Mentorship in Festival Production: Grooming the Next Generation of Festival Producers

Introduction: Passing the Torch in Festival Production

The Seasoned Producer’s New Role

Veteran festival organisers around the globe are approaching a pivotal moment – the time to pass the torch. After decades spent perfecting the art of festival production, these seasoned professionals hold invaluable wisdom on logistics, marketing, budgeting, and team management. But unless that knowledge is deliberately shared, it could be lost when they step aside. This is where mentorship becomes critical: it allows experienced producers to guide the next generation, ensuring continuity and preserving hard-earned lessons. By embracing a mentor role, long-time festival leads turn their focus from solely running events to grooming new festival producers capable of carrying on their legacy.

Why Now Is the Time to Mentor

The festival landscape is evolving rapidly – from high-tech ticketing and social media promotions to new safety protocols and sustainability practices. New producers bring fresh ideas and tech-savvy perspectives, but they often lack the historical knowledge to foresee pitfalls. At the same time, many iconic festivals face succession challenges as founders age out. In an industry where one misstep (like a poor site plan or budget oversight) can spell disaster, investing in mentorship programmes is a proactive step. It helps avoid “reinventing the wheel” each year and prevents repeating past mistakes. In short, there’s never been a more urgent time for veterans to step up as mentors, securing the future of their festivals.

Building Future Festival Teams

Effective mentorship isn’t just altruism – it’s a strategic move for crew and team management. By cultivating skilled junior organizers, festivals build a pipeline of talent that can take on increasing responsibility. This pipeline is the antidote to the workforce gaps that happen when key staff leave. Mentored team members tend to be more loyal and invested, knowing the organisation is committed to their growth. They also become ambassadors of the festival’s values and best practices. Whether it’s a small boutique art festival or a 200,000-person music extravaganza, those events that prioritize mentoring and staff development are positioning themselves for long-term success. An investment in people is an investment in the festival’s future.

The Value of Mentorship in Festival Production

Continuity and Legacy

One of the greatest benefits of mentorship is ensuring continuity. Festivals often become legendary because of consistent quality and an experienced core team. If that team suddenly turns over without passing on knowledge, the event’s character and smooth operation can suffer. Mentorship programmes allow founders and veteran crew to transfer their legacy to others. For example, the Glastonbury Festival in the UK gradually transitioned leadership from its founder Michael Eavis to his daughter Emily Eavis, who had shadowed him for years. Emily now co-organises the festival alongside her father (as noted in a Reuters news report), carrying forward Glastonbury’s ethos and know-how. By mentoring her into the role, Michael Eavis ensured the festival’s legacy continued seamlessly even as he stepped back. This kind of planned handover through mentorship safeguards a festival’s DNA and reputation.

Avoiding Past Mistakes

Every festival veteran has a story of a plan that went awry – whether it was a stage schedule that collapsed, a vendor no-show, or a weather emergency. These hard-earned lessons are gold for newcomers. Mentorship helps new producers avoid repeating mistakes by learning from those stories. A notorious example is the Fyre Festival collapse in 2017, often attributed to inexperience and ignored advice. The organisers infamously dismissed the warnings of their seasoned logistics manager and even fired him (a glaring error highlighted in an industry post-mortem of Fyre Festival). Without veteran guidance on essential basics (like infrastructure and budgeting), the event became a disaster. The takeaway? If experienced people tell you there’s a problem, listen. Through mentorship, new festival teams can benefit from veterans’ hindsight – from knowing how much buffer to add to a budget, to understanding why you always have a rain contingency. This knowledge transfer prevents “trial by fire” for the next generation.

Fostering Innovation and Growth

While continuity is key, innovation is the lifeblood of long-running festivals. Mentorship creates a balance between tradition and fresh ideas. Senior producers provide the foundation – the time-tested methods and core values – while younger mentees bring in new perspectives on technology, music trends, audience engagement, and cultural shifts. When guided properly, these new ideas can flourish without compromising the event’s stability. For instance, a veteran production manager might mentor a young tech-savvy coordinator on integrating festival management software or sustainable practices. The result is a festival that evolves with the times. Mentorship also fosters innovation by giving newcomers the confidence to propose improvements, knowing they have a mentor’s support to refine and implement them. The best festivals in the world reinvent themselves regularly, and that often happens when experienced organizers empower newer voices to contribute.

Preserving Community and Values

Many festivals aren’t just one-off events; they are communities and cultural institutions. Veteran festival organisers carry the event’s history, relationships, and values – whether that’s a commitment to inclusivity, greening initiatives, or supporting local arts scenes. By mentoring newcomers, they pass on these intangible assets. This ensures the next generation of producers will uphold the same principles. For example, Roskilde Festival in Denmark, which relies on over 30,000 volunteers each year (according to a 2022 report), has a tradition of experienced team leaders guiding newer volunteers. This mentorship in values and best practices keeps the festival’s community spirit alive across generations. When mentees understand why certain policies exist (like zero-waste operations or community engagement programs), they are more likely to continue them. In this way, mentorship protects the festival’s soul and connection with its audience.

Designing a Festival Mentorship Programme

Setting Clear Goals and Structure

Launching a mentorship programme requires careful planning. First, festival management should define what they want to achieve. Is the aim to groom a successor for a key role (succession planning)? To improve overall staff skills? To increase diversity in the production team? Clear goals will shape the structure. For example, if succession is the goal, the programme might focus on shadowing a specific senior role. If broad skill development is the goal, a rotation through departments may be better. Next, outline the structure: Will mentorship be one-on-one pairings, or a group of veterans guiding a cohort of juniors? Decide how long the mentorship lasts (one festival season, a full year, or multi-year). Formality is another consideration – some festivals keep it casual (just pairing people up to “learn by doing”), while others create an official curriculum of topics to cover. Align the programme with the festival’s calendar so that it ramps up in the planning phase and culminates with on-site learning during the event.

