CASE STUDIES IN FESTIVAL AND EVENT MARKETING AND CULTURAL TOURISM by Jane Ali-Knight (Editor), Donna Chambers (Editor) ( 9781905369034 )

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Title:

CASE STUDIES IN FESTIVAL AND EVENT MARKETING AND CULTURAL TOURISM

By:

Jane Ali-Knight (Editor), Donna Chambers (Editor)

Format:

Paperback

List price:	£26.00
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ISBN 10:

1905369034

ISBN 13:

9781905369034

Publisher:

LEISURE STUDIES ASSOCIATION

Pub. date:

1 July, 2006

Pages:

199

Synopsis:

"Case Studies in Festival and Event Marketing and Cultural Tourism: An Introduction" is written by Donna Chambers and Jane Ali-Knight, Centre for Festival and Event Management, Napier University Business School, Edinburgh, Scotland. This collection of papers emanates from the 2005 Leisure Studies Association Conference hosted by the Centre for Festival and Event Management at Napier University, Edinburgh. For the conference organisers, the focus on 'Festivals and Events: Beyond Economic Impacts' was inspired by a joint Tourism Society Scotland/LSA seminar - 'Running Events in Scotland: Local, National and International Perspectives' - held in Edinburgh in March 2003. This seminar highlighted the growing interest in, and lack of awareness of, the measurement of impacting factors with regards to the expanding festival and event industry. Several of the speakers from public bodies such as Edinburgh City Council and the Scottish Executive emphasised the need to expand current festival and event analysis beyond economic impacts with a strong desire to attempt to measure the social and cultural impacts of events - particularly on host destinations.The LSA 2005 conference featured more than 80 papers from a very diverse and international range of writers and researchers. This text pulls together an eclectic mix of some of the case studies presented, revealing a strong focus on festival and event marketing and cultural tourism. It offers a balanced selection of interesting festival and event case studies from academics and practitioners alike from around the globe, and that is where its interest and relevance lies. Impact and importance of festivals: Nowhere is the impact of festivals and events more evident than in Edinburgh (UK). Steve Cardownie (2001), Festivals Champion for the city, emphasises this when he says that "Edinburgh's Festivals are a vital part of city life - both for local residents and for the hundreds of visitors who come to Edinburgh each year." A recent economic impact study by key stakeholders in the city outlined that the Summer Festivals generated around GBP127m of new expenditure into the Edinburgh economy, GBP31m of income and an additional 2,500 full-time equivalent jobs which would not have existed if the festivals did not take place (City of Edinburgh Council, 2005).The multiplier effect on tourism businesses in the city is also significant with hotel occupancy rates typically soaring to 80-90 per cent in the capital during the festival period. Edinburgh City Council claim to be making GBP150million yearly from the festivals, making Edinburgh one of the fastest growing cities in the UK (The Guardian, 2002). The study also stresses that economic impacts is only one of many factors in the success of a festival, and one of the key strengths of the festivals is their ability to position Edinburgh as a 'Festival City' and maintain this in the face of increasing competition from other festivals. The Edinburgh Festival Community recognise the competitive nature of the industry and have commissioned a report, aptly entitled 'Thundering Hooves', to examine this in further depth and ensure that Edinburgh stays ahead of the field.While every festival must have identified cultural outcomes and associated criteria, some will offer only marginal economic benefit and others may have less obvious social impact (Graham Devlin and Associates, 2001) It is therefore unrealistic to measure each festival against the same criteria but to recognise the growing economic, social and cultural importance of festivals and events. The case studies presented in this volume complement work that has been done in the area of economic impacts of festival and events (Hall, 1992; Allen et al., 2005) and also give insight into the social and cultural impacts of events. All events can be seen to have a direct social and cultural impact on their participants and this impact can vary from a pure entertainment or aesthetic experience to increased civic pride, community cohesion and cultural expansion (Allen et al., 2005). Events can also help to politicise communities and bring key issues to the forefront to debate, uniting communities under a common goal or cause. The following case studies address some of these issues and give an insight into the wider contextualisation and benefits of festivals and events.Festival and event marketing: Much has been written on the ability of festivals and events to market a destination, position them in the marketplace and help create a desirable image to key market segments. In both theory and current applied activity, destination marketing is seen to assist a city in designated goals of tourism development, while also complementing the aims of the holistic strategic plan of the place. The core drivers of any strategic plan are to raise the competitiveness of a city and attract internal investment and improve the image of the destination, while also ensuring the best possible environment for citizens of the destination (Ali-Knight and Robertson, 2003). The use of image as a strategic destination management tool, and the measurability of its effects, has been common in the destination management literature. However, what has been clear is that current research has not developed one clear conceptual framework for this evaluation. Cities, enthusiastically, aim to market themselves and develop a destination image through the use of festivals and events as a key component in their tourism portfolio.This process of 'imagineering' a destination is not always advantageous: it can often serve to polarise economic and geographic disadvantage and alienate the host community (Robertson and Guerrier, 1998). The risk for many cities is that attempting to compete in the international festival and event arena, the cost required to compete at this level - and with short-term economic benefits unlikely