With Victoria Day behind us, the summer festival season is here at last. We’re even more excited than usual because many of Canada’s most anticipated events will be using Events by Square to take payments this year.
From large conferences to smaller local charity events, Events by Square brings the real-time insights and ease of use many business owners are familiar with to the logistics, payments and staffing involved in putting on a successful event.
Jennifer Thompson, volunteer coordinator for the Rare Disease Foundation used Events by Square for its annual Rare Finds benefit in Vancouver in April, and she heard from several volunteers and guests who commented on how smooth and easy Square was to use. “It felt more professional, it sped up our raffle sales and cashing out, and reduced processing time,” she says. “I can’t imagine doing this event in the future without Square.”
Whether you love beer, business or beats, Square is supporting a packed schedule of fun across Canada this summer. Here are some highlights:
C2 Montréal, Montréal, May 24–26
Last year Square provided onsite support, staff training and 35 points of sale at this creative, collaborative business conference. We’re doing the same in 2016. This innovative meeting of minds facilitates brainstorming, speaker sessions and workshops to inspire a new way of doing business.
Edmonton Craft Beer Festival, Edmonton, June 3–4
Craft beer connoisseurs can head to Edmonton to take part in beer seminars and taste some of the 400 beers on offer at Edmonton’s premier beer and food festival. Classes cover everything from cooking with beer to brewmaster sessions, and the event includes live music and food from 20 of Edmonton’s best pubs and restaurants.
Pride Toronto, Toronto, June 1–July 3
Canada’s first ever Pride Month launches in Toronto on June 1, promising a full-scale festival of LGBT celebrations and programming for the entire month of June. It culminates with the Pride Toronto festival, a nine-day extravaganza from June 24 to July 3, which will see more than 750,000 attendees. Square provided onsite training and support to over 40 volunteers in five locations across the city in 2015, and we’re excited to do the same this year.
Cavendish Beach Music Festival, Prince Edward Island, July 8–10
Hit the beach at the coastal community of Cavendish to see over 30 country music acts perform at the hottest weekend of the summer on Prince Edward Island. Join 70,000 people at the festival, which will also feature up-and-coming East Coast musical acts, food demos and a beer garden.
Calgary Folk Music Festival, Calgary, July 21–24
Folk music fans can enjoy the 37th annual Calgary Folk Music Festival’s international line-up of 76 well-established and up-and-coming musical stars from 16 countries, on eight stages, in concerts and collaborative sessions. “We implemented Square at our event last year, and we were incredibly impressed with the technology,” says Kathi Kramer, the Festival’s financial controller. “The setup was easy, and the ability to make changes on the fly provided us with the flexibility we needed to manage the unforeseen. The real-time reporting for our multiple locations allowed us to monitor sales across the site. The onsite support team went above and beyond to ensure everything ran smoothly.”
Toronto’s Festival of Beer, Toronto, July 22–24
Toronto’s Festival of Beer is a must-do for beer lovers, but it is also a good choice for fans of music festivals — the 2016 celebrations include performances by hip hop legends House of Pain and reggae stars Big Sugar. Events by Square isn’t the festival’s only foray into using technology to help things run smoothly. Last year it introduced an app to help visitors navigate their way around the brewery stands.
Calgary Fringe Festival, Calgary, July 29–August 6
Celebrate Calgary’s alternative theatre scene at the eight-day Fringe Festival, which features 26 local, national and international productions putting on a total of 160 performances. A full list of shows for 2016 is available here.
ReggaeFest, Calgary, August 18–20
Attracting Rastagarians (Calgarians that share the values of Caribbean culture and, specifically, reggae music), this upbeat festival is Canada’s biggest celebration of reggae music and culture and designed for the whole family. Older festival goers can enjoy a chilled-out brew in the beer garden, while younger music lovers will love exploring the kids’ zone.