Selecting Mentors and Mentees

Choosing the right people is critical. Mentors should be seasoned festival producers or department heads who not only have expertise but also the patience and communication skills to teach. It helps if they’re passionate about the festival’s mission – their enthusiasm will inspire mentees. Mentees can be identified from within the existing team (e.g. an exceptional volunteer or intern who showed promise) or recruited externally (such as through internship programmes or industry networks). Some festivals openly invite aspiring producers to apply for mentorship roles, bringing fresh talent into the fold. It’s important to vet for commitment: organizing a festival is high-pressure, so mentees should show reliability and a genuine interest in event production. Once mentors and mentees are identified, create pairings or teams that make sense. For instance, match a production veteran with someone interested in operations, or a marketing director with a young social media coordinator. Also consider diversity when selecting mentees – giving opportunities to individuals from different backgrounds can bring new insights and help the festival stay relevant.

Crafting a Mentorship Timeline

A mentorship programme should have a timeline with milestones to keep it on track. Integrate training and shadowing opportunities into the festival’s planning cycle. For example, in the pre-festival phase (6–12 months out), a mentor can begin with foundational knowledge like how budgeting and booking work. Closer to the event (3–6 months out), the mentee might take on supervised tasks such as vendor communications or volunteer coordination. In the final stretch (last 2 months), the mentee shadowing intensifies on-site: they attend production meetings, site visits, and run-throughs with their mentor. The table below outlines a sample timeline for integrating a mentee into a year-long festival planning process:

This structured timeline ensures that the mentee experiences every phase of festival production, from long-term planning to the intensity of show days and the reflective period afterward. It also prevents mentorship from being an afterthought – it’s woven into the event’s schedule.

Resources and Support Systems

For a mentorship initiative to succeed, festivals must allocate resources to it. Schedule regular check-ins or coaching sessions (e.g. bi-weekly meetings) and treat those as non-negotiable calendar items. Senior staff time is one of the biggest investments here – mentors need support from top management so they can dedicate time to teaching without jeopardizing their primary duties. Some festivals formalize this by slightly reducing a mentor’s other workload or providing recognition (such as a title bump like “Training Captain” or stipends for extra hours). Providing educational materials also helps: create a toolkit for mentees with festival manuals, safety guidelines, key contact lists, and reading on festival best practices. Encourage the use of collaboration tools (shared documents, planning software, communication apps) that both mentor and mentee can access – this transparency helps mentees learn by seeing real work in progress. Lastly, consider setting up an advisory board of veteran producers who can collectively offer guidance. This is especially useful for newer festivals or youth-led events; having a panel of mentors available can prevent costly mistakes while still letting the new producers make decisions. In short, backing the mentorship programme with time, tools, and moral support is essential.

Hands-On Learning: Shadowing and Apprenticeships

Shadowing Key Roles On-Site

Nothing teaches festival production quite like being in the thick of it. Shadowing is a powerful way for mentees to absorb the rhythms and decision-making processes of live events. This means attaching a newcomer to an experienced team member during critical operations. For example, a mentee might shadow the stage manager during a headline set at a music festival, or follow the site operations director during venue load-in. By observing in real time, the mentee learns how a seasoned pro handles the pressure: how they communicate over the radio, prioritize issues, and keep safety and schedule on track. To make shadowing effective, mentors should “think aloud” – explaining what they’re checking and why. If the security head is making rounds, they might quietly explain to their shadow how they’re identifying potential crowd choke points. Shadowing isn’t passive watching; encourage mentees to ask questions during lulls. Many top festivals incorporate shadowing as part of volunteer training – for instance, pairing new volunteer coordinators with veterans during the first festival day to build confidence. The immediacy of on-site shadowing turns theoretical knowledge into practical know-how within hours.

Apprenticeship in Crew Positions

Beyond short-term shadowing, apprenticeship-style roles give emerging producers hands-on duties with mentorship over an extended period. Think of this as a junior version of key positions: Assistant Production Manager, Trainee Stage Designer, Apprentice Site Crew Lead, etc. The apprentice works alongside the lead, gradually taking on more tasks as skills grow. For example, at a film festival, an apprentice coordinator might handle a few filmmaker hospitality arrangements on their own after being shown the ropes, while the lead hospitality manager oversees the rest. The apprentice gains independent experience but with a safety net. Some festivals formalize apprenticeships as part of their crew structure. In Canada, for instance, the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has been known to bring in junior event managers who work under department heads for a season to learn festival logistics. Similarly, music festivals in Australia often have “assistant producer” roles – emerging professionals who sign on for the whole season and learn everything from obtaining permits to coordinating stage schedules, mentored daily by the festival’s producers. This approach fast-tracks competence. After one full festival cycle as an apprentice, a mentee can often handle similar events on their own or step into a larger role, which addresses the talent gap quickly.

Rotational Learning Across Departments

Festivals are complex operations with many interlocking parts: stages, food vendors, marketing, ticketing, artist relations, security, and more. New festival organizers benefit from understanding how all these pieces fit together. That’s why some mentorship programmes use department rotations. Over the course of a year (or across multiple smaller events), a mentee might spend a few weeks with different departments to get a 360-degree view. For example, a mentee starts by assisting the marketing and ticketing teams – learning about social media campaigns, ticket sales strategies and platform analytics (for example, leveraging a ticketing provider like Ticket Fairy for insights), and media partnerships. Next, they rotate to the operations team – learning site layout, infrastructure, and city permitting. Then, on to talent booking, where they sit in on negotiations with artists or speakers. This rotational approach produces well-rounded festival producers who appreciate each team’s challenges and workflows. It breaks down silos too – tomorrow’s festival directors should know enough about each domain to coordinate them effectively. Smaller festivals might not have formal departments, but even then, mentors can expose mentees to different tasks (one week focusing on stage schedules, another week on sponsorship outreach, another on volunteer coordination). A rotation prevents a newbie from getting pigeonholed too early and fosters cross-team empathy – crucial for a collaborative festival environment.

