Contracts With Teeth: SLAs, KPIs, and Remedies in Festival Sponsorship Agreements

Introduction

In the high-stakes world of festival sponsorship, a solid contract is more than just legal boilerplate – it’s a life jacket for when things go wrong. Seasoned festival organisers understand that “good contracts save friendships when the rain comes.” Clear, detailed agreements with teeth (enforceable clauses) protect both the festival and its sponsors. They ensure that everyone delivers on promises, and they provide a roadmap for handling headaches from long queue lines to literal stormy weather. This article draws on decades of festival production experience – from intimate boutique events to 100,000+ attendee mega-festivals – to outline how to craft sponsorship contracts that stand up to real-world pressures.

Setting Service Level Expectations

One key to a “contract with teeth” is attaching Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for critical aspects of the festival operation that affect sponsor deliverables and attendee experience. An SLA defines specific performance standards that must be met, often listed in a contract schedule or appendix. For festivals, SLAs can cover things like:

• Hours of Operation: If a sponsor is promised an activation space or stage time, specify the exact hours it must be open and staffed. For example, if a beer company sponsors a festival beer garden, the contract might stipulate the bar will operate from gates-open until at least 30 minutes before closing each day.
• Queue Lengths and Wait Times: Long lines frustrate attendees and reflect poorly on everyone – including sponsors. Contracts can set targets like “no attendee waits more than 15 minutes for [sponsored experience]”. For instance, when Splendour in the Grass 2022 in Australia was hit by extreme mud, attendees faced “fifteen-plus-hour waits” to enter waterlogged campgrounds with “no staff on site to lead cars through” (www.theguardian.com). Such chaos highlights why agreements with vendors and on-site services should specify adequate staffing and infrastructure to keep queues reasonable even in tough conditions. If a sponsor’s name is on a VIP entry or a branded food stall, ensure the operating partner is obliged to provide enough staff and resources to keep lines moving.
• Signage Quality and Visibility: Sponsors invest in festivals for brand exposure. Define standards for signage – e.g. minimum sizes, locations, and print quality for sponsor logos on stage banners, entry arches, or LED screens. The contract can require that all sponsor signage be professionally produced, correctly spelled, well-lit at night, and installed by a certain deadline (with sponsor approval if needed). If standards aren’t met – say a banner is missing or misprinted – the agreement should empower the sponsor to demand a fix or a suitable remedy (more on remedies later). The goal is to avoid scenarios where a sponsor arrives on site to find their logo hidden behind a speaker stack or peeling off in the rain.
• Staffing Ratios and Service Quality: Specify the level of staffing or service quality for any sponsored asset or activity. For example, a festival’s deal with a culinary sponsor might state that chef demo booths or tasting stations will have at least X staff per Y attendees during peak hours. Similarly, if an energy drink sponsor provides a free product lounge, the contract can mandate a ratio of brand ambassador staff to visitors to ensure an interactive, safe experience. These details might seem granular, but they ensure the sponsor’s activation runs smoothly. When staffing falls short, problems arise quickly – imagine a sponsored water station running dry or a long line at a “powered by [Sponsor]” phone charging area because only one outlet was provided. SLAs make the festival accountable for preventing such issues.

Real-world festival partnerships illustrate the impact of clear service level expectations. At Glastonbury Festival (UK), for example, technology sponsor EE provides the official Wi-Fi and mobile network on-site. In 2017 they installed the largest-ever temporary 4G network across Glastonbury’s 900-acre grounds to serve 135,000 attendees (news.europawire.eu). EE’s director of sponsorship noted they work with Glastonbury’s team to give festival-goers “the best possible network experience” (news.europawire.eu). Achieving that means the agreement likely includes SLAs for network uptime, coverage areas, and support (e.g. rapid repairs if a tower fails). A robust SLA ensures that if the network falters and people can’t share their festival selfies or — worse — if point-of-sale systems go down, there are clear obligations for EE to fix it fast or face penalties. (Imagine the uproar if a promised “free festival Wi-Fi by [Sponsor]” collapses – both the festival and sponsor need guarantees in writing to manage such risk.)

