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Daily Festival Management

Your festival is live - now let's keep it running smoothly. This guide covers everything you need for day-to-day operations and keeping your audience engaged.

Lineup Management​

Headliner Setup​

Your headliners are the stars of your festival. Here's how to make them shine:

Text vs Image Options:

  • Text only: Clean, simple, loads fast
  • With images: More engaging, 4x higher favorite rates
  • Recommended: Use high-quality images (500x500px) for top 5-10 artists

Best practices:

  1. Order by importance - Your biggest names should appear first
  2. Consistent image quality - Mixed quality looks unprofessional
  3. Artist bios - 1-2 sentences, focus on why they're exciting

Stage Organization​

Importance Ordering: Stages are displayed in order of importance. Your main stage should be first, smaller stages last.

To reorder stages:

  1. Go to "Schedule Management" → "Stages"
  2. Drag and drop to reorder
  3. Most important = leftmost column in user view

Stage naming tips:

  • Keep names short: "Main Stage" not "The Epic Main Festival Stage Experience"
  • Use familiar terms: "East Stage" vs "Cosmic Consciousness Arena"
  • Be consistent: If one is "Stage", make them all "Stage"

Artist Scheduling​

Day and Time Slots:

  1. Navigate to "Schedule Management"
  2. Drag artists from lineup to time slots
  3. Conflict detection: System warns if artists overlap
  4. Buffer time: Build in 15-30 minutes between acts

Pro scheduling tips:

  • Popular times fill first: Schedule major acts during peak hours
  • Genre flow: Consider how artists complement each other
  • Bathroom breaks: Leave gaps during less popular acts

Adding Non-Music Activities​

Don't forget about the full festival experience:

What to include:

  • Food vendors and timing
  • Art installations and locations
  • Workshops and experiences
  • Meet & greets
  • Merch booths

How to add:

  1. Go to "Lineup Management" → "Add Activity"
  2. Select "Non-Music Activity"
  3. Add location, timing, and description

Quick Edit Tips​

Bulk Operations:

  • CSV Upload: Upload entire lineups at once
  • Copy from last year: Duplicate previous festival as starting point
  • Quick stage assign: Select multiple artists, assign to stage
  • Time adjustments: Select multiple slots, shift all by X minutes

Emergency changes:

  • Artist cancellation: Mark as "CANCELLED" - users get notified
  • Time changes: System asks if you want to notify users
  • New additions: Mark as "JUST ADDED" for visibility

Notification System​

Your direct line to festival-goers. Use it wisely.

Notification Types​

Updates: Schedule changes, new artist announcements

  • When to use: Any factual change to the festival
  • Tone: Informative and clear
  • Example: "🚨 Headliner moved from 9pm to 10pm on Main Stage"

Alerts: Weather, safety, urgent information

  • When to use: Time-sensitive information users NEED to know
  • Tone: Urgent but not panic-inducing
  • Example: "⛈️ Heavy rain expected 6-8pm. Main Stage shows moved to covered area"

Marketing: Hype-building, discovery, engagement

  • When to use: Build excitement, promote undercard artists
  • Tone: Fun and energetic
  • Example: "🔥 Don't miss [Artist] at 3pm - their new single has 10M streams!"

Best Times to Send​

Data-backed recommendations:

  • 9-11am: Highest open rates (people planning their day)
  • 12-2pm: Good for urgent updates (lunch break checks)
  • 6-8pm: Best for marketing/hype (getting ready to party)
  • Avoid 11pm-8am: Unless it's truly urgent

Day-specific tips:

  • Week before: Schedule reminders, lineup highlights
  • Day of: Updates only - people are busy
  • During festival: Only send what's truly needed

Rich Notifications​

Adding Images: Make your notifications pop with visuals:

  1. Go to "Notifications" → "Create New"
  2. Upload image (1200x630px recommended)
  3. Image best practices:
    • Artist photos for lineup announcements
    • Festival branding for general updates
    • Weather graphics for alerts
    • Keep text overlay minimal

Message formatting:

  • Emojis: Use sparingly, 1-2 max
  • Length: Under 100 characters for best display
  • Call to action: "Check your schedule", "Head to Main Stage now"

Scheduling Ahead​

Plan Your Communication:

  1. Create a notification calendar pre-festival
  2. Schedule common updates in advance
  3. Save drafts for likely scenarios (rain, delays)
  4. Leave room for spontaneous announcements

Pre-written templates:

  • Artist stage time changes
  • Weather updates
  • Traffic/transportation alerts
  • Food vendor highlights
  • After-party announcements

Notification History​

Track what you've sent:

