The New Bosses 2024: Maria Costa, Rock in Rio Lisboa

The 17th edition of IQ Magazine’s New Bosses, in association with Futures Forum, was revealed in IQ 129, recognising 20 of the most promising 30-and-unders in the international live music business.

To get to know this year’s class a little better, IQ conducted interviews with each one of 2024’s New Bosses, discovering their greatest inspirations and pinpointing the reasons for their success.

With a degree in languages, literature, and cultures, and a master’s degree in communication and culture, Maria Costa found an internship at radio station M80, before joining Rock in Rio Lisboa in 2016 as community manager. She now oversees festival strategy, management, and coordination of omnichannel content across platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube, as well as the official website, app, newsletter, influencer management, paid media, and performance campaigns. 

There’s a misconception that social media is a free tool for marketing. You probably cannot talk about budgets, but how many people are on your team for Rock in Rio Lisboa?
While it’s true that creating a social media account is free, the notion that effective social media marketing is free is certainly a misconception. Let me take you back to about three years ago, during the onset of COVID-19 and the subsequent lockdowns. Many businesses, brands, and projects that were not yet online were suddenly forced to establish an online presence. Some did so on their own, while others chose to go professional from the start. During this period, there was a noticeable digital boom on social media among brands, as well as a shift in the perceived value of social media.

When competition is fierce, there is pressure to excel and stand out. This is where professional digital strategists come in. The difference between two similar brands, one managing social media professionally and the other doing it casually, is evident not just visually but also in terms of results. Some businesses may not feel the need to “upgrade” their social media presence, either because their target audience is not online or because their business is already well-established—both scenarios can be considered successes.

Regarding our digital and marketing team, we started with around five people in the early months and gradually expanded. This year, we integrated numerous audiovisual productions in-house, recognising the benefits of adding talented individuals to our team. Our distinctive and dynamic work rhythm enhanced our workflow and results, which proved advantageous when we created our own content production team.

“The possibilities presented by working diligently on social media platforms are impressive”

In June, during festival days, we had about 120 people working on social media coverage. This requires weeks of preparation, we have so many underline topics beyond just the music scene. Our structure included social media managers, copywriters, mobile producers, designers, photographers, videographers, video editors, audio technicians, assistant producers, a drone team, an influencer manager, analysts, among others, we also worked with creative and paid media agencies.

To wrap it up, between October 2023 and June 2024, we achieved over 34 million impressions on social media and produced more than 1,300 original pieces of content. During the two weeks of real-time coverage, we reached over 46 million impressions and posted more than 900 pieces of content. Special attention was given to Instagram, where we doubled our followers in ten months, and TikTok, which offered us significant opportunities to engage with our most avid Gen Z festivalgoers. The possibilities presented by working diligently on social media platforms are impressive, and we find ourselves competing with traditional media outlets—this is the future.

“Our close relationships with brand partners are vital to our success”

Rock in Rio’s events are synonymous with big brand partners. How do you work hand in hand with those partners? And how exciting is it to do so?
I love working with other brands. As a professional deeply immersed in the cultural and music spheres, I find it incredibly exciting and challenging to create those “sparkle” moments through collaboration. Partnering with brands from diverse industries might seem daunting at first due to differing themes and objectives, but we consistently find ways to align our messages and create cohesive narratives.

Our close relationships with brand partners are vital to our success. Some brands are already familiar with the music and festival scene, making collaboration seamless and innovative. Others might be more reserved, but we embrace the challenge of integrating their unique identities into our festival experience. We engage in numerous projects both before and during the event, including press conferences that are more like mini festivals themselves. Brands with naming rights on our stages or other activations bring an exciting “marriage” of themes and conversations to Rock in Rio.

The synergy between our team and our partners leads to truly memorable and impactful experiences for our audience, making these collaborations incredibly rewarding. Additionally, before and during events, we leverage the benefits of social media platforms through collaborative posts, story connections, and engaging content that resonates with both our audiences, enhancing the overall experience.

