How We Can Learn from Coachella

It is "Coachella Time".

This festival strives to add new bells and whistles each and every year, that set the bar higher for us in the event industry.

In 2017 everyone is talking about "festivalization" of meetings and events.

Here is our round-up of top trends and inspiring aspects.

“All experiences are morphing together into the festivalization of events. Concerts add conferences, meetings add new styles of collaboration, trade shows add consumer elements. Training conferences are like going to Lollapalooza. In a competition for our attention, event organizers are engaging all the senses." - David Adler/BizBash Medium

"The meetings industry is evolving beyond its preoccupation with event technology and the impact of Millennials over the last five years. The new focus for 2017 revolves around developing more multidisciplinary business events, integrating education and entertainment, to engage attendees in new ways on different levels." — Greg Oates/Skift

How can we learn from Coachella after 18 years? 

Does the Music and Arts Festival still remain fresh and new?
It certainly remains relevant.There is a lot more going on than arts and music. After all, the festival itself has become the catalyst for hundreds of smaller branding, marketing and pure party events surrounding it. 
Maybe due to its proximity to Los Angeles, Coachella attracts more celebrities and influencers than any other festival.Young show business A-listers park their private jets on the tarmac at Palm Springs.Every model-of-the-moment, Instagramer and YouTuber is heading into the desert. 
Los Angeles Times tallied the revenue generated by three festival weekends, Coachella and StageCoach, for the Greater Palm Springs area last year: ticket sales and tourism alone brought in $770 million! 
We are paying attention!

    

Kate Brack, Director of Floral and Event Design:

"I am truly inspired by the inventiveness and ingenuity of the fashion pop up shops created using shipping containers and airstream trailers. They are forward thinking, green builds that not only lend an eye to design but hit the mark as an experiential marketing piece. As events move further away from the hotel ballroom and into unexpected settings, Coachella, like Burning Man, is at the forefront of creativity in the field of live events."

We asked DJ Matt Cornwall, who is always at the forefront of trends in music.

"Coachella is offering an impressive VR/AR experience. See the  description in VR Scout":

In their never-ending attempt to continually top themselves, the marketing team introduced a slew of new augmented reality features activated by the welcome box itself. By simply downloading the Coachella VR app, available for free on IOS & Android, users can now activate an augmented reality mode and view a colorful spectacle right on the cover of the box containing all your festival necessities. Pointing your camera at the design reveals a circling group of neon sharks, a bright hot air balloon, tangled roller coasters, the infamous ferris wheel and more enchanting sights all colorfully illuminated by a spectacular light show.

The app doesn’t stop there however, as the Coachella team has actually hidden several augmented reality ‘easter eggs’ that festival-attendees can hunt for while on the official grounds. Combine this with the stellar catalog of Coachella VR content continuously being uploaded and you have a powerful VR/AR mobile app that should just about cover all your festival needs.

Coachella continues to be a game-changer.

However, the biggest draw has been and still is: MUSIC.

Matt is happy to share his recommendations.

DJ Matt Cornwall’s
Top 20 Coachella Acts Not To Be Missed! 

1. Los Angeles natives and local favorites, Classixx - Sat April 15th and 22nd.

2. Devendra Banhart - Sun April 16th and 23rd. 

3. Bonobo - Fri April 14th and 21rst. 

4. DJ Shadow - Fri April 14th and 21st. 

5. FKJ (French Kiwi Juice) Sat, April 15th. 

6. Gaslamp Killer -Fri April 14th and 21st. 

7. GBV (Guided By Voices ) -Fri April 14th and 21st. 

8. Little Dragon- Fri April 14th and 21st. 

9. Thundercat - Sat April 15th and 22nd. 

10. Tove Lo -Sun April 16th and 23rd.

11. Real Estate - Sun April 16th and 23rd.

12. Porter Robinson & Madeon - Sun April 16th and 23rd.

13. New Order! - Sun April 16th and 23rd. 

14. Tycho - Sat April 15th and 22nd. 

15. Nicholas Jaar - Sat April 15th and 22nd. 

16. Sampha - Fri April 14th and 21st. 

17. T.S.O.L - Sun April 16th and 23rd. 

18. Preservation Hall Jazz Band  - Fri April 14th and 21st. 

19. Kaytranada - Sun April 16th and 22nd. 

20. Kendrick Lamar - Sun April 16th and 23rd. 

 

Lighters Up! ~ DJMC

Don't feel bad if you don't know many of the bands by name! 

By bringing new music, new bands and new trends Coachella inspires us to look for the next big thing, in every regard.

Have a great week!