Cat's Mother of the Month - Clare Goodchild

Festival season is well and truly underway, so who better to be our Cat’s Mother of the Month than live event connoisseur Clare Goodchild? In this interview Clare let’s us in on how she came to take her first steps into the live event industry, what she typically gets up to across the year, and how she overcomes challenges that sometimes come along with the role. If you’re considering a career in live music and events, then this one’s for you - enjoy!

How did you first break into events?

I never really knew what I wanted to do with my life. I left education at 16, and I actually started working in Insurance Accounts, but eventually managed to put myself through night school and send myself to university in my 20s. During that time I worked in record shops and promoted grass-root gigs with my mates in the North; I remember spending our spare time designing awful flyers on Microsoft Paint and begging bands on MySpace to come and play at our shows. We would book the music, promote the gig, work the door, stage manage... I even remember trying to mix the sound on occasion! Through all this I guess my love of the live scene became engrained in me, and I found myself working for Manchester legend Mr Scuff in the early 2000s. I went from being his merch seller to being his tour manager, working on his album releases, and being part of his day-to-day management team. It was a really steep learning curve but I always credit my boss at the time, Gary McClarnan, for mentoring me and understanding that people need to be given the opportunities and space to grow. Through my time with Gary and Mr Scuff, I met lots of wonderful people and got the chance to work on festivals, gigs, experiential and brand events, as well as touring. This diversity was a staple of my early career, and it meant my learning and experience was broad. I credit this to where I am today, and it also gave me the opportunity to understand what I really enjoyed and excelled at….which ended up being festival operations. And here I am today!

What inspired you to start your own company?

I started Organise Chaos back in 2013 but to be honest I had no idea how to run a company or how I could make it work to develop my career. As a woman in an often male dominated world, I suffered imposter syndrome, meaning I didn’t feel like a business owner for a long time. I only really started viewing Organise Chaos as a company about 4 years ago. In this time I have leaned into the role being a Company Director and I realise the benefits it offers; running my company allows me the freedom to write the rules on when I work, who I work with, how I want to treat and manage my staff, what jobs I really believe in, the values I want to carry through everything. Our company certainly isn’t as big as some production companies out there, but we are working hard to make change in our own sphere of influence. This includes promoting education, offering routes to entry, supporting grassroots and independent events, and being advocates for improvements in wellbeing, education, and growth of staff within the industry. Over and above the festivals we produce, these are really the things that inspire me daily as a company owner.

What do you get up to from day to day?

Anyone in this industry will tell you that no day is the same, and that is part of the joy, the challenge, and the thing that keeps you coming back. Between October and May we spend most time in our office working on the advance, but then over the summer months we are out delivering shows which can mean up to 4 weeks on a festival site and away from home. These days I do a lot more strategic management than I used to do, including looking at finances, how we manage the company, how we work with our clients etc. However I firmly believe that I wouldn’t give a job to anyone that I wouldn’t do myself, so Im often out stacking fencing, filling up toilet roll, putting up signage - whatever is needed! It’s important to make sure the systems on the ground are working, but also important that our teams feel supported so that when things are hard they know that you are there to help them. We are all in it together, after all.

Aside from the core of my work, I am studying for my own MSc in Crowded Places and Public Safety Management, and I am an Associate Lecturer at Coventry University. I also try to involve myself in the wider industry where I can, supporting trade associations, publications, and panels to help the sector push forward. I also love mentoring people; it might surprise you but organisations like the Cat’s Mother don’t just benefit the mentees, they also give mentors like myself the chance to use our skills in other ways and to promote change in the industry where we can.

All of these things combined mean every day is different in my world!

What’s your proudest work achievement to date? A career-defining moment if you like?

My proudest moments haven’t really come when I have built a show, been nominated for an award, or landed a great job (although those things are all great!). They have come from seeing those we work with rising through the ranks and growing into event professionals. Watching our Site Manger Jamie complete his first site management job; seeing our Ops Manager Kirsty win an award for being a rising star of the industry; supporting Miguel from being a volunteer to being a full time Event Project Manager….these are the real moments of pride.

It also comes when people just say thanks to you! As the boss, you are expected to deliver and to look after everyone. But when people take the time to say thanks for a great show or a great work experience, it really does make it all worthwhile.

What challenges do you typically come across and how do you overcome them?

Festivals are always trying to push forward and keep people coming back to enjoy themselves. This means each year we are changing and evolving our offering, trying to keep things fresh and relevant. For a company like us, that means that we are constantly working with the promoter to find ways to deliver their ideas in a safe and budget friendly way. It also means we are always having to be ahead of the curve in understanding the needs and wants of the audience, and keeping them engaged.

Festivals were originally counter-culture events, which are now more mainstream. However, they remain an escape from real life, and for some people the only time they might get in the whole year to put glitter on their cheeks, wear whatever they want, not shower, and spend their time dancing with strangers. That is a beautiful thing, and we need to protect that. However there is always the balance of keeping the customer safe, adhering to increasingly stringent legislation, and managing the mix of expectations for such a varied audience. With the popularity of festivals at an all-time high, our customer base is more varied and often more discerning than ever, and with social media they have a wide-reaching platform to voice their opinion. It can often be a challenge to keep everyone happy whilst maintaining that original ethos of freedom, cultural promotion, and escapism.

More specifically, there have been a lot of challenges thrown at our industry these past few years including the collapse of the supply chain, loss of many companies and staff, huge increases in costs, lack of government support, and of course Covid-19. This year we have seen shows cancel because the independent promoters work on such small profit margins that they have been unable to cope with rising budgets. It is a really hard time for the sector right now, and I know many events won’t be able to cope with a repeat of this in 2023.

What do you now know about working in events that you wish you’d known when you first started out?

That it isn’t a job, it’s a way of life! When you work in events, it becomes part of the fabric of who you are. It might sound like a bad thing but it means you are blessed with an extended family of wonderful, unique humans who will support you through everything; it means you rarely feel like you are working for a living; it means you feel rewarded by what you do with your life. It’s definitely a vocation not a job, and it will most certainly dominate your life, but it can enrich it immensely at the same time.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to work in this field?

Try everything and be kind to everyone!

Building a festival is like building a small town. There are so many components involved, from traffic management to creative design to toilets. The skillsets brought together to produce a show are immense, and this means there are lots of opportunities for you to do different roles and learn different things. This will allow you to understand where you eventually want to specialise, but it will also help you to understand how the wider event works meaning you will produce better shows that cater for the needs of everyone involved.

And be kind! Festivals are families, and these days there is no space for egos. Be the person who other people remember and you will go far. Also extend that kindness to yourself; look after your own wellbeing, and don’t punish yourself for the things that don’t go to plan. Every day is different on a festival site, and a lot of time is spent trying to overcome challenges. The important thing is not what went wrong, but how you dealt with it. That’s a good motto for life, as well as in a field.