The First Stop for Orientation
A clearly visible Welcome & Information Center at a festival acts as the helpdesk for your event. Placed prominently near the main entrance (and at other strategic spots for larger grounds), these centers immediately orient attendees as they arrive. Guests often step off shuttles or walk in excited but unsure where to go first – an information booth in plain sight invites them to ask questions, grab a map, and get their bearings. This simple service can greatly reduce confusion and anxiety, setting a positive tone from the outset. First impressions matter, and a friendly welcome booth assures attendees that support is available whenever they need it.
Location and Visibility Matter
For maximum impact, situate the primary info booth right by the entrance or main gate. Ensure it’s impossible to miss – use tall flags or banners with the universal info symbol (an “??” or the word “INFO”) so it stands out even in a crowd. At larger festivals, consider multiple info points: one at each major area or stage cluster. Visibility is key; if attendees can’t find the info booth, it can’t help them. Lighting is also important for evening events – a well-lit info tent becomes a beacon after dark, drawing in those who need assistance. Make sure to also mark the info centers on festival maps and signage across the grounds (e.g., directional arrows saying “Info this way”) to continuously guide people there.
Staffed by Friendly, Knowledgeable Teams
The people behind the information desk are the face of your festival’s customer service. Staff these booths with friendly, patient, and well-trained individuals – often volunteers with a knack for helping others. Volunteers should receive a thorough briefing before the gates open, including a FAQ cheat-sheet covering the most common queries: stage locations, schedule times, restroom and water points, transportation info, safety procedures, and any special festival rules. It’s wise to have at least one experienced staff member or supervisor present to handle more complex questions or emergencies. All info booth staff should be easily identifiable (brightly colored “Staff” or “Info Team” shirts or badges) and genuinely approachable – a warm smile and proactive greeting (“Hi! Need any help finding something?”) can make attendees feel comfortable seeking assistance.
- Training Tip: Do a short role-play or Q&A session with info booth volunteers before opening. Quiz them on where key locations are (“Where is Stage 2 located?”) so they can answer quickly without flipping through a map each time.
- Empowerment: Equip the info team with tools to do their job well. This might include a two-way radio or phone to contact other departments (for example, to confirm if a lost item was turned in, or to summon medical/security help), and a binder or tablet with detailed festival information. When staff feel prepared, they’ll be more confident and helpful.
Services Offered: Maps, Schedules, and More
Think of the Welcome/Info Center as a one-stop shop for festival guidance. It should be stocked with everything an attendee might need to navigate and enjoy the event:
– Festival Maps: Hand out printed pocket maps of the grounds. Ideally, these are waterproof or laminated (durable enough to survive rain or sweaty pockets) and clearly mark stages, food courts, restrooms, first aid, exits, and other amenities. Many guests will grab a map upon arrival if offered, reducing “Where is ___?” questions later. If your festival has a mobile app or QR code map, the info booth staff can help less tech-savvy guests access it, but physical maps remain extremely handy.
– Event Schedules: Keep plenty of program schedules or timetables at the booth. Some attendees lose the schedule flyer they got at the gate (if any) or didn’t download the app – the info booth is their backup. Post a large print schedule or whiteboard showing “What’s on now/next” for quick reference. Updates for any last-minute changes or special announcements can be written here as well so everyone nearby stays informed.
– Festival Guides & Local Info: If a booklet or guide is available, the info booth should have copies. Beyond the festival itself, be ready to answer questions about the surrounding area especially for out-of-town visitors – e.g. “Is there an ATM on-site or nearby?”, “Where’s parking?” or “What time do the shuttles or last trains leave?”. Having a printout of transport schedules, a list of nearby taxi or rideshare pickup zones, and a map of the local vicinity (with key points like convenience stores or parking lots) can be extremely useful.