Real-Time Feedback and Decision-Making

One of the greatest benefits a mentor can provide during practical learning is immediate feedback. Festivals move fast, and new producers will inevitably face split-second decisions – how they handle them is a learning opportunity. Mentors should create an atmosphere where real-time feedback is welcome and constructive. For instance, if a mentee coordinates a soundcheck and it runs overtime, causing a slight delay, a mentor can later discuss what happened: Was communication with the band clear? Could the schedule have had more buffer? These on-the-spot lessons are far more vivid than any textbook scenario. Some festivals implement a “buddy system” on show days: every junior staff member or volunteer team leader is paired with a more experienced buddy who can answer questions or step in if things go south. This is essentially mentorship in micro-doses throughout the event. It not only helps catch problems early (because the junior person isn’t left to flounder alone), but also reinforces learning by doing. Mentors should encourage mentees to make decisions in their area and then review them together. Did the mentee decide to re-route a queue to ease crowding? Great – discuss after the rush whether it worked and any tweaks for next time. When feedback loops are immediate, lessons sink in deep.

Empowering Through Responsibility

A delicate but important aspect of hands-on mentorship is knowing when to give mentees real responsibility. Shadowing and assisting are starting points, but to truly grow, an emerging festival producer needs to own outcomes (with a safety net nearby). Mentors can empower mentees by delegating a specific area of the festival to them. It could be small-scale at first, like managing the acoustic side-stage or coordinating one morning’s volunteer check-in. The key is that the mentee is the point person for that scope – they make decisions and solve problems in that sandbox. The mentor remains available for advice or if an emergency arises, but otherwise lets the mentee lead. This trust is incredibly motivating for newcomers and teaches accountability. Importantly, mentors should frame these as learning opportunities, not sink-or-swim tests. Debrief after the mentee’s stint: what went well, what would they do differently? Many successful festival producers recall the first time they were “thrown in the deep end” at an event – perhaps asked to handle an artist’s last-minute request or fix a power outage – and because a mentor believed in them, they rose to the challenge. Gradually increasing the mentee’s responsibilities, with mentorship alongside, turns apprentices into independent leaders.

Knowledge Transfer: Debriefs and Documentation

Post-Event Debrief Sessions

After the lights go down and attendees head home, the real learning moment for the team begins. Post-festival debriefs are a cornerstone of knowledge transfer. In these sessions, the entire crew – veterans and newcomers alike – come together to discuss what went right and what went wrong. The goal is to extract lessons while events are fresh in mind. Mentors should encourage their mentees to actively participate. For example, ask the mentee to present on how their area of responsibility fared. This inclusion builds confidence and shows that even junior voices matter in process improvement. Effective debriefs are structured: they cover key categories like operations, programming, marketing, safety, and attendee experience. Each category’s lead (with their shadowing mentee by their side) can report metrics and incidents. It’s important that the tone remains solution-oriented – blame games shut down honesty. Veteran producers in the room should lead by admitting their own misjudgments or surprises encountered; this signals that it’s okay to acknowledge mistakes. Some festivals hold an all-hands debrief and then break into departmental post-mortems for more detail. The outcome of these discussions should be a list of actionable improvements and confirmed best practices. For the mentee, seeing this process teaches them that even the biggest festivals are always learning and refining.

Recording Lessons Learned (Successes & Failures)

Talking about lessons is one thing – writing them down is another critical step. Mentors should instill the habit of creating a “lessons learned” document after each event. This could take the form of a shared Google Doc, an internal wiki page, or a formal report circulated to the team. The document should candidly record what each team found. For instance: “The new entry gate system reduced wait times by 30% – let’s keep it” or “Rain plan for parking was insufficient – need gravel and staff on standby next time.” Include context so that someone reading it fresh next year can understand the situation. Identify both successes and failures clearly. It’s just as important to capture a brilliant idea that worked (so it becomes standard practice) as it is to log a mishap to avoid. Encourage mentees to contribute to this documentation – perhaps task them with compiling notes from the debrief meetings. This gives them a chance to practice analytical thinking about event operations. It also signals trust in their perspective. Over years, these accumulated “lessons learned” docs become a treasure trove for training new staff; a new producer can read the last five years of notes to get a crash course in the festival’s evolving challenges and solutions. Veteran organizers, by contributing their war stories here, ensure their wisdom lives on paper (or the cloud) long after they retire.

Creating Knowledge Repositories and Manuals

Alongside narrative debrief reports, festivals should maintain up-to-date operational manuals and checklists – the playbooks of production. Mentors can guide mentees in updating these resources annually. For example, a safety coordinator mentor might have their mentee help revise the “Emergency Procedures Manual” after each festival, reflecting any new protocols learned. Likewise, production mentors can maintain a detailed site operations manual (covering power layouts, stage specs, etc.), and marketing mentors a branding/promotions handbook. Modern cloud tools make this easier: many festivals use shared folders or project management software where documents are stored version by version. By involving new producers in documentation, you not only lighten the load on seniors, but also educate the mentee deeply (teaching by writing). In addition to manuals, knowledge repositories like internal wikis or knowledge bases allow for quick reference. Think of a wiki that has pages for “How to apply for city permits” or “Checklist for artist hospitality”, each enriched over time by different staff. Mentorship can include tours of these archives. A mentor may say, “Before our next meeting, read the stage management guide in the wiki and come with questions.” This encourages self-led learning. Over time, a culture develops where whenever someone figures out a better way or learns a tough lesson, they add it to the collective knowledge base. That way, even if there’s turnover, the intellectual capital remains accessible to the next crew.

