15 replies to this topic

[Mark E. Spliff]

I've just heard this evening that the Workers Beer Company, who run the bars at Glastonbury, Reading etc., have decided they need to become more efficient this year.

To anyone who's worked for them in the past, this won't come as a major surprise - they run the bars in an extraordinarily relaxed way, and only collect a fraction of the money they should.  The profits from drink sales are supposed to go to the organizers and artists, who are understandably putting a lot of pressure on them to sort it out.

So this year, there will be changes, starting with Glastonbury.  I don't yet know which bars will be axed, but it's likely to be the low-volume ones, as they're aiming to utilise economies of scale.  I doubt they'd be able to get rid of the Real Ale Bar, due to public demand, but apart from that I think we'll be left with the big beer-factories, like the Mandela Bar (the one nearest the Pyramid Stage.)

Watch this space for more info about what's going and what's staying.  So long as they plan it right, this could be a good thing for everyone: WBC bars have automated pumps which are capable of churning out drinks at colossal rates.  However, they waste this facility by allowing bottlenecks to mess everything up.  For example, all bars also serve drinks which have to be poured by hand.  The volunteer servers end up waiting 10 minutes in a huge queue to get a pint whilst there is no one serving the customers at the bar.  If they can separate the automated drinks from the hand-pulled, everyone wins out.  

Talk of efficiency might not be very 'Glasto,' but i'm hoping it's going to remove 5 hours of daily stress from my festival.  If the punters can walk straight up to the bar and get served, then the volunteer servers can switch to 'hungover zombie beer-factory-worker' mode, as opposed to 'taking-abuse-from-irate customers mode'.  All the low-volume drinks, like bitter and scrumpy could still be served, but at a separate part of the bar where there'd never be a queue, and it wouldn't hold up the lager highway.

Edited by Mark E. Spliff, 13 February 2009 - 10:15 PM.

[Paul ™]

Interesting, I realise they probably do run too many bars.

When we did the security for them there was I think about 22 bars at one point with some that were ridiculously close to each other.

What is it you do for the WBC Mark?

[Neville Street]

There is room for improvement, but I like the WBC bars a lot, especially the Real Ale bar which I only actually visited twice last year, but it is definitely getting more visits this year

I will not be using any Lager highway  

[Kowalski]

Paul ™, on Feb 13 2009, 10:29 PM, said:

When we did the security for them there was I think about 22 bars at one point with some that were ridiculously close to each other.

22?  Sounds like a pub crawl could be on the cards...

[Mark E. Spliff]

Paul ™, on Feb 13 2009, 10:29 PM, said:

Interesting, I realise they probably do run too many bars.

When we did the security for them there was I think about 22 bars at one point with some that were ridiculously close to each other.

What is it you do for the WBC Mark?

For a few years I was a volunteer server.  This year I've changed role and I'm now acting as the coordinator for a campaigning organisation which will be providing volunteer barstaff.  The money our volunteers would have earned as wages instead comes back to the funds of the organisation.  It's a brilliant system - I'm currently deluged with requests from potential volunteers.  How many other fundraising events have to turn eager helpers away?  It also means the people behind the bar are an interesting bunch ranging from anarchists to firemen.

You're right about too many bars.  It was nice while it lasted, as it added to the non-commercial charm of the festival.  However, if you want top artists, you have to pay for them, and the bars should be the biggest income stream from any festival.  At least the non-commercial ethos lives on in the bar-staff.  I still bump into elderly volunteers who're relics from forgotten campaigns like Striking Miners' Support groups - which makes me go all misty eyed and nostalgic...

Were you working for UK Security, or was it earlier than that Paul?

[Paul ™]

Mark E. Spliff, on Feb 13 2009, 10:55 PM, said:

Were you working for UK Security, or was it earlier than that Paul?

A lot earlier, my first Glasto working was 1992 and from 1994-1997 I was working with WBC for Specialised Security, we had the contract up till 2005 I recall.

UK Security is run by Terry B's brother as far as I was aware, so they eventually got the contract.

I know a lot of the core WBC crew though and still see them at various festivals


Agree about the old skool campaign groups, used to have some fantastic characters and hopefully that continues  

Edited by Paul ™, 13 February 2009 - 11:00 PM.

[Ricochet]

Neville Street, on Feb 13 2009, 10:31 PM, said:

especially the Real Ale bar which I only actually visited twice last year, but it is definitely getting more visits this year

From me too.

Have my Glastonbeery Box in my bedroom filling with pound coins.  

[llcoolphil]

This needs sorting out  


<bump>

[jameshunt]

Neville Street, on Feb 13 2009, 11:31 PM, said:

There is room for improvement, but I like the WBC bars a lot, especially the Real Ale bar which I only actually visited twice last year, but it is definitely getting more visits this year

I will not be using any Lager highway  

To maximise efficiency I heard that they're going to connect the urinals straight to the lager highways, cutting out the middle men.

[HurrahBrother]

not everyone likes/cares for cider (it hates me), so they had better not axe the ones by the cider bus or the west holts/jazzworld stage. The Avalon field one (is that a WBC bar?) is a good one as well. Remove those and I will be most miffed.

[al_coholic]

Is it not true that some of the bars will still be there, just not run by the WBC anymore, instead they will be run by either the fields or the festival. So I dont think anyone will have a problem getting a drink, please correct me if I am wrong

[budvar]

Were there actually fewer bars last year, given the age of the original post?

[dvjj]

jameshunt, on May 5 2010, 07:08 PM, said:

To maximise efficiency I heard that they're going to connect the urinals straight to the lager highways, cutting out the middle men.

[Craigston]

budvar, on May 5 2010, 09:37 PM, said:

Were there actually fewer bars last year, given the age of the original post?

In a word: no.

I didn't notice any change in numbers of bars on '07 other than possibly slightly less queueing.

Maybe this is the efficiency drive Mark was on about but this may have been due to less customers as people brought their own booze.

Not really any way they could axe 5 bars anyway: they're all needed.

[sinhala]

I think there will be the same amount of bars as usual, but WBC have lost out on a lot of their allocation to Shelter this year.

[glasto-worker]

al_coholic, on May 5 2010, 09:28 PM, said:

Is it not true that some of the bars will still be there, just not run by the WBC anymore, instead they will be run by either the fields or the festival. So I dont think anyone will have a problem getting a drink, please correct me if I am wrong

I am afraid I disagree that its bugger all to do with a efficiency drive from the WBC.

Its a new contract for the WBC at Glastonbury and they will be running eight of the larger bars while many of the smaller bars will still be up and running but not staffed by the WBC .

At the last organiser meeting there was talk that a few of them will be turned into ' boutique bars ' which may look pretty but are a pain in the arse to work on.

I am well happy that I will be tucked away in the WBC Village although I will be comparing the non WBC Bars when I get time.  

In 2008 there was thirty WBC Bars at Glasto { my 2009 list is stuck on another computer } which did earn a good deal of money for Good causes so the main effect for WBC Organisers is a reduction of server allocations and I do know many who did not get any places at all.

From a Customers point of view it will be interesting to see if bar prices will be similar in WBC and non WBC Bars.