The Festival that flopped
The Emergency Response Council of the Fyre Festival, 2017
The illusion shattered the moment the planes touched down.
“Will you be able to salvage what remains of the Fyre Festival, or will you fuel the flames of its failure?”
The illusion shattered the moment the planes touched down. Guests were promised an escape from reality: a once-in-a-lifetime experience with music, beaches, and unrivaled luxury. Instead, they arrived to barely standing disaster-relief tents, with no food, talent, and no way home.
In December of 2016, Billy McFarland, CEO of Fyre Media, launched an aggressive marketing campaign alongside influencers like Kendall Jenner and Emily Ratajkowski, selling “the experience of a lifetime”. Tickets cost up to $12,000 and sold out almost instantly. Behind the scenes, however, there was no infrastructure, no plan, and only weeks to deliver what was impossible.
Now it is April 28, 2017. The first wave of guests have arrived. Artists are pulling out. Supplies are running dry. Billy McFarland is nowhere to be found.
You are the hastily assembled emergency response council. Thousands of guests are stranded, media scrutiny is intensifying, and federal investigations loom. You must manage incoming and desperate attendees, contain public relations disasters, and negotiate with local officials and workers. Will you be able to salvage what remains of the Fyre Festival, or will you fuel the flames of its failure?
Welcome to The bahamas
You must manage incoming and desperate attendees, contain public relations disasters, and negotiate with local officials and workers.
What will you do?
Meet the Team
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Catherine Hiemstra
CHAIR
Catherine Hiemstra (she/her) is in the class of 2027 in Georgetown’s Walsh School of Foreign Service, majoring in International Politics with a minor in French. She is originally from Birmingham, Michigan. Catherine served as NAIMUN LXII’s Director of Philanthropy and is currently serving as the CEO of the Georgetown International Relations Association (GIRA). She also competed in Model UN in high school (her retirement is going very well, thank you for asking). Catherine loves running (not really, but she does it anyway), exploring new coffee shops, reading, getting a late night snack, and watching movies. She’s never been to a music festival before, and after learning about Fyre Festival, she doesn’t really feel the need to! She can’t wait to chair the Emergency Response Council for the Fyre Festival, so please reach out to her with any questions before conference.
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William Pan
CRISIS MANAGER
William Pan (he/him) is a member of the Class of 2029 in the College of Arts and Sciences, majoring in Government and Economics. He is from Los Angeles, California and loves walking his husky along the palm-tree-lined streets of LA County suburbia. Like his husky, however, he appreciates the cold. He joined GUMUN, Georgetown’s Collegiate Model UN Team, in freshman year and, above all, prioritizes fun. Always taking selfies and vlogging, he is committed to exploration and spontaneity. Want a late-night journey through DC? Text him. An avid crisis delegate, William is creative: valuing outside-the-box thinking while being detail-oriented and realistic. Outside of MUN, William can be found contemplating the weekly Cryptic Crossword, losing in Chess, grilling some hot-dogs, or listening to Lana Del Rey (he’s a top 0.05% listener!). A passionate foodie, he can also be spotted at Dupont Circle on the weekends, reading reviews on Yelp to find the best Chinese restaurant in D.C. An enthusiastic music listener, he is excited to run the Emergency Response Council of the Fyre Festival. If you have any questions or want my list of top Lana Del Rey songs, feel free to reach out!
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ASSOCIATED STAFF
OTHER MEMBERS
Director: Allie Chevance-Singh
CAs/RAPs: Violet Hall, Nate Cohen
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Isabelle Kocher
UNDER SECRETARY-GENERAL
Isabelle Kocher is a member of the class of 2029 in Georgetown’s Walsh School of Foreign Service, majoring in International Political Economy and intending to minor in Spanish. Isabelle is so incredibly grateful for this opportunity to be your USG of Councils (obviously the best organ but you didn’t hear that from her) and she cannot wait to see you in Washington this fall!
