Data that rocks: Get behind Denmark’s premier music festival

Smukfest, held each summer in the woodlands of Skanderborg, hosts more than 150 world-renowned performers each year, such as Britney Spears, Shawn Mendes and deadmau5, plus up-and-coming Danish acts.

The festival’s bars, shops and installations are made from 100 percent recyclable materials, creating a whimsical atmosphere where attendees are encouraged to escape from the norm in a peaceful setting.

Managing a large festival in a rural forested environment for 60,000 attendees is a considerable logistical exercise to run smoothly, profitably and safely. In the era of smartphones, there is increasing pressure to offer stronger customer mobile engagement and respond to factors such as weather, crowd demand and supplies. Thanks to a sponsorship from IBM Denmark, the festival could get unique insights in real time from a Watson chatbot on food and beverage buying behavior, crowd safety, audience preferences and frequently asked questions.

The festival collects an unprecedented level of data from around the event from the use of rental vehicles to attendee location tracking to number of security teams.

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