Another example: many festivals rely on scanning systems and ticketing tech at entry. If a ticketing provider or entry system is sponsored or provided by a partner, an SLA for entry throughput (e.g. “able to scan X thousand tickets per hour”) is critical. One festival learned this the hard way when a network failure meant staff “could not scan tickets, thousands of guests lined the streets for entry”, forcing organisers to let people in unchecked and losing untold revenue (www.bsn.live). Such a debacle not only endangers safety and finances, but if a sponsor’s name was on the entry system, their reputation would take a hit too. To prevent that, contracts with tech vendors should include performance KPIs (e.g. system uptime, maximum reboot time) and require backup plans (like offline scanning or extra entry lanes) so that sponsor-branded services don’t grind to a halt.

In summary, attach a Service Level Schedule to every significant sponsorship or vendor agreement. Spell out the opening hours, quality standards, max queue times, maintenance plans – all the operational details that can make or break the attendee experience. Festivals from small community events in New Zealand to massive gatherings like Tomorrowland (Belgium) use checklists and SLA clauses to align everyone’s expectations. It might feel like overkill to define, say, “soundcheck must be completed by 11:00 AM for the sponsored stage,” but these specifics ensure no ambiguity. When each party knows exactly what “success” looks like operationally, there’s far less finger-pointing on show day.

Defining Success: KPIs and Data Deliverables

Beyond the basic service levels, a savvy festival sponsorship contract defines Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for success. While SLAs cover the operational side (are we delivering the service smoothly?), KPIs measure the outcomes and value that the sponsor is expecting. In a festival context, typical sponsorship KPIs might include:

• Attendance and Footfall Metrics: How many people attended the festival (overall and each day) and, if relevant, how many visited the sponsor’s activation or stage. For example, if a sponsor branded a stage at a music festival, one KPI might be the total audience count for that stage over the weekend. Modern festivals use tech such as RFID wristbands or app check-ins to track how many attendees engage with each area.
• Brand Impressions and Reach: How many times was the sponsor’s brand seen or heard by festival-goers? This can include on-site impressions (e.g. seeing the logo on screens, banners, staff T-shirts) and off-site via media. Festivals often commit to a certain number of social media mentions, emails, or app notifications featuring the sponsor. Digital partnerships make these metrics very tangible – consider Coachella’s long-term partnership with YouTube to livestream the festival worldwide. In 2022, Coachella’s livestream drew an international audience (65% of viewers were outside the U.S.) (www.aeggp.com), a fact touted in their partnership reports. Such data – global viewership, social media trending stats, etc. – are key KPIs that show sponsors they’re getting worldwide exposure.
• Attendee Engagement and Feedback: Measuring how festival-goers interacted with the sponsor. This could be contest entries, QR code scans, mobile app engagements, or surveys. Some sponsors conduct on-site polls or use RFID activations (like tapping a wristband to play a game at the sponsor’s booth) to count engagement. If a sponsor’s goal is brand affinity, the KPI might be a Net Promoter Score or favourable rating from attendees about the sponsor’s presence. Festivals might promise to include questions about the sponsor in post-event surveys to gather this data.
• Media and PR Metrics: Press coverage or influencer content mentioning the sponsor. For example, if the festival secures a certain number of media articles or TV segments, the contract might list a target like “Sponsor will be mentioned as title partner in all official press releases and at least 5 media interviews.” If the festival hires a PR agency, those deliverables flow into the sponsorship KPIs.
• Sales and ROI Figures: If the sponsorship involved product sales (e.g. a beverage sponsor selling drinks on-site, or a merch sponsor’s product), include targets or at least reporting of sales figures. A car company sponsoring a festival might not sell cars at the event, but they might measure leads collected. A beer sponsor, however, will be very interested in how many gallons were poured. While a festival shouldn’t guarantee a vendor’s sales, it can provide estimated attendance demographics and commit to promotional support (like “we’ll highlight your beer tent on the festival map and app”). The key is transparency – share the data after the event.

Importantly, the contract should spell out who collects and provides the data for each KPI, and when. A common approach is to promise the sponsor a comprehensive post-event report by a certain date (say, within 30 days of festival end). This report is a goldmine for sponsor retention – it proves the festival delivered value. In the contract, list what that report will include: attendance stats (with source, e.g. ticket scan counts), social media reach (with screenshots or platform analytics), press clippings, on-site engagement numbers, and so on. If you’ve agreed on specific KPI targets (e.g. 10,000 participants in a sponsor’s on-site contest), include the final tally.

