SIP: Europe’s biggest hip-hop festival is in a field in Switzerland… How did that happen?
Joachim: When we started to do something, we tried to be different to everybody else. Like 18 years ago, when we started all the festival lineups, we were basically the same. They looked the same. They were just in a different location, so we tried to be different. We tried to do something different and then we ended up doing what we love. That's what we did.
SIP: How big is Openair Frauenfeld and what kind of scale are we talking about?
Joachim Bodmer: We have about 80 bands, international bands from all over the world playing here at the festival on 4 stages. We have 180,000 guests over 4 days.
SIP: How has Openair Frauenfeld evolved to provide a multi-sensory experience for festival-goers?
Joachim: We have a huge stage. It's about 150 metres wide, up to 40 metres high. It's a whole experience. You don't go to a festival anymore just to listen to music; you want to have a whole experience, and we try to give this experience to our people.
SIP: What innovations have you introduced at Openair Frauenfeld and what trends do you see shaping the future of music festivals?
Joachim: We have an accessible stage where people can go up to the same level as the stars. Our stage looks like Fifth Avenue in New York. We have interactions where you can communicate with your phone with the stage and screens. In the future, we want to incorporate trends like fashion partnerships.
SIP: What steps has Openair Frauenfeld taken towards sustainability?
Joachim: We work with solar panels and batteries instead of generators. We have a camp called VEP, Very Ecological Person camp. We know our responsibility and we're happy to be part of this movement. We're working towards being more ecological every year.
SIP: Where do you draw inspiration from to create an exceptional festival experience?
Joachim: We take inspiration from life, not just bars or restaurants. Customer management in the airline industry is very interesting. How they treat the customer, how they give you the feeling of being special, even when you're not, is something we implement at the festival.
SIP: What advice would you give to someone looking to work in festival organisation?
Joachim: You have to love it. Otherwise, there's not many reasons to come here because you don't earn as much as in other sectors like banking. But it's crazy, it’s something special. It's amazing to see people's faces when they have a good time. That's why we do it.
SIP: What does it mean to you personally to be able to stage the festival and welcome everyone this year?
Joachim: Well we as organizers are happy when it's over without any problems. But I mean, it's great to see all these people back on the field again, smiling and having a good time. This is why we do this job. We are giving the people a good time. They're always happy when they come to us. Seeing them enjoy the festival after such a long break is very fulfilling. It makes all the hard work worthwhile, knowing that we’ve brought joy to so many people.