Ongoing Training and Workshops

Mentorship and learning shouldn’t be confined to the festival itself. Many leading festivals institute year-round training opportunities that complement one-on-one mentorship. For example, in the off-season a festival might host workshops or invite experts for training sessions on specific topics (e.g. sound engineering basics, crowd management strategies, crisis communication). Veteran staff can lead some of these workshops – turning their expertise into formal lessons – or the festival might bring in external trainers for fresh perspectives. Mentees should be front and center at these trainings. It’s also effective to open them up to the broader team or even to volunteers aspiring to join the core crew; this builds a wider talent pool. Some festivals collaborate with industry associations or government initiatives to run training programs. In the UK, for instance, organizations like the Association of Independent Festivals (AIF) have offered seminars on festival management that member festivals can send their junior staff to. Regular refreshers on topics like first aid, stage safety, or new software keep everyone sharp. Additionally, consider implementing an apprenticeship certification – for example, after completing one full cycle under mentorship and attending workshops, the mentee gets a certificate or title (like “Certified Festival Producer – Level 1”). This not only motivates them but also gives external validation that can help in their career.

Knowledge Sharing Platforms

To support continuous knowledge transfer, festivals can set up informal platforms for sharing tips and stories. One idea is a monthly “lunch and learn” where a veteran on the team shares a case study of a past festival challenge and how it was overcome. Mentees and other staff can ask questions in a casual setting. Another idea is using digital communication channels: for instance, create a Slack channel or WhatsApp group dedicated to festival production Q&A. New team members can drop questions (“How do we usually handle sudden weather changes?”) and get answers from seasoned staff or even peers who’ve faced it. Some festivals start an internal newsletter or blog where mentors or department heads write short articles or post videos explaining a process or recounting an event story with lessons. This not only democratizes knowledge but also keeps the team engaged year-round. New producers get to see that even veterans are always learning and adapting, which encourages a mindset that it’s okay not to know everything initially – as long as you’re willing to learn. Over time, these shared stories and platforms knit the team together in a culture of continuous improvement, rather than a static top-down instruction.

Fostering a Learning Culture in Your Festival Team

Encouraging Open Communication

For mentorship to truly thrive, the festival team’s culture must encourage open communication and curiosity. New producers should feel safe asking “basic” questions or admitting if they don’t understand something. Likewise, mentors and leaders need to be approachable and receptive. This starts at the top: festival directors and senior staff can set the tone by frequently saying things like “No question is silly – we’ve all been there” or openly discussing decisions in team meetings. A practical tip is to implement regular all-team check-ins as an informal forum. For example, a weekly roundtable during planning season where anyone can raise concerns or suggestions. When mentees speak up in these settings and are listened to, it reinforces that their input is valued. Another tactic is providing anonymous feedback channels – sometimes new team members might spot issues or have ideas but feel shy to critique openly. An anonymous suggestion box (physical or digital) can surface those insights, which mentors can then discuss with the team. The overall goal is to eliminate fear of speaking up. Festivals can be high-stress environments, and without a culture that encourages asking for help or clarification, mistakes go unaddressed until it’s too late. Mentorship flourishes in a culture of trust, so building that trust across the entire crew is foundational.

Mentors as Coaches, Not Bosses

Veteran festival organizers often hold high-ranking positions, but when they step into mentorship, they need to adopt the mindset of a coach rather than a boss. This distinction is crucial. A boss might simply delegate tasks and expect results; a coach guides, questions, and develops the person performing the tasks. Mentors should strive to create a non-hierarchical rapport with mentees – outside of critical showtime moments, remove the titles and treat it as colleagues solving problems together. One best practice is for mentors to share their own past mistakes and vulnerabilities. For example, a production head might tell their mentee how years ago they once forgot to secure a stage banner that flew off in the wind, and what they learned. This willingness to show imperfection makes mentors more relatable and teaching moments more impactful. Additionally, mentors should give autonomy where appropriate (as discussed earlier) and frame their role as a safety net. According to a case study on youth-led festivals, the mentor’s role is to advise, not control – letting young organisers learn by doing while preventing major failures. In practice, this means a mentor might say: “What do you think we should do here?” rather than always telling the answer. By empowering mentees to think and decide, mentors cultivate confidence and problem-solving skills, all while being there to course-correct if needed.

Embracing Failures as Learning Opportunities

In a healthy mentorship culture, failures are treated as opportunities to learn, not catastrophes. Festivals by nature have many moving parts; things will go wrong. If the team culture is punitive or blame-heavy, mentees will either hide mistakes or be too terrified to take initiative – both scenarios stall learning. Instead, leadership and mentors should model a growth mindset. For instance, if a new stage coordinator messes up the equipment load schedule causing a delay, the response should be, “Alright, let’s figure out why that happened and how to prevent it,” rather than a scolding. Some festivals have adopted the practice from medical and aviation fields: the “no-blame postmortem.” Any time there’s an incident (big or small), the team analyzes it objectively, focusing on process fixes. Mentors play a key role here by reassuring their mentees that making a mistake is not the end of the world. Share stories of famous festival flubs that were overcome. (Every big festival has had them – from power outages to artist cancellations – but they survived and improved.) When a failure is owned and dissected without personal attacks, it often leads to innovations. For example, a stage power failure might lead to investing in better backup generators and protocols, which then become a new standard. For the mentee involved, instead of feeling ashamed, they feel motivated to get it right next time and to share candidly if they see potential issues elsewhere. Over time, this approach builds a resilient team that’s not afraid to push boundaries and learn, because they know failures won’t be swept under the rug or lead to shame, but rather discussed constructively.

