What It Takes To Mount An International Music Festival According To PLUS63’s Peter Delantar

Staging a music festival is no simple feat. 

Behind every successful event, there’s a tremendous amount of work, intricacy, and coordination that goes unnoticed by the average festival-goer. From securing the perfect venue, managing logistics, and booking top-tier talent, to creating an immersive audience experience that resonates long after the final act finishes, organizing a festival is an ever-evolving challenge. 

Every detail — down to the sound, the lights, and the crowd flow — requires meticulous planning and execution. Yet, despite the many obstacles, some festivals have become global icons, with names like Coachella, Tomorrowland, and Rolling Loud standing as the epitome of success in the world of music events. These festivals have not only mastered the art of staging, but have also created cultural movements that have shaped the way we experience live music today.

In parallel, the Philippines has emerged as a rising star in the Asian festival circuit, nurturing a vibrant music scene that resonates with both local and international audiences. Amidst a growing appetite for world-class live events, the country is home to several prolific festivals, with one of the recognizable names in this evolving festival landscape is Insignia Presents’ PLUS63 Festival — a festival that has set new benchmarks for how a Filipino music festival can blend international talent with local culture, all while amplifying the country’s unique identity.

Since its inception in 2016, PLUS63 Festival has gone through a remarkable transformation. Originally set in Cebu, the festival grew steadily in both scale and reputation, establishing itself as one of the Philippines’ most anticipated events. Yet over time, PLUS63 expanded beyond its roots, reaching Manila for its very first iteration in the nation’s bustling capital. At the heart of this success is Peter Delantar, the co-founder of PLUS63 and the president of Insignia Productions. Peter has been instrumental in conceptualizing and executing every phase of the festival, from its initial planning stages to its current, evolving form. 

In an exclusive conversation with Billboard Philippines, Peter delves deep into the complexities of staging a festival of this magnitude, revealing the behind-the-scenes process that goes into creating a seamless, unforgettable experience for attendees. 

From marketing strategies and operational challenges to the intricacies of artist management and understanding audience expectations, Peter offers invaluable insights into the multifaceted world of festival production,  what it takes to move from concept to execution, and what lies ahead for the future of music festivals in the Philippines and beyond.

Billboard Philippines: First off, I want to ask. How do you feel about spearheading such a massive festival like the upcoming PLUS63 Festival?

Peter Delantar: It’s definitely exciting. It’s a lot of moving pieces at the same time, so it takes a lot of focus and patience to make sure everything that’s been planned (at least a year before) is coming together and aligning. So, it’s kind of like orchestrating a huge orchestra and everyone is finally coming together and putting on a show.

As you mentioned, there are all these moving pieces — and a lot of that comes from the impressive mix of local and international acts that you’ve curated for this lineup. What was the thought process behind that?

Originally, we were planning for this to be a two-day festival. And we felt that Manila is big enough and ready for a multi-day festival that can be also like a mix of different genres, right? 

However, when plans didn’t align as well as we had hoped — which is typical for a music festival — we decided to start with who was available and who was going to be touring in the area. Then we focused on the hip-hop genre this year, just because those are who the top artists are now, and we wanted to have that genre represented for the festival this year.

Yeah, and it’s really impressive, especially since this is the first time it’s going to be in Manila because you used to stage it in Cebu. So what inspired the change in scenery for you guys for this year?

Okay to give a little bit of context as to why we moved it here, PLUS63 has always been in Cebu, right? So originally we started the festival there, because we wanted to do something around Sinulog weekend because that was like a really busy weekend for Cebu and then there was no marquee event on Saturday. Sinulog was primarily on Sunday and we wanted to have a destination festival in Cebu around the festival. But over the years, the festival grew and as our footprint got bigger,

It made more sense to grow and actually step out of Sinulog Weekend. So, on our fifth year in 2020, which was the last major concert before the COVID lockdown, we decided to step out of Sinulog weekend and then move to February. Coincidentally, LANY [were] available and touring around that time. and we sold 15,000 tickets. We sold out actually within a few hours. And that was a big deal for Cebu back then. And then in 2023, we had two major headliners for the festival with Joji and Kehlani co-headlining. It led us to realize that the festival has gotten so big, that it was hard for us to produce the festival there. 

What were the challenges that you faced in that moment?