– Essential Amenities: Often the info booth doubles as the place to pick up small but important items. Many festivals provide or sell earplugs at info booths, recognizing that not everyone remembers to bring hearing protection. Consider also stocking basic first aid items (band-aids, sunscreen packets) or at least know where they are available. Some events even give away freebies here – from branded stickers and buttons to cold water or mints – which not only delights attendees but encourages them to approach the booth.
– Lost & Found (Interim): While a large festival might have a dedicated Lost & Found tent or a Child Safety center for lost kids, the nearest info booth is often the first place bewildered people turn. Information centers can handle initial lost-and-found inquiries: taking reports of lost items, receiving found items handed in by other guests, and reuniting people if possible. Keep a log book to record lost item details and contact info, and have a procedure to transfer these to the main Lost & Found team periodically. For lost persons (like a child separated from a parent or a friend group that lost track of someone), the info booth staff should know the protocol: usually to immediately alert security or the designated safety team. In the meantime, an info booth can provide a safe, calm spot for someone who is lost or waiting for assistance.
– General Queries & Troubleshooting: From “Where are the bathrooms?” to “What forms of payment are accepted at food stalls?”, any question goes. If the info staff don’t know an answer, they should be trained to quickly find out – whether by consulting the provided information binder, using a radio to ask event managers, or even looking it up online if internet is available. The goal is that no guest question is dismissed; even uncommon inquiries should be addressed with an earnest effort to help. A well-run info booth might not have instant answers to everything, but they will always either find the answer or direct the person to someone who can help.
Friendly Efficiency and Attendee Comfort
A welcome center isn’t only about distributing papers and answers – it’s a place that sets the tone of hospitality. Encourage the info booth team to be not just reactive (answering questions) but also proactive when possible. For example, if it’s midday and the sun is intense, volunteers might remind guests who stop by to stay hydrated and point out water refill stations. If the festival is known for a complex layout, info staff can offer first-timers a quick overview: “Here’s a map – the two main stages are here and here, food vendors along this strip, and the camping area is up this path.” These small courtesy interactions can significantly enhance an attendee’s comfort and enjoyment.
During downtime when few questions are being asked, an engaged info team can still add value. They might straighten up the booth, restock flyers, or even hold up a sign for passing crowds like “Ask me anything!” to invite anyone who looks lost. Keeping volunteers attentive and interested is important; boredom can lead to faces buried in phones, which discourages attendees from approaching. To motivate staff, make the info booth a coveted assignment: provide shade, water, perhaps a comfy stool, and let them decorate the booth with a bit of festival flair to instill pride in their station.
Feedback Loop: Learning from Questions
Every question asked at an info booth is a clue to how well (or poorly) your event communications are working. Keep a notepad or digital log at the booth to jot down frequently asked questions throughout the day. If you find a pattern – say dozens of people keep asking “Where is Stage 2?” or “What time does ___ act start?” – you’ve identified a communication gap. Maybe the signage for Stage 2 isn’t clear enough, or perhaps the schedule posters are too few or not visible. Armed with this insight, you can respond in real-time (by adding more signs, making an announcement, or updating the festival app with a push notification) and also improve planning for future events.
Tracking questions also helps refine the info booth’s own resources. If volunteers note that many people are asking about vegetarian food options, for instance, the next day the info booth can have a list of food vendors with vegetarian menus at the ready. Post-event, use these logs in your debrief meeting: they’re invaluable for identifying what information attendees lacked. Over time, a festival can greatly reduce confusion by proactively providing the details that were commonly asked for in the past. In essence, your attendees are telling you what they need – use that to continuously improve the festival experience.
Scaling Up or Down: Adapting to Your Festival
Information centers are scalable to any festival size. For a small boutique festival of a few hundred people, a single well-marked info table near the entrance may suffice. In such cases, that booth might multitask as the nexus for all guest services – tickets/wristband issues, info, lost & found, even first aid coordination – so ensure the volunteers there are cross-trained and have direct lines to the event organizer or emergency services. A smaller crowd means you can often recognize frequent questions quickly and address them with an announcement or a posted sign by the second day or even hour two of the event.
