OVERVIEW
Programming isn't just what happens on stage — it's everything your audience sees, hears, tastes, and feels from the moment they arrive to the moment they leave.
Every moment should matter.
Our comprehensive festival programming menu extends far beyond talent. We help you architect an A-Z, immersive, multi-sensory experience that excites your audience, amplifies your brand, and maximizes every square foot and minute of your festival.
A single festival experience can deliver a lifelong fan.
DELIVERABLES
A custom programming plan tailored to your audience, footprint, and budget, designed to boost ticket sales, on-site engagement, and brand equity.
By maximizing the design of your patrons' time — a single festival experience can deliver a lifelong fan.
ARTS & MUSIC
- Arts — live art, interactive exhibits, media installations, performance art, projection mapping
- Music — headliners, lead support, early stage acts, booking expertise balancing budget, reach, and relevance
- Film — short films, VR/AR experiences, debut screenings, live Q&As
CULINARY & WELLNESS
- Culinary Experiences — chef demos, food villages, cocktail sessions, educational workshops
- Health & Wellness — yoga, sports, team-building activities, mental health services, nutrition demos, family-friendly kids programming
VOICES & COMMUNITY
- Speakers & Panels — authors, thought leaders, celebrity guests, civic voices
- Local Recommendations — locally-sourced businesses, artisans, exhibitors and vendors
TECH & INNOVATION
- Technology & Innovation — product demos, brand activations, future-forward experiences
A Selection of Clients We’ve Helped Grow
RETURN ON INVESTMENT
Every Moment Matters.
Design the moments that matter.
Sensory Depth
A layered, multi-dimensional experience for every audience segment.
Brand Identity
Programming that reinforces your festival's unique voice and vibe.
Buzz
Shareable, buzzworthy content that drives future sales.
Revenue
Experiences that increase engagement, per-capita spending, and sponsor ROI.
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
Programming looks at the entire festival experience — not just what happens on stage. We help design the most valuable use of your patrons’ time sitewide, maximizing both their investment and overall experience.
No. We work with trusted talent buyers in our network, or your preferred buyer, to handle booking and contracting. With a deep understanding of your festival, our job is to set them up for success by designing your underlying programming strategy, providing booking recommendations, festival schedule placement, collaborative opportunities and more.
Yes. We can build around the elements already in place, identifying opportunities, disparities and areas for improvement to help craft a more cohesive, memorable programming mix.
Absolutely. Strong programming is about designing memorable moments across the entire festival footprint — creating more reasons to explore, engage, share and return without relying solely on bigger talent spend.
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.