Changes

[mblackhouse]

Regardless of how many tickets are left etc, this year for whatever reason the festival seems to be taking a bit of a battering reputation wise. Only a few years back it was winning best live event at Nme awards etc, and was probably top of the heap of all uk fests bar glasto. I'd love to see FR actually take the slow sales on board, and make some changes such as freezing ticket prices, implementing a payment plan again but over a longer period, and maybe releasing a bit of the lineup a week before tickets go on sale to generate buzz ala t, oxygen and v. I went ten years on the trot and am giving this year a miss due to feeling non plussed at the lineup. Any ideas for attracting people who may have given this year a miss?

[Banana Co]

They need to reduce the ticket price and increase the capacity.

[therefused]

They need to reduce the ticket price and increase the capacity.

[jump]

Using Microsoft's business strategy I think FR should buy out all the other festivals.

If that fails start getting sponsorships for the FR, Lock Up & Dance stages and reinvest the money into getting flashier acts on the stages.

[FiestaDave]

increase the capacity.

[Toooly]

Using Microsoft's business strategy I think FR should buy out all the other festivals.

If that fails start getting sponsorships for the FR, Lock Up & Dance stages and reinvest the money into getting flashier acts on the stages.

[mrtourette]

U2 and Beyonce.

[FiestaDave]

"Flashier Acts" ? Suggestions?

[Bisque]

If ticket price stays at the £205 mark (& it will never go down) then the payment plan would help out a lot of the younger folk (still at school/college) to be able to afford to go.

Would change the demographic towards an even younger crowd though which isn't necessarily a good thing for a festival.

[jump]

"Flashier Acts" ? Suggestions?

[Bisque]

increase the capacity.

[mrtourette]

Yeah some of R&L's failure's have been cicumstantial - both IOW and T had massive headliners announced before R&L which would have sucked up a lot of ticket sales and made people choose them before R&L's announcement. If their headliners aren't very attractive next year then maybe people won't buy their tickets and will wait and see what R&L's line-up is when announced. I'd imagine most other festivals will raise prices next year to match R&L's so unless FR are completely stupid and don't keep raising at the same rate the imbalance in ticket prices would be solved. It's possible that ticket slaes could be better next year without FR actually doing anything based on what the other festivals do.

But if they want to control their destiny, things like ticket prices, payment plans and releasing the line-up earlier would all work.

[Banana Co]

For business sense, yes.

For many returning customers... no no no no no.

[Bisque]

both IOW and T had massive headliners announced before R&L

[jump]

Double agree. I never really thought headliners really did that much of a pull but I was proven wrong this year seeing all the Big 4/Slipknot tees & Scottish people this weekend along with V+IoW+TitP selling out so quickly.

Edited July 13, 2011 by jump

[jazz565]

not being one to say headliners make a festival but i think they should attempt to just put a bit more money in to get a situation like T had this year with acts not even headlining but headlining elsewhere, like T had 6 odd bands that could all headline R&L! thats ridiculous!

R&L need to up their game for 2012 which i reckon will be a huge year for R&L because of Glasto not being on, which is quality for us!

[mrtourette]

If they could get the right bands then yes, but I wouldn't want T's line-up at R&L just for the sake of spending money.

[mrtourette]

The whole timing thing goes hand-in-hand with the lack of money, I think previously people were happy to wait for R&L's announcement even when they liked other ones becuse they could either afford to go to two festivals or if they didn't like the R&L line-up they could still afford to go back and get a ticket for a sold-out festival from a tout/eBay for more than face value. This year I think there's so much pressure on people to spend wisely so they'd rather buy a T ot IOW ticket when they have the chance rather than miss out and have to pay more for a ticket at a later date if they don't like the R&L line-up.

If R&L announce early next year with a good set of headliners they could get the jump on T and V and reverse the situation, with lots more people buying R&L tickets rather than missing out if they wait and see what T and V have to offer.

[jump]

Speaking of timing does R&L being on a bank holiday & being one of the last major fests of the summer help in any major way?

I can see people friends going to IOW, Glasto etc and then coming back and talking to them about it afterwards makes them decide they want to go to a fest aswell (this happening with my mates at the moment) but by that time the choices of which ones are going to happen are limited and the bank holiday is for people who don't get a lot of time off works so R&L would be a better option.

Edited July 13, 2011 by jump

[Mega Ross]

Reduce the price and get an overall better lineup going, made up of bigger bands. The drop in income can be easily avoided by sponsorship and advertising deals, which they will now really struggle to close based on this years sales figures. Fools.

I think, as far as value for money goes, overall size of the acts and the variety (especially on the mainstage). This year is probably one of the worst. Which has heavily attributed to the poor sales and the negativity about the festivals.

You've either got to be quality based, quantity based or niche in a successful business plan. FR are trying to do all 3 and cater to every f**ker in the UK instead of their dedicated followers and veterans and it's f**king failing, no big surprise.

And to top it off they are making campsite rules stricter, maybe not their fault but I sure as hell don't like to be told what to do at a festival.

I don't mind how overcrowded Reading has gotten but to be honest, I hate the fact they're bullshitting us about how much extra space they've added "Oh we'll let 8000 new people in and reduce the campsites and arena by about a square inch per person"

Edited July 13, 2011 by Mega Ross

[rexclark]

The price should stay the same and the capacity could go down a bit.

The main thing they need to think about is their unique selling point. They need to decide what they want and go with it. Get more sponsorship and go for the biggest acts. A better mix of new and old, not just aiming your festival at the 16-24 market. Look at Glastonbury or TITP, both sucessful and both have a varied age group of people attending. R&L seem to be putting all their eggs in one basket and going for the young crowd and alot of people who've been going for years are feeling alienated.