Sziget Festival is a large annual music and arts festival held in Budapest, Hungary that attracts around 400,000 visitors from over 60 countries. It is organized by Sziget Cultural Management, a company with 50 employees that also organizes several other festivals. Sziget Festival takes place over 7 days in August on Óbuda Island in Budapest. It has a budget of around 10 million euros and builds a "Festival City" over 1.5 months with various food, beverage, medical, security and other services. International promotion of Sziget Festival is done through a network of 14 local partner companies responsible for promoting the festival in 25 countries through ticket sales, press/PR, online communication

1. The international promotion structure of
Sziget Festival
Andras Berta
International Relations Manager
Sziget Cultural Management
UNICAMP Conference
22 October 2011
Trnava, Slovakia

2. Sziget Cultural Management
• Established in 1993
• 50 full time employees
• The biggest company in the
Hungarian
youth event market
• Turnover of approx 15 million EUR
• Extensive sales and promotion
network
in many European countries
• International Relations Department
since 2010

3. SZCM event portfolio in 2011SZCM event portfolio in 2011
Budai GourmetBudai Gourmet
Date: 3-5 June 2011
Venue: Budapest
T-Home Children Sziget
Date: June 2011 (4 weekends)
Venue: Budapest, Óbuda Island
VOLT Festival
Date: 29 June – 3 July 2011
Venue: Sopron
Heineken Balaton Sound
Date: 7-11 July 2011
Venue: Zamárdi, lake Balaton
Sziget Festival
Date: 10-15 August, 2011
Venue: Budapest, Óbuda Island

4. Introducing Sziget Festival

5. 76 Ha area
The venue:The venue:
Óbuda IslandÓbuda Island
• in Budapest
• on river Danube

6. General factsGeneral facts
• first edition in 1993
• venue capacity (daily) 80 000
• 2011 budget: around 10 million EUR
• Nr. of workforce during Sziget: approx. 10
000
• On spot build-up process lasts around 1 and
a half month
• The result: a Festival-City with services
meeting all demands

7. Services
• approx 70 food units, including Michelin star awarded
Costes restaurant, Italian restaurant, French restaurant
• approx 100 bars, pubs, tea houses, etc.
• VIP and ‘very VIP’ area + VIP camping
• approx. 1500 toilet units, several hundred showers
• general ‘city’ services: post office, pharmacy,
grocery, laundry, bank, lockers, bicycle storage, etc.
• healthcare: 16 doctors, 50 nurses, 24/7 medical
patrols, 7 ambulance cars
• 1500 security guards, English, French, German
and Dutch policemen

8. Innovations in 2011
• Bigger and improved venues (e.g. Pop/rock Main
Stage, Party Arena, Roma Tent) + new venues (e.g.
Metal Main Stage, Europe Stage, etc.)
• Citypass: 13 days and 2 days tickets for public
transport, spa, Sziget shuttle buses and boats, etc.
• Festivalcard: exclusive cashless payment (34 top-up
points and 1200 payment terminals) – festival watch: an
exclusive version of the card
• Mobile payment: via mobile phones wih NFC (Near
Field Communication) chip
• Minute-based ticket: via mobile phones
• 3G internet network + mobile apps

9. General selling points
• Unique venue with traditionally good weather
• Freedom
• Surrounded by an exciting city
• 7 days non-stop event
• approx. 60 venues
• 5 big open-air stages, many smaller live
stages and several DJ venues, including the giant
Party Arena
• approx. 400 000 fans from 61 countries
• 250 programs daily (not just music)

10. Wide range of programs
• live concerts and DJs in all possible styles,
• theatre,
• dance,
• circus,
• film,
• sports,
• gastronomy,
• exhibitions,
• literature,
• fashion,
• games,
• workshops, etc.

11. Prices (for 2012)
Sziget Weekly Pass (with camping)
• Early bird price (till 30 April, 12PM): 195 EUR
• Full price (after 1 May, 0AM): 225 EUR
Sziget 5 Days Pass (non-camping)
• Early bird price (till 30 April, 12PM): 165 EUR
• Full price (after 1 May, 0AM): 195 EUR
Sziget Day Ticket (regular day)
• Early bird price (till 30 April, 12PM): 40 EUR
• Full price (after 1 May, 0AM): 45 EUR

12. Visitors

13. Year Number of visitors
1993 43 000
1994 143 000
1995 173 000
1996 206 000
1997 260 000
1998 265 000
1999 287 000
2000 324 000
2001 361 000
2002 355 000
2003 353 000
2004 369 000
2005 385 000
2006 385 000
2007 371 000
2008 385 000
2009 390 000
2010 382 000
Number of visitors (overall)

14. Hungary Spain
The Netherlands Russia
France Czech Republic
Italy Slovakia
UK and Ireland Romania
Germany Turkey
Belgium Poland
Austria Croatia
Finland Norway
Ukraine Denmark
Switzerland Bulgaria
Sweden Baltic countries
Best represented countries amongst
visitors