Contracts should also grant audit rights or verification mechanisms for key metrics. From the sponsor’s perspective, they are investing significant money – they may want the right to verify numbers rather than just trust the organiser’s word. It’s reasonable to allow a sponsor to audit attendance figures or social media metrics within a certain time frame. This could mean providing raw data exports or even allowing a third-party auditor to review footfall counts. For example, if you claim 50,000 attendees, a sponsor might ask for the ticketing system’s report to back that up (powersponsorship.com). As a festival organiser, you should welcome this transparency – it builds credibility. Using a robust ticketing platform like Ticket Fairy can help here, as it provides real-time analytics and verified attendance data that can be easily shared. (With Ticket Fairy’s platform, promoters have access to detailed demographic data and attendance tracking, which can be passed to sponsors to fulfil data deliverables.)

Let’s illustrate with a real scenario: Rock am Ring (Germany) or Glastonbury might have a major telecom sponsor providing charging stations and a festival app. KPIs might include the number of app downloads or stream views. If the target was 50,000 app users and only 30,000 downloaded it, a good contract doesn’t hide that – instead it might trigger a discussion of make-good opportunities (perhaps the festival will run extra post-event promotions for the sponsor to make up for the shortfall). On the other hand, if the festival over-delivers on a KPI, that’s a great story to tell in the report and builds goodwill for renewal.

In essence, define what success looks like in measurable terms. By agreeing on KPIs up front, both sponsor and festival are aligned on goals. The festival can plan its marketing and operations around hitting those targets, and the sponsor knows exactly what results to expect (and to demand) for their money.

Weather, Emergencies, and Contingency Plans

What separates veteran festival producers from novices is the mantra: plan for the worst. When drafting sponsorship agreements, it’s vital to include weather and capacity contingencies along with “make-good” clauses – these outline what happens if things don’t go as planned due to forces beyond anyone’s control.

Force Majeure (Act of God) Clauses: Almost all festival contracts have a force majeure clause, which covers unforeseeable catastrophes – think storms, floods, pandemics, government shutdowns. This clause typically excuses performance if the event is genuinely impeded. However, from a sponsorship perspective, it must state what both parties will do if a festival day or the entire event is canceled or severely disrupted. Many contracts give the sponsor a right to terminate the deal (and maybe get a refund or credit) if the event is called off due to such events (powersponsorship.com) (redstock.live). For example, an agreement might say if the festival is cancelled and not rescheduled within X months, the sponsor fee will be refunded pro rata within 30 days (redstock.live). Some sponsors, especially for multi-year deals, prefer to roll over the investment to the next edition rather than take a refund – the contract can offer that option. The key is that everyone knows the plan before a crisis hits, so there’s no scrambling or legal threats at the worst moment. As sponsorship expert Kim Skildum-Reid advises, without a clear contract you’re forced to rely on “negotiation and goodwill” to sort things out in a cancellation (powersponsorship.com) – a last resort you’d rather avoid.

Capacity or Performance Shortfalls: Not every contingency is a full cancellation. Sometimes a festival goes ahead but under-performs – perhaps severe weather lowers attendance by half, or a key headliner artist (which a sponsor was excited about) cancels, reducing the crowd draw. Contracts can include triggers for such scenarios. For instance, if actual attendance drops below a guaranteed number or if certain sponsored components can’t be delivered as promised, a “make-good” mechanism kicks in. Make-good structures are basically promises to compensate the sponsor with extra value later. Examples of make-good remedies:
– If an entire day is rained out, the festival might offer the sponsor a free extra day of exposure at a replacement event or add the sponsor to another company’s festival the following month.
– If foot traffic at the sponsor’s activation was far below expectations (say the area became inaccessible due to mud), the contract might grant the sponsor additional digital advertising impressions equivalent to the missed exposure, or a discount on next year’s sponsorship fee.
– If a sponsored stage had to shut early due to weather or a safety issue, the sponsor could be given prominent placement on festival livestreams or signage on main stages the next day to “make good” the lost exposure.
– In multi-year deals, a common approach is to extend the sponsorship term for an additional year at little or no cost to make up for a lost year (powersponsorship.com) (this was frequently used during the COVID-19 pandemic when 2020 events were canceled – sponsors who stuck around were often given the next festival edition free or heavily discounted as fulfillment).

It’s also wise to clarify what happens with sponsor tickets/VIP perks in contingencies. If a sponsor had 50 VIP guests invited and the day gets canceled, do they get refunds or invites to another event? Laying this out manages expectations of those important guests (who are often the sponsor’s clients or executives).