“This year, we fully embraced both Portuguese and English content/copy on social media, maximizing our reach”

Rather than being a Portuguese event, your festival is truly global. Can you tell us a little about your strategy to tell as many fans as possible around the world about RiR Lisboa, in multiple languages?
We’ve taken several steps to enhance our global presence. Leveraging our Brazilian roots, we maintain a strong connection with Brazilian communities worldwide, particularly in Europe and Portugal, which represent significant potential for us. This year, we fully embraced both Portuguese and English content/copy on social media, maximizing our reach. Additionally, we ran targeted awareness and performance campaigns on Meta and Google, focusing on Spain, France, and the UK, supported by an international press marketing strategy.

Our international artists were highly collaborative, which allowed us to make major lineup announcements through joint posts with them. This approach helped us engage with a global audience and directly connect with the artists’ fans. As a result, we saw ticket sales from over 100 countries, which we are very proud of. Post-event, the urgency to go global diminishes somewhat, but with the 40th anniversary celebration in Rio de Janeiro coming up in September, we will once again be in the global spotlight.

“AI tools help me with global research, finding references, and benchmarking”

I’m guessing AI is proving to be a useful tool for you – are there any tips you can give to your peers at other festivals around the world on how they can lean in to technology for mundane tasks, to allow you to be more creative in other parts of your work?
Initially, I was a bit hesitant about some AI innovations, but it’s clear they’re here to stay. The sooner you adapt to working with them, the more efficiently you’ll work. In fact, AI tools have proven to be quite beneficial in sparking my creativity, especially when starting inspirational projects. They help me with global research, finding references, and benchmarking. Additionally, they help me organise workflow and manage data effectively. For my design and video teams, I have no objections to using AI tools. My only stipulation is to emphasize that AI will never replace the human eye and sensibility. Everything must still be reviewed and refined through our own critical perspectives.

In your position, you presumably have to plan for many eventualities that don’t occur. Can you talk about the efforts that you and your colleagues make to ensure safety, and plan for communication with the audience for the likes of bad weather, for instance?
When we develop our 10-month communication plan, we start with a foundation, but the most challenging and unpredictable aspect is determining when we can announce headliners and the full lineup. This remains a variable that is intrinsic to our daily work. In the months leading up to our active communication for the next year’s festival edition, our focus shifts to art direction and visual identity. We dedicate our efforts to establishing the design guidelines for that edition, applying them both offline and online.

We also analyse insights from the previous year to continually improve. We assess what strategies yielded the best results, what was worthwhile, and what was unnecessary. These evaluations guide us in outlining various scenarios and their potential impacts for the next edition. On this project, our marketing team works closely with various other departments, fostering a collaborative environment where proactive approaches are encouraged across different teams.

“For anyone reading this who is seeking to work in social media, regardless of the industry, focus on studies with practical approaches”

For this special edition, we anticipated operational challenges related to the new venue, such as access, public transportation, new venue layout, stages, and areas. Our goal was to provide this information promptly; we released details about a month before the event. Our app was updated with schedules and practical information to help attendees right by that time. We strive to anticipate situations and prepare quick responses. Another critical component during the festival month is our business intelligence and analytics team. They play a vital role in monitoring and analysing online discussions, both on our social media platforms and across the broader web. This helps us identify and address operational or communication issues – big or small – quickly by verifying the source and adjusting or resolving the situation as needed.

Given your experience of the last decade, what advice would you give to the teenage Maria Costa, as she looked ahead at her studies and career?
It’s strange to say this, but I was never very keen on digital matters. I was probably the last one in my group of friends to get a Facebook profile and wasn’t particularly amused by it. I took my time, but I feel that my professional growth coincided with the rising importance of social media in professional settings. I wouldn’t call it luck, but the timing was quite right. So, the advice I would give to my teenage self would be not to be afraid to explore that path and to dive in as soon as possible.