  • Open rates: See what resonates with your audience
  • Peak engagement times: Learn when your audience is most active
  • Message performance: Which types get best response
  • Frequency analysis: Avoid notification fatigue

Analytics available (Epic+ plans):

  • Open rates by time of day
  • Engagement by notification type
  • User notification preferences
  • Opt-out tracking

Team Management​

Adding Staff Members​

Tier limits:

  • Starter: 2 team members
  • Epic: 5 team members
  • Legendary: Unlimited

How to add:

  1. Go to "Team Management" → "Add Member"
  2. Enter their Festivawl username (they must have an account)
  3. Set permission level
  4. They'll get an email invitation

Username-Based Access​

Team members need existing Festivawl accounts:

  • Why: Ensures they understand the platform from user perspective
  • Sign up: Free at festivawl.com
  • Username format: Usually @username format

Permissions Overview​

Admin: Full access to everything

  • Edit festival details
  • Manage team members
  • Send notifications
  • Access analytics
  • Publish/unpublish festival

Editor: Content management only

  • Edit lineup and schedule
  • Update festival information
  • Send notifications
  • Cannot add/remove team members

Viewer: Read-only access

  • View all festival data
  • Access analytics (if available)
  • Cannot make changes

Removing Team Members​

When to remove:

  • Staff no longer with organization
  • Seasonal workers post-festival
  • Security concerns

How to remove:

  1. "Team Management" → find member
  2. Click "Remove Access"
  3. They lose access immediately
  4. No notification sent to removed member

Best Practices for Teams​

Role distribution:

  • 1 Admin: Usually festival director/owner
  • 2-3 Editors: Marketing, artist relations, operations
  • Viewers: Volunteers, temporary staff

Communication:

  • Slack/Discord: Use for team coordination
  • Festivawl comments: Use built-in notes for festival-specific communication
  • Change log: System tracks who made what changes

Security:

  • Regular audits: Review team access monthly
  • Strong passwords: Encourage team 2FA
  • Limit admins: Only give admin to essential staff
  • Remove promptly: Don't let access linger post-event

Content Updates​

Updating Festival Information​

What can be updated live:

  • Festival description
  • Dates (with user notification)
  • Location details
  • Social media links
  • Contact information

What requires republishing:

  • Festival name
  • Major branding changes
  • Complete lineup overhauls

Map Management​

Adding venue maps:

  1. "Festival Settings" → "Maps"
  2. Upload venue layout (PNG/JPG)
  3. Recommended size: 1920x1080px
  4. Mark key locations: stages, bathrooms, food, exits

Interactive features:

  • Clickable stage locations
  • Filter by activity type
  • Accessibility information

Partner Logo Setup​

Adding sponsors (Epic+ only):

  1. "Partners" → "Add Partner"
  2. Upload logo (300x300px, transparent background)
  3. Set importance order
  4. Add partner website link

Display options:

  • Grid layout on festival page
  • Footer placement
  • Sponsor story highlights

Schedule Changes​

During the festival:

  1. Make changes in "Schedule Management"
  2. System asks: "Notify users of this change?"
  3. Auto-generated message: "Schedule Update: [Artist] moved to [new time/stage]"
  4. Custom message: Write your own notification

Best practices:

  • Batch changes: Make multiple changes, then notify once
  • Clear communication: Explain why if possible
  • Alternative options: Suggest similar artists if major act cancels

Emergency Updates​

For urgent situations:

  1. Priority notifications: Use alert-type, sends immediately
  2. Multiple channels: Also update social media, website
  3. Clear instructions: Tell users what to do
  4. Follow up: Send all-clear when situation resolves

Emergency templates:

  • Weather delays
  • Security situations
  • Medical emergencies
  • Evacuation procedures
  • Transportation issues
Emergency Protocol

For real emergencies, always contact local authorities first. Festivawl notifications are supplementary communication, not primary emergency response.

Daily Operations Checklist​

Morning (Festival Days):

  • Check weather forecast
  • Review day's schedule
  • Send daily lineup highlight
  • Check for overnight artist/schedule changes

Midday:

  • Monitor social media mentions
  • Update any schedule changes
  • Check notification engagement
  • Coordinate with on-site team

Evening:

  • Send tomorrow's preview (if multi-day)
  • Thank attendees for great day
  • Note any issues for tomorrow
  • Update schedule for next day

Post-Festival:

  • Send thank you notification
  • Archive festival content
  • Review analytics for insights
  • Plan for next year
Pro Festival Management

The best festival organizers make updates feel like part of the experience, not interruptions. Keep communication positive, timely, and helpful - your attendees will appreciate the transparency.