Choosing a festival organiser or event company

If you're hiring a team to produce an event, the fundamentals are experience and compliance: ask for a portfolio of events at a similar scale, and confirm they carry public liability insurance (£5m+ for public events) and understand the licensing landscape — premises or Temporary Event Notices, the SAG (Safety Advisory Group) process with the local council, and a written event management and crowd-safety plan. Check they'll handle the unglamorous essentials: traffic management, stewarding (SIA-badged where needed), welfare and first aid, power and water, waste, and accessible facilities. For stallholders and performers, read the terms carefully — pitch fees, footfall figures from previous years, power availability, and the cancellation/weather policy all matter. For attendees, look at a festival's track record: well-run recurring events publish clear timings, travel and parking information, and a family/accessibility policy well in advance.