We're so fortunate to work with clients who produce festivals like Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits Music Festival, and Voodoo Music + Arts Experience, which often means living the fan experiences we build together. Our new series Tradable Bits on the Street features our team's experiences at events we have the privilege of attending. First up... Lollapalooza in downtown Chicago, Illinois!
Leading up to the festival, our user experience and development team were tasked with designing the contents of an interactive video tower which would be the festival-goers' guide to the event. Having prepared it months in advance, it was a project that required creativity and an emphasis on the Lollapalooza brand.
The Finished Product
1. A moving map around Lollapalooza for fans to orient themselves around the festival which spans one mile from end to end.
2. An interactive filtered camera for fans to engage and take photos of themselves on the big screen.
3. A live line-up schedule which allows fans to plan their experience, and also giving the festival managers the chance to announce last-minute adjustments.
4. A fully-moderated Stream which allows the managers to filter the social media posts shown on the tower, and for fans to see their posts on the big screen.
We were fortunate to have members of our team travel to Chicago to take in one of the world's largest music festivals. Taylor, our Account Specialist, and Ronan, our UX/UI Designer, attended all four days of Lollapalooza and spoke about their experiences both as a fan and working behind-the-scenes.
A Conversation with Taylor and Ronan
We interact with our clients on a daily basis to ensure that their questions, needs, and suggestions are addressed. What was it like meeting them in person?
Taylor: I met some of the team from C3 Presents that we worked with to create the Lollapalooza tower. They were absolutely lovely people and very welcoming to us.
What was it like experiencing Lollapalooza as a fan?
Taylor: I loved it! There is a good mix of smaller, lesser-known artists with bigger, more popular performers. Having it spread out over four days means not having to miss out on too many acts.
Ronan: It was amazing. I’ve never had the chance to see so many big artists in one place before. I spent each day running between stages trying to get to all of the artists I wanted to see. It was definitely the biggest festival I’ve had the chance to attend.
How was your experience knowing all the hard work that went into the festival by our team?
Taylor: It was so cool getting to see the screens our team built on the massive displays at the stages. Watching fans interact with the tower and get so excited about something the Tradable Bits team created makes me so proud to work for this company.
Ronan: I felt a sense of pride knowing that our team had contributed to the festival in such a visible and interactive way. It made the whole experience more enjoyable and I was glad we made an impact on the other fans’ overall experience.
What were your thoughts after seeing the tower up and running?
Taylor: I did not expect the tower to be so huge! It was absolutely enormous and really was a central focus as people walk in. It was a go-to source for information with the moving map and line-up schedules, and many also loved standing in front of the camera so they could be featured on the tower. It was also super cool being able to see everyone's' social media posts on the Stream!
Ronan: I loved seeing festival goers interact with the tower and how much they were enjoying the interactive experiences. At one point, I saw a line of 20+ people waiting to have their go in front of the fun mirror. It was great to see the final product being implemented after following all of the development in the weeks prior to the festival.
What was the best part of the festival?
Taylor: The best part of the festival was Perry's - the electronic stage. It had wicked visual effects and those were some of the shows I enjoyed the most!
Ronan: The best part was getting to share the enjoyment of some of my favourite artists with huge crowds of people while also having the chance to explore a new city.
Who was your favourite artist at Lollapalooza?
Taylor: My favourite show is a tie between Dua Lipa, Jungle, and Odesza. How do you only pick one when they were all so amazing?!
Ronan: It's hard to choose just one favourite - it would have to be either Vampire Weekend or Brockhampton.