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Experience design in music festivals: The impact of area production in influencing attendee experiences
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School of Arts, Design and Architecture |
Bachelor's thesis
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en
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52 + 16
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Abstract
A rise in supply and demand for memorable live experience post-pandemic has led Finnish music festivals to face higher competition in selling tickets. Due to rising artist fees, festival producers may be incentivised to differentiate their event from others not only through their lineup, but through the overall attendee experience.
This thesis studies how experience design in area production impacts attendee experiences at music festivals, addressing an identified research gap on practical applications of experience design in music festival spaces. Additionally, this study develops the academic understanding of what area production entails. To uncover how experience and the physical festival site work as a medium between attendees and organisers, semi-structure interviews with both attendees and organisers of Finnish music festivals were conducted. This interview data was processed using Braun and Clarke’s framework of thematic analysis.
The findings identify area production as a collaborative and iterative process involving various stakeholders and parameters, in which experience design is an implied, practice-driven approach, rather than an explicit theory-driven one. Attendee experiences are shaped by aspects beyond the music being performed, such as a sense of community, ease of navigation, safety, convenience, comfort and the overall atmosphere of the event. Nevertheless, these factors should enhance attendees’ ability to enjoy and feel connected to the music, rather than detract from it. Area producers can heighten the quality of the experience through spatial design choices in the festival site’s layout, visual theming and decorations, and signage and communication.
This study’s findings suggest implications for design research and the academic understanding of festival production, as a bridge between theory and practice in experience design. The practical applications of this thesis’ findings can be beneficial for organisers of small and emerging festivals to design meaningful festival environments for its attendees.