Meet Kim Blevins of Country Thunder Music Festivals

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kim Blevins.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Country Thunder Music Festivals have been a staple in Arizona for over 20 years. Located first at Queen Creek, then relocated to Canyon Moon Ranch in Florence. I got involved in Country Thunder when our CEO, Troy Vollhoffer took over the festival in 2009. I have been involved in festival management since 2005 in various capacities. Our team is quite small, which means everyone does a little of everything. I think having this type of experience is important because it allows you to understand how each slice of the festival affects the whole, and how making one decision can impact other areas.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Nothing about planning festivals is smooth. There are thousands of moving parts to organize, and if one part fails, it can easily affect many other parts of the event. Our team works on this festival 12 months out of the year. It begins with booking the acts. While an outsider may think this is an easy task, it is more difficult than it looks. We cannot just pick an act and book them – there are many factors to consider, such as touring schedules, general availability, etc.

Once the lineup is finally complete, our focus shifts to operations – building a small city in the middle of a field with no amenities. Butch Martin, our site manager has been with Country Thunder since day one and there’s nothing about the site that he doesn’t know about, but even with an experienced site manager, setting up so many moving parts at once can be challenging. One would think setting up tents is pretty straightforward, and it is… until a tent peg goes into a water line.

Marketing can also be difficult in a market as large as Phoenix where most acts come through at least once per year. We have been fortunate to build Country Thunder as a unique experience and many of our fans support the festival regardless of what acts we put on the stage. We also have to be good neighbors and ensure that we are making good decisions so we have minimal impact on the residents of the area.

Country Thunder Music Festivals – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Country Thunder Music Festivals produces four country music festivals each year across North America. Our goals are to bring the biggest and the best country music artists to the fans of each area, and to build a unique festival experience at each one, incorporating the local flavor of each destination. Our team is passionate about our fans, providing them with good value on the dollar, and the best opportunity to build incredible memories.

We are also committed to being a part of the community. By building strong relationships with our neighbors, local companies like Hensley and KMLE, and partnerships with local government agencies like the Town of Florence, Pinal County, and the Pinal County Sheriff Department, we continue to make Country Thunder a positive experience for the entire area.

Personally, I am most proud of how we treat people. This philosophy comes from the top down. Our CEO Troy has always believed in treating people well, and it has permeated our entire team. Whether it be the general admission fan, the VIPs, our partners, or the artists, we want everyone to have a good experience – we want everyone to have fun!

My favorite part of the day is driving through the campground on a golf cart and offering people rides. I really enjoy the look on people’s faces when they ask me what I do for the festival and I tell them I’m the general manager. It’s priceless!

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Standing in the crowd on a Sunday night and watching 30,000 people having the time of their lives. I always have one moment, just walking through the crowd, thinking to myself, “we did this, we built this, we are the reason these people are having such a good time.”

It is difficult to understand unless you see a festival go up from the beginning. We start with nothing and build this small city. Then the people come and it changes again. Then the artists come and the anticipation turns into reality. And then it’s over. There aren’t many people who can see the end result of all their hard work, but we can. It’s the most gratifying experience you can have.

Pricing:

• General Admission weekend passes are available at $130

Contact Info:

• Website: www.countrythunder.com
• Phone: 866-388-0007
• Email: info@countrythunder.com
• Instagram: @countrythunder
• Facebook: @countrythunder
• Twitter: @countrythunder

Image Credit:
Getty Images, Debbie Wong

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