New lessons learned in year two of BamaJam

Ronnie Gilley thinks back over the weekend and knows he has a big problem — but it’s a good’n.

“The biggest problem we had was not enough room,” Gilley said Thursday, reflecting back on last weekend’s BamaJam Music & Arts Festival.

“We had people backed up all the way through the saloon. We had to shut down the band playing in the saloon so people could hear Brooks & Dunn Saturday night.”

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So many people and only 1,200 acres, including the campground, to hold them.

Ronnie Gilley Entertainment is already on it. Not two days after Kid Rock sang his last tune early Sunday morning, Gilley and his people were meeting to talk about what went wrong and what went right and what needs to be done next year.

With Kenny Chesney being the first act to commit to next year’s festival, organizers know the potential just got bigger for a festival that drew 111,000 people its first year and 121,000 its second year. Those figures reflect Saturday attendance only.

Creating more space, building more facilities and keeping beer out of the hands of minors top Gilley’s “things to do list” for 2010 for a festival which cost between $3.5 million and $4 million to put on this year.

The total BamaJam bill, Gilley said, was more like $6.5 million, which included a lot of infrastructure on the site at Boy Scout Road and Highway 167. Revenue figures should be in next week.

In terms of space, the plan is to move the Country Stage back by relocating the road behind the stage and filling in to expand the size of the outdoor amphitheater. Food and beverage vendors were crowded during peak show times, as fans packed in to hear Alan Jackson on Friday and Brooks & Dunn Saturday night.

Waiting was a problem in several areas – to be expected when you throw a party this size.

“We were overwhelmed,” Gilley said. “We underestimated what was going to happen. We had so many more people come this year. Last year was an incredible event, and this year was bigger.”

Parking lot and camper shuttling services will be improved next year by doubling the number of trams. Twelve were operating this year.

Lines also bogged down at the entrance gates, which opened at noon. BamaJam organizers put a tighter control system in place this year, where all bags were checked. The system got easier as the days wore on, and the entrance was key to get an accurate count of the crowd.

“We still need a better head count system,” Gilley said. “Last year we had a clicker with a person clicking every time someone came in. This year we had five rows of roll counters and ticket scans to get in. That broke down after the first day. People got anxious, standing out there a few hours trying to get in the gate.”

BamaJam staff scanned 121,000 tickets at this year’s event, and those who came Thursday or Friday were not recounted on Saturday.

“When our roll system broke down, we had human click counters again. We really, really want to be able to validate a strong number. We possibly made history this weekend, but I can’t validate it,” Gilley said.

And then there was that other line which had music fans holding their noses before the end of the night Saturday. Based on the crowd size, there were more than 500 people for every one portable potty. Long lines formed and many found relief out in the open, behind the portable toilets.

Gilley said it was a result, again, of underestimating the crowd size.

“We just didn’t have enough (toilets) and we were just not prepared. The cleanup system was not as nice as I would have preferred it to be. We will build more bath houses throughout the premises to have more indoor plumbing accommodations and add the clubhouse to the golf course, which will be finished by next year.”

Beverage lines also backed up, and a beer supply brought in on semi-trucks and expected to last three days, ran out numerous times. BamaJam receives a percentage of all food and beverage sales, and those figures will give an accurate accounting of sales.

Beer sales also became an issue because alcohol found its way into the hands of minors. Alcohol arm bands somehow left the wrists of adults and found their way onto minors’ wrists.

“We will be a lot more stringent next year,” Gilley said. “We plan to let the sheriff’s department have paid deputies enforce that arm band procedure and have them accommodating the bar area.”

BamaJam’s attendance beats that of Bonnaroo in east central Tennessee. That festival, which is in its eighth year and started Thursday, has been called the country’s biggest and best by Rolling Stone magazine. AP reports 60,000 to 70,000 are expected to attend.

“That just doesn’t compare to what happened at BamaJam this weekend,” Gilley said.

As plans get started for next year, Gilley said potential sponsors and vendors are already calling, tickets are being sold and at least two Enterprise hotels are booked. Country music star Jake Owen has also committed to next year’s lineup.

Gilley is also the developer of Country Crossing, a Branson-like country music destination with a bingo component, which is under construction on U.S. 231 South of Dothan. Country Crossing is expected to open this fall.