In 2023, we actually had to fly in equipment from Japan. Because in our other editions, we’ve always had to get production elements from different islands, with some of them coming from Manila. When you factor in the audio consoles, the lighting consoles, in-ear monitors, microphones, and more, all of those had to be brought in. We had to literally fly it from Manila, and we had to fly in the crew that was responsible for that.

So, it took a lot of added expenses. But 2023 was what really made us decide that, hey, it was really time to move to a bigger market, which was in Manila. And since Insignia was already Manila-based from the get go, it just made sense for us to make that shift. But then we’re still gonna have something in Cebu but on a much smaller scale. 

That’s so exciting. While you guys did great in Cebu, I think Manila is a pretty good hub for all of these things to come together. 

Yeah, 2023 was a tough one. Like, I literally had to fly to Manila the day before [the event] just to make sure that the equipment was there. So what happened was when we flew it from Japan, we couldn’t fly it directly from Tokyo to Manila and then to Cebu, because the plane going to Cebu was smaller. So what we had to do was we had to make sure we had to stop in Manila. And then when we got feedback from the airline that it wouldn’t fit on the connecting flight to Cebu, we had to figure out like, how do we how do we do this right?

So we had to get a local forwarder. So, it had to be air cargo, which is astronomically more expensive than, you know, shipping it via freight. Which is why I had to fly to Manila to make sure nothing bad would happen to it, like it wouldn’t get stuck in with customs or it would just go through easier. Obviously, we had a Japanese person as the tech person who flew in with the equipment. And I wanted to make sure that he wasn’t he didn’t feel that he was alone. So we literally fly to Manila the day before the show to make sure that the equipment arrived, and it was quite interesting!

There are a lot of production elements and rental companies are more available here now compared to Cebu. I’m not saying that Cebu doesn’t have it. It’s just for the requirements that we need there are a lot more options that you have here you have multiple suppliers that can supply the necessary equipment from the rental companies like the stages and even for the VVIP areas.

2023 was definitely our hardest and our most tricky event. So hopefully Manila is gonna make things a lot easier for us. And I think a lot of production elements are definitely available in Manila now. So we’re hoping for the best.

Even with all these hiccups, what are the memorable moments that you could share from the festival’s past iterations?

Every year holds a core memory for us, because obviously when we had the early years of PLUS63, when we started, we were very happy with 2016 and all the years that came after it. But even with this new setting, I think that hopefully, we can create more memorable moments in Manila. 

You know, we’re in Aseana City so there are a lot of places to see in the area. You don’t have to go far. We were speaking to the malls, casinos, and resorts nearby, trying to see how can we elevate this experience for people flying in or visiting. So, hopefully here we can at least like lay the foundation or at least show proof of concept that this is something good for domestic and international travelers.

In your words, how would you say PLUS63 differs from other local festivals in the area? And what efforts do you put in place to make sure it stands out?

Well, I think it’s still a work in progress. Just to give you a bit of background, I started getting into entertainment when I worked in the States. So I worked in Las Vegas for a while and I was handling marketing for a bunch of mega nightclubs over there, like the XS Nightclub at the Wynn, and Encore. I also opened Hakkasan Nightclub with a big marketing team and back then those were the most expensive clubs in the world, right? They cost over a hundred million dollars to build. They make over a hundred million dollars gross a year — so what we’re trying to build with PLUS63 is really to create our own signature feel in a festival setting. 

It’s something we aim to do to showcase what the Philippines can offer, whether that’s really great hospitality, whether it’s great vibes because the fans sing loudly and are really passionate about music and live entertainment. So I think for us, our next step is to have multiple experiences within the festival, similar to how Coachella, Bottle Rock, and even Tomorrowland do it really well. 

Each of those brings a really different experience for their attendees, whether it’s a curated F&B offering where it’s not just like fast food, a premium dining experience, to even just a great selection of drinks. For this year, we’re working with Encanto beer and we want to offer great flavors for those coming in — whether it’s through beverages, or even through food options. Like we still have the tusok-tusok, which is, you know, the barbecue. We always want to stay true to having local offerings. While at the same time, being also considerate of, you know, international attendees, right, or foreign attendees. So, if Philippine barbecue is not your thing, then you can still find something that you would appreciate — same with the beer, too. 