For anyone reading this who is seeking to work in social media, regardless of the industry, focus on studies with practical approaches. Theory is just a small part of it; hands-on experience is crucial. Seek out internships or entry-level positions with brands and projects that interest you, immerse yourself in those scenarios, and take the initiative. Start as soon as possible because the pace is frenetic. Everything evolves and changes quickly. While you’re waiting to decide if it’s the right choice for your career, numerous changes can occur in this field, and your ability to adapt quickly can be a significant advantage.

“Managing over 120 people doing live social media coverage of Rock in Rio Lisboa 20 was an absolute dream”

What’s been the highlight of your career, so far?
The 20th-year celebration of Rock in Rio Lisboa was truly mesmerizing. For me, it was a great challenge starting last summer. We went to São Paulo to film a short documentary about 20 years in Lisbon, using The Town festival as the backdrop, alongside our main teams that have been in Lisbon since the beginning in 2004. The following 10 months were a rollercoaster of events, lineup announcements, new ideas, and watching the new venue grow. The team atmosphere was particularly joyful, with many young and inspiring people on the team and every senior manager and VP getting very emotional about this special festival edition. This all culminated in four epic days, three of which were absolutely sold out.

As we often say, we dream, and we make it happen. Seeing it unfold before us, witnessing the crowds cheering, rushing to the frontline, and watching the artists become emotional was extraordinary. It was surreal to see everything we had communicated for months come to life before our eyes. It’s something we produce and communicate with all our energy and hearts, but above all, it’s something we feel in the atmosphere, almost beyond ourselves. It’s like an ensemble created from a synergistic blend of incredible sources and resources, like an orchestra completed by our audience.

This all ties into our social media coverage and its inherent aspects. You must manage a lot of emotions at a fast pace and always be solution-oriented—stress, frustration, unexpected moments, joy, crowds going crazy, operational challenges, weather forecasts, and more. Managing over 120 people doing live social media coverage of the event was an absolute dream. It was a marathon, certainly with many ups and downs, but very rewarding for me as a professional, teaching me so many lessons.

“Rock in Rio was conceived as a festival for everyone, regardless of their background, beliefs, or appearance”

If you could change one thing about the live music industry, what would you propose to make it better?
I’m not sure I have a definitive answer, but a few things come to mind. Thanks to social media, we see talented individuals gaining recognition every day, and it’s striking how rapidly and fleetingly this can happen—both for better and worse. It’s alarming how quickly someone can rise to fame and just as swiftly disappear. Perhaps this rapid cycle has always been part of the industry, even in its offline era, though at a different pace. On a personal level, it concerns me that not all talented individuals receive the recognition and rewards they deserve. Conversely, the industry can sometimes put immense pressure on young talents, which can be overwhelming.

Another issue I think about is the perception of taste and value. Rock in Rio was conceived as a festival for everyone, regardless of their background, beliefs, or appearance, and it embraces artists from all genres. This year, for our special celebration, we launched a creative campaign with Dentsu Creative Agency called “All in Rio.” This campaign emphasised that “Rock in Rio” encompasses more than just rock—it represents Pop in Rio, Funk in Rio, Joy in Rio, Peace in Rio, Family in Rio, and Friends in Rio and so much more. The challenge is that sometimes people fail to appreciate the importance of diverse genres in our lineup, particularly popular music, and there can be reluctance to embrace this diversity.

Last but not least, if I could change one thing about the live music industry, it would be to establish a more structured and supportive framework for its professionals. The work is often underestimated, perceived as easy and enjoyable due to its cultural and entertainment aspects, but it’s highly demanding and seasonal. To improve this, I would advocate for clearer work structures, ensuring fair compensation and support for all professionals. There should be enhanced support for emerging artists through financial assistance and performance opportunities. Additionally, implementing robust health and safety policies is crucial, alongside offering educational resources to help professionals manage the business side of the industry. By creating a more balanced and sustainable environment, we could provide a solid foundation for lasting and fulfilling careers in live music.

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