Created to help major events operators to leverage real-time data to optimise revenue and reduce queues, NOQ has become a preferred supplier to the Association of Independent Festivals (AIF), which founder Param Kanabar says will see it help fund the association’s battle to support the sector.

A self-confessed lover of data, Param Kanabar (pictured) was inspired to launch NOQ after being left hugely frustrated by the snaking queues around the Rock In Rio site back in 2017. Since then, the suite of tools he built to help events create a better experience for attendees has been used at numerous major events including Green Man, Joy Concerts’ Brighton on the Beach and Brighton Pride, Love Trails and Secret Garden Party.

He says that one of the key benefits of NOQ is that it provides a single, centralised, platform for data collection and analysis. It involves a POS system that has proven to be 30% faster than the market average, and is able to process transactions online and off, meaning payments can be taken in even the most challenging of locations and under the most difficult conditions.

Kanabar has been on a mission to help the live events industry better gain and utilise data since he gave up his role as a CFO at Kantar Media North America, a subsidiary of marketing data and analytics giant, Kantar Global: “My background has all been in data, and it shocked me that the events industry was so far behind, compared to others, in leveraging real-time data about what’s happening onsite in order to improve the attendee experience and generate more revenue. So we created a single platform that enables event operators to see when, where, and what people are buying, while also empowering them to encourage engagement and sales.”

“It shocked me that the events industry was so far behind.”

With 215 festivals lost since the pandemic hit, Kanabar and his NOQ team, is focused on helping the sector ride the financial storm by reducing costs and growing revenue. He says that while major festival operations have the benefit of scale and major sponsorship deals, independent festivals are more exposed, and it is therefore vital they maximise existing revenue streams.

NOQ’s product suite provides real-time cash flow visibility allowing event organisers to adopt percentage-based commission models, moving away from fixed pitch fees, which Kanabar says is particularly beneficial for independent festivals that rely heavily on food and bar revenue. It also enables next-day reconciliation, ensuring traders receive payments immediately instead of waiting months.

Demonstrating its commitment to supporting independent festivals, NOQ has pledged to provide AIF with £1,000 every time an independent festival signs up to its service. The funding will help AIF’s many projects, including its campaign for the UK’s Culture Media & Sport Select Committee to begin a State of Play inquiry into the future of UK festivals.

AIF CEO John Rostron said, “The MPs on this Committee have the power to lobby the Government for the support we need. We believe a State of Play inquiry into festivals will demonstrate the desperate need for more support for independents.”

“AIF is doing great work,” says Kanabar. “We are keen to do what we can to support those endeavours for the benefit of the entire independent festival ecosystem, while also encouraging event operators to use our platform so we can then do what we are good at: which is help them maximise their current revenue.”

This article is included in the spring edition of Access All Areas magazine, which is available here. 

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