With the festival postponed twice across 2020 and mid-2021, and its date moved a total of four times, Highest Point Festival was determined to return with its most ambitious event yet. Faced with the honour and responsibility of being the first (and only) festival to take place after restrictions were lifted, and dealing with uncertainty around large events, Highest Point Festival also needed to ensure safety measures were communicated to reassure consumers.

Taking advantage of the fact Highest Point Festival was the first festival to return, we capitalised on media appetite by building up a rapport with national media contacts, also supporting our aim of encouraging tourists from across the UK to attend. We also cemented Highest Point Festival’s reputation as the leading festival in the Lancashire region with a steady flow of news stories to regional media, from artist announcements to charity partnerships.

However, being the first festival post-Covid, we also needed to build up consumer confidence and provide reassurance to attendees in order to sell tickets. With a variety of audiences in attendance, including families, we ensured Covid-19 guidance was included within every communication with the media to show Highest Point was a safe place for attendees.

Following an independent study by the festival, which found it achieved an economic impact of £4.68m for the Lancashire region, we utilised the findings to demonstrate Highest Point’s role in Lancashire’s tourism market and maximise PR opportunities by sharing the news.