A festival’s success isn’t just measured by the fan experience – it’s also defined by how well the artists are treated behind the scenes. Performers who feel welcome, comfortable, and respected are more likely to deliver an electrifying show and spread positive word about the event. This is where an Artist Relations strategy becomes crucial. From the moment artists arrive on site to the moment they leave, every interaction matters. The following best practices will help ensure that artists have a memorable, positive experience at your festival:
First Impressions: Artist Check-In and Warm Welcome
First impressions set the tone for the artist’s entire stay. A smooth, welcoming check-in process is vital to start things off right. Festival organizers should have a dedicated staff member (or an Artist Relations representative) on hand to greet performers as soon as they arrive. This greeter can assist with parking or unloading, handle credential pick-up, and escort the artist to the appropriate area. Such personal attention immediately shows artists that the festival is run professionally and that they are valued guests.
Clear communication and preparation make check-in easy. Provide artists and their tour managers with detailed arrival information ahead of time – including maps, designated artist entry gates, and contact numbers for their point person. On site, use signage to direct artists to the correct entrance and avoid any confusion with general attendees or deliveries. For example, one large festival in California stations a 24/7 Artist Welcome Team at the backstage gate. They greet each artist by name, quickly verify credentials, and personally guide them to their green room or stage manager. This kind of warm, organized welcome can ease travel fatigue and anxiety, putting performers in a positive mindset from the get-go.
Comfortable Green Rooms and Artist Lounges
After check-in, artists will appreciate a comfortable place to relax and prepare. Providing clean, well-equipped green rooms or a shared artists’ lounge demonstrates that the festival cares about their comfort. These backstage areas should be a haven where artists can unwind, have some privacy, and get ready for their performance.
Consider what amenities make a space inviting. At a minimum, each green room (or the common lounge) should be stocked with essentials:
– Refreshments: Plenty of bottled water, coffee, tea, and a variety of beverages (including non-alcoholic and some beer or wine if appropriate). Include a spread of snacks – both healthy options (fruit, nuts, protein bars) and a few treats. Keeping artists fed and hydrated maintains their energy and mood.
– Comfortable furnishings: Provide sofas or cushioned chairs, tables, and adequate lighting. A small rack for hanging wardrobe items and a mirror (full-length and/or vanity mirror with lights) can help artists get stage-ready. Don’t forget fresh towels for wiping off sweat after the set.
– Entertainment and downtime activities: A little entertainment goes a long way. Consider setting up a TV (tuned to the festival feed or game consoles), a stereo, or even board games in a common lounge area. Some top-tier festivals create an “artist village” with things like ping-pong tables or arcade games for performers to enjoy between sets. These fun touches help artists decompress and bond with others, making their festival experience more enjoyable.
– Practical amenities: Small conveniences make a big difference. Provide phone chargers, reliable Wi-Fi access, and lists of useful info (like show schedule, on-site contacts, and catering times). Ensure restrooms (and if possible, showers) are close by and clean. Also, maintain security at the lounge or dressing room entrance so that only artists and authorized personnel enter – giving artists peace of mind that they can truly relax.
Whenever possible, add a personal touch to the backstage setup. This could be a welcome note for each artist or a basket of local goodies (for instance, local coffee or snacks that represent the region). Little gestures like these can surprise and delight performers. When artists feel comfortable and taken care of off-stage, they can focus their full attention on giving a fantastic performance on-stage.
Fulfilling Hospitality Riders and Timely Meals
Nearly every artist’s contract includes a hospitality rider – a list of backstage needs and requests. Professional festival organizers treat these riders very seriously. Fulfilling an artist’s rider requests isn’t about pampering rock stars for the sake of it; it’s about ensuring performers have what they personally need to be at their best. Whether it’s specific dietary requirements, particular drinks, or a favorite snack, these details help artists feel “at home” on the road.
