This past weekend, I got to enjoy Floyd Fest. I was fortunate to win a single 4-day ticket when I scanned a QR code at Small Town Summers. Thank you to Across The Way Productions!
I never went to Floyd Fest while it was located in Patrick County, but I was lucky to go just one day last year and then win the pass to go multiple days this year.
I’d heard so much opposition to the new festival location. Having never been until last year, I went that one day just to see “what the fuss was all about”. And I came away impressed with how well laid out everything was and fascinated about how they got people from one point to another.
Having volunteered for another festival for the past 10 years, I know a little bit about what it takes to put a festival together. Floyd Fest is much larger than the one I volunteer for, but again, there are multiple moving pieces to coordinate. It’s not an easy task.
This year many improvements had been made to the festival site. I again found the festival to be very well organized, very well laid out. I was impressed by the smoothness of how all things ran even when weather interrupted to cause a “Code Red” lockdown.
When I went on Saturday, I got there just when everything went under Code Red which meant that ALL things stopped due to a passing storm with lightning in which all were advised to take shelter, including those who checked cars in to the site.
I sat in the parking lot line for about two hours before the alert was lifted and all things could get back on track. You’d think that that kind of delay would frustrate and anger people. You’d think you’d see irate people yelling, screaming and fussing because they had to wait. IF that did happen, I certainly didn’t see it. I saw nothing of the sort. My aunt was with me and we made the best of conversation while we waited! ๐
Those who run the event believe in Safety First. So even the ticket takers and security search had to STOP their jobs, which meant a long line of cars began to queue, yet, the way the line is queued, it allows the vehicles to be OFF of Floyd Highway North (Route 221) so that it doesn’t impede the normal traveler. Again, very well organized!
Like I said, in any other place, I wouldn’t have been surprised to see irate people, frustrated and yelling, but I simply didn’t see that at Floyd Fest. There’s a slogan, “Running on Floyd Time” that I’ve often seen because Floyd often runs just a little slower. People were friendly, even in line, even with the wait. As the storm passed, and the volunteers were able to come out from sheltering in place, they came by to let us know that they were getting ready to get us in and apologized for the wait, and even offered us a snack!
Once in, it was on to find some friends, and to hopefully catch some music if their set didn’t get cancelled due to the storm alert.
There are FIVE different stages to get your music from and some of the artists play multiple times, so you’ve got to check scheduling so you and catch them. The app that Floyd Fest has is pretty cool, too. It has a schedule that was updated in real time with the weather delay and you could even “star” the acts you wanted to see to curate your OWN unique schedule (this is how Carly told me how to find her more easily!).
Lots of food vendors and shopping to check out. With pizza being a fav food, I had to stop by Dogtown, but I regret I didn’t get to try the Key Lim Pie on a stick… that sounded SO GOOD. Totally my fault I didn’t get by!
I and my friends wore our “Small Town Floyd Girl” tank tops so that we could find each other a little more easily and just celebrate being Small Town Floyd Girls. My friend, Carly, also added a unicorn horn headband to her wardrobe and got each of us one, too!
I share pictures and this story because in a crowd of thousands, how do you “stand out” to be able to find each other. This was just one small way. At night, Carly’s unicorn horn even lit up! Obviously that would help one find you during the night time concerts. ๐
If I bring this all back to marketing (sorry, it’s just who I am), my question for you is, “What are YOU doing to stand out in the crowd?” And is your business as organized as Floyd Fest is so that it all runs smoothly? Sometimes, it’s hard to wear “all the hats” and that’s where I can likely come in to help. I’ve been building websites for 25 years and I’ve been doing digital marketing since 2016. And now I’m getting television under my belt with the job at WFXR. So if you want to learn how to “stand out” and talk about marketing your business so it grows year over year… Click the button below to contact me!
As for Floyd Fest, if you haven’t been, you should try to go. Go see what it’s all about. That’s what I did. Would I go back? Sure, but I’d probably need to win another ticket or volunteer as it’s a little pricey for my personal pocket overall. Was it hot? Yes! Was it fun? Yes! And anytime you can get out and enjoy Floyd County whether listening to music, hiking or just simply hanging with some friends, it’s absolutely worthwhile! So get out there and enjoy, Floyd!