On the other end, huge festivals with tens of thousands of attendees will require a more robust info center operation. Plan for multiple booths: for example, one at each main entrance, one near the central hub or main stage, and one by a camping area or other high-traffic zones. Each booth should be networked – in communication with each other and with the event control center – so that updates (like a schedule delay or a weather alert) reach all info staff promptly. Large events might assign a dedicated manager to oversee all info booths and roam between them to ensure consistency. Also consider multilingual support if you expect international guests: stocking maps or handouts in a few common languages, or scheduling some bilingual volunteers, goes a long way in making everyone feel welcome and informed.
Different types of festivals bring unique questions, so tailor your info booth prep accordingly. At a music festival, attendees may ask about set times, stage locations, or earplugs – focus on schedule and safety item availability. A food or wine festival might get more questions about vendor locations, ingredients or allergens, or where to find water to cleanse palates. A family-friendly festival will likely field inquiries about child-friendly areas, stroller access, or lost child procedures; be ready with family services information and perhaps even fun stickers for kids as a friendly touch. Knowing your audience demographics helps you anticipate their needs – a seasoned festival producer will prepare the info centers to handle the specific interests of their crowd.
Success Stories and Cautionary Tales
Even veterans have learned the hard way how crucial info booths are. One success story comes from a regional arts & music festival that initially had no dedicated info point – staff reported that attendees kept asking roaming crew members basic questions. By the second day, the team set up a quick info table with a big “Info” sign. The result was immediate: attendees flocked to the table for help, which freed up crew to focus on their other duties and dramatically improved visitor satisfaction according to post-event surveys. From then on, that festival made the welcome/info booth a centerpiece of their front-of-house operations.
Conversely, consider a large multi-stage music festival that underestimated demand at their info booths. They placed only one information tent near the entrance for a 50,000-person event. The small team manning it was swamped within the first hour, resulting in long lines of confused attendees. Many gave up waiting and wandered, some missing performances or getting frustrated. Organizers quickly realized their mistake and dispatched roaming “Ask Me” volunteers with handheld signs to cover more ground, and added two more info kiosks by day two. The lesson: scale your info centers to match the audience size and the complexity of your event layout. It’s far better to have a few too many helpers than not enough when your attendees need answers.
In another case, a family-oriented festival established a combined Welcome, Info & Lost Kids tent. The central location and clear signage (“Info & Lost Children”) meant that when a child wandered off, other attendees immediately knew to bring them to the info tent. The staff there had specific training on handling lost children – keeping them calm, notifying festival security and the parents – which led to quick reunions in every instance. This dual-purpose approach worked because the festival was mid-sized and the compact layout allowed one center to efficiently serve both information and child safety roles. The takeaway: depending on your festival’s scope, the info center can double as a multi-service helpdesk, but always ensure the team is equipped and trained for those additional responsibilities.
Final Thoughts: The Helpdesk Heart of the Festival
A Welcome and Information Center might seem like a small operational detail, but it contributes immensely to attendee comfort, safety, and overall enjoyment. It is essentially the heart of guest services – a place where questions are answered, problems solved, and anxieties eased. From the novice festival-goer feeling a bit lost, to the seasoned attendee looking for a quick answer, everyone benefits from a well-run info booth.
For festival producers, the investment in training volunteers, printing maps and schedules, and maintaining an inviting info booth yields returns in the form of smoother logistics and happier attendees. Fewer lost people, fewer frustrated questions floating around, and more confident guests who can focus on having fun – that’s the payoff. In the end, an information center exemplifies the hospitality side of event production. It says “we care about your experience and we’re here to help.” By setting up great welcome and information centers, today’s organizers continue the legacy of care and attention that seasoned producers know is the secret ingredient behind truly memorable festivals.
27th September 2025