In March 2023, I was invited as a guest speaker to Goldsmiths, University of London, to deliver a session titled ‘The Planning & Sponsorship of Commercial Festivals’ as part of its Festival Management teaching.

My talk explored how festival organisers and cultural arts practitioners can take a more strategic and commercially minded approach to planning, partnerships and sponsorship, recognising the value their organisations bring, and identifying opportunities to build more sustainable business models.

Drawing on my experience across commercial festivals and non-profit arts organisations, I explored the differences in how these organisations operate, particularly around operational management, commercial negotiations, risk and resources. I challenged the tendency to treat cultural arts organisations differently from traditional businesses, highlighting how adopting a more strategic and commercially minded approach can help them recognise their value, negotiate more effectively and build greater organisational resilience.

Using my work with Shubbak Festival as a case study, I shared how reviewing operational processes and renegotiating contractual terms helped strengthen the organisation’s commercial position. I also explored a collaboration between Shubbak, Marsm and Warner Music Middle East, demonstrating how strategic partnerships can create value beyond immediate financial returns, from reaching new audiences to unlocking future commercial opportunities.

The second half of the session focused on sponsorship strategy, where I introduced the sponsorship audit, a practical framework for assessing an organisation’s internal capital, identifying festival needs and understanding the value it can offer potential sponsors. We also explored brand positioning and how organisations can use their unique proposition to develop compelling sponsorship packages, including considerations around local partnerships, in-kind contributions and exclusivity.

We closed with a discussion about successful festival brand activations, the opportunities sponsorship can create and the challenges of balancing commercial partnerships with cultural integrity.

Ultimately, the session encouraged students to recognise the commercial value of their work and consider how a more strategic approach to festival planning and partnerships can help build stronger, more resilient cultural organisations.