Thoroughly review each artist’s hospitality rider well in advance of the festival. Plan how to source each item, and if something is unusual or hard to get locally, communicate with the artist’s team early. Often a comparable substitute can be agreed upon if the exact item isn’t available – but it should never be a surprise on the day of the show. For instance, if an international DJ requests a rare type of sports drink not sold in your country, discuss alternatives beforehand and stock up on the closest equivalent (and maybe throw in a locally popular sports drink for them to try). Artists will appreciate the effort and transparency.
Timing is also a vital part of hospitality. Meals should be provided at appropriate times relative to an artist’s schedule. If a band is playing during the main dinner hour, arrange to have their meals ready either well before their set or waiting for them when they finish. Hungry performers are unhappy performers. Coordinate with catering to ensure that hot meals are available outside standard meal times if needed. It’s common to provide a hot meal or high-quality catered dinner for artists; if your festival does so, make sure each artist knows when and where to get it, and have a plan for those who can’t make the set mealtime. A simple solution might be keeping some meals warm or boxed for later, or having a runner deliver food to an artist’s trailer at a specified time.
Don’t overlook dietary restrictions and preferences. Many artists might be vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, or have allergies. Have vegetarian and vegan options available by default, and double-check that any special dietary needs mentioned in the rider are accommodated (for example, providing almond milk instead of regular milk, or ensuring there are nut-free snacks). Nothing builds trust more than showing you listened to these personal needs.
Finally, pay attention to the quirky requests too – they often have a purpose. One famous rock band’s rider once demanded a bowl of M&Ms with all the brown candies removed. While it sounded frivolous to many, it was actually a test to see if the organizers had read the entire rider; if brown M&Ms were found, the band would question the reliability of the setup. The lesson for festival producers is clear: details matter. By honoring even the small or odd requests (within reason) and communicating proactively if any cannot be fulfilled, you demonstrate professionalism. This builds an atmosphere of trust where the artists know they can count on the festival team for their needs.
Transportation and Local Transfers
Logistics outside of the venue are just as important to a great artist experience. Transportation can be a major stress point for artists, especially those coming from out of town. A well-coordinated transport plan lets artists focus on their performance instead of worrying about navigation or timing. Depending on your festival’s scale and budget, providing local transportation might range from hiring dedicated drivers to simply organizing a smooth parking and pick-up system.
For large festivals, it’s common to arrange airport pickups, shuttle vans, or even private cars for artists (particularly headliners). If you’ve promised airport or hotel transfers in your artist agreements, ensure a driver or representative is there on time – holding a sign, helping with luggage, and ready to take them directly to their hotel or the venue. Choose drivers or transport staff who are friendly and knowledgeable about the area. Artists often appreciate when their driver doubles as a local guide, pointing out a great coffee shop near their hotel or the fastest route to the venue.
Even for smaller events with tighter budgets, you can make arrivals easier. Provide clear driving directions for artists who are renting cars or coming on their own. Reserve a convenient parking area for artist vehicles or tour buses, close to the stage entrance if possible. Have someone meet them at the car when they arrive to assist with gear and guide them through check-in. If the venue is large or complicated to navigate, use golf carts or dedicated shuttles to ferry artists and their gear from the entrance or parking lot to the backstage area.
On-site, be prepared to shuttle artists between key locations. For example, if your artists are staying off-site at a hotel, schedule a reliable shuttle service to run at useful intervals (and always have one ready late at night when the headliners finish – no artist wants to be stranded waiting for a ride after a show). For multi-stage festivals, artists might have to move between stages, so consider assigning a runner with a golf cart to be on standby for quick transport, especially if time is tight. In one case, a festival had a “runner” assigned to each headlining act – not only to drive them around the grounds as needed, but also to run last-minute errands in town (like grabbing emergency throat lozenges or a replacement guitar string). That level of attentiveness prevented small issues from becoming big problems and impressed the performers.
The goal is to remove transportation hassles from the artist’s mind. When artists don’t have to worry about traffic, parking, or getting lost, they can stick to the schedule more easily and feel at ease. It also signals that the festival has its act together logistically. An artist who arrives smoothly and on time is already set up to have a better day.
