Tango festivals, gatherings that unite dancers from around the globe, offer a mesmerising blend of music, connection, and shared passion.
While participants often see the end result - the joyous faces, beautiful lights, and captivating shows - the countless hours of meetings, disagreements, problem-solving, and occasional conflicts remain hidden.
Organising a tango festival with a focus on delivering a high-quality experience is a challenging journey. We were fortunate that Quiero Verte 2023 came close to perfection, and we are infinitely grateful for the experience.
In this blog post, we will share the guiding principles that guided us throughout this process.
Passion for Tango:
The journey of organising a tango festival begins with a deep and unwavering passion for this dance. We, the organisers, are not professional event planners but everyday individuals with day jobs. We are also passionate tango enthusiasts who aim to infuse more tango into our lives and share our vision with a local and global community of like-minded tango addicts. This passion serves as our driving force, helping us overcome disagreements and exhaustion.
The Vision:
Every great endeavour starts with a clear vision. We envisioned a high-quality tango experience that would transport us back to the salons of Buenos Aires, create a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere where participants could enjoy traditional tango, with music that moves the soul and Maestros who inspire us to become better dancers. Our goal was to set new standards for tango events.
The Best Person for Each Job:
While we are not full-time event organisers, each of us brings a unique mix of skills and experience that ensures we know what we're doing. From project planning and budgeting to negotiations, marketing, communications, and design, we've had plenty of help in areas we aren't experts in, like sound engineering, registration systems, and social media.
The art is in selecting the right people for the job. In addition, our knowledge of the tango world helps us choose the right Maestros, having attended their workshops and shows that inspired us. We are very fortunate that the best people for the jobs also turned out to be nice people, which made working together even more enjoyable.
Do What You Do Best, Outsource the Rest:
Recognising that we aren't sound technicians, we spared no expense to procure the best possible sound system and sound technicians to masterfully manage the acoustics at our venue. This investment ensures that every note of the music and every beat of the tango is delivered with best possible clarity in our whimsical Sokol venue.
No Compromise on Quality:
We made no compromises on quality, even when more affordable or convenient options were available for sound, lighting, and other aspects of the festival. We were committed to delivering the exceptional experience we had promised. No compromises.
Continuous Improvement:
After the festival, we took the time to rest and recover from the stress. But then, we came back to work to analyse the feedback you kindly shared. We deeply appreciated the positive words shared during the festival but also recognized and discussed thoroughly the constructive feedback so we can improve. Learning from valuable feedback is key for us to make the experience even better for you!
Organising a tango festival is a complex but incredibly rewarding endeavour. It requires a deep love for tango, meticulous planning, and the ability to create an unforgettable experience for participants. While there are moments of self-doubt and challenges, the ultimate reward is seeing participants from all walks of life come together to dance, learn, and share their passion for tango. The joy on their faces and the friendships formed are the greatest rewards we, as organisers, could hope for. Despite the very many doubts before QV'23, the positive feedback we received afterwards encourages us to continue and grow in the future.
Don’t miss the next edition! Sign up here: https://www.quieroverte.com.pl/ to receive the information about dates, line up and all necessary info first!
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