The Zeitgeist Agency launches European division

Music PR agency The Zeitgeist Agency, which handles the PR for the Reading and Leeds festivals, has launched a new European division, Zeitgeist Europe, with three new clients, including the Roskilde Festival in Denmark.

Aimi Lewis-Mattock, who has worked at the agency for four years, will head up Zeitgeist Europe.

She said: “Many publications want to talk specifically about international festivals, and with the festival market in the UK and Europe saturated, it’s particularly important to have a clearly defined roster of media-worthy shows.

“That doesn’t just mean the largest capacity shows with the biggest lineups, but festivals with great USPs, be it sustainability, unique parties in abandoned hotels or hot tub cinemas. Zeitgeist Europe shows have all of these attributes and more.”

Zeitgeist has been briefed to handle all UK PR activity for the Roskilde Festival, which takes place from 25 June to 2 July.

Mads Mikkelsen, head of marketing and comms for the Roskilde Festival, said: “Roskilde Festival is one of the biggest and oldest festivals in Europe, and this status in itself attracts interest from quite a lot of PR companies. When looking for people to work with, however, we look for more than a good résumé and track record. We build these relationships on trust and loyalty, so we don’t do PR auditions and merely choose either the most experienced or the cheapest.

“Zeitgeist has plenty of festival experience – also in continental Europe – and we have only heard good things about them professionally and personally. Crucially, they understand what we do. They’ve visited the festival as fans, and they know all about our non-profit profile, the unique atmosphere, our loyal volunteers and, of course, our diverse music programme.

“Understanding a large festival’s identity, really understanding it, requires a lot and this was something that made us choose Zeitgeist.”

The agency has also been briefed to handle the UK PR for the Finland-based Flow Festival, which this year takes place in Helsinki from 12 to 14 August, and the Horizon Festival in Bulgaria, taking place from 12 to 17 March.

Tuomas Kallio, artistic director and chairman of the board for the Flow Festival, said: “We had in total four pitches in the UK, and Zeitgeist seemed like the strongest option for us.

“We’ve had some good earlier experiences with Zeitgeist in the 2015 summer as they took on the Flow Festival Ljubljana case just a couple of months prior to the event. Also, the ideas they presented for Flow Festival Helsinki 2016, their track record and specialisation in music festivals made them feel like a natural choice.”

Svetlana Schek, marketing lead for Horizon Festival, said: “Several companies pitched for the PR for Horizon Festival. We were drawn to The Zeitgeist Agency and its pitch ideas. We chose Zeitgeist for their industry experience and their understanding of selling tickets for festivals and music events.”