In Conversation With Jana Posth, PRK DreamHaus

In the run-up to IFF 2026, we’re catching up With festivals attending this year’s event to explore the ideas, trends and experiences shaping the wider festival landscape.

What one or two things should festival leaders be focussing on to help them navigate the market in your region right now?

In the German festival market, I think the biggest focus has to be on creating real added value beyond the line-up. Competition is extremely high, production costs are constantly rising, and audiences are dealing with inflation and increasing everyday expenses. That means people are becoming much more selective about where they spend their money. Festivals need to offer a strong overall experience — from camping and comfort to community, sustainability and unique moments on site.

That also means truly listening to your audience and understanding what they actually need. Reading comments, being present on site, talking to people and experiencing the festival from the visitors’ perspective has become incredibly important. The closer you are to your community, the better decisions you can make.

At the same time, flexibility is becoming more important than ever. Costs, touring cycles and audience preferences are changing quickly, so festival teams need to stay adaptable and make more dynamic and responsive decisions.

How do you use IFF in the festival planning cycle?

IFF is an important moment to exchange ideas, understand market developments and strengthen relationships across the industry. For me, it’s less about one specific booking moment and more about meeting colleagues — old and new — communicating openly and gaining perspective for the next festival cycles.

It’s also valuable to hear how other promoters, agents and festivals are approaching similar challenges and opportunities. Those conversations often influence strategic thinking long after the event itself.

Are there genres or artists on the rise that the wider industry hasn’t caught up with yet?

Genre boundaries are becoming less and less relevant, especially for younger audiences. We’re seeing strong growth again in rock music, while Latin music continues to become a bigger and bigger part of the global festival landscape.

At the same time, I feel there’s a shift back towards the artists themselves — musicians, bands and singers with a strong identity and real musical substance. Audiences still want entertainment and great live shows, of course, but it feels like the balance is moving back towards music first, instead of pure spectacle.

There’s also increasing demand for emotional live experiences and artists with strong communities around them. Audiences are looking for authenticity, connection and artists they can truly relate to.

What are you most looking forward to about attending IFF again?

Definitely the conversations and reconnecting with people across the international festival community. IFF brings together so many different perspectives in one place, and that exchange is incredibly valuable.

It’s always inspiring to step out of the day-to-day festival operations for a moment and discuss where the industry is heading together.