OVERVIEW
Production is where vision becomes reality — or unravels completely.
Our veteran festival production team provides the leadership, management, systems and best practices to bring every element of your festival together.
From pre-planning to on-site execution, we deliver flawless guest experiences that reduce friction and ensure the entire operation is on schedule and within budget.
We've done this at scale — from 5,000 to 75,000 fans — and we know what it takes.
DELIVERABLES
The optimal festival experience for your participants, fans and staff.
- Planning & TimeliningYear-round planning, operations mapping, vendor hiring and management
- Permits, Compliance & Risk ManagementFire, safety, ADA, insurance, and city coordination
- Site Design & Operational LayoutsSite CADs, stage placements, brand activations, vendor plots, traffic flow
- On-Site Coordination & CommandPre-festival build, daily run-of-show, crisis planning, staff syncs, load-outs. We can lead the charge — or fortify your existing team where it matters most.
OUTCOMES
EXECUTION
Seamless delivery of every festival experience.
SAFETY
Risk mitigation and professional compliance.
EFFICIENCY
Aligned teams and timelines.
EXPERIENCE
A seamless staff and fan experience from load-in to load-out.
JK MCKNIGHT
Your point of contact — and the experience leader behind AOI.
JK McKnight has spent 25 years in festival development. He founded Forecastle Festival, growing it from 50 people into a 75,000-person destination event and one of America's most critically acclaimed festivals. He later worked with AC Entertainment (Bonnaroo, Big Ears, High Water, Railbird and more). Today, he helps founders design, produce, and grow world-class festivals through proven strategy, specialized expertise, and decades of firsthand experience.
Read JK's full bioFrequently Asked Questions
As hands-on as the project requires. We can provide the leadership, systems, timelines and production planning your team needs, while also supporting vendor management, site planning, pre-festival build and on-site coordination and command.
Yes. We can work alongside the partners already in place, fortifying the areas that need our expertise and operational support while helping bring everyone together around a clear roadmap and production plan.
Yes. New festivals benefit from building the right production infrastructure from the beginning, while established festivals can leverage our experience to strengthen their systems and processes, solve logistical and operational challenges, and fortify their existing team.
Our standard Festival Production engagement runs up to six months from kickoff through final site breakdown. More lead time is always beneficial, especially when the festival involves a complex site, significant infrastructure, major sponsors, numerous vendors or other operational complexities.
Take your festival to the next stage
Schedule a free discovery call with our team. We’ll assess where you are, where you want to go, and exactly how we can help you get there.