How will music festivals run in 2022?

The summer of 2021 was a mixed bag, festival-wise. Whilst there were cancellations, there were also plenty of events that went ahead with success. Reading and Leeds managed to run effectively, as well as the famous Isle of Wight festival and lots of other large events also took off.

Looking ahead to next year’s season of festivals, there’s much to be excited about. Massive events like Glastonbury are set to be unleashed in the coming summer. And organisers will have learned a lot about how to best navigate the tricky times we find ourselves in, and fingers crossed, there’ll be music festivals running smoothly up and down the country.

So, what will festivals have to consider in 2022?

Check ins

For the most part, music festivals in summer 2022 will have experience in implementing Covid-safe check-in procedures. There’ll be processes in place to check for important information like evidence of vaccinations, PCR tests and immunity for example.

People are used to providing covid-related information via their mobile phones. And these kinds of check-ins are now really quite standardised, and so it should not slow down entrance and exit times.Which is good news for everyone!

Something that organisers can do to help this process, is to ensure that all their customers are well informed about the requirements that will be made of them when arriving at the venue. This can be done through well-written and well-aimed communication in the lead up to the festival.

Pre-booked tickets

There is undoubtedly going to be a huge demand for festivals when the sun comes round to visit again. 2021 was a taster, but everyone is hoping that 2022 will be even more exciting.

Organisers are expecting a big year for festival sales, not to mention the roll over from tickets purchased in previous years that have been unfortunately cancelled.

It may be the case that some festivals decide to focus less on selling tickets in the lead up, safe in the knowledge that there are prepaid customers waiting at the gates.

This could perhaps give them more time to develop their customer experience, working in tandem with sponsors and vendors to deliver the best possible service for their long-awaited audience.

In the current climate, customer service includes the ability to assure a safe and clean environment (as well as fantastic music).

Social distancing

Social distancing and festivals don’t exactly seem like the most compatible concepts. But there are plenty of ways that events can be set up, to allow for safe social distancing in certain situations.

Providing adequate toilet and showering facilities is one of them. As well as setting up systems that will prevent unnecessary queueing.

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‍Order and pay solutions

Vendors at any 2022 festival will be able to easily set up mobile ordering systems, which allow customers to order food and drinks via their phones. And they won’t even need to download annoying apps.

Sitting down at a table (or an appropriately-rustic hay bale) and ordering a burger and a pint, is a much more easy going option than waiting in a queue, shoulder to shoulder with a hundred other hungry festival goers.

Mobile ordering can also be in place for collections - customers can order from anywhere using their phone and will be notified when their order is ready to grab from a designated collections point. This removes unnecessary queuing, and will save significant time for staff who can focus on getting orders our quicker and to more customers.

Security

It goes without saying that festival organisers will face several forms of requirement to run a safe and secure event in 2022. They’ll have to conduct Covid-related risk assessments, which will need to consider all the people visiting the site, including the artists themselves, staff, vendors and contractors.

A step forwards

Any smart festival organiser will take the opportunity to make improvements to their event. Covid has enforced a lot of changes, but these changes can help increase efficiency and customer experience. Implementing clever and simple-to-use technology, like cashless payment systems and contactless ordering, for example, will take festivals forwards, not back.

Yoello powers festivals

Yoello is helping big events evolve and ensure that they run efficiently in the next festival season.

Our technology powered Wales’ first large music event back in May, and since then our mobile technology has helped plenty of other festivals and events find their feet.

For event runners, it can seem like a minefield learning how to comply with COVID rules. But with an experienced team of Yoello mobile ordering experts on hand, remaining compliant is much easier.

Chat to us today for more information, and find out how Yoello could power your next event.