17.01.19 / Opinion
The Festival Experience
It’s January and many of us will be looking at ways to shift the Christmas spread through exercise and healthy eating. Interestingly, there is one demographic that won’t: millennials (18-34 year olds). They have already adopted this approach, drinking less, eating better and aspiring to achieve physical and mental wellbeing throughout the year.
Wellness is not just for January, the concept is set to continue to grow throughout 2019 and not simply through healthy lifestyle choices. Many wellness pursuits are experiences in their own right. Take festivals for example – more and more are including wellbeing elements such as the Wilderness festival that offers its gig-goers the choice of yoga and aromatherapy.
The festival experience is clearly evolving and the current trend of incorporating wellness is predicted to be a larger element for the coming year. Going to gigs remains one of the most popular activities for millennials in the UK. Many see music based events as a way of aligning their own beliefs and values treating live gigs as a form of self-expression and self-improvement. A recent survey by ticket platform Eventbrite revealed 69% of millennials said they see attending a show as the best way to demonstrate to other people what they stand for and 78% are more likely to attend a festival featuring artists who are affecting positive change through their music.
It has been well documented that this core demographic prioritises experience over material goods but how does this impact event managers planning for the marketing strategy for 2019?
Brands looking to engage with this key demographic could consider creating a festival-style experience, predicated on the basis that millennials are seeking a different kind of journey. Those marketeers looking to evoke an emotional response in their key target market and seeking brand advocacy should think about the versatility of a festival themed event.
The concept of the festival is diverse, colourful and creative. You can create an experience that is more healthy, grounded and transformative or alternatively, you could execute a series of live events that include interactive art installations or uses technology such as virtual reality, augmented reality or AI to innovate, inspire and truly engage with your audience.
To find out how Genie can help you to produce your event by creating a memorable live experience that can enable you to build a better customer engagement and can increase your ROI contact Sarah Cohen or Madeleine Roles on 01923 853 966.