A lot can happen in a decade – especially when it comes to festivals and events…
In the latest edition of StandOut, our directors look back on 10 years of The Fair, and reveal our exciting plans for the future.
Detail, strategy, and growth. Nick Morgan, Rob Dudley, and Yasmin Galletti look back on 10 years of The Fair and reveal their plans for the future…
Rob Dudley, director of The Fair, sits opposite StandOut in a shirt and tie. There’s a joke or two about never seeing him so smart and then StandOut learns that Dudley has been in court. Not because he’s fallen foul of the law but because a client owes The Fair money. It’s just one of the realities of running an event production agency. Despite an abundance of positive festival vibes, there is also the delicate art of managing clients, expectations, and accounts.
Dudley is joined by Nick Morgan, CEO, and Yasmin Galletti, also director. Together, the trio are directors of The Fair, which is celebrating 10 years of producing large-scale events and festivals.
During those 10 years, what’s changed? StandOut asks. Morgan is quick to answer. “Level of detail,” he says. “The amount or the level of detail needed these days compared to 10 years ago is crazy. Now, everyone talks about zone X, which 10 years ago was only in its infancy.” Galletti concurs. Before joining The Fair in 2016, she was busy producing shows in London parks where she says, unfortunately, there was a lack of egress planning.
“It’s scary really,” Galletti continues. “The reason these things come into play is because something goes wrong on someone’s show somewhere and then we all add new measures and learn from mistakes. So I think now, a lot of good has happened but, in terms of the greatest changes, I think you could also say competition.
“When I did my first festival, I think that was in 2012, there were two to three London day festivals. Now there are two or three every weekend of the summer. That puts a lot of pressure on the promoters, which in turn puts a lot of pressure on us.”
STRONG RELATIONSHIPS
We meet on a cold and grey January afternoon but despite the gloom, Morgan’s, Dudley’s and Galletti’s thoughts are firmly on the future. The office is a hive of activity. The team – which in 10 years has grown from four to 32 – is diving into projects. Budget setting and site planning are well underway.
“With extra resource, we have more eyes on different challenges and more people to brainstorm those challenges and how to overcome them,” adds Morgan. “Ten years ago, we did everything. Often we’d be the site office manager and health and safety, whereas now we have dedicated siloed divisions. That brings a better service and a better show to the client ultimately.”
The Fair’s current roster of clients includes Eastern Electrics, Mostly Jazz Festival, Moseley Folk Festival, Gottwood, Houghton, Grosvenor (the organisation that manages Grosvenor Square), and Bournemouth 7s. The team has worked with many of these since day one and validates what Galletti cites is one of the The Fair’s strengths – connection.
She says: “I think one of our strengths, that’s the same as it was when I first started but on a bigger scale, is relationship building. When we’re on-site, we want it to be fun, having fun with our suppliers or having fun with our clients. A lot of the clients we worked with when I started, we still work with and a lot of the suppliers, we still work with, and I think that’s because we believe in building strong relationships and that is done through enjoying the work you do together.”
The Fair has worked with suppliers such as CTM, Last Mile, Wolf Lighting, Simply Loos, Project Power, and RSH Audio for the last 10 years. They have been with The Fair through every season and it’s demonstrative of the great relationship building that Galletti is keen to expand upon.
According to Galletti, this ethos, the importance of collaboration and strong relationships that can handle truthful conversations, is disseminated throughout the team. That’s important, as the team represents Morgan, Dudley, and Galletti out in the field and will continue to do so as the trio develop more strategic roles within the business.
“We very much believe in our team and in growing our team,” adds Galletti. “They’re part of our family and we want them to stay and that goes towards our culture.”
Culture is important to The Fair. In fact, whilst some may consider it an obvious statement, it’s backed by a great statistic. In the last 18 months, The Fair has promoted 45 per cent of the team. This would not have happened if a good company culture did not exist. Galletti continues: “Rob and I are very hands-on. I think this year will actually be the first year where I’m not looking at – at the moment – being on that many shows because the team have grown, and I can leave others to carry on with their roles.
“So I will be on-site less, which is slightly heart-breaking, but also the right move for the business because we can grow and do more.”
You can read the full article on the StandOut website.
