Home / Are you ready to host your event this summer?
21st May 2025
Darcy MacMillan, Solicitor
It’s festival season and with Glastonbury just around the corner – are you ready to host your event this summer?
Planning an unforgettable festival or large-scale event this summer? Whether it’s a live high-energy concert, a vibrant community festival or epic sporting showdown, it is essential to have the legal foundations in place. As an event organiser, understanding the right agreements not only protects your vision – it powers it. This article explores the key contractual considerations that event organisers should have when planning large events.
The venue hire agreement is not just a formality – it’s the backbone of the entire event. It defines how the event can operate, including restrictions (if any) such as noise levels, crowd capacity, and the permitted use of the space. It also outlines responsibility, for example, who is responsible for the provision of catering and if it is the event organiser, are there any restrictions on who the event organiser may use?
From food and beverage to security, sound, lighting and even waste management – these are the essential services which are the foundation for an organised event and the provision or subcontracting of such services should be covered in a venue hire agreement.
The nature of these large-scale events can involve significant volumes of staff from caterers, sound and stage crews, security personnel and artists. It can take a village to run a large-scale event so it’s important to clarify who is responsible for the procurement and management of staff.
Running a large-scale event such as a music, arts, food or cultural festival can involve a surprising amount of intellectual property (for example, in the name and logo of the event and any merchandise) and understanding and managing these rights is essential to protect your brand and avoid legal risks.
Whether it’s headline music acts or expert panellists, the artists are the reason attendees show up and stay engaged. That’s why having clear, well-structured talent agreements is essential. These contracts ensure artists are committed to delivering the performances or appearances the audience is expecting which is important to the event promotion and reputation. Talent agreements are also important to protecting the artist’s time, brand and reputation.
Ticket sales can be managed directly or using a third-party ticketing platform, and the approach to ticketing plays a key role in shaping the attendee experience (and the brand’s success). Using an independent ticketing provider can help tap into wider audiences and streamline operations, but it also means handing over some control. On the other hand, direct ticket sales give a full oversight of the customer journey, data, and pricing, but comes with greater legal and operational responsibility, especially when it comes to consumer protection laws.
Hosting large events can be multi-layered and require extensive consideration due to the wide ranging legal considerations. By anticipating potential risks and addressing them in comprehensive agreements and through extensive preparation, you can create a legally sound foundation that supports both the safety and enjoyment of the event, as well as its financial viability.
Contributors: Sunny Kaur, Trainee Solicitor