FEATURE INTERVIEW: Neverland Founders

HOW DID YOU BECAME PART OF THE MUSIC INDUSTRY? AND WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE CURRENT STATE OF THE INDUSTRY SO FAR?
Long story short: We had some good luck with previous investments, most notably the cryptocurrency scene. Both our childhood dreams were basicly the same: to throw a music festival. This all came together in the winter of 2017 when the first plans for Neverland got laid-out and what followed was an epic 120 day journey from idea to execution.

NEVERLAND IS YOUR BRAINCHILD. TELL US ABOUT NEVERLAND. WHAT IS NEVERLAND FOR YOU?
Neverland’s idea is the complete experience event, we coined a (dutch) word for it: belevenement. If we look at the current state of the festival industry we think that’s the type of events where the people will want to go to. It’s not just about music, it’s about the complete experience. From receiving your ticket at home, to going to the venue, to enjoying not only music but also exquisite food and good drinks. Up to offering special experiences for the visitors. We want to create everlasting memories for our visitors.

WHAT MAKES NEVERLAND SO UNIQUE FROM OTHER FESTIVALS?
We believe it’s all about quality. People will notice when you put in the extra effort to create an environment and an experience that is ‘just right’. In the end it’s about the little things, making people feel special and feel appreciated in a way that makes the memories even stronger.

TWO YEARS AGO YOU HAD YOUR FIRST HUGE EDITION OF NEVERLAND IN THE NETHERLANDS. THE LINE UP WAS MASSIVE AND SPREAD OVER TWO DAYS. YOU HAD A BEAUTIFUL DECOR AND OVERALL GREAT. HOW WAS THAT FIRST FESTIVAL FOR YOU?
Busy, and over in a heartbeat. We prepared the whole festival in 120 days and in just 48 hours it was all over, running around like crazy in between meeting the artists, making sure everything is running smoothly, meeting with the municipality and of course also spending some moments with the family and showing sponsors around all in between. And every now and then hopefully seeing just a little of some of the sets played by the artists we booked. However, I think we both would do it again in a heartbeat as well!

NOW YOU ARE BRANCHING OUT TO ASIA NOTABLY PAKISTAN? HOW DID THAT CAME ABOUT? AND WHY DID YOU CHOOSE FOR PAKISTAN?
We found a partner in Pakistan that was so in love with the brand that he kept asking us to please give a license for the Neverland festival. In talking with him and his company and learning to know each other we found we had a lot of the same ideas about what Neverland is and should be. In the end we decided to take a chance on Finesse & Flute Events and work together to create an experience that Pakistan has
never seen before.

WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM THIS EDITION?
The first edition of Neverland Pakistan will about getting to know each other, getting to know the public etcetera. How can we translate the Neverland Experience to a location 7500 kilometers from it’s origin. We’re happy to work with a great team on the ground in Lahore and we are expecting to blow the public away with the total experience that will be offered the 28th of December.

WILL YOU BE COMING BACK TO THE NETHERLANDS WITH AN EDITION OF NEVERLAND OR ARE YOU AIMING MORE FOR A TRAVELING CIRCUS IDEA? EVERY YEAR ANOTHER CITY?
We are aiming to come back to the Netherlands eventually. The dream would be to do several events each year in bigger cities of the world.