I've mentioned that I submitted feedback to ground(ctrl) about the Mixtape Festival. I figured I'd share that feedback with all of you since some people were curious. These are purely MY opinions. Some people LOVED Mixtape Festival. But for the amount of money I spent on my VIP, I don't feel like I got my money's worth.
My Mixtape Feedback:
"I wanted to send an email about my experience and thoughts about the first Mixtape Festival in Hershey, PA. I KNOW you have probably gotten lots of feedback via angry tweets, happy tweets and possibly even face-to-face confrontations in PA. But I wanted to actually think about my feedback before sending it to you, hence this email. I hope you take this as "constructive feedback" rather than complaining or whining.
I purchased the VIP Side A ticket for me and another friend. We travelled to the festival from Michigan. Overall, I walked away from the weekend happy with my experience. My favorite band is NKOTB.
- I was able to see them perform TWICE in a weekend
- I had a pretty decent view of them for both shows
- I got a M&G with them that was wonderful.
- I experienced new bands that I now love.
- I REALLY loved how as soon as one artist ended on one stage, another artist started right up on the other stage. There wasn't any waiting around to hear music!
- And the softball game was my favorite part! Such a nice change of pace!
However, amidst all of this enjoyment, there were some very frustrating parts. The absolute outstanding problem was there were WAY too many VIP tickets sold. WAY TOO MANY. And for the price we paid, that was very disappointing.
When I was purchasing my ticket, I expected the Side A VIP to be a very small group of people. Maybe 200 maximum (although I was hoping for less). I knew at that rate, the chance of getting a ticket was slim, but I was ok with that because if I DIDN'T get the Side A, that just meant I didn't have to pay as much. But if I DID get Side A, I thought I was going to get some exclusive perks that were intimate and special. When I arrived at Mixtape, I realized I was completely wrong.
I don't know how many Side A tickets were sold. That was another thing that bothered me - the complete secrecy leading up to the event about how many VIPs were sold. I've heard rumors about the numbers and was horrified by them (but they were rumors, so I take them with a grain of salt). I could see with my own eyes that there were FAR TOO MANY people who had a Side A VIP. SO MANY that it was NOT a VIP experience.
- The lines were insane. Initial check-in was just about the worst way to start off a weekend (I'm sure you agree with that statement too). I don't think your staff or anyone else was slacking off, but I think it was because you completely oversold the VIP tickets.
- The VIP parties were fun, but very crowded. There was a small amount of room to breathe, but again, I did not really feel like a VIP there.
- The Meet & Greet lasted FOREVER for NKOTB. The guys were very gracious and spent time with each of us, which lead to them being there an entire 2 hours longer than they had planned.
- I never got a massage because the line was too long.
- There was ALWAYS a line for the bathrooms, but if you went into the stadium to the GA bathrooms, there wasn't a wait.
- Even the parking lot was a mess. We had to walk literally a half mile to our car at 1:00am, in the dark, because so many "VIPs" had taken the closer parking spots.
Besides the sheer number of VIPs, there were some other issues that could have been better. I'm sure you've already realized what some of these are since things were changed between Friday to Saturday, but I'm still going to state them here just so you know where I stand. Who knows - maybe some of these will help to inspire new ideas for next time:
- The tickets should have been sent out earlier. My receipt said the estimated ship date was 7/27. My ticket was shipped two weeks after that estimate and arrived 2 days before I left town for Hershey. A bit too close for my comfort.
- Side A VIP & Side B VIP should have ALWAYS been separated by barricades - in both nights of concerts, VIP parties, M&G, and the softball game. I know you realized this on Saturday and did so, but I also noticed I had Side B people STANDING in front of me (still don't know why they stood when they had chairs) at the softball game. For $750 (plus ENORMOUS fees), I guess I expected to FEEL like a VIP. To NOT wait in line, to NOT feel like cattle being herded around to just wait and wait. And I expected to get MORE than those who paid $500 per ticket which didn't happen until Saturday night. Friday was VERY frustrating.
- Don't build up that we're getting exclusive gifts then just give us a cup and a bag. Especially after we've just paid a total of $750 per ticket. If you're going to give us items like that, just don't mention them beforehand and let them be a small surprise.
- If you anticipate lines during a outdoor summer concert, having a tent over parts of the lines would be phenomenal. Maybe even bring the Aquahydrate out to those in line. We're not spring chickens anymore and standing in sun and heat is not really a good idea.
- We were told we would have "Access To VIP Compound: upgraded restroom facilities, baggage check, pampering areas, snack/beverages, misting tents, private merchandise booths". There were NO misting tents and there were NO private merchandise booths. In fact, when my friend went to the main merchandise area on Saturday she found there weren't even any XL shirts left and is pretty upset about that.