We want to add like VIP elements to it, and we always have our VVIP tables which is bottle service similar to what you do in the nightclubs, which I think is a good component for people who want to splurge and who want a different space away from the crowd to have their own seated area throughout the day. 

That’s the sort of experience that we’re trying to build. And obviously, with the lineup, we’d love to get to the point that we can have a multi-day, multi-stage stage festival without being too big or without being too hectic, wherein you are forced to miss your favorite artists because of overlapping sets. 

That’s true. It’s a common struggle for festival-goers around the world. 

Even for us, as avid festival attendees, we always found it frustrating that we had to run around too much. Like I think it’s about having that balance of being able to enjoy the artist’s set, without having to skip your favorite song that they haven’t played yet. Also, for our festival, we really enjoy the fact that we allow the artist to play a full set. For example, Kehlani will perform a minimum of 90 minutes, which is her typical standard set for her own headlining concert.

That’s amazing. I think that’s something that gives it a premium feel, even surpassing beyond the traditional festival setup. 

Exactly. And you know, since she hasn’t been to Manila since her Sweet Sexy Savage album, there are a lot of songs that she hasn’t performed for the country (especially for Manila) in previous years. Which is why I think that would be a great set, allowing her to go from album to album. 

Even with Rini, he’s going to play at least 75 minutes. For Raveena and Jenevieve, they are going to play for at least an hour, while our local artists, such as Jolianne, mrld, and James [Reid], I think they’re a minimum of 30 minutes as well. We’re also allowing space to give them extra time if they want to go over their allotted set times too! So, that’s what we want like we want people to feel with our festival. Almost as if it’s like going to seven concerts right in one day. We want to provide value and hopefully, the fans see that with our ticket price point being quite affordable. 

With what you’ve mentioned, there’s a lot that you considered in terms of accessibility and even with placing an emphasis on the value of the artists’ performances themselves. So, how are you able to translate all of that on the production aspect as well?

We’re actually working closely hand-in-hand with the artist’s teams to make sure that the production in a festival setting will be as close as possible to each of their headlining shows. Just so you would feel the same. 

And if anything, they actually want to do more because, given the festival setting, you have a little bit more flexibility in what you can do. Whether it’s the setlist to the production, we will have a catwalk thrust in front of the stage so Kehlani and the rest of the artists can interact with the fans closer. So even if you’re not necessarily all the way in the front, you’re kind of in the middle so you can still get that view and interaction.

So on our end, we’re putting the elements to make sure that if our artists want to go beyond the usual festival performance in order to interact with the audience, they can, right? Like they’ll have the ability to do it.

Yeah, and as you mentioned how you’re trying to give them the headlining treatment, making the stage production feel as if it’s tailor-made for them, could you walk us through the planning process of how that goes from concept to execution to execution?

That’s a tricky one. I mean for us, we design our stage based on our ideal festival setup and then we work hand in hand with the artists in order to match their production rider. We then tell them, “Hey, we do need to make adjustments to what’s available locally” and we also have to kind of be flexible. And we’re glad that the teams are very receptive to it, like they’ve been very open to adjusting and they understand that we’re making sure that everything we provide will be similar to what they get in other markets. So it’s always a collaboration between all parties.

It takes us a couple of months to go back and forth with their teams, even with the little things — even the transition of the set. We have to make sure that we stay on time and we don’t go over the 30-minute intervals because the fans also don’t want to wait too long as well. So that’s the important part, but we also try to minimize sharing equipment. 

We’re investing heavily in making sure things go as smoothly as possible, like the main artists have their own soundboards and audio boards so we don’t have to worry about the transition too much. We’re trying to work with the teams closely where every minor detail is brought up right so that they know from sound check to the actual performance, everything’s kind of discussed, factored in, and ironed out before they even get to Manila. 

That’s quite impressive. Obviously, there’s a strong emphasis on communication, and transparency, especially with how you’re the founder of this festival. I think it really does a lot operations-wise. Since you briefly mentioned your experience with the marketing of those nightclubs in Las Vegas a while ago, what are the skills that you were able to take to channel into staging such a festival as PLUS63?

That’s a really great question. Thank you for bringing that up. For us, it’s always the customer experience, right? From the start of planning, even before they even come here, it’s important to consider how they will already have a good experience. So from the moment we sell tickets, that experience alone, we’re already considering that for the fans. 

