It’ll soon be that time again: when the sun is shining and a large crowd of music lovers gathers in one place to enjoy live music. Festival season is just around the corner! But what does it take for everything to run smoothly on stage and give the audience genuine goosebump moments? A look behind the scenes shows the crucial role played by our Habegger team.
For Habegger, the festival season begins long before the first song is performed. Well thought-out event technology is essential to ensure those attending the festival enjoy a lasting experience. With regard to lighting technology, our team on site waits for all of the technical and organisational requirement documents from the acts – also known as “riders” – in order to be able to cater to individual requests regarding additional lighting installations or technical set-ups in the best possible way. As soon as all the bands’ riders are available, the requests – especially from the headliners – regarding floor setups or additional lighting technology in the rig, such as followspots, are checked. As soon as all the details have been agreed with Production and the respective acts, the final planning can be handed over to the lighting designers.
In recent years, Ennio Staffiero, Light Technician at Habegger, has been involved in many festivals and has experienced a wide range of requirements and challenges. In his role, Ennio is responsible for looking after the lighting designers of the respective bands. He coordinates their programming slots, ensures the smooth operation of the lighting system and facilitates the flow of information between the “front of house” and the stage where the performances are taking place.
Habegger has been responsible for the entire event technology at the Seaside Festival in Spiez since 2017. Despite its idyllic location directly on Lake Thun, you have to expect all kinds of weather conditions, such as strong winds, especially at outdoor events like this one. Our team therefore always has a tried-and-tested emergency concept to hand, should the worst happen. And yet the festival is a real highlight for our crew every year: working in the open air, good music, sunshine and a relaxed atmosphere are what make this assignment special.
Ennio looks back on the Seaside Festival 2024:
In addition to technical realisation, another topic is also playing an increasingly important role at festivals: sustainability. Festivals bring people together – but also leave their mark. Lots of rubbish, high energy consumption and polluted meadows are among the less attractive aspects of such major events. In recent years, however, many festival organisers have developed an awareness of sustainability: this can be seen in composting toilets, solar power, various recycling programmes and the promotion of public transport.
However, ecological awareness not only affects the organisation of the festival, but also the visitors. The public can make a contribution by, for example, recycling waste correctly or using public transport when travelling to the event.
It is not only the sustainability management of festivals that has changed, but also the technological and social approach. In most cases, the promotion and visitor information for a festival is now completely digital. From newsletters, visitor apps with show schedules and site maps to festival and line-up announcements – most external communication takes place digitally.
The artists, in particular, benefit from the greater reach and the higher demand for tickets that this brings. They reach a more diverse audience and thus have the opportunity to showcase themselves even more strongly and expand their brand presence.
We are proud to be playing a role behind the scenes once again this summer – at festivals such as Seaside in Spiez – and look forward to many wonderful moments. Let the festival season begin!
Our team will continue to broaden in the future, as we are always on the lookout for exceptional personalities for live communication.
Every two years, Habegger takes a close look at its own working environment together with “Great Place to Work®”, with the aim of identifying optimisation potential in order to remain an attractive employer in the future, too. In 2024, we have once again received the award for an optimal working environment.
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