Who are you? Polarity vs Duality

When I watched Ash Beckham's Ted Talks video "When to take a stand, and when to leave it alone?" I though to myself, she is going to talk about something that I experience in my everyday life. Everyday in life we are faced with the issues of polarity and duality. As Beckham states in her video, we live in a world of constant polarity, where there is no middle ground. Polarity is when two ideas or opinions are completely opposite from each other. The problem with polarity is the affect of our individuality and human experience which contradicts out human nature. The problem with this word is that humans are always against each other and constantly in competition. The opposite of polarity is Duality which is the state of having two parts. Beckham states duality is the ability to hold both things. Which one are you? Are you anti- gay, or pro- gay? Are you racist or not? So who are you? The problem with society is that we live in a world that where people are so blind and brainwashed with the news and politicians. In reality, polarity is not our actual reality. I am constantly put into situations were I have to decide which side am I on. And I will tell you that I am in the duality side. When I have a conversation with an individual who is so one sided, and cannot hear out the other person than I have decided to just leave it alone. Sorry but if we cannot meet in the middle then we don't need to have this conversation.

In order to succeed and as individual human beings we need to be able to hold good and bad and the easy and hard. If we are all able to meet in the middle then we can all combine forces and build a community and a life with happy healthy individuals. This brings me to the idea of building a brand for a company. My future goal is to create a festival with individuals who both attain polarity and duality with the hopes that everyone unite and share their ideas and talents in order to make this world a better place. Aren't you sick of hearing about war, sickness, people killing each other, guns? The problem is that some of our society is stuck in their own world and past and some individuals don't know how to think, live or act. We need more people with the same  duality or if we are going to have opposite ideas we need to learn to be able to come to an agreement where there is a middle standpoint. Therefore, we need to learn when to take a stand, and when to leave it alone.

Electric Daisy Carnival: What is life without festivals?

This weekend one of the major music festivals in the United States takes place in Las Vegas, Nevada. The three day long festival, Electric Daisy Carnival, will take over the desert of Nevada, at the Las Vegas Speedway. As thousands of people from all over the world, prepare to travel to Las Vegas for EDC week, whether they have attended before or not, they are ready to experience have an experience of a lifetime. “I’m very excited to give those who may be unfamiliar with EDC Las Vegas a window into what this festival and our culture is all about,” said Pasquale Rotella, founder and CEO of Insomniac. This year will be the first year that the festival will live stream, and will be available to watch on Yahoo. 

Electric Daisy Carnival, first began as a warehouse rave in Los Angeles back in 1992 and then first produced by Insomniac Events, in 1997. EDC has expanded throughout the years to Colorado, Illinois, New York, Puerto Rico, Texas and Florida are amongst the states. Every year more art, performances, rides and the lineups are created to make it an experience of a lifetime. With over 300 DJ sets, fans will watch EDC Las Vegas as it spans over 200 acres, encompassing eight new stages, art installations, carnival rides and more than 500 theatrical performers. Although, EDC travels throughout the country I don't think that anyone can compare to the experience that takes place in Las Vegas, NV. Three years ago, I was able to attend my first experience in EDC las Vegas and I have to say it brought me back for another year. The experience was unimaginable. However, compared to other festivals it has become more mainstream, with headlining artist such as Chuckie, Cosmic Gate, Martin Solevig and Kaskade taking the tables with their common hooks and remixed beats.  Compared to other festivals such as MysterylandUSA and Coachella which brings a variety of music genres, such as rock and hip hop, EDM fans will be checking out the conflicting schedules with their favorite artists playing in different stages. However, fans need to forget the schedules and enjoy the experience itself. I would love to one day be able to organize the dynamics of Mystery land, Coachella, and Electric Daisy Carnival, all in one festival, where you the experience of the art, food, and music from not only the mainstream artist you hear about everyday, but also those up and coming or underground artists like Kill Frenzy, Goldfish, and Lee Floss.  

It seems every year EDC gets bigger and more popular than ever. With over 400,000 people attending this year the three-day gathering offers a communal sense of belonging to many who otherwise feel like outsiders. These people are so into the culture and so is the festival’s 40-year-old founder, Pasquelle Rotella, who was shaped by Southern California’s underground rave scene during the ’90s.
 My passion is to be a part of these amazing festival one day. As I continue to my journey I will continue following them each year. EDC Las Vegas was my first festival I attended out of the state and what caught me was the stage with the owl that represents Insomniac.

As Rotella points out, “The owl represents Insomniac." “It represents me, as a night owl. It represents all the people at the company that are working 24/7, and the scene, and night culture — we’re all a bunch of night owls.