That’s why we’re working with a company called Pouch Nation because we love their ticketing platform. It’s very convenient, easy to use, and it doesn’t fail for us. But also in the event itself, we have a cashless RFID event. So what that means is every fan will have a cashless card, an RFID card. And when they go around the festival grounds, they don’t have to take out cash or wait for change so the process of buying things becomes faster. 

Working with Pouch, we love their system because it’s able to function offline –– meaning that we’re not reliant on cell service [or] internet service in terms of purchasing. So if you want a beer, and you just want to get out of there fast, you can just tap away. 

We’re also making sure that there are places for the festival’s attendees to hang out, like there are places to sit when you’re trying to eat, or there are enough shaded areas for fans to be able to relax. Even with our sponsors and our brand partners, we’re working with them explaining to them the importance of establishing activations that can provide a space for fans to be entertained all throughout the day.

So we’re working with Sony, TOP.ph, and other companies that are building activation spaces that aren’t just simple charging stations or places to sit — rather, attendees can find something to do, win some prizes, and even have fun beyond the music of the festival. It’s important to consider that there is always something to do as a customer and to go back to learning best practices of customer service.

It’s really present in every step of the festival experience like the customer is always first, and you’re always thinking about how would they feel when they buy a ticket, a drink, or even their food. Even with the restrooms — it’s important that we factor in all of that. And hopefully, people will see the finer details and then we can kind of improve it every year. 

But yeah, it’s really all about putting the customer first, understanding their wants and needs, and making sure that it’s available for them during the festival.

I love that because you know it’s very considerate of you to know the audience’s experience. As you mentioned all those little aspects, sometimes those are the things that could make or break a festival experience. It’s very meticulous actually, because all these little things make it more convenient for people, and could even make operations run even more smoothly. It’s a promising indicator of what people can expect from you know the festival experience beyond the performances themselves.

Yeah, and I hope they appreciate that. I mean we can’t we can’t dictate how the fans will feel when they go to the festival and I think that’s the beauty of a music festival experience. Because when you go to a music festival, everyone has their own takeaways from it, and it’s as if you can create your own experience out of it.

I think that the beauty of a music festival is you’re able to have a blank canvas and build your own experience throughout the day. So hopefully, our attendees can see the details that we try to put in. It took us a little over a year to plan the festival right from concept to booking the artists and even to curating the vendors. 

I mean it’s never going to be perfect, that’s how it really is when you have a large-scale event like this. There are a lot of moving pieces, and it’s literally like building a temporary city for a one-day operation. So we hope that the fans will see value in what we’ve done for it and I think they will. Our hope at least is that they will have a great time and they will have unique memories with this year’s who.

Given all of that, where do you see PLUS63 in the future?

For me, the dream has always been to be a signature event for the country. Like if you look at Coachella, everyone’s always going to revert to Coachella because it’s probably one of the most well-known festivals.

People and brands from all over the world plan around Coachella. It’s like the Super Bowl of music festivals. Brands will create campaigns around the festival. Artists will plan their release and shows around the festival. Even the touring calendar for most artists that are on the lineup really starts around Coachella, right?

So for us in the next five years, I would love to be able to have at least a two or three-day festival with multiple stages and to be able to have an OPM artist as a headliner alongside an international artist. Like I think the OPM industry now is really booming. And I think there’s a lot of great talent coming out of the Philippines — with many of them able to sell out coliseums, arenas, and even the open grounds venues. So that would be a great moment, like a local hero to have that signature closing out the festival event. 

I would also love it if we were able to expand the brand, given that our festival name is our country code. So we still want to be able to have another Cebu edition, but we just have to figure out when that right time is, and then hopefully we can build it for other markets.

Clark is a great market, and Davao could be an interesting market too. I heard Iloilo is doing some amazing stuff as well, so there are a lot of opportunities for our expansion. Even continuing our smaller projects, such as our PLUS63 Summer or even our PLUS63 Halloween, are opportunities for us to grow the brand within the country. And then hopefully we can expand to other neighboring markets because it would also be a dream if we could change it to if it’s another country. Whether it is PLUS82 or PLUS65, whatever the country code is of their country, then we can easily make that transition to go beyond the Philippines.