Assisting the bars dept at The Green Man Festival

Busy Main Arena - Green Man Festival 2011

 

I haven’t been around to update my blog in a while because I’ve been flat out busy with my biggest annual project as the Bars and Admin Officer at The Green Man Festival in Wales.

My job is basically to make sure that the daily recorded stock figures accurately reflect the till readings because they should match. This was my third year at the festival and my second in this position, so I’ve really started to refine and improve all the admin procedures that I inherited.

Far Out Field The Green Man Festival 2011

It’s quite a lengthy undertaking and I complete around 50 hours of pre-op admin which includes obtaining quotes then raising purchase orders for nearly 100 products, designing till sheets, updating paperwork, and making sure the staff and logistical information is up to date, printed and ready to take to the event.

Once I arrive to spend my 11 days on site, I set up the office and make sure that all our drinks stock and equipment to build the bars arrives in the quantity I ordered and at the time I asked for it to be delivered.

 

This year was much easier as we had 2 interns working for us. To work out if the stock sales match the till sales I have to manually enter the Z readings from every till before I can even start to look at the figures. This takes a lot of time and the day I did it without the intern it took me 10 hours to enter the stock and Z figures, and the day I had her helping me, it only took 6.

There are 6 bars at the festival with up to 6 tills in each containing up to 70 products so entering it all becomes very mentally tiring and having her to help was a Godsend.

The Sugarloaf Mountain

A consideration I have to allow for is that I buy products in cases and barrels, but they are sold in shots, pints, splashes, and cans. So I have to convert everything into the unit we buy it in so that we can make sense of the end report. I also need to break down the different units in the cocktails as well as recording the wastage, ullage, tokens and staff drinks. All of this is worked out as the percentage of the unit I bought it in (0.34 of a barrel etc)

I do all this using the mother of all Excel sheets to ensure everything is accounted for and I spend around 12 hours a day in front of this spreadsheet in a cold stone room. I do get out for some of each day though and saw some good bands including Iron and Wine on the last night whose set was so beautiful we were all mesmerised.

Ferris Wheel at the Green Man Festival 2011

I’m lucky that I have a BunKabin to sleep in so I don’t have to camp. Actually I think 11 days in a tent would kill me – I’m not really a festival goer, I don’t like being wet or dirty, I prefer films to music and I don’t like big crowds! My friends think it’s hilarious that I go off to do this but I really enjoy the admin and it just happens to take place in a field in Wales I suppose. After a week it does feel like you live there though and the ‘real world’ and Twitter chatter seem both alien and a million miles away.

But now I’m back. I’ve sanitised my laptop, had a haircut, been to the cinema, had a decent coffee, taken full advantage of my hair and beauty products, been out to dinner and slept soundly in my own bed. It was my most enjoyable time there so far but DAMN, it’s good to be back!

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