Planning your event, from a festival to a single gig or race
Planning an event, big or small, is challenging, very challenging.
Ultimate success looks like a smile on every face; staff, visitors, performers, competitors as they leave. And everyone talking, as they walk out, about doing it all again next year or next month.
'Less than success' can be a swathe of complaints from one or another group. People moaning: how things could have been better, or in extreme, cases how things went horribly wrong. People not talking about doing it all again any time soon!
The place of festival clothing
Getting the correct uniforms or promotional items for your festival/event won't move it from 'poorly managed' (or unlucky) to a rip-roaring success. The T-Shirts, tabards or Hi-Viz items you order won't feature highly on a complaints list or, should you do one, the list of things which went well.
But, getting the event clothing right for your team, and your participants, if appropriate, can smooth a few feathers.
More importantly, making the buying process quick and simple can take one headache off the organiser's shoulders. Constant too-ing and fro-ing with your supplier because they have misunderstood what you are looking for is a headache no event organiser needs.
Clothing for festivals and events
Over the years we have successfully supported event organisers by delivering orders:
Garments supplied include:
- Hi-viz - for marshals, health and safety team, security etc
- T-shirts & caps & hoodies/sweatshirts (season dependent) for crew / staff (including those listed above)
- T-shirts, performance t's and caps for guests/participants
- Music Band T-shirts for groups and artists
- Vests and T-shirts for running races and sports events
Events supplied include:
- Single- and multi-day music events
- Comedy festivals
- Book fairs
- Warrior assault running events
- Triathlons
- Other road & cross-country races
- Tough mudder
Questions new festival organisers ask
Why do you buy?
For your crew/team
Providing your crew/staff with suitable garments for the event is important. They need to stand out from the crowd for many reasons:
- Visitor comfort/flow - organisation, flow and confidence in the event are greatly improved when all the visitors can instantly recognise the crew/staff
- Safety - when people know who to talk to when faced with any concerns safety is greatly enhanced
- Security - highly visible staff/crew provide a deterrent to 'bad actors' and improve festival/event security
- Team spirit - giving your team an identity helps to foster a great team spirit
As promotional items
If you organise an event where your visitors or competitors expect to receive a T-Shirt or a Cap as a keepsake for entering a race or attending the event then you need to buy something suitable. Generally, t-shirts and caps are favourites as keepsakes because they are at the lower end of the cost spectrum. You might incorporate an element of the garment cost into your entrance fee but no point in wasting money or losing profit!
How many garments do you buy?
This can be a tough one to answer. Obviously buying more costs more. But, buying too few doesn't allow for the flexibility necessary, especially for large events. Covering things like:
- Extra staff needed at the last minute.
- Multi-day events need extra because laundry facilities for the staff may be limited
- Sizing for competitors or visitors - do you order a mixture of sizes or buy the largest size so they fit everyone
When do you buy?
Buying is generally done as late as possible, especially in the current uncertain climate where multiple things could affect your ability to run the event - covid, storms etc.
Your supplier is likely to need approximately 10 -15 working days from receiving payment to process and deliver your order for promotional items. The lead-time will generally be very similar for staff clothing, hi-viz garments etc - but it might take longer to get from first contact to the point of order for such garments. This lead-time falls within the realms of weather forecasts but other factors remain uncertain.
How do you buy?
There are some differences in buying for festivals and events vs school leavers or business workwear.
Festivals and Events Promotional Items are, by far, the simplest to buy. They tend to be a single product (generally T-shirts) at the lowest price possible. There may be a range of sizes ordered but the bulk is often XL or XXL as they fit everyone. Consequently, the garment selection process is straightforward. Equally the decoration requirements are minimal, generally just a transfer print on the front or back of each t-shirt.
Festival Staff Clothing is less straightforward to buy and can carry some of the same issues and complexities as school leavers hoodies or workwear orders. Therefore, sometimes they can take longer to buy/decorate/deliver. There might be a need for samples, sizing can be more of an issue, sometimes personalisation is required etc.