A dramatic example of contingency planning in action occurred at Tomorrowland 2025 in Belgium, when a fire destroyed the main stage just two days before the festival. Thanks to emergency plans and round-the-clock work, organizers rebuilt the stage and opened on time with only a slight delay (apnews.com). While this was an operational triumph, it also meant fulfilling sponsor agreements despite disaster. You can bet the festival’s contracts with stage suppliers and sponsors had clauses for emergency replacement of infrastructure. Because they pulled it off, “the event was not canceled” and hundreds of thousands of attendees (and sponsors) still enjoyed the show (apnews.com). Now imagine if they hadn’t – solid agreements would govern how sponsor rights roll over or refunds occur, preventing panic.

On the flip side, consider a case where weather forced a partial cancellation: Splendour in the Grass 2022 (mentioned earlier) had Day 1 washed out by floods. Sponsors of that festival – from drink brands to tech companies – were suddenly missing one third of their expected exposure. Festivals that handle this well have pre-written addendums: for example, a clause might say “if a day is canceled after the festival has begun, sponsors will receive a 33% credit toward next year’s fee” or perhaps additional advertising on the festival’s social media (which often ramps up communications when a crisis happens). The goal is to avoid legal disputes and keep the sponsor partnership intact by immediately offering a fair remedy.

To sum up contingencies: explicitly address the “what if” scenarios. It might feel pessimistic to discuss rain, fires, or low turnout when you’re signing an exciting new sponsor, but it’s far better to agree on a backup plan in advance. That way, when lightning strikes (figuratively or literally), both parties can refer to the contract and say “Here’s what we agreed to do.” This proactive approach can literally save the relationship – sponsors will remember how you handled a crisis. In many cases, a sponsor who is treated fairly when things go wrong will come back the next year, precisely because you had a transparent plan.

Managing Changes and Approvals

Festivals are complex projects, and sponsorship deals often involve creative collaboration – branding, activation concepts, messaging, etc. With multiple stakeholders (the sponsor’s marketing team, the festival’s team, designers, vendors), it’s easy for scope creep and last-minute changes to derail plans. That’s why a strong contract should include provisions to manage changes and set deadlines for approvals:

• Cap on Change Requests: It’s prudent to limit how many times the sponsor can revise certain deliverables or request changes after an agreement is signed. For instance, if the sponsor is designing a branded installation, the contract might allow for two design revision rounds. Any major changes beyond that could incur additional fees or may not be accommodated if late. This clause isn’t about being rigid or inflexible – it’s about protecting the festival from a scenario where a sponsor keeps changing their mind (e.g., wanting a bigger tent, then a smaller tent, then moving its location) in the run-up to the event. Changes cost time and money. By capping requests, you encourage the sponsor to be decisive and you give yourself the right to say “no more changes” diplomatically by pointing to the contract. Of course, genuine necessary changes (for safety or compliance reasons) can be negotiated, but make it clear that whimsical changes or late ideas could be out of scope.
• Creative Approval Deadlines: Most sponsors will want to approve any use of their logos, branding, or messaging. Likewise, the festival may need to approve the sponsor’s on-site activation plans to ensure they fit the event’s aesthetic and rules. To avoid a last-minute approval nightmare, set hard deadlines in the timeline. For example: “Sponsor must provide final approval on all festival-produced materials featuring Sponsor’s logo (banners, website listings, press releases) by no later than 30 days before the event.” Similarly: “Festival must approve Sponsor’s activation layout and signage by 14 days prior to event.” If approvals don’t happen by then, the contract might state that silence is considered approval, or it might empower one side to proceed with pre-agreed default content. The idea is to prevent a scenario where, say, the night before the festival, a sponsor’s legal team sends a flurry of changes for the MC’s script or wants to swap out their banner design. By agreeing on deadlines, everyone works earlier to lock in the creative elements. It also protects against blame – if a sponsor misses their deadline to give feedback on the schedule or promo materials, the festival can’t be held responsible for proceeding as per the last approved plan.
• Clear Approval Processes: Define who on each side will sign off on what. Many a time, miscommunication causes delays – maybe the sponsor thought the CEO had to okay the social media posts, but the festival was waiting on the sponsor’s brand manager’s okay. List the points of contact and their authority. For instance: “The Sponsor shall appoint one representative authorised to provide timely approvals; festival shall not be obliged to accept changes or feedback from multiple sponsor personnel.” This keeps things streamlined.
• Documenting Changes: Include a clause that any changes or additions to the sponsor deliverables must be documented in writing (email is fine) and agreed by both parties. It sounds obvious, but under pressure, people make verbal promises (“Sure, we can probably add your logo to that stage screen too”). A written-change clause reminds everyone that only written, mutual amendments are valid. It protects against “But you said we could do X!” disputes.