15. 58
52 49
53 51
45
33
60
85
65
18
7
15
17
16
21
16
24
29
18
6
16
36
39
6
8
7
7
9
9
15
1
5
7
11
15
5 7
4
3
4
3 3 3
2
3
4
4
4 4
6
7
11
15 15 15
1
9
25
26
11 12 18
9 9
3 3 2 1 0
3 8
0 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 2 1
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Sziget2006Sziget2007Sziget2008Sziget2009Sziget2010Sziget2011
M
ale
Fem
ale
-19
year20-24
years25-29
years30+
years
Don't know, no answer
other
Public servant / money
from state
Unemployed
Works in production
industries
Works in service
industries
Student
Visitor employment stats – 2006-2011

16. 7% 8%
3% 3% 2%
16%
16%
17%
17% 17%
14% 13% 11%
23%
24%
22%
21%
23%
19%
29%
26% 25%
13%
14%
13%
12% 12%
12%
17%
16%
16%
21%
21%
22%
18% 17%
19%
26%
28%
25%
12% 13% 16% 13% 14%
16%
10%
12%
17%
4% 5% 5% 5% 6% 7%
1% 3% 3%
9% 9%
12%
6%
14%
Sziget
2009
2010 2011 Hungarians
2009
2010 2011 Foreigners
2009
2010 2011
40+
30-39
25-29
23-24
20-22
18-19
16-17
<16
Age groups of visitors

17. International promotion

18. Promotion network
• headquarters: Sziget International Relations
Department
• local promoters: in 2011 a total of 14 partner
companies, in charge of 25 countries
• network based on central policies, general
cooperation and continuous know-how sharing
• tasks:
• press/PR,
• online communication,
• ATL promotion,
• programming feedbacks,
• ticket sales

19. Ticket sales
• selling to 61 countries
• active sales partners in 25 countries
(others reached through central webshop)
• online sales increasing, now at around 60%,
the aim is to localize webshop sales
• phisical sales points still important, but mainly
for promotion
• travel packages very important
• other sold services (national campings, VIP
upgarde, Citypass, etc.) important to keep up the
interest and involvement
• promotional tickets (discount price or free) very
important for word-of-mouth promotion

20. Programming feedbacks
• important to understand what fans demand, so our
promoters are ‘eyes and ears’ to us on a local
level
• small local bands can help media awareness in
their country and can also activate their own social
media netowork
• big names can generate sales in one country and
decrease sales in another one
• programming is a lot more than this, e.g.
part of the Sziget mission is opinion-leading,
introducing acts noone would think of… we think we
know better

21. ATL promotion / advertising
• print (magazine) mainly for general awareness
and brand image
• postering and flyering: works on some
markets, but efficiency generally decreasing
• google or FB ads: works on some markets, but
efficiency generally decreasing
• TV/radio spots: works on some markets, but
efficiency generally decreasing
• PR+advertising deals: buying ads to get a lot
more PR

22. Online communication
• official website: szigetfestival.com (English
language, main information source of the event)
• local websites: usually clones of Sziget official
site administered by local promoters in their own
language
• official social media platforms (main site:
facebook.com/szigetfestival + twitter, myspace)
• local social media platforms (mainly
facebook, but also locally used social media):
administered by local promoters

23. Main goals of Sziget web strategy
• better synergy between online platforms
(unified layouts, etc.)
• strategic communication, as a network, with
as many contents as possible (especially on FB)
• respecting cultural differences, but
generally improving Sziget’s international image
and brand awareness
• up-to-date information on all local
mutations: general terms and policies, precise
program and venue information
• common webshop policy: avoiding
competition between Sziget local websites

24. Press/PR before the festival
• band announcements: timing, bio, photo, etc.
always coordinated with managements
• pre-interviews (phoner/mailer) and festival ID-s
(‘we are xy, see you at Sziget’) after band
confirmation
• press releases (generally once a month, not
just about stars, also about the ‘spice of Sziget’,
e.g. venues, new services, catering, etc.)
• press accreditations: starting in May,
decisions made continuously, but no later than 2
weeks before the festival
• handling interview requests
• web2-based system for accreditations and
interview management

25. Media Journalists Media Journalists
2011 530 1200 350 648
2010 458 1100 340 557
Hungary International
Services:
• study tours
• press conferences
• interviews
• photo sessions
• live broadcasting
Press/PR on spot

26. „A musical Paradise on a Danube island”
(La Republica)
„Sziget is a festival where the real fun happens
in glades tucked away from the main stage”
(Q)
„Possibly the most diverse festival on the continent”
(New Musical Express)
„Something that looks and feels just like a music festival,
a performance space and an adult playground,
but also part of the battleground for the soul of Europe”
(The Quietus)
Sziget, as they see it…

27. „A pretty ace week, really” (Daily Star)
„Sziget is a 21st-century rarity: a festival that – by way of its
eclectic bill, its beautiful location and a crowd that isn't
cynical about the pleasures of sharing music and art
with others – reminds you of the original ideals
of the pre-corporate festival.”
(The Guardian)
„Five (plus two) days of incredible, eclectic musical treats
from around the globe” (Gigwise)
Sziget, as they see it…