I skipped along to the “International Open Air Festival of Jazz at the Old Town Square” (just writing it is exhausting).
Oh dear. ‘International’, it wasn’t. Not by international event management standards, anyway.
Don’t get me wrong: the music was great and the setting was superb, but look at the following pictures and I will show you what I mean…
The stage is not exciting enough for an ‘international’ music festival in the setting of a UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage Site, is it? With a blue shmutter thrown lazily over it.
The stage backdrop is bland. It should be more colourful and the branding should be vibrant for the photographs of press and tourists.
There are no side panels for branding. Those sponsors’ and supporters’ logos in the corner should be spread out over side panels to give the sponsors better profile.
The metal upright supports should be hidden by being wrapped in white or black cloth – even white and red would be nice for an international festival in the heart of the Polish capital city.
Where are the colourful flowers in the style of Pani Gessler? This is an “open air summer festival”, after all.
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This is the side of the stage. It is not the back, out of sight. No; it is the SIDE, which is in full view of the visiting public. What a mess!
It should be screened with branded panels. The sides of the stage should be extended and closed, to hide the technical equipment. It could even have been screened with flowers and plants, couldn’t it?
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This is how the stage was anchored. It isn’t pretty. But, worse than that, it is a tripping hazard – especially with the end trailing across the ground. That loose end should be wrapped around the metal peg.
Again, this anchor point could have been screened with plants and flowers. It would hide it, add flowers to the event AND prevent anyone tripping over it.
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This is the sound control unit in the middle of the Old Town Square, in front of the stage. What a terrible mess it is. This should either be very neat and tidy, or should be enclosed in a small marquee or tent.
It is sometimes nice to see the technical equipment, but it has to be well presented. THIS looks like a student gig, not an international event.
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I liked the music. I liked the setting. I liked the atmosphere. But, the event management was not worthy of “international” standards. That’s the fact.
Public events need to be amazing! They should be creative! And, for an international music festival, they need to show an excellent standard of detail. This is Poland on display. Look at the pictures again and ask yourself what it says about the professionalism of events in Poland.