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A Festival of Opportunity

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It’s 2:00 AM, and the night has just begun. I am in the middle of a packed crowd, waiting for Deadmau5 to take the stage. Despite the 90 degree heat, I see only smiles, peace, and happiness. The crowd is buzzing with excitement and literally glowing thanks to thousands of glow sticks and LED toys. Looking back on my weekend thus far, I can’t believe

  • How many times I’ve been told ‘I love you’ by complete strangers
  • All of the new delicious food and beer I’ve sampled
  • The talent and variety of artists that I’ve been able to jam to’ Jay-Z, Stevie Wonder, The Dead Weather, Mumford and Sons, Kings of Leon, Damien Marley, to name a few ‘ and I still have another full day of music to go!

Needless to say, after my first music festival, I was hooked. Instead of succumbing to sleep after a near-sleepless weekend and a 16-hour drive home, I collapsed on my couch, laptop in hand, determined to find my next fest. Much to my dismay, there was a serious lack of centralized information on these events. To make matters worse, the little information that is out there tends to be hard to find, outdated, and unreliable. After discussing these frustrations with my web developer boyfriend, Steve, we decided to solve the problem ourselves. We created the site: festobsessed.com to make it easier to find reliable festival information and advice. Our site features an event map and calendar, blog, and forum for sharing pictures and ideas. Despite the wild popularity of music festivals, the online community is undeveloped, which poses ample opportunity for brands.

In addition to a strong online presence, the festival scene is also lacking in another area ‘ vending. Festival goers consider the weekend to be a vacation and spend accordingly. After all, ‘wasting money puts you in a real party mood,’? as Andy Warhol so insightfully proclaimed. Most people go with plenty of cash in their pockets and are looking to empty them on new, unique items. I have left several festivals disappointed in the lack of shopping that I had accomplished, due to lack of vendors, lack of variety, and shops running out of merchandise.

However, not every brand will be welcomed with open arms. Do not plan on only putting up banners and signs and expect positive feedback. For the best results, tailor your presence to us. Have your brand provide art installations, an air-conditioned lounge, or another amenity that meets our needs. Keep in mind that the community as a whole is young (18-28), artsy, environmentally conscious, fit, healthy, passionate, and open-minded. Patrons hope to leave with memories of great music, interesting people, and new experiences. Any way in which our experience is enhanced will be appreciated and remembered.

The music festival scene is an under tapped market in terms of online resources, vending, and festival-specific marketing. It is hard to even estimate the scope of opportunity considering the high attendance rates (in total, millions of young adults), number of events (more than 300 in the U.S.), and media coverage, especially for big events like Coachella or Lollapalooza. By associating your brand with our favorite weekend of the year, you will be cementing your products in some of our most beloved pictures, videos, memories, and shopping bags.

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