Celebrating Wins and Progress

Just as important as learning from failure is recognizing success – both the big victories and the small improvements. In a mentorship context, celebrating wins can mean acknowledging the mentee’s contributions and growth. Did the first-time volunteer coordinator manage check-in without a hitch? Announce it in the post-festival meeting and give them a round of applause. Did a mentee come up with a creative solution (like a new site signage layout that reduced confusion)? The mentor should highlight that to the team and maybe even to the festival’s leadership in reports. This positive reinforcement boosts the mentee’s confidence and signals to others that taking initiative is valued. Festivals can institutionalize this by having end-of-season awards or shout-outs – e.g. “Rookie of the Year” for an outstanding new producer, or a simple thank-you event for all staff where specific efforts are mentioned. For mentors, seeing their mentee succeed is also rewarding and helps reinforce the value of the time they invested. Beyond individual praise, celebrate team learning milestones: “Compared to last year, we had 20% fewer safety incidents – that’s our collective improvement!” or “This was the smoothest artist load-in we’ve ever had, thanks to the new system that our mentee helped implement.” By actively celebrating progress, no matter who it comes from, you cement a culture where everyone – veterans and newbies – feels their contributions matter to the festival’s success.

Diversity and Inclusion through Mentorship

Mentorship is also a powerful tool to improve diversity and inclusion in festival production teams. Historically, certain roles in event production could be homogenous (for example, production crews might have been mostly male, or line-ups curated by the same circles of people). Veteran organizers can intentionally mentor people who bring different backgrounds and perspectives into the team. This might involve reaching out to communities underrepresented in the industry – for instance, creating a mentorship opportunity for female sound engineers, or producers from different ethnic backgrounds, or those from smaller towns/countries who haven’t had big festival exposure. By doing so, festivals tap into a wider talent pool and become more innovative and representative of their audiences. A great example is the BFI London Film Festival’s Critics Mentorship Programme, which has run since 2018. It offers training specifically to critics from underrepresented communities – showing how mentorship can amplify diverse voices. Similarly, a music festival could pair an upcoming woman stage manager with a senior stage production mentor to help her advance in a male-dominated field, or mentor local Indigenous organizers in how to run cultural festivals. Inclusion through mentorship doesn’t just check a box – it actively enriches the festival. Diverse teams often come up with more creative solutions and can connect with a broader audience. For the mentors, it’s an opportunity to learn as well – they gain understanding of new perspectives, making the exchange mutually beneficial. Over time, a mentorship-driven diversification can transform the leadership makeup of festivals and ensure the events stay culturally relevant and equitable.

Case Studies: Mentorship in Action

Succession at Iconic Festivals

Many world-renowned festivals have navigated leadership change by relying on mentorship and gradual handover. We already discussed Glastonbury where Michael Eavis mentored Emily Eavis over years. Another example is the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. Its legendary founder, Claude Nobs, involved younger team members in key decisions long before he passed away, effectively mentoring the next leaders. Today, Montreux Jazz continues under a new generation that was cultivated under Nobs’ wing, preserving its status as a premier international festival. In the United States, Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival saw its original producers bring in a cohort of younger coordinators in the 2010s, allowing them to take on more planning duties each year. When some founding staff moved on, these mentees were ready to fill the gaps, and Bonnaroo maintained its continuity. The common thread is clear: treating succession not as a secret plan but as an open, mentorship-driven process yields stability. Festivals who publicly acknowledge their next-in-line (like naming a deputy festival director who is being groomed) also gain trust from stakeholders – everyone sees that there’s a plan for the future. In contrast, events without such planning sometimes falter when a key figure exits. Mentorship in these iconic cases was not ad-hoc; it was intentional, with outgoing leaders investing time to coach their successors in everything from contract negotiation to crisis management.

Youth-Led Festivals and Mentor Support

Some of the most heartening mentorship success stories come from youth-led festivals around the world. These are events where teenagers or young adults are the primary organizers, often supported by experienced advisors. A shining case is the Youth Vibe Festival in Pretoria, South Africa. This community arts festival began as a youth initiative, with seasoned festival organisers from the city’s arts council mentoring a committee of local youth. In early years, city arts council members and veteran event volunteers guided the youth team through the planning basics – permits, budgets, dealing with local vendors. Now, over time, some of those once-novice organizers have become mentors themselves to new teenage volunteers – creating a cycle of peer mentorship that sustains the festival. In Singapore, the annual Singapore Street Festival has thrived for two decades thanks to a strong mentorship structure. The festival was founded by arts advocates who believed in youth talent, and those founding adults mentored passionate youth leaders to take on organizing roles. Now, many of the event’s team are former mentees who have grown into mentors themselves, ensuring generational succession and fresh ideas. Another example can be found in Australia with the “Night is Young” Festival in New South Wales. This youth week street festival was sparked by young organizers but backed by a partnership with the local council’s youth workers and event professionals. In practice, professionals stepped up to train and guide youth in key roles, illustrating that even a rural town can host a high-impact festival on a shoestring budget with the right mentorship. These case studies prove that with the right mentor guidance, even first-time festival producers (some still in high school or college) can deliver successful events. Key elements across these cases include: regular mentor check-ins, youth given real decision-making power (with oversight), and support from institutions (like city councils or cultural organizations) to lend credibility and resources.

