Welcome back to Backstage and what a time to come back as we've got a real treat for you! With festival season in full swing we turned our pen and pad towards some of the festivals we are helping this summer including a new edition to TheTicketSellers, Shardfest.

We caught up with Paul, one of the event directors and here's what he had to say;

When did Shardfest start and how has it changed?
Shardfest is moving into its 3rd Year and we've come a long way from a group discussion on Facebook. Yes, Shardfest was born from a group of friends on Facebook reminiscing about the fantastic Shard End Carnival from years gone by. Shard End had one of the oldest Carnivals in Birmingham dating back to the early 50’s, but in 2001 it ended thus taking away a great source of community cohesion.

When did you start putting on events?
In January 2014 a group met to see if we could reignite the Carnival under the new name of “Shardfest”... We had the vision of putting together an event to bring the community together but with the extra attention to detail that the event had lacked thus leading to its downfall all those years before.

What made you decide to be a Festival organiser?
I just wanted to do something for my community and to help bring everyone together.

What's your favorite event (not your own)?
Favorite and most admired event has to be the Isle of Wight festival. They started up much like we have and it's fantastic to see how they've grown.

What was the first festival you ever attended?
I've actually never attended a festival (apart from my own).

If you could have anyone headline your event who would you choose (past or present)?
My dream headline act would have to be Jeff Lynn and ELO simply because they are from Shard End, so that'd fit quite nicely with our event!

If you weren't putting on festivals, what would you be doing?
Along with running Shardfest I've also got a day-job working on the railway, so I'd have to say that's what I'd be doing.

What are your 3 must have festival promoter essentials?
Have no fear, get your marketing spot on and book the right artists.

What's the best bit of tech you use at your event/festival?
TheTicketSellers ticketing and entry system. It's really helped me streamline things and taken a big weight off my shoulders.

What makes your event stand out from all the rest?
It's an affordable community event that has something for everyone, young and old.

Where would we find you on the last night of your festival?
Trying to chill out after a manic build up and ensuring everything is running smoothly!

Finally - Do you ever get used to portaloos?
NO NEVER! They're horrible things. It's the luxury toilet block for me.

If you fancy heading down to Shardfest, click here to find tickets and here to get a detailed look at their star studded lineup. Keep up with the Sharfest team on Facebook and Twitter.