At Clacton last week (I wasn't hosting) I was told how these lager lads came in and were pleasantly surprised by a few free samples and came back the next day full of enthusiasm.
I've written up how to be a host at a beer festival. Most CAMRA festivals don't seem to have anyone who makes a point of introducing novices, passing on local knowledge, showing what a friendly bunch real ale drinkers are and what a harmless environment it is consumed in.
Very important role, IMO!
well some might argue that should be the "raison d'etre" of festivals in the first place, to promote cask ale, its just never been a universally accepted template :) which is how you end up with the archetypal run by the local group for the local group experience
maybe CAMRA should start ranking the festivals, to give the groups the incentive to improve, because it is embarrassing sometimes to visit a local pub arranged festival, that actually ticks more of the those boxes than the local CAMRA sponsored event.
Rob
If a few more places did it well then everybody (umm... many) would follow suit. I wrote the article to get the ball rolling in this respect.
I'm not a great fan of explicit box-ticking because it can lead to target-chasing and I've seen GB POTYs that got their position by doing just that. OTOH "what makes a good BF" should be debated and discussed and even some of the points put into writing for organisers to mull over.
So let the debate commence... (A) Objectives . . .
(B) Organisation . . .
(C) Visitor experience . . .
(D) Other . . .
OK, I'm game for this. The Prime Directive is surely to introduce as wide a range of beers as possible, in as good a condition as possible, to as wide a group of drinkers as possible, while covering all costs and keeping on the right side of the law.
Well, one hopes the BF will be so well organised that the actual organisation isn't noticed. It will just appear to happen. This of course requires the active participation of a very large group of beer fairies. Sadly the beer fairies are dying out in some parts of the country, probably because so many people claim not to believe in them.
This is a tricky one, because different folks like different experiences. Some actually enjoy the noise and raucous atmosphere of a Friday night - personally I prefer the peace and quiet of a Friday afternoon festival, but that's me. Generally speaking though, I think most visitors would award points for the following aspects of a festival:
- All beers in top condition, ready to serve
- All beers available all the time, including the last day
- All beers as advertised in the programme
- No queuing, either at the entrance or at the bar - or at the toilets
- Plenty of seating
- Ideally plenty of tables, but if not, then somewhere to put your pint where it won't be knocked over
- Some kind of food available for all or most of the session, at a reasonable price and including vegetarian options
- A separate "quiet" room if there's entertainment on
I always think a cloakroom is a good idea, particularly in the winter months when folk have big coats to leave somewhere.
And I don't like festivals that close mid-afternoon, because it restricts my drinking opportunities to relatively narrow windows. There's no point going to a festival at 3 p.m. if you know the session ends at 4 p.m. and you'll have to clear off, then pay again to come in at 5.30 p.m.
I would also mention access by public transport - it greatly helps if the venue is handy for late night buses or trains.
Well, that's my two penn'orth.
-- Pat Ricroft, City of Salford, UK ===============================
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