The table above highlights how different festival contexts implement mentorship. Notice that even an enormous event like Roskilde (not youth-led, but volunteer-driven) relies on a mentorship model at scale – veteran team leaders guiding newcomers – to sustain itself. The consistent theme is creating a loop where those who were mentored pay it forward. It’s a virtuous cycle: mentorship fuels success, which produces experienced people, who in turn become the next mentors.

Formal Training Initiatives in the Industry

Beyond individual festivals, the festival industry as a whole has launched programmes to train up-and-coming producers. A standout example is The Festival Academy, an initiative backed by the European Festivals Association, embodies this principle. Through its “Atelier for Young Festival Managers” and similar programmes, it has built a global network of festival professionals – pairing veteran directors with over 1,400 emerging festival leaders from 100+ countries – to exchange knowledge. Mentors at these academies openly discuss both their success stories and failures, giving a frank education that textbooks can’t provide. Many alumni of The Festival Academy programmes have gone on to create new festivals or take the reins at existing ones, armed with a global network of mentors they can call on. On a national level, countries like Australia, the UK, and Mexico have seen their live events associations spearhead mentorship matches or apprenticeship grants. For example, some Australian state arts councils fund placements for young event producers in major festivals to learn on the job. In the UK, the Association of Independent Festivals has facilitated mentorship pairings where small festival organizers receive guidance from leaders of larger, well-established festivals. Such formal initiatives underscore that mentorship is not just a nice-to-have – it’s recognized as vital for the sustainability and evolution of the festival sector.

Technology and Mentorship in Festivals

As a brief aside, technology is playing a growing role in mentorship and knowledge transfer. With festivals expanding globally, sometimes mentors and mentees might be in different cities or countries. Virtual mentorship has become practical – through video calls, project management apps, and even VR for site walkthroughs. For instance, during the COVID-19 pandemic, some festival teams used Zoom and collaborative tools to continue mentorship when live events paused. Seasoned producers ran remote training sessions on how to negotiate with vendors or how to design a COVID-safe event plan, ensuring that mentees kept learning. Additionally, knowledge-sharing platforms have gone public in some cases: webinars, podcasts, and blogs (like Ticket Fairy’s promoter blog) spread festival know-how beyond one-to-one relationships. A new producer in India can virtually “shadow” a conference talk by a top European festival director, gaining insights they otherwise might never get locally. While not a replacement for hands-on experience, these tech-facilitated mentorships and resources supplement traditional learning. It demonstrates the festival industry’s adaptability – using every tool available to groom talent no matter the circumstances. Going forward, we may see hybrid approaches: a mentee might intern on site at a local festival but also have a remote mentor from halfway around the world, broadening their perspective immensely.

Overcoming Challenges in Mentorship Programs

Time and Budget Constraints

Implementing a mentorship programme does require an investment of time and sometimes money – two things festivals often run short on. Busy festival staff might wonder how to fit training into their already packed schedule. The key is to integrate mentorship into existing workflows rather than treating it as an extra. For example, if a production meeting is happening, bring the mentee into it (it doesn’t add time, it just means they listen and learn during the normal course of work). If site visits are being done, have the mentee ride along. Many mentorship activities can double as productive work if planned right. As for budget, not all mentorship efforts cost money, but if you’re providing stipends or hosting workshops, you might need some funding. Smaller festivals can seek grants or sponsorship specifically earmarked for workforce development. Local arts councils or education departments in many countries offer support for youth training or internship schemes – this can cover a stipend for an apprentice or costs of running training sessions. One creative approach is to partner with a university or college programme in event management; the school might provide academic credit or funding for students to be placed as mentees in your festival. And remember, the cost of not mentoring could be higher: high turnover, mistakes that hurt the bottom line, or even cancellation if no one competent is ready to step in. Pitch mentorship as an investment that will save money in the long run by increasing efficiency and preventing costly errors.

Mentor Burnout and Commitment

On the mentor side, a common challenge is burnout or lack of bandwidth. Seasoned festival producers often juggle immense responsibilities – adding “teacher” to their title can be daunting. To prevent mentors from feeling overwhelmed, organisers should acknowledge mentorship in workload planning. Perhaps a mentor’s other duties can be lightened during certain months, or they can delegate some tasks to their mentee (a win-win: it gives the mentee experience and frees mentor time). It’s also important to choose mentors who genuinely want to mentor. A great expert who has no patience for teaching might do more harm than good. Participation should be voluntary and framed positively – not “extra work” but an honour and an opportunity to shape the future. Recognizing mentors for their contribution goes a long way: shout-outs in meetings, a small bonus or gift, or an award at the end of the season. This fosters pride in the role. Another strategy is to spread mentorship responsibilities: instead of one mentor carrying a huge load with one mentee all the time, you could adopt a team mentorship approach where a group of three mentors each cover different aspects for a mentee (one for operations, one for programming, one for marketing, for instance). This lightens the individual load and gives the mentee a broader support network. Lastly, check in with mentors regularly – ask them what support they need or if they’re facing any frustration. Maybe the mentee isn’t engaging, or the schedule is too tight – by addressing these proactively, you keep mentors motivated and avoid burnout.

