As the biggest music festival on the planet, Rock in Rio has already provided many with the opportunity to fulfill a dream. Whether watching concerts by the greatest bands and musicians in history, or watching new artists or partnerships never seen before (or even imagined), everyone has probably dedicated some time to contemplating such an event, in the City of Rock or on television.
After 3 Brazilian editions, Rock in Rio became international, and in 2004 it was held for the first time in Lisbon (place that hosted the most event). Now, with 4 editions already confirmed until the year 2021, being a Brazilian one this year and an unprecedented one in Düsseldorf, the event continues to collect stories of artists, spectators and professionals.
However, despite all the stories behind such a spectacle, what few people know is the size of logistical planning required to ensure such organization.
In 2017 alone, eight stages were built, with a total of 150 attractions, each with its specificities and infrastructure needs. Furthermore, ensure the supplying food and drink is not an easy task. Heineken, responsible for all the beer at the event, produced a total of 650 thousand liters of beer for the 7 days of shows in 2017, representing 5% of the national production for the month. As for food, Pepsico, responsible for the Doritos snacks, created specific production lines (to produce 3 promotional flavors) and dedicate a distribution center exclusively to Rock in Rio.
Another important number of the 2017 edition refers to the quantity of licensed products. In total, there were 700 items from 35 brands with the name of the festival stamped on them, divided into 9 categories ranging from personal hygiene to decoration. However, although positive for both brands due to the publicity effects, some logistical complications may arise due to the variety of items. In Rock in Rio's view, the selection and maintenance of licensed products must rely on a rigorous evaluation that guarantees a strategic planning of demand, since the target public must be minimally interested in both brands. As for the licensed brand, the operational management of demand must be carefully planned, bearing in mind that the event has a finite effect of euphoria on the public, so that any excess stock can mean effort in vain, accounted for as costs that do not will be reversed by the effect of the festival's marketing.
As for the transport and storage of materials for shows, since the 1991 edition, Waiver Logistics, specialist in event logistics, has been the logistical partner for Rock in Rio's sound and image equipment, transporting most of the equipment for artists and participants, in addition to accompanying those on tour throughout Latin America. As well as most of the equipment needed for the festival's settings, all sound and image equipment, including the instruments for each musician, must be transported by sea or air, ending the journey by road to the venue. of the event.
For performers' musical instruments, storage is a key consideration, not only during transport, but also at the venue and sometimes even on the stage itself. As virtually all instruments are made of materials sensitive to air temperature and humidity, they need to undergo adjustments to ensure their quality and tuning. For more extreme cases, such as acoustic instruments, the wood that makes up the instrument may crack, requiring the wood to slowly get used to the local temperature until the time of the show.
And as no festival is free of uncertainties, there is also always a need for a quick and accurate response. In 2017, singer Lady Gaga announced, on the eve of her concert, that she could not attend the event. Promptly, the organizers contacted the band Maroon 5, which at first would only participate in Rock in Rio two days later. A Modern Logistics was hired immediately to carry out the band's emergency transport., needing only 20 hours to perform the entire operation. The show by the band, which was on tour in Brazil and making a presentation in Curitiba, ended around midnight, and at 7:XNUMX am all the cargo was already delivered to the stage assembly team.
Perhaps now we can start to see not only Rock in Rio, but all major events, with different eyes. The party starts long before all the gates open, and just as the artists bring life to the shows, the logistics are the basis for everything to go as smoothly as possible.
References:
Doritos: New flavors at Rock in Rio
Rock in Rio: Great numbers at the biggest festival on the planet
Rock in Rio: Manufacturers, restaurants and supermarkets face marathon
Modern: Special Operation for Maroon 5 equipment
Rock party costs BRL 200 million and employs 20 thousand
BUENO, MARCOS JOSÉ CORRÊA et al. Rock in Rio 2011, The Challenges of Logistics and the Environment.