By reigning in last-minute changes and establishing cut-off points, you preserve your production schedule and budget. Seasoned festival producers know that in the final weeks before an event, you need to freeze plans to successfully execute. The sponsor will also appreciate this in the end – a well-run festival reflects well on them. Many corporate sponsors operate with long lead times and will agree to reasonable deadlines for providing artwork or approvals (often they have their own internal deadlines to get value out of the sponsorship). Communicate these dates early and include them in the contract or attached timeline. It sets a professional tone that “we have a plan and we stick to it.”

Budgeting, Payment, and Liability Considerations

While the focus of this article is on operational and relationship aspects of contracts, a few financial and liability points are worth mentioning as part of comprehensive sponsorship agreements:

• Payment Schedules & Non-Payment Remedies: Clearly lay out when the sponsor must pay fees (e.g. 50% on signing, 50% a week before the festival). Include a clause about late payment or non-payment – for example, if the sponsor doesn’t pay by the deadline, the festival has the right to withhold benefits or even terminate the agreement. Conversely, ensure you have a mechanism to refund or credit the sponsor if the festival fails to deliver major elements (barring force majeure situations). This mutual accountability keeps both parties invested in fulfilling their side.
• Insurance and Liability: Sponsors might bring their own activation (like a climbing wall or a vehicle display). The contract should require each party to carry appropriate insurance and indemnify the other against certain risks. For instance, if the sponsor’s activation injures someone due to their negligence, the sponsor should cover the festival’s liability, and vice versa. Also, clarify who is responsible if a third-party vendor fails – if the festival’s contracted screen provider doesn’t show up and the sponsor’s logo isn’t displayed, does the festival owe damages or just a make-good? Usually, a well-drafted contract limits liability (often capping it to the sponsorship fee paid (redstock.live)) and focuses on remedies rather than lawsuits.
• Intellectual Property & Brand Use: Include terms on how the sponsor’s logos can be used by the festival (in what contexts, with approval as discussed) and how the sponsor can use the festival’s name/logo in their own marketing. Festivals often give sponsors a toolkit with official logos and require that any usage be “in good taste” and pre-approved. Likewise, sponsors might want to film on-site for a promo video; the contract can permit this under certain conditions (time, crew size, not disrupting attendees, etc.). These terms ensure both the festival and sponsor maintain brand integrity.
• Termination and Morals Clause: Festivals sometimes include a clause that allows them to terminate a sponsorship if the sponsor’s reputation goes drastically south (e.g. sponsor becomes embroiled in scandal that conflicts with festival values). Similarly, a sponsor might want an out if the festival or its headline artists cause major controversy. These “morals clauses” or termination-for-cause clauses are delicate but can protect either party from being tied to something that could hurt their image. If included, they should be specific about what triggers are valid (legal wrongdoing, public scandal, etc.) and what compensation or refund occurs.

The above points ensure the business side of the partnership is as airtight as the logistical side. Always involve legal counsel to review these sections – as one sponsorship guru puts it, “once you sign, you can’t take it back”, so be fully comfortable with every clause (sponsorshipcollective.com). Make sure the contract only promises what you can actually deliver in both tangible benefits and legal commitments.

In fact, overpromising in a contract is one of the cardinal sins of sponsorship. If a festival guarantees the moon (100,000 attendees when the venue only fits 50,000, or “zero queues ever” which no one can 100% control), it sets itself up for failure and breach. It’s far better to promise realistic deliverables and then over-deliver if possible, than to sign a contract that commits to the impossible (sponsorshipcollective.com). Experienced festival organisers have hard-earned scars from deals where they thought they could accommodate a sponsor’s every wish and later found they couldn’t – leading to disputes or loss of trust. Contracts are there to clarify what’s truly agreed, so keep them grounded in reality.

