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Woodford Folk Festival

Woodford Folk Festival. By Greg Morrissey. Interview with Chloe Goodyear. Chloe Goodyear is a Programme Manager for Woodford Folk Festival (WFF) She works full-time with many others to construct the festival program.

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Woodford Folk Festival

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  1. WoodfordFolk Festival By Greg Morrissey

  2. Interview with Chloe Goodyear • Chloe Goodyear is a Programme Manager for Woodford Folk Festival (WFF) • She works full-time with many others to construct the festival program. • The following is an interview conducted with Chloe regarding specific areas of the Woodford Folk Festival operation with regards to the hospitality, tourism and event industry. • Here’s what Chloe had to say... • .

  3. Hello Chloe, thank you for your time. Approximately how many people are involved with the event development? The Woodford Folk Festival

  4. There is a small percentage of paid employees but the main contribution comes from our large contingent of volunteers whose numbers are near 3,000. The Woodford Folk Festival

  5. Do you utilise people • from the local community? The Woodford Folk Festival

  6. Woodford is a very small town, it’s difficult, but we attempt to source locally when it’s practical and affordable. We’ve had a relationship for years where local townsfolk billet some of our artists. The Woodford Folk Festival

  7. How difficult is it to coordinate the human resources, are project teams developed? The Woodford Folk Festival

  8. Yes. Department heads coordinate a number of unique areas, from traffic control to toilet cleaning, bars to stage management. It’s a large task undertaken primarily by our Volunteers Manager, Karen McBride, along with 100 ‘Department Heads’ who take responsibility for their own volunteer teams. The Woodford Folk Festival

  9. How much unique planning goes into each new festival or is last year’s model sufficient? The Woodford Folk Festival

  10. After 25 years there are some things that roll out but the festival will never be perfect so everything is reviewed. We’re always learning and evolving. The Woodford Folk Festival

  11. Could you tell me a little bit about your target market? The Woodford Folk Festival

  12. It’s very broad. We develop the programme first with elements designed to attract a new audience based on previous years visitor’s surveys. • However, we also have a strong commitment to servicing existing audiences and conforming to the charter of the Queensland Folk Federation, the WFF’s producers. The Woodford Folk Festival

  13. The folk festival must bring a large amount of tourists to the area. I have noted that Woodford’s usual population is around 5000, to what degree does this expand during the festival? The Woodford Folk Festival

  14. There are some 120,000 people attending the Festival site over the 6 days of the event The Woodford Folk Festival

  15. Do you feel that both the WFF and the entire town are united in hosting the visitors attracted to Woodford during the festival? The Woodford Folk Festival

  16. Yes. The town has coped extremely well with such an influx of visitors and the majority are very supportive. The Woodford Folk Festival

  17. The host/guest relationship is known to be based on reciprocity which is bounded in the view of mutual exchange. I imagine your guests would expect from the festival and the region such experiences as music and other entertainment, decent food and drink, and other attractions associated with the district. • They would further expect cleanliness, the ability to get to places, safety and comfort. • Aside from financial remuneration, what is it that you - the WFF, expect from your guest? The Woodford Folk Festival

  18. We expect them to be co-creators. The WFF needs the patron to dive into the programme and contribute with their energy, patience and goodwill. A sense of humour is also very handy. The Woodford Folk Festival

  19. And do they reciprocate in this way? The Woodford Folk Festival

  20. Yes, Woodford has a great community of volunteers, artists, stallholders, etc. We’re putting the festival on to be enjoyed ‘with’ our guests and they respond in kind. The Woodford Folk Festival

  21. With regards to reciprocity and the host-guest relationship being built on mutual respect, do you feel that the majority of the visitors to Woodford are sensitive to the concept? The Woodford Folk Festival

  22. Absolutely, and I think that’s the key to the success that the festival has enjoyed, as well as the unique atmosphere. • I am not sure where it comes from unless it’s truly that the festival has grown from a grass roots place, and because we’ve not undertaken huge marketing. It means that the reason people come to the festival is because their friends or family told them to, which helps to sustain the culture. The Woodford Folk Festival

