So for those of you who have never been involved in producing an outdoor music festival on 176 acres, harken unto my words. The Appel Farm Arts and Music Festival (www.appelfarm.org/festival/index.html) that I am working on over the next two weeks is all these things and more.
Last weekend, volunteers began erecting 375 stakes at 12 foot intervals across the main part of the grounds and attached snowfencing to it. This coming weekend they will be finishing the job. They will also be lending a hand trimming brush, painting the stages, folding towels, building temporary privacy walls, preparing the hospitality rooms, erecting signs, etc. If the volunteers auger well–drilling holes for the posts–we should be finished with all this around 3:00 as has happened in the past.
More people will come in during the day next week to help prepare the grounds with things that had to wait, answer the phones and fill volunteer packets.
Today, however, was spent planning how to best employ the volunteers. I will be going out tomorrow to begin flagging areas that need to have hole drilled, some of which will be done in cooperation with the box office because they have a system devised which makes the traffic flow more efficiently.
A couple years ago, I had to revamp the entire entryway layout in recognition of the post 9/11 environment we were operating in. We were already checking coolers, etc for alcohol because we are a non-alcohol venue. However, doing a more thorough check meant training screeners better as to how they could go about checking belongings. It also meant the process would take longer.
Many people arrive hours before the event so they can be among the first to rush to the stages and set up blankets close up. I essentially designed a large, secure waiting area where people could stand after they had been screened so they weren’t delayed when the mad rush for seating began. Unfortunately, this required moving the box office elsewhere and revising the pedestrian traffic a bit. The eventual result was a much more efficient system than we had before I think.
Another portion of the day was spent creating evaluation sheets for area supervisors. The festival itself requires about 500 volunteers and they handle almost every aspect of the day from security to stage crew to hospitality to garbage pick up. Veterans serve as supervisors of other volunteers and evaluate their performance so we can make decisions next year about who can be promoted or perhaps moved to a sensitive area and who we want to avoid having volunteer next year.
This system has really worked well over the years. When you are working with volunteers, it can be a little problematic when it comes to sensitive areas like security, stage crew and hospitality. People expect professionalism. This is especially true of the performers who certainly don’t want the crew sloppily handling their equipment or the hospitality people asking for their autograph.
One of the ways we have ensured quality is that we don’t openly solicit volunteers for stage crew and hospitality. Getting assigned to the area is by invitation only, either by the area coordinator or the Appel Farm staff.
One big problem that some festivals have that Appel Farm has avoided is the formation of cliques within certain areas. Some places, you have to know someone to get in any area other than parking or trash pick up. The job areas are often run like personal fiefs. Not only do you face expulsion if you anger the hierarchy in the group, but if you are in another area that depends on their help, you might find their assistance evaporates or is slow in coming as punishment for your offense. No matter that is makes the entire organization look shabbily run.
Since all assignments are ultimately processed by the permanent staff who tend to recommend people of their own for these plum positions, there is usually a mix between people who know each other really well from other festivals and people who know each other really well from working on other concerts at Appel Farm.
The vibe of the festival has really always been more about cooperation with each other and enjoying the day than jockeying for better positions. Last year I almost broke down crying with appreciation. It had been raining heavily for 6 hours and people were still showing up for their volunteer shift because they knew it was important for them to be there. I was extremely touched by their dedication to the organization and their promise to be there unconditionally.