Working my first concert
Let me take you back to November 2022. This year was the first time I participated in a mentorship programme. This was my way of diversifying my attempt to get to my goal and learn and experience things along the way. I was matched with someone who contracts as an event manager at concerts and other major events (my idol, if you ask me), and yes, we are friends to this day. She was managing the food and beverage vendors for the Groove Armada show in Napier and invited me down to get a BTS look at what happens on event day. Naturally, I jumped on it and got in a small ATR plane and made my way down.
I was nervous. I didn’t know anyone in Napier before flying down there for the first time. But if we’ve learnt anything on our journey, it’s to get out of our comfort zone, because growth happens when you push your boundaries. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, just that I had an open mind, and was going to get the experience of a lifetime.
On event day, call time was 8 am, or well, we were heading to the venue at that time. The majority of the pack had been done, with little bits and pieces being done, during the day, ready for the gates to open later in the afternoon. I was helping with the remaining pack in, like putting the bike racks out as needed or placing and watering the plants in the VIP section. Bet you didn’t expect that to make an appearance on a blog about how the show comes to life. But mostly, I was learning about the food and beverage vendors and how that all comes to life, as that’s what my mentor was signed up to do.
This event was the second time I got an AAA pass. It felt nice seeing my name written on one of these. I still hold on to mine. If I ever give you a ride in my car, you can see it hanging around my rear-view mirror. Let’s go back to food and beverage vendors. What really goes on here? Usually, venues have approved food vendors who can be contacted to have a presence at the event. Some events will see a few food vendors, whilst some might only have one or two. But what every festival or concert will have is a bar. This is usually independent. This is where alcohol and other drinks are sold. Licensing is quite a key element for any festival, and there is a lot that goes into this.
In 2025, there were some events that weren’t getting alcohol licensing, which caused quite a bit of an issue. So, if you’re thinking about putting a festival together, make sure this is something that is investigated in depth. Why does this matter? Being able to sell or not sell alcohol determines the profitability of the event. In this economy, anything that brings in revenue is a welcome avenue.
The food vendors are usually given a certain time by which they need to arrive at the venue and park their trailer in the spot dedicated to them, as per the site plan. This must be done early enough, as it becomes a health and safety issue when it’s closely timed with gates opening, and gates cannot be opened until there are no moving vehicles on site.
Once the event kicked off, I was stationed at the bar running PoS. But given that I was shadowing my mentor, I got the opportunity to attend various briefings and check-in meetings with her throughout the night. It was a long event day, kicking off at 8 am and only ending at 2 am. But I truly felt happy for the opportunity. There were a lot of lessons learned that day.
What has been the biggest learning experience for you?
Until next time,
Mili