- Despite being told that "you will be able to check your bags throughout the day, at night, and during the after parties at the VIP tent" the only time I tried to check a bag (during an after party), I was denied and told 'pick-up only'".
- I was personally not affected by this, but we were told that all ages were permitted at the festival, however we were not warned about Steel Panther and The Dan Band having extremely inappropriate language and I think many parents were shocked by that. A disclaimer next to the band name probably should have been provided.
- When we purchased tickets we were told "Golf cart/shuttle access to/from events/venues", which I was kind of excited about. But then we were told all activities were close enough to access. The Shecky's Girls Night Out was very far from the VIP tent, therefore I don't know anyone who made it over there. However, if we had golf carts, I'm sure more would have made it over there.
- As I entered the softball game I was not told where to sit except for small signs mentioning VIP seating. As the game ended, a friend showed me a towel she had received as she entered. We did not get one offered to us at all. I was also told there was some sort of breakfast that was free? But that was not told to me until we were leaving either so we didn't get to enjoy that perk.
Again, I know this was the first year, and things are never perfect the first year. But after this experience, unless I am GUARANTEED specific perks next time and told how many VIP tickets are available, I do not think I will do another VIP event through groundctrl or Mixtape. I was let down too much this time to have to have the problems repeated again. I believe many of my friends feel the same way. At the time that the craziness was happening, it was really hard not to wonder if the people behind the event were just unethical people trying to make money. I'd like to think that isn't the case, but would need some guarantees of specifics in writing next time to be sure it isn't.
I do appreciate all of the hard work you and your staff put into this. The part of the festival that everyone (including those in GA) got to experience really was WONDERFUL. Great artists, well done concerts, good venue, and lots of fun. But the VIP pieces need some work. And a LOT LESS PEOPLE. Please.
Thank you.
In all fairness, I wanted to include the response I got from ground(ctrl). I was surprised to get a response at all, but after I read it, it seemed to be a lot of them being defensive and also some canned responses. I STILL hope they take my suggestions to heart and consider some improvements in the future:
Thank you for contacting ground(ctrl) support.
We are sorry to hear that aspects of this VIP package did not meet your expectations. We appreciate that you have taken the time to let us know what happened, especially since you have been with the fanclub for such a long time. As with anything new, MixTape Festival was a learning experience for everyone involved. It’s virtually impossible to predict everything that could go wrong and the staff, artists and management teams all learned lots of ways to improve the festival for future years. That being said, w will address your comments in the order you wrote them.
We are sorry to hear that you were disappointed about having to wait in line to get checked in. It is very normal and standard that patrons of a music festival with so many people in attendance are going to be waiting in line for a while. The vendors were sent out as a convenience to the patrons waiting in line. Several fans expressed their gratitude about having access to water and ponchos without having to leave their place in line. Please note that the schedule of events was posted online for weeks leading up to the festival and if you chose to leave the grounds to go back to your hotel to check-in, change and eat just as the first acts were starting to come on the stage then ground(ctrl) can not be held responsible for that decision.
As soon as Kelly Clarkson wrapped up her performance, the after party was starting in the VIP tent. People were being checked into the after-party tent as soon as the NKOTB performance wrapped up. Once Kelly Clarkson finished her performance there was virtually no line to get into the after party. Also, please note that there were barriers in the after party, ensuring that VIP Side A holders were at the front (near the stage) and the Side B holders were near the rear of the tent. Water was free for every VIP holder and the staff on hand tried their hardest to keep the supply stocked and accessible to all the fans who were there.
The NKOTB meet & greet was an event that was added by NKOTB to anyone who bought a VIP package and was NOT something that was listed in the item description of the Side A VIP package. The band members originally were just going to line the girls up and say hello to them as they came through the line and at the last minute they decided to allow professional photos to be taken as well. While every fan wishes they could have more time with the guys, we have to keep the line moving to ensure that the guys had enough time after the meet and greet to go back and rest before their big performance. Essentially, the meet and greet ended up being more exciting than planned as the guys decided to allow photos to be taken (which are now posted to the MixTape website for you to look at and download!)
All VIP ticket holders had front row seating to the rock’n’jock softball game and VIP ticket holders were also selected at random to not only be bat girls but also to play in the game alongside the band members. The stadium sold the $10 admission tickets to the game, not ground(ctrl). We still made sure all VIP ticket holders had priority seating and additional perks despite other people being in attendance.
Everyone involved tried their hardest to ensure that all fans would have a great time. The VIP tent was a great resting area in between sets and many fans enjoyed that they had a place to hide from the rain, the sun and all while conversing with fellow fans and sipping on drinks.
We do thank you for writing in and letting us know all the positive aspects of your experience and all the things we can work on to make next year even better! We review all customer submissions and appreciate the feedback.
Have a great day!
Sincerely,
ground(ctrl) Support
