Recreational events gather large numbers of people in concentrated areas for brief periods of time. Effects of these events extend far beyond their spatial and temporal boundaries; a music festival is one such event. This paper asks, “What are some measures that can move music festivals strategically toward sustainability?” A framework for strategic sustainable development based on backcasting from sustainability principles is applied. Research draws on pertinent literature, interviews with festival organizers and an in-depth case study with International Music Concepts. Results indicate that critical flows and management routines upon which music festivals depend contribute to systematic undermining of social and ecological systems. Festival organizers sit at the centre of these flows, and are crucial to changing them. Education to inspire behavioural change of festival organizers and other stakeholders, notably suppliers, audience and artists, appears critical to shifting music festivals toward sustainability. This can be underpinned by building in-house ‘sustainability capacity’ of festival organisations; creating strategic alliances between festival organizers; and scaling up organisational efforts to include lobbying governments for financial and other support to authenticate a high-level commitment to true sustainable development. Music festivals may then leverage their role in society to move society itself toward sustainability. A template and guidebook are presented to facilitate this shift.
Author: Sarah Brooks, Dan O’Halloran, Alexandre Magnin
Source: Blekinge Institute of Technology
Download Link: Download This Report
Reference URL: Visit Now
Contents
1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Context
1.2 Strategic sustainable development
1.2.1 The funnel metaphor
1.2.2 Understanding the system: cycles of nature and the laws of thermodynamics
1.2.3 Success: the four system conditions
1.2.4 Strategic planning toward sustainability
1.3 International Music Concepts and Homebake
1.3.1 The Homebake music festival
1.3.2 International Music Concepts
1.4 Research questions / Scope of project
2 METHODOLOGY
2.1 Research design
2.2 Information collection
2.2.1 Literature review
2.2.2 Interviews
2.2.3 Case study
2.3 Information analysis
2.3.1 Template
2.3.2 Guidebook
3 RESULTS
3.1 General results on understanding music festivals
3.1.1 Literature study
3.1.2 Interviews
3.1.3 Template
3.2 Homebake: a case study
3.2.1 Vision exercise
3.2.2 SWOT analysis
3.2.3 ABCD workshop
3.2.4 Key findings
3.3 A guidebook for music festival organizers
3.3.1 A capacity tool: generic and practical
3.3.2 A guidebook for a complex system
3.3.3 Strategic goals: the 6 strings of sustainability
3.3.4 12 actions – 12 tones
4 DISCUSSION
4.1 Primary research question
4.2 Secondary research questions
5 CONCLUSION
6 FURTHER RESEARCH
REFERENCES
APPENDIX