and image-change being a long procedure - leads to a lack of focus for the destination, displaced funding and no clear image narrative (Ali-Knight and Robertson, 2003). What is clear therefore is that festival and events do have a place in destination marketing and image generation, but that this process must be carefully planned, researched and monitored and there must be a clear 'fit' with the strategic plan of the destination. Cultural tourism: Cultural tourism is seen to attract many definitions, as outlined in Buczkowska's chapter in this text, but it is evident that it can be seen as both a product and a process. Festivals and events can provide a key cultural product that can serve as a pull factor to the destination.Festivals and events are also part of the cultural process and policy of the destination, for example as outlined in Edinburgh's Cultural Policy which states that 'Culture is the mechanism through which individuals, communities and nations define themselves' (City of Edinburgh Council, 1999). It is this role therefore of festivals and events in helping to preserve, authenticate and develop the cultural framework of a destination that is explored in this text. The chapters: In Chapter 1, Mark Stewart, Tourism Development Manager of Liverpool Culture Company, examines whether Edinburgh's festival and events meet the needs of target tourism markets. Written whilst Mark was an employee in the Economic Development Unit at Edinburgh City Council, the chapter examines the role that festivals and events play as part of a product portfolio of a destination matched against the needs of an identified tourism market. He analyses the role of festival and events in meeting the needs of Edinburgh's target tourism markets - UK short breaks, European City Breaks and International Association conferences.Edinburgh's strategic approach to festival and event tourism is compared with another destination - Melbourne, chosen because of the perceived similarities as both cities strive to maintain their competitive edge through the development of a successful, focused and well-known festival and event portfolio. Key findings indicated that festivals and events are being used to increase visitor numbers to Edinburgh and that there is a strong link between the market for festivals and events and tourism generally, showing that they are meeting consumer needs. However, he further argues that when it comes to using festival and events strategically to reposition Edinburgh to different markets, conclusions are less easy to draw. What is clear however is that festivals and events are an increasingly important product and positioning tool for destinations and that this is evident in Edinburgh.Finally, Stewart offers practical recommendations for future research in this area including conducting research with visitors to Edinburgh, devising festival and event marketing imagery for all key stakeholders to include on marketing communications to target markets, and carrying out benchmarking with other cities - this is being conducted, as noted earlier, with the forthcoming 'Thundering Hooves' report. The theme of event marketing and destination image is explored further in Chapter 2. Ferrari and Adamo's case study focuses on a small Italian town, Rocella Ionica, where an annual International Jazz Festival takes place. They too examine the use of destination image as a flexible marketing tool and its ability to help position a place as a desirable target destination for specific target consumer groups. They devise a model to illustrate the main effects of an event and to show their relation to tangible effects such as an increase in tourist flows and new investment, as well as intangible effects related to place awareness and destination image.They attempt to define and describe the relationship between the place image and the event: in the case study this involved investigating the image of Rocella and the impact of the event on the town from the residents' point of view. Results revealed that the festival was successful in repositioning Rocella from a traditional seaside resort to a vibrant festival town appealing to new, younger, more diverse target markets. Finally, they analyse how the festival aids image improvement and increased notoriety of the destination and - through the festival's success, particularly in attracting the mass media - how the perception of the destination is changing. Chapter 3 moves to another part of Europe, Portugal, and away from analysing festivals and events in the context of destination image to an examination of the Mateus Palace Music Festival (MPMF) as a critique of performing arts marketing. Rodrigues and Correia identify the changes impacting on the performing arts sector, resulting in the need to adopt a more strategic marketing approach. Application of marketing to the performing arts sector is explored and the marketing strategies used by MPMF are examined.They discuss the 'negative predisposition' of many performing arts organisations when it comes to the marketing of their festival and events and the inherent clash with the creative value of the organisation. Performing Arts marketing is evaluated in the context of the marketing mix and its relevance and benefit as a management tool is emphasised. The marketing strategy of the Mateus Palace Foundation (MDF) is evaluated within the context of declining audiences, funding shortages and increased competition. Traditional marketing theory: target market analysis, the marketing mix and product positioning strategy are applied to the MDMF. Findings reveal a tight fit with these traditional strategies and the 'serious' music festival as outlined in the MDMF. If it is to survive into the future then an understanding of its market and the need for a pro-active marketing strategy enforcing the need to attract external funding and consolidate its own revenues is necessitated. The case study reveals an apparent awakening by the MDMF to the need to reverse current marketing practice and extend it to include market research and planning.The chapter therefore serves as a useful blueprint to other performing arts festivals, illuminating the importance of effective marketing to their future development and success. Chapter 4 moves away from traditional marketing approaches and Europe to examine the Dragon Boat Race Festival (DBRF) in China. Moreira uses the festival to discuss the