  23. The host-guest relationship is known in marketing terms as ‘relationship marketing’. This basically states that the host delivers customer wants & needs on an ongoing basis in a reliable and uniform way, all whilst adapting to any changes in trends or preferences. The guest develops trust in the host and in return supplies loyalty, equating to return patronage. The Woodford Folk Festival

  24. Bill Hauritz, the WFF director states in an interview that near 70% of people arriving at the festival are return customers. So it appears that you are reliably delivering wants and needs on an ongoing basis. But, regarding the second part of my statement, is the WFF prepared for any changes in trends or preferences and ready to adapt to these? The Woodford Folk Festival

  25. Yes, the WFF are very conscious of these issues and endeavour to adjust wherever possible to stay ahead of the game. The Woodford Folk Festival

  26. From a personal viewpoint, how close do you believe Woodford’s commercial concept of hospitality is similar to the social concept that occurs when hosting for friends at home? The Woodford Folk Festival

  27. I feel it’s quite similar because we aim for a feeling of welcomeness and familiarity. The Woodford Folk Festival

  28. Do you consider it a prerequisite of your position to have a natural motivation to want to be hospitable? The Woodford Folk Festival

  29. Yes. The festival provides a strong sense of ‘place’ and we are the people charged with keeping the home fires burning. The Woodford Folk Festival

  30. What infrastructure have you been required to undertake since the inception of the festival? The Woodford Folk Festival

  31. It ‘s been huge, a dam, vehicular and pedestrian roads, bridges, sewage, drainage, earthworks, amenities, etc. All at a cost of over $8m. The infrastructure and any developments on site have been designed to conform to government regulations and to enhance the beauty of the site. The Woodford Folk Festival

  32. There has been enormous effort in planting trees and transforming the site from dairy farm to parklands. What other environmental issues have required your attention? The Woodford Folk Festival

  33. The treatment plans for the water and sewage have lessened our carbon footprint. We also pay great attention to recycling and composting. The Woodford Folk Festival

  34. A supply chain links all of the elements in creating the Woodford tourism, hospitality and event experience. Have there been instances where a link in the chain (e.g. a performer, transport, goods) has been disrupted, causing the rest of the chain to be placed in jeopardy? The Woodford Folk Festival

  35. Of course – we’re basically operating a city for the set-up, event and bump-out, and so we’re bound to experience some of the elements a huge group of people would experience anywhere. • Our supply chain is always changing and never perfect. The Woodford Folk Festival

  36. And you adapt to these inevitable breaks? The Woodford Folk Festival

  37. Yes, we adapt on the fly. It’s one thing we’re good at. The Woodford Folk Festival

  38. With regard to the organisation of your event have WFF been impacted by legislative and regulatory controls? The Woodford Folk Festival

  39. Yes, the permits required to hold a festival on the land were contentious at one time. The festival is held in a rural area and was not zoned for events. However, local, state and federal governments have been excellent in supporting us to work through the real issues around the festival’s presence in the area. The Woodford Folk Festival

  40. Are you impacted by competition? The Woodford Folk Festival

  41. The festival landscape has changed dramatically over the last 25 years and we are conscious of competition. The challenge is to keep our eye on the festival’s core business and try to continue to do that as well as possible, refining our ‘product’ if you like. The Woodford Folk Festival

  42. And finally, I note in a Youtube clip, Ernie Dingo , whilst on one of the WFF stages, asking the crowd if they had ever been to a festival where it hadn’t rained? • Jokingly reiterating to the affirmative responses, “liars!” • How great an impact is the environmental climate the festival operates in? The Woodford Folk Festival

  43. This is probably our biggest issue – Summer is challenging to an outdoor festival - rain or shine. The Woodford Folk Festival

  44. Thanks again Chloe for your time! The Woodford Folk Festival

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