Silent Discos and Exit Sampling: Sponsor Activations That Work at Festivals
Festival sponsors fight for attention in a crowd that came for the music. Across 12 Breakaway Music Festival events, Ignite staffed two activations that worked for opposite reasons.
The Jimmy John's Club Sandwich silent disco gives people something to do. A branded experience inside the festival becomes a destination, and the brand is the host instead of an interruption. Our team staffed and helped run on-site operations and kept festivalgoers engaged.
hiyo's exit sampling works because of timing. As people leave the festival, they're tired, thirsty and walking past you in a steady line. Our ambassadors handed out product and introduced attendees to the brand right at that moment.
Experience activations need flow management. Lines, capacity and hand-offs of equipment like headphones have to run smoothly or the experience falls apart.
Exit sampling needs speed and volume. Product has to be cold, staff have to be fast and the location has to be on the main exit path, agreed with the festival in advance.
Running both across a festival series means the same standard at every event. That's what turns a sponsorship into a program instead of a one-off.
Frequently asked questions
What festival activations work best for sponsors?
Ones that give people something to do, like a silent disco, or that meet them at a high-need moment, like exit sampling as they leave.
What is exit sampling at a festival?
Handing out product to attendees as they leave, when they're thirsty and moving past in a steady line.
How many festivals did Ignite staff for Breakaway?
Twelve festivals, supporting Jimmy John's and hiyo activations.
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About the author
Kyle Christiansen. Founder of Ignite Productions. Kyle spent 20+ years in field marketing at Red Bull, 160over90 and Amazon before building Ignite, a veteran-owned agency that has executed 5,000+ events across all 50 states.