“There’s so many different kind of owls, but they’re all the same species, right, just like all the attendees at the festival. We’re all the same, but we’re also different, and we all come together.”

My spirit animal is an owl. Therefore, I truly believe this is what I am drawn to. Being a part of creating and organizing a festival is my destiny. One day the Owl will be wide awake. 

FESTIVAL PLANNING

In this blog I will speak about the important factors in my research in the production of music festivals. A festival is a gathering of a community of people to enjoy food, art music and entertainment. It is a dramatic, community-building event that may occur once a year. The festival provides a positive experience, modern miracles in the world of arts, entertainment, neighborhood revitalization, and economic development.

When planning a festival you have to figure out what kind of vibe or the nature of the event you are trying to achieve. There are several things to focus on when planning a festival to make it a success. However, I am going to focus the four main things to start to begin the process, which are the costs and budget, the venue and whether or not any permits are needed to hold a festival, choosing the acts, and the marketing strategy to create a buzz about your event. 

1. FINANCIAL PLANNING: Figuring out the cost and budget of the event.

Before considering the act, when the festival takes place, or how to structure it is important to work out the expenses. The biggest cost comes in the production, which entails the physical aspects of the show. In order to figure out the expenses for your event there are several factors to take into account according to the Event Planning guide on Concert ideas.  These are:

• The artist’s fee.
• The middle agent’s fee.
• Production: sound and lights and rider requirements.
• Catering.
• Advertising.
• Security.
• Ticket Printing.
• Venue rental.

It is crucial to work on a budget. The best way to develop a good budget is taking consideration the costs based on three categories bands, novelties and administrative. The budget should include administration: clerical, production staff, stage manager, stage crew. Logistics: sound, security, insurance, festival supplies, canopies, chairs and tent, etc. Program: talent, artistic director, MC’s. Publicity: printing program, printing posters. Also the size of the event will determine how much you should need. The budget can be determined based on goal and objectives. In order to raise a budget you can do fundraising, apply for grants, sponsorship or capital funds. The money must be raised in order to pay for the items in the budget and break-even or you can have money left over for the following years event.

  

2. VENUE AND PERMITS: What makes a good festival site?

            When preparing a music festival the site you choose plays a key role in the event. It is the basis upon of the audience and the culture the festival will represent. When beginning a search ask yourself the following questions:

• What kind of event is it?

• Would it be better suited to an outdoor or indoor environment?

• Who is the audience?

• Will there be children, seniors, the handicapped?

• If outdoors, how much space does it need?

• If indoors, what kind of building will work?

• What kind of events are planned? Does your festival need a hill for the grand finale? A soccer field     for games and sports? A lake for boat races? A street for a parade?

• Will you need an entrance or can you just wander in?

• Is it easy to reach? Close to major streets or freeways?

• Are there parking fees or fees required to enter the park or outdoor/indoor location?

The location should have plenty of space for the amount of people expecting, the stages in a variety of distances, food and drink booths, and any art and culture provided. After the venue is established you’ll have to determine if there are any permits and licensing that are required and contact the Department or agency for the permit. Whether it is for food, alcohol, medical, water supply and so on.

3. PROGRAMMING & ARTIST RELATIONS: Choosing the acts

According to an interview with Jordan Wolowitz,  Founders Entertainment partner, who plans the Governor’s Ball Music Festival in New York City, the most important part of preparing for a festival is the acts and getting them on board. Since it takes a while to build a festival brand and get the big names to perform. Two techniques are used in order to look for talent. One scout out for talent vendors using talent buyers that travel around the world attending showcase festivals who are looking for unique artist and headliners. And the second is by accepting artist/vendors applications by advertising through social media and the festival website to give them the opportunity to play. Ask for samples of talent and a possible portfolio.

4. PUBLIC RELATIONS AND MARKETING: Creating a Buzz

Having a good marketing strategy will your event to create publicity in order to sell tickets. Social networking sites are great to produce publicity. According to Rhonda Abrams, author of the Successful Business Plan: Secrets & Strategies, it is not enough to have a great idea or new invention as the basis of your business; you must also have a market that is sufficiently large, accessible, and responsive. There are several items to think about when developing a strategy

• List of festival target market(s)
• Festival sponsor's financial information
• Media list with placement information
• Calendar
• List of organization's staff and/or volunteers
• Data on completed festival   

      Festivals can be a great opportunity to market your products and services to local residents and other event-goers. Therefore, marketing is important to create successful event. If you’re new to event marketing, you’ll probably want to start at the smaller end of the spectrum.

      Having done some research on the different sources linked in this blog I have learned the different steps it takes in order to create a good festival. The information will help me to determine if I want to start off my own festival or work in a specific department.