Matching and Communication Gaps

A mentorship is only as good as the relationship between mentor and mentee. Poor pairing or communication breakdowns are a risk. Some mentors and mentees just might not gel in work style or personality. To mitigate this, take care in matching – perhaps even do a short “intro period” where a mentee shadows a couple of different people initially, and then you mutually determine who they click with best as a long-term mentor. It’s also valuable to train mentors a bit on coaching and communication. Not everyone inherently knows how to mentor. Offering a short briefing or handbook about active listening, giving constructive feedback, and cultural sensitivity can prepare mentors to work effectively with someone who might be much younger or from a different background. Similarly, mentees may need guidance on how to receive feedback and ask questions. Encourage them to be proactive in communication – if something is unclear, speak up sooner rather than later. Setting some ground rules at the start of a pairing is wise: decide on preferred communication channels (weekly email recap? quick call every Friday?), expectations on both sides (e.g. “mentee will come prepared with questions to meetings” and “mentor will provide meaningful tasks, not just menial busywork”). If a mismatch becomes apparent and can’t be resolved with honest talk, don’t be afraid to reassign mentorship – it’s better to switch mentors than let a pairing fizzle and leave the mentee unsupported. In group mentorship settings, ensure that the mentee isn’t receiving contradictory advice by having mentors coordinate or by designating one lead mentor. Clear, empathetic communication is the glue that makes mentorship stick.

Maintaining Consistency

Festivals are often annual cycles, meaning a mentorship program might ramp up then disperse after each event. A challenge is maintaining momentum and consistency across these cycles. One solution is to formally carry mentorship into the off-season. For example, after the festival is over, pair the mentee to assist on off-season tasks like writing the annual report, preparing proposals for sponsors, or planning off-season community events. This keeps the learning continuous. If mentors or mentees only work seasonally for the festival, consider periodic check-ins or involving them in smaller spin-off events throughout the year to reinforce their skills. Documenting mentorship progress helps with consistency too. Keep a log of what training has been done so that if personnel change (say a mentor leaves the organisation), a new mentor can pick up where things left off using those notes. Another consistency issue is standardizing the knowledge passed on. If each mentor only teaches their personal way of doing things, you might end up with inconsistency in methods across the festival. Solve this by aligning mentors on the festival’s official best practices (while still allowing individual tips and tricks). Perhaps hold a mentors meeting to sync up on the core procedures everyone should impart. This ensures that all mentees get a baseline of consistent training (e.g. every mentee learns the same safety protocol, even if their mentors are different department heads). In short, treat mentorship as an ongoing thread, not a one-time act, to maintain its effectiveness year over year.

Measuring Success and Adapting

How do you know if your mentorship efforts are working? Defining metrics for success can be tricky but necessary. One obvious measure is retention: Are mentees coming back to work future editions of the festival or moving into higher roles? If you see an uptick in returning staff because they feel growth opportunities, that’s a good sign. Another metric is performance-based: Track if certain areas improved after implementing mentorship. For instance, did the stage management run smoother this year when an apprentice was involved (perhaps because tasks were better delegated)? Collect feedback directly: surveys or interviews with mentees and mentors at season’s end can reveal how valuable they found the experience, and suggestions for improvement. Maybe a mentee felt they needed more hands-on time, or a mentor felt the timeframe was too short. Use that data to adapt the program. Flexibility is key; perhaps the programme needs to be longer, or include more people, or focus on different topics. Also, monitor the festival’s operations for fewer errors or crises as years go on – while it’s hard to draw a direct line, a well-mentored team should gradually make fewer “rookie mistakes.” Testimonials can be compelling evidence: if a mentee says, “I felt confident to run my own small stage this year thanks to my mentor’s training,” that qualitative result speaks volumes. Share successes of the programme with all stakeholders – crew, sponsors, even the audience via social media or newsletters (“Meet our festival apprentice who helped make this year a success”). Seeing real outcomes will build support to continue and expand mentorship efforts. Ultimately, the success of a mentorship programme is reflected in the festival’s resilience: if the show can go on even as staff change, and if new ideas are seamlessly integrated, you know your knowledge transfer is working.

Building a Pipeline for Long-Term Success

Succession Planning and Talent Pipeline

Every festival, large or small, benefits from thinking about succession planning – not just for the festival director, but for every key role. A mentorship program naturally feeds into succession planning by preparing people to step up. Festival leadership should map out critical positions (production director, marketing lead, site manager, etc.) and identify at least one mentee or deputy for each who is being groomed. This doesn’t mean those senior folks are leaving immediately, but it creates a safety net. If someone gets sick during an event or decides not to return next year, there’s an understudy who knows the script. Some forward-looking events formalize this by creating deputy roles (e.g. Deputy Operations Manager) as part of the org chart – essentially labeling the mentee, which gives clarity to the whole team on who could take over in a pinch. This kind of pipeline thinking can be visualized as a chart of progression for team members. It’s motivating as well: staff and volunteers see a possible future for themselves at the festival, which encourages them to stick around and work hard. For example, a volunteer might see that after two years they could become an area coordinator, then eventually join the paid staff – if they train up. Laying out these pathways (like a career ladder within the festival team) and communicating them is important so that new producers understand the opportunities available if they commit.

Community Engagement and Recruitment

Building a robust pipeline also means constantly recruiting new talent into the fold. Veteran festival producers should engage with the community to find the next generation. This could involve partnerships with local schools, universities, or community groups. Some festivals run programs like “junior producer for a day” where interested young people can shadow the team briefly to spark their interest. Others have volunteer programs intentionally structured as a ladder – you start as a volunteer doing simple tasks, next year you might lead a small team of volunteers, and maybe later get hired into staff. We saw how Roskilde Festival uses its huge volunteer base as a feeder for talent; many of their paid crew started as teenage volunteers who fell in love with the work. Another approach is outreach through industry workshops or sessions at conference events (for example, a festival might host a panel on careers in festival management at a local cultural expo). By casting the net wide, festivals ensure a diverse inflow of passionate people. When new recruits come in, pair them with buddies or mentors right away to integrate them. Over time, this recruitment and mentorship loop creates a self-sustaining ecosystem — the festival becomes known as a place where people can grow careers, which attracts more talent. Additionally, engaging alumni (former staff/volunteers who moved on) as ambassadors can help bring in fresh blood; they can recommend the festival to colleagues or students as a great place to learn the craft.

