The Case of Roskilde Festival of Denmark
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School of Journalism and Mass Communications Faculty of Economic and Political Sciences Festival Management Innovation: The Case of Roskilde Festival of Denmark BY Theodosia Migkou A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF DIGITAL MEDIA, COMMUNICATION AND JOURNALISM Specialization: Digital Media, Culture and Communication Supervisor: Prof. George Tsourvakas September 2018 Table of Contents Abstract ....................................................................................................................ii INTRODUCTION............................................................................................1 CHAPTER ONE:LITERATURE REVIEW .......................................3 1. Events/Festivals Management ..........................................................4 2. Definition and importance of innovation .......................................10 2.1 EVENTS/FESTIVALS AND INNOVATION ........................................................12 CHAPTER TWO: METHODOLOGY.....................................16 CHAPTER THREE: CASE STUDY: ROSKILDE FESTIVAL OF DENMARK ........................................................18 3. 1. Structure ......................................................................................21 3.2 Innovation Management..................................................................21 3.2.1 Administration -The Roskilde Festival Group .........................................23 3.2.2 General Strategy ........................................................................................28 3.2.3 Co-operations-Associations .....................................................................32 3.2.4 Audience Engagement ..............................................................................31 3.2.5 RF Experience ...........................................................................................32 3.2.6 Economic Figures ...................................................................................33 3.2.7 Volunteerism ..............................................................................................33 i 3.2.8 Non-profit ...................................................................................................35 3.2.9. Equality ......................................................................................................36 3.2.9.1.Gender Equality .................................................................................... 38 3.2.10 Donation Strategy 2018-2020 ...................................................................39 3.2.11 Communication Strategy ...........................................................................42 3.2.12 Sustainability ...........................................................................................46 3.2.13 Education .................................................................................................50 3.2.14 Technology-Applications ..........................................................................50 3.2.15 Honors ......................................................................................................51 CHAPTER FOUR: CONCLUSION ......................................................52 BIBLIOGRAPHY .............................................................................................. 58 ii Abstract This dissertation project is under the Master Program ‘’Digital Media, Journalism and Communication the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and was implemented in accordance with the requirements of the curriculum. The following paper attempts to give the reader an opportunity to understand the general meaning of the festival’s management innovation with initially conducting a literature review. Secondly in order to identify management innovation applications and techniques on the festival and reach some valid result from press releases of the case study of Roskilde Festival of Denmark was examined. Qualitative research was conductive in order to get insight of the innovation processes and resources of the Roskilde festival. Observation and in depth examination of the case assist me in obtaining knowledge on managerial initiatives in structure, processes, communication and environment of the Roskilde Festival and what efforts leading to innovation and by extension to the prosperity of the festival. The observation process occurred during the week festival this year In conclusion, the results obtained through the literature review and via the case study and observation, indicate that of technology, the community, creative spaces fostering idea generation. interaction, freedom of expression the application of creative concepts, social debate, , strategic and commercial partnerships. methodical development of the knowledge, Sustainable internal efforts, independency. systematic problem-solving approach, attention on the overall experience, diversity and quality, talent development are among the most valuable techniques strategically implemented in the case of the Roskilde festival maintaining in the market for almost fifty years among the most successful festivals of Europe. Key Words: Festival, management innovation, innovation, innovation initiative iii Acknowledgements I would like to thank my supervisor Professor George Tsourvakas for their input and intellectual guidance during the competition of this master thesis. Additionally, there is my mother and brother who should be thanked for their support, interest and energy whilst this work has been in progress. Moreover, I would like to thank my deceased father who would love it to see me here. My family and my friends are those who helped me, inspired me an gave space and freedom to think and deliberate, enabled me to process my ideas and thoughts into some kind of order, all important aspects leading to competition of this thesis. Thank you !!!!! iv INTRODUCTION Nowadays, the contribution of the festivals in life has gained an immense impact. Higher living standards and a great number of offering creative cultural concepts have urged on event managers to constantly strive to offer innovative solutions so as to attain increased participation and satisfaction. Innovation in planning and organization process has became a prerequisite and specifically in the events industry. Appropriate innovation management is important in festivals in order to gain a sustainable strategic advantage and endure in the market since it creates great value. In the process of organization advancement through innovation the organization needs to portray changes across the structure, the processes, the communication order and the environment. Although applicable new ideas are essential, only a small percentage of managers have managed to apply them correctly and on time. Strategic initiatives to this direction can sequence to enormous results for the progress of the organization. The subject of festival management innovation was chosen according to my personal interests and my working experience to this sector. The purpose of this thesis is to analyze the real implementation of innovation practices through the scope of the successful Roskilde Festival and to identify the management objectives concerning the structure, processes, communication and environment that facilitate innovation in all aspects of the organization. The case was chosen due to my participation at it and the significance of the case. Intention is given as well to the understanding of the innovation techniques and the resources which combination leads to extraordinary results. The thesis if formed in four chapters including this chapter where the main subject of the thesis and the overall research intention are being presented. In the second chapter an extent literature review of the event management, the event industry and different factors of events and festivals are being presented. Along with the innovation concept explained in depth and the factors that contribute to its proper appliance. Chapter three introduce the research methods granted for the reliable and valid analysis of the case based on in depth exploration of the case and my own personal 1 experience. Finally, in chapter four the findings of this analysis indicated along with my own opinions and reflection about the topic. 2 CHAPTER ONE:LITERATURE REVIEW A review of extant literature is undertaken and basic concepts are being introduced enabling the readers to understand the next chapters easily. According to Berthon et al. (2003) a literature review can be seen as a central building block for any piece of academic research. The focus of this dissertation is on creativity and innovation, since these are important factors for the companies’ struggle for survival in today’s society. Furthermore, the angle is seen from the management’s point of view, which has great importance if companies are to be engaged in the right direction. The innovation concept including the importance, history and current situation is presented as well as its importance and application on the festival management. The purpose of this thesis is to analyze the innovation subject ,methods and its role in the event industry and specifically in a festival and how it bring it into play. In addition, the appropriate application of innovation and its resources will be discussed formed on the examination of the case study and the writer’s opinion. 3 1. Events/Festivals Management Events form part of all our lives and they