Annual Music Festival Is Big Hit With Fans and United Site Services

When 85,000 music fans descended upon the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California for the annual Coachella Music Festival, they were treated to some outstanding musical performances.

Coachella is held on three successive weekends in April. It is renowned for showcasing many popular and emerging acts in music, as well as legendary artists and reunion performances.

This year’s festival featured such artists as Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Eminem, and Radiohead. On the third weekend for the country music portion of the festival (“Stagecoach”), Brad Paisley, Jason Aldean, Miranda Lambert and others took the stage.

The Coachella guests enjoyed their music without ever knowing that 13 days prior to the weekend concerts, a dedicated crew of 25-plus portable toilet rental associates from United Site Services had arrived to begin preparing the site for the services that are necessary when staging a public event of this type.

United Site Services provided more than 850 portable toilets. Additionally, hand washing stations and comfort stations were set up. The United Site Services crew also installed 18 miles of temporary fencing to assist with crowd management and security. During the event, about 60 associates were needed.

“Managing a job this size is challenging,” said Jeff Dixon, Southwest Regional Operations Manager for United Site Services. “There is a strict timeline for the delivery of our services as well as pickup after the festival.”

Dixon adds that when a large crew is required at a major event like Coachella, balancing the day-to-day resources of United Site Services can require some creative juggling to ensure that all customers receive quality service. United Site Services first provided services for Coachella in 2005 when it was awarded a contract to provide the temporary fencing that year. The business relationship with this customer has continued to grow. In 2007, United Site Services was contracted to provide portable toilets as well as fencing. This marks the seventh year that United Site Services has provided services for the event.

“Coachella/Stagecoach has become a major revenue opportunity for United Site Services,” said Mark Bartholomew, Senior Vice President of Operations at United Site Services. “It is listed as the largest music festival in the U.S. and fifth largest in the world. Due to this fact, United Site Services has positioned itself as the only site services company large enough to manage every aspect of the event.”

Based on the rave reviews that the United Site Services regional office received after the event, it appears that Coachella and United Site Services will be performing together for many years to come. In fact, United Site Services just inked a three year contract extension with Coachella.