Country is having a moment right now. It’s everywhere, from the radio to fashion trends.

Country 2 Country (C2C) is the biggest country music festival in Europe, playing in venues across the UK, including one of  London’s most iconic venues- The O2 Arena.

The festival has been running since 2013 (breaking for Covid) and only seems to get bigger. Current statistics from the arena show that C2C Saturday was the second-best trading day of the year so far for the Entertainment District.

This years line up included country legends Keith Urban, Zach Top and Brooks and Dunn.

Unlike many concerts, C2C takes over the entirety of The O2 Arena with live music stages, country-themed markets and food and drink stalls. Even the retailers in the outlet centre get involved with themed window displays and products.

American denimwear brand Levi’s had a free customisation station offering patches to anyone who purchased a pair of jeans (we liked the guitar logo).

Retail Gazette sat down with The O2’s vice president of brand and marketing Robbie Balfour to find out more about the event.

Balfour explains that since C2C has been running, it has seen massive growth. He estimates about 45,000 fans visited the venue as ticketholders, with around 150,000 total visitors across the three-day weekend. He adds that it isn’t necessarily unusual for the Arena to see large numbers of visitors, but it shows that the festival has grown year-on-year.

He explains that this growth is partially due to the globalisation of music, which makes it easier than ever for fans to access different genres and live events. Balfour adds that this growth is partially due to TikTok and other social media platforms.

“We have to think of the fact that everyone is exposed to things from across the globe, whether that be music, fashion or whatever. And as a venue, we want to be able to react to that,” he says.

“And of course, booking an amazing event like C2C is the start.”

The O2 wants to make sure that customers’ visit to the site is an experience, whether they come for an event, for dining or for shopping.

He explains: “But it’s way more than that for us. It’s about how we can flex our entire destination to respond to what people who, are fans of that type of music and that event, what they would expect or hope or want from a night or a weekend out.”

To help the event grow and to reach audiences, the venue should ensure “every [marketing] channel” is working in harmony, from social media to out-of-home.

Balfour explains that social media and digital channels are “very effective” in marketing events such as C2C as they are very visual.

He says: “They’re very trend-led, they’re very instant. So there’s a huge opportunity for us to tell the story of what an event at the O2 really feels like.

Real-world experiences are a great way to connect with consumers and bring people through the door.

Balfour highlights that since Covid people have really “valued real-life experiences” and are arguably spending more on that compared to material goods. However, he argues there is “opportunity for both”.

And communications with consumers start from the very moment they purchase a ticket. The O2 ensures that all ticket-holders are aware of what The O2 has to offer, from retail to entertainment.

He says: “If you’re a ticket buyer, you might have bought that ticket a year ago. And so the touch points and the communications opportunities that we have with them might be everything from that initial ticket buying process through to the contacts, we might talk about getting them prepared, telling them the security information about the show and being able to weave in stories and information about all the other things that they can enjoy whilst they’re on campus.  

“So whilst their prime motivation has been about buying a ticket and going to the live show, they have a much longer customer journey”

He adds: “Whereas we know that we’ve got local London customers who will enjoy the atmosphere of the venue during an event like C2C.

“And so we have to be much more mindful about how they experience the show and the wider destination, whether that be arriving on site, activations around the site, how we work with our tenants to make sure that every part of the venue feels like it’s telling one story.”

According to Balfour, it’s important to understand the fanbase who are attending the event- what type of person are they?, what do they value?, where do they like to eat?, where do they like to shop?.

He says: “Those are the things that we try and dig into and use to flex the event rather than demographic data. Because there’s every age, creed and background at the event, and they’re brought together for the love of country music.

“So it’s much better for us to focus on why they are fans of that event or that genre or that type of artist and that’s what we then use to flex what we’re doing. Albeit with country, there’s clearly quite a well-troped insight around what country music fans are like; they’re social and they’re very fun-loving. 

He explains that creating touchpoints across the venue creates an “extended atmosphere” for the main event, which makes people want to explore and travel further.

Therefore, there can’t be things happening in just one area. There needs to be reasons for concert goers and other visitors to dwell, “to come and spend more money”.

In the context of C2C, one of the touchpoints was free live music playing in most areas of the Arena, including a main stage outside. Another way of extending the consumer journey across the campus, Balfour explains, is by “activating retail”.

He says: “It’s how can we get all of the tenants to create a retail environment which feels sympathetic to the show, whether that be the product that they go on show, the visual merchandising and the windows, any activities that they might be having in the stores themselves, that can all play a part in keeping people moving around the venue and getting more out of their visit.”

The venue doesn’t force a particular experience on the consumer, allowing them the freedom to choose the experience they want- they could choose where they wanted to eat, whether they wanted to go shopping or take part in the various activities the venue set up for the festival.

He explains there’s a range of choices for everyone, whatever they may feel doing, which is why events like C2C so are popular for them.

He adds: “The fact that it’s an integrated strategy amongst everyone on site. Everybody benefits. It’s a 1 + 1 equals 3 type scenario. “

C2C has already been booked for 2027 and Balfour sees it just getting bigger over the next few years.

He says: “I guess for us as a venue, we just want to keep learning, keep understanding about what the fan base expects, what we can do to enhance the experience, how we can take what we’ve done over the last few years and really add to that. “

He says: “However, the fact that it can be a full day out and have that wider leisure experience at the same time, whether or not you’re going to an event like C2C, I think that really stands us apart. So long may it continue.”

Click here to sign up to Retail Gazette‘s free daily email newsletter