The Gathering 98/99

The Gathering 98/99

Open-air dance festival to celebrate New Year.

Working dates: June 1998 - January 1999

Event dates: 31 December 1998 - 2 January 1999

Vital statistics: 48 hours, 1,000 crew, 8,000 Gatherers

Following the resignation of three of the four original directors, my role was unexpectedly increased, and I ended up with a 35% share in The Gathering Company, working with two other directors.

As well as the organising role, I also took on the job left by another former director - that of publicity and promotion.

During the party itself I was G2 - second in command - and in charge of the party when G1 was resting.

I finished my web design contract job and moved down to Nelson for 6 months to organise The Gathering 98/99. It was an incredibly complex and never-ending job, but I had SO much fun doing it.....

HALL OF FAME - we're into it
The Gathering's Alison Green: Once again, Takaka was the site of much magic over New Year's Eve. 10,000 people, all getting down (and up) together. Organiser de la creme Ali Green gets a special mention for her unwavering positivity, hard work and intelligent articulation of what a party should be all about.

LAVA magazine #46, March 1999

My roles included:

  • Co-director
  • Publicist
  • Website designer and developer

My responsibilities included:

  • Liaison with the other two directors to ensure that every job was completed prior to the event
  • Planning and logistics of all kinds
  • Dealing with endless general enquiries
  • Resource Consent application and development of our ongoing relationship with The Gathering's neighbours on Takaka Hill
  • Fire permit application and road management plan
  • Liaison with local police and local authorities and communities
  • Liaison with and organisation of onsite safety crews (ambulance, Red Cross, fire, Mental Health & Welfare team, 2 doctors), and onsite security team
  • Liaison with the various Gathering crews and their co-ordinators - including tech crew, lighting, sound and visuals crews, and the art crew
  • Overseeing the work of The Gathering co-ordinators - variously in charge of performers, DJs, VJs, live acts, artists, zones, stalls and market, contracts, ticketing, recycling, and the onsite office
  • Development of the concept of The Gathering CD with Kog Transmissions, liaison with live acts, overseeing the creation of the TV ad using documentary footage. Find out more about my promo videos
  • All publicity and promotion leading up to and after the event, including contacts, planning and timelines, creating our media info pack, utilisation of the documentary as a promotional tool and becoming the "public face" of The Gathering
  • Writing content for and overseeing production of all our promotional material - including the ticket, stickers, poster, CD and Gathering info booklet - following a consistent theme which was reflected in my redesign of the website
  • Maintenance and development of The Gathering website. Find out more about The Gathering website
  • Development of our Health & Safety and OSH guidelines
  • Development of our pass system and management of our crew list of over 1,000
  • G2 onsite - meaning that I was second-in-command during the party, and took on the role of G1 when Murray (G1) was resting.

The Gathering 98/99 was the most organised of the four Takaka Hill parties. We solved our trickiest logistical problem that year - we got the traffic queues down to an absolute minimum. Personally I was disappointed with the numbers, and felt responsible for the fact that my publicity had not encouraged an increase from the previous year, but I learned a great deal more about promotion - which I was able to put into (very effective) practice for G2000.

It was a very satisfying Gathering for me as I dealt well with the severe stress and high levels of responsibility. I smiled the whole way through, and had an excellent time! I learned that I get very calm during a crisis, which enables me to get the job done in a logical, practical way. The planning we shared in the runup to the event showed me that I'm also good at thinking through the "what if?" scenario - and making preparations for every eventuality.

Awards

New Zealand Event Management & Event Marketing Conference 1999

Winner - Most Unique Event in the South Island
The first time a dance party had been nominated for any category at this conference

b.net New Zealand Music Awards 1999

Finalist - Best Live Event