The Artist Relations Team: Troubleshooting and Support
Even with great plans in place – hospitality riders fulfilled, schedules set, drivers assigned – festivals are dynamic environments where unexpected issues can arise. That’s why having a dedicated Artist Relations team on-site is so important. This team serves as the artists’ go-to support system throughout the event. Essentially, they are problem-solvers, concierges, and liaisons all in one, focused on keeping performers happy and the show running smoothly.
Staff your Artist Relations team with people who are proactive, calm under pressure, and excellent communicators. Each artist or band should have an assigned artist liaison, or at least a clear point of contact, who checks in with them regularly. This liaison can coordinate with other departments (like sound, stage management, or security) on the artist’s behalf so the artist or their tour manager doesn’t have to chase down information. For example, if an artist has an issue with their stage monitor mix, the artist liaison can quickly connect the concern to the audio crew, freeing the artist to focus on performing.
A strong Artist Relations team also anticipates needs. They might keep spare essentials around (extra guitar picks, drumsticks, phone chargers, earplugs, band-aids, etc.) to offer when an artist is in a pinch. They monitor the clock to ensure artists are where they need to be for set times, interviews, or meet-and-greets, giving gentle nudges if necessary. If a performer is running late to the venue, the Artist Relations team communicates updates to stage managers and works on adjusting timelines if possible. Essentially, they are air-traffic control for artist logistics.
Most importantly, the Artist Relations team is there to troubleshoot any problems an artist encounters. Did the catering miss delivering a meal? The Artist Relations rep can get a quick snack or make a special food run if needed. Is the dressing room too cold or not stocked as promised? The team fixes it immediately. In one festival anecdote, a singer arrived to find her requested hot water and honey (for her voice) was missing – the Artist Relations lead promptly borrowed an electric kettle from the staff office and had hot water ready within minutes, averting a potential crisis. In another instance, when a band’s transportation was stuck in traffic, the team worked with local authorities to arrange a police escort for the last few miles so the band could make it just in time for their set. These are the kinds of heroic saves that an Artist Relations crew can pull off when they are empowered and prepared.
To be effective, the Artist Relations team should be easily reachable. Provide artists with a special radio channel, phone number, or a messaging contact to reach the team at any time. And make sure the team is identifiable on-site (through distinct badges or shirts) so artists know who to flag down for help. A well-run Artist Relations operation works quietly in the background: when done right, artists might not even notice all the fires being put out – they’ll just remember how smoothly everything went.
Long-Term Benefits: Happy Artists, Better Festivals
Delivering a great artist experience isn’t just about one event – it’s an investment in your festival’s reputation and future success. When artists leave a festival feeling happy and taken care of, they are far more likely to want to return in future years. They’ll also share their positive experience with others in the industry. Word travels fast among touring artists and their management teams. If your festival becomes known for stellar artist hospitality and professionalism, it will become easier to book high-caliber talent down the line. Agents and managers talk, and being “artist-friendly” is a selling point that can set your event apart.
There’s also an immediate benefit: content, comfortable artists tend to give better performances. A performer who isn’t hungry, lost, or stressed out will channel all that energy into a dynamic show for the fans. The audience might not see the backstage efforts, but they will definitely feel the results in the quality of the performance. In contrast, when artists are mistreated or encounter chaos behind the scenes, it can negatively affect their show – or worse, they might refuse to return or speak poorly of the event afterward.
By prioritizing artist relations, festival producers create a positive feedback loop. Artists have a great experience and deliver great performances, which delights the crowd and builds the festival’s legacy. Afterwards, those artists might post on social media thanking the festival for the amazing hospitality, or tell fellow musicians “you’ve got to play there next year.” This kind of organic endorsement is gold for your brand.
In summary, treating artists professionally and thoughtfully on-site is a win-win scenario. It requires attention to detail, good planning, and a dedicated team, but the payoff comes in the form of smooth shows, repeat artist appearances, and a sterling reputation in the music community. A happy artist is not only more likely to put on a memorable show – they’ll carry the story of your festival’s excellent hospitality far and wide, amplifying your success for years to come.
25th August 2025