Production Coordinator Jules Mackness knew she wanted to work in festivals the minute she met The Fair team – even if it was in an unexpected way.
But then lockdown hit, and everything changed – for her and the industry.
Jules took the time to open up about her experience of working in events since then, and how she feels about what is to come this season...
My first brush with The Fair came in Summer 2018. The last day of El Dorado happened to fall on my birthday and my friends and I were packing up our things. We noticed two ladies driving a buggy around the campsite, using a loud hailer to tell campers that it was sadly “Time to start making the journey home now”. They stopped by my friends, and very kindly offered to take all the bags, and myself, down to the car park, singing “Happy Birthday” through the loud hailer. I didn’t know it yet, but that buggy ride was my first introduction to my future colleagues.
The 2021 festival industry was crawling its way back after the devastating effects of covid. Suppliers, organisers, contractors and clients were emerging from one of the most difficult times live events had seen. My first day started in post-covid fashion, on zoom, at home, with a dozen new faces appearing on my screen. The welcomes and introductions were warming and swift, but I was cacking it; the idea of moving away from my sleepy Gloucestershire village to the fast-paced city was intimidating to me.
Working within the team that produces shows such as El Dorado, GALA and Maiden Voyage, added a certain level of expectation. Straight away I was shown the ropes around the office; processes, invoicing, supplier negotiating and sourcing etc. As April and May went on, more people joined the team, adding more experience and a wealth of knowledge to the mix. No amount of pre-planning, checking, organisation, emailing, meetings, briefings, rechecking and auditing could have prepared me for what was to come – I think many can agree with me on this one…
The first role I had onsite was in the site office. It is the bustling hub of site and keeping it under wraps by answering questions, signing out radios and keys, logging incidents, solving issues, accrediting suppliers, and keeping track of schedules while being the friendly, smiley first point of contact onsite, is actually quite challenging. If anyone has worked in the site office, they’ll know just how hectic it can be. A very fond memory came in the form of a delivery driver telling me at 7.45am, that I should be smiling more. There are definitely some challenging aspects of the role – long hours, having to navigate your way through a plethora of spreadsheets, dealing with people constantly, and sorting out traders’ flat batteries to name a few. But what waited for me the following year made it well worth it.
The 2022 season showed so much more promise. As a Production Coordinator, I had a lot more time outside, and a lot of fun. The first show of the season was Gala, which is, and will always be my favourite London festival. As the season went on, I saw more of the festival building process – watching what started as a concept, develop into a fully-fledged camping show now known as Otherlands. Finding a home in the ground of Scone Palace, the inaugural weekend was a dream, and it made be proud to be part of the team that made it happen.
In retrospect, my past two years with The Fair have been nothing short of eventful. I would not have learnt half as much as I did if it wasn’t for the incredible team around me – not to mention starting out in the most gruelling season my colleagues have ever experienced. There have been lots of lessons learnt, but as I look towards the 2023 season, I feel more excited and readier than I ever have been. I get to production manage my first show, return to Gala and Otherlands, and head state side to Nashville, USA.
Watch this space.
To find out more about mentoring opportunities, freelance work, part-time and full-time roles, visit The Fair Careers Page.
