Rock in Rio partners with startups to improve festival experience

After three years of a hiatus due to the pandemic, music festival Rock in Rio is back and plans to hold its biggest and best edition ever next month. In order to deliver on that promise, the megaevent in Rio de Janeiro is investing in data and technology in order to improve the experience of fans, partners and sponsors. A key partner of the project is Zoox, a Brazilian big data platform that helps companies understand user behavior.

“We rely on data and innovation to build a business that is absolutely analog – the live experience”, said Luis Justo, president of Rock In Rio, during the presentation “How data is revolutionizing the entertainment industry”, broadcast by LinkedIn last Thursday (11). The executive discussed how digital approaches have changed the business and what are the key points for companies in the events sector looking to follow the trend.

According to Justo, it is essential that companies view technology as a strategic tool. “Often, companies decide to use a solution because it’s fashionable and they forget what’s behind it”, he pointed out. Justo explained that the innovations incorporated in the business need to collaborate with the company’s mission, which, in the case of Rock in Rio, is to create unforgettable experiences.

The changes started last year. “We were thinking about the edition that would take place in 2021 and we would open the sale of tickets with physical bracelets with the date of the event”, he said. But with the pandemic, the scenario was unstable. There was a risk that the event would be canceled (which it did) and the wristbands would be wasted. “A logistical process and questions of sustainability are beginning to emerge,” he said.

The solution was to adopt fully digital tickets. For Justo, the new format is more convenient to customers, who no longer need to pick up wristbands at physical points, and to the company itself, which does not have to send millions of tickets to customers’ homes. “Digitization allows for an even greater knowledge about customers and opens up the possibility of personalizing the experience,” he said.

For fans that might be upset about the end of souvenirs, Luis said that digital tickets open up even more possibilities for interaction. “Who knows how to make NFT bracelets? All of this builds a peer-to-peer relationship, with knowledge of the best way for the customer to understand their interaction and experience with Rock in Rio.”

Data with purpose

As of this year, the festival’s database will be integrated into the Zoox system. According to Rafael de Albuquerque, founder of the startup, the company is analyzing information from 2011 to the present day. “The biggest challenge for companies is how to use all the volume of data they generate. We are here to help them in this process”, said the entrepreneur.

The idea is that, over time, technology will become increasingly intelligent and generate even more assertive insights. If the data shows that Rock in Rio participants are passionate about ice cream, why not partner with a specialized brand and sell during the festival? According to the president of Rock in Rio, this is just one example of what can be created to improve the fan experience.

“Our idea for the 2024 edition is to surprise customers by delivering experiences that go beyond the obvious and are even more personalized,” said Justo. He adds that all processes are carried out in compliance with the General Data Protection Act (LGPD) to ensure the privacy and protection of users.

When it comes to the most talked about technologies of the moment, such as Web 3.0 and the metaverse, Justo noted he is always curious to understand the tools, but without the anxiety that he necessarily needs to implement them. “If we find a use that makes sense for the metaverse or NFT, we’ll do it. But not because everyone else is doing it. Only if it makes sense for our goals,” he declared.

According to Reynaldo Gama, president of the corporate education platform HSM, the potential for using data in the entertainment industry is enormous. “Every company has a hidden business that can be explored through data. This is a matter of the present and, whoever lets it go, will miss the preciousness of having a flood of information, and will be left behind”, he argued.

HSM is a partner of Rock in Rio Academy, a kind of festival school with content for entrepreneurs, managers, executives and fans of the brand. Reynaldo cited the challenges of the partnership, as the event involves a multitude of information from the thousands of fans present over the two weekends in September. Not to mention all the partners and sponsors.

Rafael de Albuquerque, founder at Zoox, said the startup is up to the challenge. “Our goal is to have a 360º view of what is happening, adding social networks, website, bracelets distributed in the past, among others. The executive states that he does not seek a customer-supplier relationship with Rock in Rio, but something more collaborative. “The festival needed a data partner that could help understand customer behavior. Together, we will accelerate the collection, capture and identification of these experiences, always respecting the LGPD”, he concluded.