Tag: park traffic

Mimicry and Innovation in the Festival Industry

In a clearly defined business category, it is easy to watch your competitors and see which of their ideas work, and which fail. You can watch the most successful team, and mimic their attempts within your own budgets of time and money. However, those of us that straddle more than one category have to keep… Continue reading Mimicry and Innovation in the Festival Industry

Playing by the Numbers, part 2, None of your Business

Ok, let’s see, …..where were we? ….poker…matchsticks…20 pounds of quarters….profit/patron, cost/patron and patron/vendor ratios…big pies…..and little pieces. Remember? If not, you can refresh your memory by reading ‘playing by the numbers, part 1’ It’s a funny thing about numbers. When you ask someone the time of day, a baseball score, or the age of their… Continue reading Playing by the Numbers, part 2, None of your Business

Playing by the Numbers, part 1, Patron/Vendor Ratio

Editor’s note: This is the first installment in Al’s series that uses metrics to determine the financial relationship between vendors and festivals.Following articles will end up with internal links here (Part 2). It’s high-season in the outdoor festival business, but we’ll get them to you eventually. I love to play poker.  When I was a… Continue reading Playing by the Numbers, part 1, Patron/Vendor Ratio

How to talk to Artists at Art Festivals

This week we just cannot seem to talk about anything other than This Post over at The Year of Living Fabulously … How to Talk to Artists at Art Festivals- The Do’s and Don’ts (Warning: You’ve probably been guilty of at least one of the don’ts…) Those who commented there are obviously a blend of pros… Continue reading How to talk to Artists at Art Festivals

Park Design Considerations, When Vendors are Also Investors

While I believe it differs little from a shopping mall lease agreement, the agreement between Vendors and Renaissance Festival Management involves the Vendor building and maintaining a structure on the Festival’s property, then paying a show fee to vend from that building during the event. (Mall leases involve Lessors paying for their own “build-out”; then… Continue reading Park Design Considerations, When Vendors are Also Investors

Profitability Through Play

  The other night I was channel surfing and paused briefly on ‘Rawhide’, an old black & white weekly western series.  Wishbone was servin’ up the grub.  Rowdy, Scarlet, Mister Favor, the whole gang was sitting around the campfire, eating beans off of metal plates and soaking up the sunset.  I was there with them,… Continue reading Profitability Through Play

How to Grow a Festival, Part Two

In part one of this conversation, I mentioned that because a festival is an experience, it is the responsibility of the participants at a festival to help create real growth. But what about those shows where the participants are doing everything they can, but the Festival Management drops the ball? It happens. Someone doesn’t order… Continue reading How to Grow a Festival, Part Two

How to Grow a Festival (part one)

What is it that makes festivals work? We like to throw the responsibility onto the Promotions and Marketing Departments, but a festival is an experience. Real growth in a festival is the responsibility of everyone involved. A couple of business truisms should be considered here: 1. It is easier to sell to existing customers. However… Continue reading How to Grow a Festival (part one)