evolution of festivals and events rooted in traditional culture against the backdrop of emerging destination development. Culture as a motivating factor to visit a destination is discussed as well as ideas of authentic, indigenous culture as a competitive tool for destinations. Issues such as loss of authenticity and the commodification of culture, due to increased demand, are examined. The Dragon Boat Race Festival, as the most prestigious Chinese festival in Western Countries, is presented as a case study illuminating the contribution of Chinese culture to the world. The DBRF can be viewed as both a sports and cultural event and is therefore successful in attracting visitors with motivations in each of these areas.The DBRF is intriguing as it introduces the debate of how to balance the significant economic yield of a festival with preservation of cultural integrity. Moreira shows that culture and economy are not necessarily incompatible and can be mutually beneficial. Culture can be seen to have an economic value that can be used to preserve and enhance it rather than destroy it. The case study stresses the cultural authenticity of the DBRF and how as part of a portfolio of festivals and events it can contribute significantly to the competitiveness of the destination. Chapter 5 continues the theme of cultural and event tourism with Buckzowska's evaluation of Poznan's International Fairs. She describes how the Fairs had cultural significance as a way of offering a 'window to the world' for the city during communist times also offering otherwise limited contact with foreigners. The Fairs were very much seen as an embodiment of Polish, and the city's, cultural life. The concept of 'Trade Fair Tourism' is discussed and its development and contribution to 'real' cultural and event tourism is outlined.The cultural legacy of Poznan, in terms of music, song and dance, is represented in the variety of events that the city holds. Experimental contemporary events as well as events that popularise historical traditions of the city are also discussed. Poznan is reviewed against various definitions of cultural tourism and the economic and social regeneration of the city is emphasised. Cultural events are seen to shape the city's value, character and inhabitants. The importance of the interaction between the myriad of events and the tourist infrastructure within the city is discussed. Thus the case study provides a useful insight into cultural transformation and regeneration through event tourism. In Chapter 6, Long and Sun's paper brings us back to the UK, to the North West of England, and evaluates the role of Chinese New Year festivals in helping to recreate Chinese Culture in the UK. They discuss the development of 'Chinatowns' in York, Manchester and Sheffield as places for holding Chinese themed festival and events.The festivals are discussed in the context of 'diasporic' community festivals and their contribution to "social inclusivity, place promotion, identity building and inter-cultural communication" (p. 107). The concept of diaspora is seen to be a useful tool for the analysis of festivals and cultural events originating from ethnic communities, and is significant due to the dispersed and diversified nature of the UK Chinese community. The growth of Chinatowns in UK cities is charted and their role as representing symbols of belonging and identity, structures, ownership and power within the Chinese community is discussed. The growth of Chinese New Year festivals is also seen to be symbolic of the linkage with other communities as they become spectacles for non Chinese communities and tourist attractions in their own right. The case study cities reflect the growing desire and recognition of the power of China as an economic and political force and the desire to do business with fast growing Chinese outbound markets. The staging of Chinese community festivals in British cities is therefore seen to be a significant driver in increasing 'cultural business diplomacy' with China.Thus the festivals are seen as a vehicle for developing relationships between, and within, local Chinese communities. In the final chapter, Finkel offers a case in which the relationship between festival, identity and place is examined in the context of a Contemporary Arts Festival. The role of community arts festivals in providing a collective emphasis for the local community and engendering their pride and support is explored. The focus of the paper is the Lafrowda Community Festival in St Just and its reliance on local community support for its continued existence. The study is interesting and relevant as it introduces problems and challenges associated with broader contemporary festival funding and support for small community festivals that are seen to fall outside government cultural funding agendas and private sponsorship ideals. Contemporary cultural policies and political agendas are explored and the move to comply with governmental economic and political motivations for festivals is critiqued. In particular, the view of festivals as panaceas to help achieve social inclusion and community cohesion is discussed.Finkel stresses the need for a further examination of the role of community arts festivals in the UK in the light of this changing governmental cultural agenda. In the example of the Lafrowda Festival she finds that arts festivals can make a major social contribution to an area, enhancing community life and making St Just a 'better place to live'. The chapter ends, significantly, arguing for a more holistic approach to festival funding and support that does not focus purely on economic and political motives but recognises the inherent value of the community arts festival in widening access to and involvement in the arts, engendering a sense of community pride and a 'feel good factor' that remains within the local community once festival time is over. Conclusion: We hope that this volume will help stimulate discussion about the true value and benefits of festivals and events to public bodies, private organisations and ultimately to the communities and destinations that host them. The case study approach adds an interesting and pertinent dimension, making the issues alive and relevant.Let the festival debate continue and hopefully this volume will help to fuel debate amongst researchers, practitioners and others.

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