FestForums in Santa Barbara was held at the Fess Parker Hotel right on the beach and I was invited as part of the Nature Track Film Festival team. As a first-year film festival, attending the FestForum was really helpful. I highly recommend this event to anyone who is interested in event related technology, entertainment and management.
FestForums® is a conference for ALL FESTIVAL industry leaders that takes place biannually in Santa Barbara, CA and New York City. Addressing cutting-edge technology, talent, ticketing, sponsorships, scheduling, merchandising, operations, sustainability, charitable work, innovation and safety, FestForums® brings together festivals and events of all sizes for collaboration and professional development.
The large screen made it easy to watch the speakers from any distance in the room.
Top marketing examples and takeaways from FestForums
The event industry is meeting cultural and business needs to provide lucrative and valuable experiences that last a lifetime. Many industries collaborate to pull off big events with economic impact and although the rewards are big but so is the investment!
A big topic at the conference was ticketing and infrastructure challenges related to the demand for Internet-based services at locations that might not have reliable electricity. Another major topic was about the cultural challenges like security. Security is a concern on a large scale, like mass shootings. It was also a topic because of the #metoo movement and sexual assault
Link to more info on my top takeaways:
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Social Service Marketing Example – Citi Bike: A fun and affordable way to get around town
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New Event Technology Example – VIXI – Breaking the boundaries of social event display
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Entertainment Marketing Example – Absolut deadmau5 – Android Apps on Google Play
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Growing Audience Information – Millennials view business positively and believe it’s behaving in an increasingly responsible manner; 76 percent say businesses, in general, are having a positive impact on the wider society in which they operate. (Millennial Survey)
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Business Technology Example – The cashless event system is proven to increase customer spending, shorten queues and reduce overheads. (Event Genius)
