Dance Valley
Getting the next generation to the world's first dance festival
Client
Dance Valley is the world's first daytime festival for electronic dance music since 1995. It has since become an industry icon with up to 70.000 visitors per edition. Website: dancevalley.com
Briefing
Improving ticket sales, reputation and future proofing.
Problem
As the fanbase of Dance Valley aged along the festival to a 30+ average age, attendance dropped due to prioritising other life topics and responsibilities. The festival lost energy, relevance and appeal towards the younger generation of festival fans, who didn’t identify with the aging crowd.
Insight
Festivals are a social experience, in which visitors choose based on where their friends are going. To attract younger visitors, we needed younger visitors to be very verbal about Dance Valley.
Strategy
Recruiting 400 next generation festival fans as micro-influencers, using their social media reach and credibility to convert their peers. The micro-influencers were not paid money - only a free festival ticket and ‘community perks’ - to ensure authentic fit and intrinsic motivation.
Result
Dance Valley regained relevance to younger crowds and sustainable commercial growth for the future. The ambassador system remains the most effective and cost-effective campaign element of Dance Valley to this day.