Retaining Institutional Knowledge

Long-running festivals often accumulate a wealth of “institutional knowledge” – unwritten know-how like which power generator has a quirk or which local official to call for last-minute permits. One challenge is that this knowledge can walk out the door if a veteran leaves. Mentorship addresses this by physically transferring that know-how to newer staff before veterans depart. Encourage mentors to not only teach the “what” and “how” but also share the context and history behind decisions. For instance, a mentor might explain: “We always schedule the popular local band at 5 PM because five years ago we learned that’s when the community audience can attend before dinner – it became a tradition that works.” Such context might seem trivial until it’s lost and someone changes a practice not realizing the unintended consequences. Keeping institutional memory can also be aided by creating a kind of informal alumni network. Even after retirement, former festival directors or department heads can be kept on a contacts list as advisors. Some festivals invite them to dress rehearsals or pre-event walkthroughs for a consultative look – a fresh pair of experienced eyes – or simply to annual dinners where they can mingle and share stories with current staff. These traditions reinforce a sense of continuity and respect for the festival’s history. When newcomers are mentored as part of a continuum (rather than feeling like they’re starting from scratch), they inherit not just knowledge but also a sense of pride and responsibility to uphold the festival’s legacy.

Continuous Evolution and Innovation

A strong mentorship and talent pipeline doesn’t make a festival static; rather, it ensures the festival can continuously evolve. When each generation of producers is well-grounded in fundamentals, they have the confidence to experiment and innovate on that foundation. The festival thus benefits from both stability and change. An example of this synergy can be seen with multi-genre festivals like South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin. Over the years, SXSW grew from a music festival into a massive multi-industry conference and festival. The original team mentored new division heads for film, tech, and education tracks, leveraging their know-how while empowering those leaders to develop new sections of the event. This allowed SXSW to expand and adapt to cultural trends (like the rise of interactive tech and gaming) without losing its organizational coherence. In smaller festivals, evolution might mean adding a new stage, incorporating hybrid virtual elements, or engaging with social causes – all things that new team members might champion. If they have been well mentored, they’ll know how to implement these ideas in a way that aligns with the festival’s capabilities. Mentorship basically future-proofs the festival: it produces leaders who are prepared to navigate change rather than shy away from it. That’s the ultimate long-term success – a festival that can thrive for decades, not by doing the same thing, but by skillfully handing the reins to capable new innovators when the time is right.

Legacy Beyond the Founders

Finally, thoughtful mentorship and team development allow a festival’s impact to outlive its founders. For many festival creators, their event is like their “baby.” Letting others take charge can be hard, but it’s necessary for the event to have a life of its own. Through mentoring the next generation, founders and early leaders can step back gradually and watch their creation continue to flourish. It becomes a legacy they leave to the community. For example, when the founders of Exit Festival in Serbia (which started as a student-driven protest festival) moved on to other projects, they had already involved younger organizers in leadership roles. Exit Festival remains one of Europe’s top music events, carrying forward the social activism spirit instilled by its founders, thanks to that planning. The best legacy is seeing mentees not only preserve what was built, but also take it to new heights. Veteran producers can eventually attend their festival as guests, enjoying the show without the stress, knowing it’s in good hands. In that sense, mentorship is a gift forward – it’s planting seeds for trees under whose shade you may not sit, but future generations will. And for the festival’s brand and stakeholders, knowing that the event is not a one-man or one-woman show but an institution with depth in its team provides confidence in its longevity. Sponsors, partners, and fans will continue to invest their time and money, trusting that the festival’s quality and ethos will endure well into the future.

Key Takeaways

• Mentorship is Mission-Critical: Long-term festival success depends on veterans actively mentoring new festival producers to carry the torch. The continuity of knowledge prevents repeated mistakes and preserves the event’s core values.
• Structured Programmes Work Best: Establish clear mentorship programmes with defined goals, timelines, and pairings. Integrate mentees into all phases of festival planning – from early meetings to on-site execution – for a comprehensive learning experience.
• Hands-On Learning: Tactics like shadowing senior staff during live events and apprenticeship-style roles give emerging organizers practical experience. Gradually increase their responsibilities with a mentor as a safety net to build confidence and competence.
• Debriefs and Documentation: Always debrief after events and document lessons learned (both successes and failures). Maintain manuals, checklists, and knowledge bases that get updated yearly. This institutional memory is a priceless training tool for newcomers.
• Culture of Sharing: Foster an open, supportive team culture where questions and new ideas are welcomed. Mentors should act as coaches, encouraging mentees to learn from errors rather than fearing them. Celebrating improvements and contributions from new team members keeps everyone motivated.
• Learn from the Best: Emulate festivals that do mentorship well – from youth-led community events blossoming under guidance, to global festivals like Roskilde relying on volunteer mentorship structures, to formal academies training future festival leaders. These cases provide roadmaps for success.
• Anticipate Challenges: Be mindful of constraints – make mentorship efficient with time, support mentors to avoid burnout, communicate clearly, and be ready to adjust the programme as you gather feedback. The effort is worth the pay-off.
• Build Your Festival’s Future: By creating a pipeline of skilled festival organisers, you ensure your event can innovate and thrive for years to come. Succession planning isn’t an afterthought – it’s woven into your team development. A strong mentorship legacy today will shape legendary festivals tomorrow.