Festival season isn’t just about pumpkins, food trucks, or live music. It’s about pulling off a can’t-miss event that brings your community together and keeps customers coming back year after year.
Whether you’re hosting a farm festival for the 10th time or launching a brand-new tasting event, the lead-up can feel like juggling a dozen things at once. The good news? With the right prep — and the right Dashboard features — you can turn that to-do list into a smooth-running, revenue-driving event.
Start marketing early
Even if your farm festival or arts event is well-known in your community, it’s smart to generate buzz in advance, especially if you’re hoping to draw a crowd from out of town.
Start by focusing your efforts on local SEO and marketing. Make sure your Google Business Profile is updated with accurate event details, hours, and photos. This helps travelers searching online discover your event before they ever see an ad or flyer.
Next, look for ways to partner with nearby businesses. Festivals often succeed when local shops and restaurants are involved — whether that’s a booth on-site or a brochure at the hotel front desk. These collaborations spread the word and make your event feel like a community-wide celebration.
During planning, be active on social media. Share photos from past events, sneak peeks of what’s coming, or a list of attractions that will be available. Countdown posts or quick behind-the-scenes videos are especially engaging and build excitement in the weeks leading up.
Get employees up to speed
From goat yoga and petting zoos to full-scale harvest festivals, tour operators in the festival and event space depend on their staff for a successful event. As a business owner, it’s up to you to get your employees up to speed ahead of time.
Plan staffing early to ensure coverage for every area of your event. Simplify the process by creating a permanent jobs page, posting on the right job boards, and being selective in your hiring.
Once your team is in place, train them not just on logistics, but also on how to handle escalations and deliver a great customer experience. A well-prepared staff can turn even a difficult situation into a positive interaction that keeps customers coming back.
Refresh your knowledge of key FareHarbor Dashboard features — like user notifications, the availability updater, and items. If you need a quick refresher, reach out to our 24/7 Support team for help with the top Dashboard actions you should know.
Optimize your farms and festivals with FareHarbor features
Whether you offer activities on a farm or have another type of weather-dependent business model, it can be a challenge to deal with weather cancellations, rebookings, and long entry lines. Fortunately, there are Dashboard features that can help you optimize the experience for your customers.
Automate confirmation emails
You can help customers plan for their time with you by writing a detailed confirmation email that gets automatically sent upon booking. Create a template for this email right in your Dashboard and be sure to include details like where to park, how early to arrive, safety tips, and weather concerns, among other topics. This will help reduce customer phone calls and save you time.
Enable online cancellation & gift card rebooking
Sometimes things come up, and your customers have to cancel. But that doesn’t mean their touch points with your business are any less important. In fact, if they have an easy cancellation experience, they’re more likely to rebook for a future date and even become a repeat customer.
You can set up online cancellations so that customers can cancel their booking online without having to call you. This is better and easier for them, and it also saves you time.
They also have the option to cancel and rebook to receive a gift card to your business to use at a later date. Weather can often cause issues for outdoor operators, so being able to rebook to a gift card is a great way to retain customers. This is a win-win for you and them!
Speed up check-in with express lines and QR codes
Just like the fast pass that lets you cut the line at your favorite amusement park rides, your festival or event can benefit from an express line! This way, people who have purchased tickets online can get in faster and start having fun. You can set up a separate line for people who still need to buy tickets.
FareHarbor’s mobile QR code scanning is the best way to speed up the express line! Check-in staff can simply use the FareHarbor app (or a compatible QR scanner) to scan guests’ QR codes and quickly check them in.
Worried about your internet connection? FareHarbor now offers offline QR scanning. If you’re in a remote location, you can still check customers in and create a seamless guest experience.
Set your festival up for success
With the right preparation and tools, your festival or event can run smoothly from first booking to final guest check-in. FareHarbor’s features help you simplify operations, keep customers happy, and save valuable time on event day.
Want even more ways to drive bookings this fall? Check out our Halloween marketing tips for tour operators for fresh ideas to boost spooky season attendance and keep your calendar full.
