Community engagement, supplier relationships and event scheduling with Ian Siddall

Ian Siddall is Operations Manager at Ziggucamp, the largest offsite glamping provider outside of Glastonbury Festival.

With a background in site and revenue management, Ian brings a wealth of operational and business experience to the Ziggucamp team. Preparations for Ziggucamp begin 10 months prior to the festival, with Ian managing the event schedule and collaborating closely with colleagues and suppliers throughout. He is on-site for five weeks to oversee site build, event delivery and de-rig, and takes on the role of Site Manager for the six days Ziggucamp is live. 

We sat down with Ian to find out how he and his team use zkipster to help manage their luxury glamping experience close to Glastonbury Festival - read the Ziggucamp x zkipster Case Study. 

Ian also generously shared his top tips for efficient event operations, building strong relationships and ensuring events are well-received by the local community, a vital aspect in a town closely linked with its namesake festival since the 1970s.

Supplier relationships

Be personable and interested in suppliers’ business success: this is mutually beneficial and will only come back to help you.

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"During the live event, having key decision makers and action takers at the touch of a button is vital, so build up your contacts and rapport all year round and not just close to event time.”

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Event sustainability and community engagement

Our event takes place once a year on otherwise agricultural land, so being in tune with the local community outside of event time allows us to be respectful and inclusive when our event rolls around. 

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"We like to invite local suppliers for food and drink, along with providing work for those in the community, meaning people are happy to see us and supportive of our event.”

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Event planning timelines

Plan and agree timelines well in advance, with as much detail as possible. Make sure suppliers and staff understand the bigger picture of these and how their individual element is important to the overall event delivery. 

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"Personally, I have a shareable Gantt Chart to help all relevant parties visualize the timeline. Get comfortable with timelines changing last minute too, whether this is earlier or later than planned it will have knock on implications, so be calm and methodical when this arises.”

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Ian even has his event operations hat on while he’s enjoying Glastonbury Festival, saying: 

I have to admit…when spending time in the festival my eyes do wander to event infrastructure and what suppliers are being used, ready to research them afterwards!”