Every July, California’s Bay Area and Central Coast gather at the Gilroy Garlic Festival — one of the largest food festivals in the US — to celebrate garlic in all its glory. Attracting well over 100,000 festival-goers from around the country, this 3-day event has been in business for over 35 years. We wanted to know their recipe for long-lasting success, so we sat down with Executive Director, Brian Bowe, to gain insights on how their team manages this fantastic event year after year, and how other festival organizers can follow suit.
Tip #1: “If you’re not selling tickets online, you’re missing out.”
Prior to Eventbrite, Gilroy Garlic Festival sold most of their tickets on-site. Like many large, outdoor festivals of its kind, walk-ups by the thousands used to stand in long lines to secure day-of tickets, and then hopped over to the next queue to enter the gates. To streamline the experience, Brian and his team shifted to Eventbrite’s online ticketing platform three years ago. Eventbrite lets guests register in advance for 1-day, 2-day, or 3-day passes in just two clicks — and then automatically generates a guest list for the organizers. The festival team also uses Eventbrite NEON mobile box office solution to process and track real-time ticket sales onsite throughout the event weekend. The net result–in addition to a much improved fan entry experience at the festival–is greater insight in event planning and marketing, as well as dramatically improved control and reconciliation of all their ticket sales from start-to-finish.
“To know that there’s a solution that tracks and manages our ticket sales for us is priceless. Attendees expect to be able to push a button, put in their payment info and be done. And if you don’t offer that, you’re missing out big time.”
Tip #2 : “A strong volunteer program is the secret sauce.”
The city of Gilroy has a population of 50,000 people, yet the Gilroy Garlic Festival has cultivated an impressive volunteer force of more than 4,000. How? For every 4-hour shift, each volunteer gets a free ticket, meal, t-shirt, and two adult beverages (if they’re over 21). But the biggest perk for the volunteers is the equity program the festival has created, where they calculate the number of hours worked, translate that into a value-based dollar amount, and then donate the proceeds to local charities and nonprofits the volunteers choose. Gilroy Garlic Festival also publicizes the donations to charities on their website and local paper, shining a light on these organizations, and the volunteers that support them. Last year, this program put $300,000 back into the community. Altogether, the Gilroy Garlic Festival Association has invested an impressive $11 million into the greater Gilroy area.
“Our volunteers make our festival run smoothly. They donate their time to us, and we donate proceeds to the local charities they support. It’s a win-win for the whole community.”
Tip #3: “Take the time to foster personal relationships in the community”
Strong relationships in the community are key in pulling off any event. That’s why — aside from acting as Executive Director of the Gilroy Garlic Festival — Brian also serves on other nonprofit boards, attends community meetings, and takes part in smaller local clubs. He makes it a priority to nurture these relationships, because he knows the community is the backbone of the entire Garlic Gilroy Festival.
“I have a phone number for every person that can help me solve problems that arise. And you can’t take that for granted. If you don’t take time to create those relationships, you won’t have the resources to call on for your event.”
Tip #4: “Invigorate your festival by bringing in new ideas and people often”
Every festival is run differently; some are privately owned, some are publicly run. Gilroy Garlic Festival is a public association. Rather than have their Board of Directors serve for life, as many other festivals do, the Gilroy Garlic Festival Association created a system where members can only serve in any unique leadership role for only two years. This has inspired a dynamic environment, where invigorated members bring fresh ideas to the boardroom every festival season.
“While it can be chaotic, electing new board members every two years enables us to work with energized people who are motivated and want to make an impact. I understand not every festival organizer has the flexibility to change its organizational structure — but it’s been incredibly effective for us.”
Want to learn more about crafting an unforgettable festival? Check out the course-by-course guide to your next food and drink event.
