Differentiated tickets at festivals

Subject: Differentiated tickets at festivals
From: GUEST,FloraG
Date: 12 Aug 14 - 03:54 AM

I looked at my local festival - the best part of £200 - and extra to camp. Thats about £30 a day. Unless you really want to go to a lot of the concerts its not such good value.
Should festivals that are town based consider a different colour wrist band - that allows you to contribute to the festival without having the collecting bucket up your nose every half hour, allows camping, and perhaps gives a discount off entry to paid events?
Its too tempting to go down - play on the prom with some very good musicians ( thank goodness they have not filled it with tat yet ) and pick one or two events to attend. OK - so you put money in the tin - but its a bit hit and miss.
FloraG.

Subject: RE: Differentiated tickets at festivals
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 12 Aug 14 - 04:17 AM

I assume this is Broadstairs. I agree. I don't want to go to most concerts and stuff, and I'd happily pay to go into Tom and Barbara's sinaground, but I do want to be able to camp and I do want to have more mixed sessions (EG the Kenwood Mixer sessions. I believe that the transport is much improved - but the taxis are really cheap anyway.

Am I right that there is more on the campsite this year, even if it is not back the the old nirvana of a different session in every different schoolroom through to about silly o'clock?

Subject: RE: Differentiated tickets at festivals
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Aug 14 - 06:26 AM

People I know recommend Broadstairs Festival

Subject: RE: Differentiated tickets at festivals
From: GUEST,Rahere
Date: 12 Aug 14 - 09:19 AM

I hate to add to the chorus of knockers, but I might have gone down tomorrow for the HG workshop, if they could have been bothered to tell us when and where it is. Workshops build musicians, they're for performers, whereas the concerts have more than their fair share of watchers. So why do they pander to the passive and starve the active?
I might guess that it's at the Crampton Tower, and hazard a chance 10am, but it's not enough to justify the expense of getting it wrong, travelling down from North London. So I won't, and if it's like the HG workshop a couple of years back when I was the only one to turn up, Phil will have a dispiriting day. Sorry about that, not my fault, blame the Organisers who want to sell me not only the workshop tickets, but also the brochure, doubling the cost, near enough, not to mention the hassle of legging it repeatedly from the festival offices most of the way back to the station. At least a couple of years ago I could find out when and where.
So instead I'm off to the dentists. Thanks.

Subject: RE: Differentiated tickets at festivals
From: Bert
Date: 12 Aug 14 - 02:03 PM

If it is too expensive, I just don't go.

Subject: RE: Differentiated tickets at festivals
From: GUEST,FloraG
Date: 13 Aug 14 - 03:52 AM

Guest - Broadstairs is a lovely festival - as is the town itself. Lots of children listen to the Hobby hos club every morning - and queue up to give Clarence money. ( It used to have the magnificent Old Trout band but there is another band now). It has lots of the local pubs involved. There is a variety of dancing and workshops. Many of the locals help with the festival.

Superstars like Tim Edy started there.

Its just £200 goes a long way to pay for bed and breakfast or petrol- and a lot of people do just that - without buying a season ticket. I was suggesting a modest priced season ticket that could perhaps include camping rights, ( you would expect to pay normal camping charges) and entry to the low cost things - workshops, dances etc. Usually there are a few concerts that I really want to go to but nothing grabed my fancy this year - so I just went down and saved the £200.

Other guest - you are right. Lack of information means you are even less likely to go. Broadstairs does very well if the weather is good - but needs lots of season ticket holders if the weather is bad to break even.   
FloraG

Subject: RE: Differentiated tickets at festivals
From: GUEST,Rahere
Date: 13 Aug 14 - 07:49 AM

Well, I wasn't "less" likely to go, I'd diarised it, so the "even" certainly doesn't fit the case. But not having a reasonably feasible idea of how to go about it - and they were still indicating more details would be forthcoming a couple of weeks back - killed it.
It's not as if it need be just a purely local festival catering only to the hardcore anything-goes folky who's going to stay all week, the captive holidaymaker who's not going to be too picky about how they're entertained, and locals. Broadstairs is in the London catchment area, and so could attract people from across the whole of London. So once again we come back to the same problem, poor marketing and poor communications. Why does everything have to be done by post through the Festival Office, for example? It tends to be a madhouse as a result, and the chaos works down the line, certainly in the workshops. Spend a bob or two on a decent event management package and let the punters do it themselves.
As a result, it doesn't promote the folk scene much either.

Subject: RE: Differentiated tickets at festivals
From: Mr Red
Date: 13 Aug 14 - 08:25 AM

well Sidmouth does a lot of that. I bought a ticket that wouldn't get me into the Ham marquee at night. But then I am too busy dancing.
You can pay on the door for a lot of events in other venues including dances and concerts. You may have to gamble if it is a popular event. Even ticket holders don't get in after fire limits are exceeded. And there are numerous sessions that though ad hoc - you know are going to run, and as a ticket holder I join them also.

Warwick allowed individual tickets to ceilidhs this year but threaten to issue ceilidh season tickets that won't get you onto the field. Though the venue will change for next year. Should be interesting.

Not tried Broadstairs or Whitby, too tired from Sidmouth to ejnoy another week of dancing straight on. Towersey has three ticket levels, arena, festival, fest plus camping. Not sure about village hall/barn.

Taking money on the door &/or issuing individual tickets is complex enough before you realise that educating stewards is a much bigger task as the complexity rises.

I am sure I will see the day that festivals the size of Sidders will be using RFID loaded tickets and scanners (maybe combined with radio comms). It would count fire limits, see people in and out maybe, passouts for the loos. I have no problem on that score. It is unlikely to be another Mr Red (we are few in number and anyway - he is Mr Duck!)