leaves plenty of room for
last-minute changes in features such as schedules and
other pertinent information. An app also provides
measurable ROI for the organiser and engagement
opportunities for the user.”
A festival app has several major benefits, continues
Monfet, including ease of communication between
organisers, sponsors and attendees, a space for
promotional partnerships and the ability to add
elements such as augmented reality for sponsor
brands. Push notifications also offer organisers a
quick and easy way to alert attendees to last minute
changes or secret set reveals.
Festivals are growing out of their status as ‘no-
go zones’ for phones, with the dream of truly
disconnecting from society in a constantly connected
world becoming ever more distant. Festivalgoers now
come armed with chargers and battery packs, even if
consistent 4G is still somewhat of a challenge.
“Our core features are natively built in the app,”
explains Monfet. “The line-up, map, and your
favourites work seamlessly offline. This is especially
important when you’re on-site because festival
grounds are notorious for having slow or no Wi-Fi
connection.
“Attendees don’t want to carry paper schedules to
constantly check line-ups but they’re always going to
have their phone. Having the app and being able to
look at the line-ups, set times and highlighting which
artists they want to see makes for a better attendee
experience.
“Like all digital innovations, adoption of apps by
festivalgoers continues to rise. A well-promoted, user-
friendly app that provides critical information and
planning items can see an adoption rate of 80 per cent
or higher.”
As an international app provider, Monfet can
provide insights into regional variations in app usage.
In the US, festivals such as Coachella and BottleRock
are using features such as augmented reality,
whereas European festivals remain largely focused
on providing information to customers (although
Germany’s Hurricane festival made use of the app’s
ability to allow campers to order beer remotely
onsite).
Of course, it’s also worth mentioning that other tech
innovations have been less successful.
A company called Doppler Labs developed an
augmented reality product called ‘Here Active
Listening’, designed to adapt and improve sound in
the real world, which was demonstrated to mixed
reviews at Coachella in 2016. The company shut down
in late 2017. Even earlier, in 2011, Coldplay invested in
‘Xylobands’, wristbands given to fans that would light
up in time to the music, but the investment proved
to be an unsustainable expense (despite presumably
looking pretty cool).
While music festivals are in many ways dramatically
different to the average trade show, there are
numerous issues that affect every business, in events
and beyond. Global concerns like diversity (there’s a
whole other potential article out there about festival
line-ups), safety and sustainability aren’t going away
and it’s always valuable to see how other sectors face
these challenges.
In fact, I think it might even be worth checking out
some of these ‘festivals’ in person to gain further
insights…see you on the other side event profs. EN
August — 23