Food festivals are becoming more popular each year, the number of events taking place across the world is down to the variety of different foods available. Although the agenda can differ for each location, one central idea remains a constant; great food.
If you have been given the task of organising and managing a food festival in your town or city, it’s a good idea to familiarise yourself with the basics. Our article will provide a quick overview on things you need to consider. For catering or those with stalls at the event, it may be a good idea to compare food delivery insurance.
Planning the festival
The first place to start is by designing the food festival. This includes items such as organising a team, arranging a venue, select a popular date and time and choosing an event name. Your budget will need to be reviewed multiple times to make sure that all potential income and expenditure is accounted for.
What style and content are you looking for?
What shape do you want your food festival to take? You should start by building a template on paper with the layout. Things you need to consider include the following:
- Brand design and styling
- Posters, banners, badges, leaflets, tickets
- Merchandise such as T-shirts or bags
- Website design, content for social media
You should have a recognisable brand that symbolises food, or at least makes people think about food. Catchy phrases can help. If you’re looking to attract sponsors, think about how you will include them within your promotional material. Remember to adhere to any colour schemes and design choices across all promotional material.
Number and types of staff members
When hosting a food festival, you’re going to require a lot of staff. This group will include volunteers, managers, security, entertainment etc. Everyone needs to know what their job role is and how to do it in the most effective way possible. Ultimately, the number of individuals you’ll need from each staff group will depend on the size of the event. If you’re organising a very large food festival, it’s highly recommended that you consider an event management company to help facilitate the whole process from start to finish.
Organising the main event
This area covers the actual event in further detail. You need to think about distributing a set of tasks to individuals and groups. It may be worth getting in contact with local travel and hospitality companies to arrange transport and accommodation for those that need it. Food related activities such as games play a vital role in creating a more fun atmosphere for people of all ages, especially families with young children.
Marketing the festival
Before you even start to promote the event, think carefully about your target demographic. Going right back to the beginning, consider why you are hosting this great food festival and who is it for. Having this knowledge will make it a lot easier to arrange activities, build the layout, design the promotional material and most importantly, make it a fun and memorable experience for all those who are attending.
To market the food festival, you’ll need to make use of a number of online and offline advertising strategies. Online strategies include things like using social media, paid ad campaigns and press releases. Offline advertising includes things like newspaper ads, billboards, radio ads and posting leaflets through letterboxes. Another great example could be placing posters on the wall at popular destinations throughout the city or town, such as gyms and restaurants. Make sure you get permission before you do this though.
Equipment
Any supply of furniture such as tables and chairs for stalls, or electrical equipment such as lighting and sound etc. will need to be booked well in advance so it is ready in time for the festival.
Small practise run
Conducting a small practise run a few days before the food festival is due to take place is of utmost importance, especially if you want to make sure everything runs smoothly. This will allow you to give all the volunteers set instructions so they know exactly where to be and what to do on the big day. Those who are setting up food stalls will also get an idea of what they can expect at the venue for their designated areas. You should also test any lighting and sound equipment to make sure that it is operational. This practise run allows you to identify any potential problems and address them beforehand.
Time for the big day
Finally! After months of planning and all the hard work that has gone into the preparations, it’s time for the big food festival day. Have a schedule for all the events that are due to take place and make sure to arrive before each one starts to conduct any final checks. It will be extremely useful for all staff members to have your contact number should they need to reach you for anything as you’ll be on the move. Don’t forget to take time out to relish the event yourself, hopefully it’s an unforgettable experience for you, the staff and everyone else that attends.