Conclusion: Contracts as Partnership Tools

A well-crafted sponsorship contract is not about mistrust – it’s about creating a shared understanding so that the festival and sponsor work hand-in-hand. Far from being adversarial, a clear agreement strengthens the partnership because both sides know what to expect and how to handle the unexpected. Think of it as setting the rules of the road before embarking on a journey together.

Veteran festival producers often say that the true test of a sponsor relationship comes when something goes wrong. If the festival gets hit with a surprise – torrential rain, a power blackout, an artist no-show – how the sponsor reacts will depend largely on how prepared and transparent you were from the start. If you took the time to include those “rainy day” clauses and walked the sponsor through them during negotiations, then when rain literally pours, you can both refer back to the contract and execute the plan (be it refunds, credits, or alternative promotions) without argument. In doing so, you save the friendship in the storm. The sponsor sees that you run a professional operation that plans for all outcomes, and they’ll be more likely to return precisely because you skillfully navigated adversity.

On the flip side, if expectations were vague and nothing was on paper, a crisis can lead to panic and blame: the sponsor might feel cheated or abandoned, and the festival might feel the sponsor is making unfair demands. That scenario can end in legal threats or, at best, a burned bridge. No one wants that – especially in the tight-knit festival industry where word gets around.

By following the principles outlined above – setting concrete SLAs, defining KPIs and data sharing, building in contingencies, and managing changes firmly – festival organisers can ensure their sponsorship contracts have real teeth. Such contracts bite down on problems before they occur. They create accountability: everyone knows their jobs and the consequences if those jobs aren’t done. And importantly, they also build trust: when a sponsor sees a detailed plan, they know they’re dealing with a pro.

In the end, a great sponsorship contract is as much about the next festival as the current one. Delivering on promises and handling the curveballs fairly will turn one-off sponsors into long-term partners. It’s no coincidence that many of the world’s most successful festivals – from Mexico’s Cervantino Festival to California’s Coachella – have sponsors that renew year after year. Those festivals treat contracts not as pesky paperwork but as foundational blueprints for collaboration.

So, as you produce your festival, embrace the contract process. Sweat the details now so you won’t sweat under pressure later. When all parties sign on the dotted line with full clarity, you’ve already set the stage for success – rain or shine.

Key Takeaways

• Attach Detailed SLAs: Include service level schedules in sponsor/vendor contracts specifying hours of operation, maximum queue times, staffing levels, and quality standards for all sponsor-related services. This holds everyone accountable for attendee experience.
• Define KPIs Up Front: Agree on how success will be measured – attendance numbers, social media reach, on-site engagements, etc. – and who will collect/provide the data. Deliver a post-event report to sponsors with all key metrics.
• Data & Audit Rights: Promise data deliverables (e.g. ticket scans, demographics, online impressions) in the contract. Give sponsors the right to verify critical numbers (powersponsorship.com), which builds trust through transparency.
• Weather and Contingency Plans: Don’t ignore worst-case scenarios. Write force majeure and contingency clauses that outline what happens if the event is postponed, cancelled, or disrupted (refunds, credits, extended agreements, etc.) (powersponsorship.com) (redstock.live). Have make-good options ready so sponsors still get value if things go sideways.
• Limit Changes and Set Deadlines: Protect your timeline by capping last-minute changes. Specify that sponsors must submit approvals (for logos, activations, etc.) by certain dates, and limit rounds of revisions. This avoids scope creep and eleventh-hour chaos.
• Clear Deliverables and Responsibilities: List out every deliverable the festival owes the sponsor (and vice versa) – from number of VIP passes to branding placements – and ensure each is realistic and achievable (sponsorshipcollective.com). Never promise what you can’t deliver, and make obligations mutual where possible.
• Legal Safeguards: Include standard but crucial clauses (payment terms, insurance, liability limits, termination rights). These protect both the festival’s finances and the sponsor’s interests if someone fails to perform.
• Communication is Key: Use the contract drafting process to have candid conversations with sponsors. The document should reflect a shared vision of the partnership. When both sides contribute to crafting the terms, it feels less like fine print and more like a blueprint for a successful collaboration.
• Relationships First: Remember that a contract is a tool to preserve relationships, not impede them. When challenges arise – and they will – a well-structured contract allows you to respond calmly and fairly, reinforcing trust. As the saying goes, “good contracts make good friends” – especially in the unpredictable world of festivals.