Body & Soul director: ‘You don’t run a music and arts festival unless you like to gamble’

Avril Stanley is the founder and creative director of the arts and music festival Body & Soul, which has been an annual event since 2004, first as part of Electric Picnic, and then independently from 2010. This year’s festival runs from June 16th to 18th. www.bodyandsoul.ie

Are you a saver or a spender?

Both, but more of a saver with the occasional spending flurry! I live within my means and know how to batten down the hatches when saving is the goal. I also love beautiful things and have to temper that side of my personality, so it’s a continuous balancing act.

Do you shop around for better value?

I would love to say that I do, but I am more of a quick-in-quick-out kind of shopper. I get my veg from the farmer’s markets, bread from Scéal, fish from Connolly’s, wine from the Fumbally, and day-to-day staples from Dunnes and Aldi.

What has been your most extravagant purchase and how much did it cost?

My most extravagant purchase was a diamond bracelet. I borrowed it from my sister for a friend’s wedding and subsequently lost it! An expensive outing that cost over €3,000 to replace. Note to self: never do that again.

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What purchase have you made that you consider the best value for money?

A sheepskin gilet that I bought for €185 in Covent Garden in 2002. In hindsight, it was an absolute bargain as it has accompanied me for over 20 years to every festival I have ever run. It’s like my safety blanket – warm, cosy, reliable, well-designed, and with the added bonus of having two deep pockets that zip up for my phone and a lip balm.

How did you prefer to shop during the Covid-19 restrictions – online or local?

Local – I have never been an online shopper. I need to see and feel things to buy them. Plus, any opportunity to see another human and have a chat whilst waiting for a coffee was worth its weight in gold. Human connection is everything, in the end.

Do you haggle over prices?

My job involves a lot of negotiation with agents over music acts, sponsors over pitch fees, suppliers around the cost of infrastructure and staff around day rates so, outside of being in Marrakesh, I would say I am a pretty good haggler! To be honest, I don’t know if Body & Soul would have survived if I didn’t enjoy wheeling and dealing.

How did the Covid-19 crisis change your spending habits?

Natural wine became a pretty big highlight, and good quality ingredients for the endless cooking that took place. I didn’t buy any clothes over that time, which was great, and I loved having time to cook. Family time eclipses going out, and we were happy with less in our little bubble cocoon. Covid’s most important lesson? Less is more. Simplicity is where it’s at.

Do you invest in shares?

I used to but sold them all to pay off some of my mortgage. It’s just another thing to manage in an already busy life.

Cash or card?

It’s whatever I have in my pocket, but increasingly card due to the ease of contactless payments. It’s a slippery slope, however – the momentary illusion that tapping is free versus having a tangible note in your pocket determining what you have to spend.

What was the last thing you bought and was it good value for money?

A carrot, ginger and lime juice from the Hopsack in Rathmines. Value for money? Absolutely – I’m full of beans after it.

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Have you ever successfully saved up for a relatively big purchase?

Yes, indeed. It took over 20 years and a lot of good luck along the way, but I am the lucky owner of a home. Well, the bank and I are, but I’m working hard to get them out of the picture. It gives a sense of stability to my family that I undervalued before having a place that was ours to call home.

Have you ever lost money?

On occasion. I once loaned a friend money to help save their business, but that backfired. Plus, pulling a festival business out of the carnage of a global pandemic was a wildly expensive and challenging journey, but we live to tell the tale, and we have learned resilience along the way. If it helps you to become more authentic and real, sometimes failing is as important as succeeding.

Are you a gambler and, if so, have you ever had a big win?

You don’t run a music and arts festival unless you like to gamble. I have had some big wins, some little wins and some losses along the way, but don’t regret a second of it.

Is money important to you?

Having the freedom to live a healthy, adventurous and fulfilled life is important to me. Money helps enable that but it’s not the determining factor. Integrity over commerciality has always influenced my business decision-making. And you can’t put a price on happiness!

How much money do you have on you now?

Not a bean – I spent it all on that juice.

In conversation with Tony Clayton-Lea