Our finest hour Part 2.

In 2015 times were certainly dire for the business and the lowest they had been.  If anything we had a fighting spirit, a passionate trio and a job to do. Kieran would run the business, plan the event management and deal with creditors, I would sell the dream and book the bands, and Kyle would do the mar/comms and sponsorship. We began the season by moving in a little pub on Ponsonby Road.  Rain poured down on the roof but the cheap beer flowed - our bar tab covering our rent. My partners stepped back and headed away off shore to watch a potential train smash from afar. Kieran had a number of creditor meetings to keep the wolves at bay. It didn’t help that my partners were posting photos of being in Bali and the like and we received some grumpy emails while we had our head down in the wet Auckland winter.

First step was PR and communicate our path forward. We went out with messaging in May that there would be substantial changes to the festival. This included no BW, moving the stages, inclusion of a super top, more hip hop and bass music, setting up beer gardens, inclusion of comedy. The ‘10 things you need to know about R&V’ was confident, positive and honest.   After all it was the only thing that would keep the festival alive and sustainable.  We received lots of backlash. R&V has changed bro! Yes we have. For the better. Bring back BW! No way. The brand and concept were dead let alone the challenges of licensing it. But parents and authorities were happy. Change was in the air and it was exciting to drive.  We began to use the #ANewDawn as the festival took on a fresh start.

While we prepared our pre sale we were continuing to look at investment partners to help with our sizeable debt. Snowball Effect and Pledge Me were two crowd funding platforms we investigated. But it was going to be difficult to air our dirty laundry and make our figures public. It wasn't pretty. An investor really needed to understand the industry to see how there was going to be a future and on paper it was a scary investment. Talking to money men it was difficult and it became clear the only way out would with an industry player who understood our game.

While being a sole active director and carrying a sizeable debt on my shoulders, I had legal advice to advise me on my position.  They said I would have potential serious liability issue with repaying loans rather than creditors. If it didn’t work we would be in the serious shit.

One major issue was getting around the new Health and Safety Laws. On the back of Pike River Disaster a company director would be criminally liable for any misdemeanours happening on their land. Even Peter Jackson had stepped back from his responsibilities at Weta to escape potential liability within his team.  Also landowners could be responsible for anything happening so the Mangatu landowners who we leased the land off for camping and car parking would be in the firing line. It was just another burden we would have to wear.  We looked at create ways to get around this – purchase the land off the maori landowners. Reshape the festival around the house. Move the festival down to the beach?

We were also getting heat from Police for our limited BYO policy.  We need to have some form of BYO we had already sold under those pretences. It was the campers had always known. They were still tarring us with the same brush as BW and said we would be criminally liable for operating a place of resort – an archaic law around letting people freely gather and loiter while drinking. Dean Witters our caretaker said he agreed with the police and was placating the police during casual catch ups. But any threat to our model was like throw the baby out with the bath water. We need a slow process to get rid of BYO– removing it all together was like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

As I began booking the bands we soon had competition on our doorstep. Mclaren Falls festival began to surface – run by Paxton Talbot a former festival Director for us.  He knew the tour schedules would be best for NZ a week after new years as not to compete with Aussie festivals. He outbid us for a headliner like Disclosure, over $250k and sizeable production. Other dance acts like Alison Wonderland and P Money were also snapped up.  Meanwhile Tauranga council were also investing in a new years festival at Bay Park to be called Bay Dreams.  It would be on the 2^nd January but threaten to come into our space too.

Finally cash flow was beginning to be a problem.  The ticketing agency we were using could only pay us. It was already risky business – spending ticket money that customers to bank roll you event. I flew to Sydney to set up a bank account with Westpac. Once I got there our potential partner chickened out due to potential liability requirements. I returned with non trading account. And no cashflow. I was able to return a few weeks later and get the account opened to ‘redirect’ the money.

As it got closer to the event. Mac Miller our headliner pulled out a few days before Xmas. I was upset but after all the bad luck we had it wasn’t surprised. He was just too tired after a hectic touring schedule. Cry me a river mate you reneged on a commitment! As we began fishing around for a replacement act. Carl Cox, Dizee Rascal.  As all the agency shut for Xmas it was all too little too late.  In the end if saved us $100k and we were able to rejigg the schedule. Mystery Guest too had never eventuated!

As the event began I got a call from Radio NZ who were running a story on the cheap alcohol on site being cheaper than water. I reminded them we were basing our event on european model of beers gardens and a 10am $3 beer was better than pre loading on a bottle of vodka off site.  I was in Napier for our Road to Rhythm event. Was a chance to onselling our headliner Pendulum meant we gave to Bay Dream and helped them get off the ground. l The first of the limited BYO kicked in as the beer garden’s filled up on the 28^th. A new era had begun! I made the drive up to Gisborne after the Pendulum show with the CDJ's ready to be set up on the Cellar Stage for the next days opening.

The next day was hot and warm. The amphitheatre had a brilliant haze to it during Zeds Dead. The drum and bass worked well although we forgot the graphics of your. Our local contractor pulled the production together for a good fee, even if Angus and Julia did cost us a fair bit for their production. The Cellar stage positioning didn’t work well but made for a cool laneway party. The dance tent didn’t have much atmosphere with sides up and limited lighting. It rained on new year eve which made for quite a subdued vibe leading into gates open - perfect for Dave Dobbyn who cam on after.  Scribe also played after he had failed to return his contract and demanded cash on the night.

If anything the new concept worked and set us up for a future!