Blog  > What I Have Learned  > Behind the scenes at festivals

It’s been a whirlwind of a year with exciting projects, and one of the biggest we’ve had so far was the People’s Port Festival that we concepted and managed on behalf of  Transnet National Ports Authority. 

In seven weeks, the team at Magnetic Storm conceptualised, planned, implemented and delivered a world class, two-day event that showcased the Port of Port Elizabeth in all its glory, and offered a unique experience for the Nelson Mandela Bay community. 

So much energy, time and passion was put into the event by our crew and 11 event partners, resulting in a memorable event, and in reviewing the festival we uncovered some interesting facts and figures: 

• 90,000 people attended the People’s Port Festival
• Just over 2km of fencing was erected throughout the port
• 4.6km of cable was laid and used for technical equipment
• 1,000 Amps of power per phase powered the festival
• 118 signs (direction, exit, information, maps etc.) were put up across the port
• The Magnetic Storm crew of 48 used six golf carts and three quads to travel throughout the festival, and in total walked 288km. That’s approximately the distance between Port Elizabeth and Sedgefield!
• Our 11 event partners had 205 staff working at the two-day festival
• In two weeks, the People’s Port Festival received 69 pieces of media coverage
• Nine bus tours of the port, each covering 10.8km were enjoyed by 700 visitors, each having the opportunity to see areas of the port that are usually closed to the public 

The distances covered is an interesting one.  I know my body felt like it had been through a marathon by the end of the weekend.  Glenn,  who was incredibly hands-on before, during and after the festival used a FitBit to record his steps and racked up an average of 20 445 steps per day. If we assume this as an average, multiplied by 48 staff, we walked 1,962,720 steps as a team during festival hours (I dare say the average was higher ). 

My greatest learning from this festival was that if you have a fabulous concept, a plan and the right team, the impossible becomes possible.

All in a day’s work for the Magnetic Storm team!