Ottawa Folk Festival is intended for all the representatives of society including aged people, families, and young people, but it has been noted that the attendance by young people is significantly less. This is explained by the fact that Ottawa Folk Festival is held after two large music festivals, and it is a volunteer-based organization that has a limited budget. Thus, young people have less enthusiasm to visit this festival.
Alternatives
A Status Quo
If the festival’s management would implement a no change scenario to the problem of a low level of attendance by young people, the state of affairs will stay the same: the festival will be only attended by aged people and families, but youngsters will ignore it. This is explained by the fact that folk festivals in general do not appeal to young people as they see them as obsolete and boring events, where the only option is available, and namely, it is in wasting precious time of youth.
Theory Statement
Recent business research studies indicated that attracting young people to an event of cultural life is the task that requires a special approach and outstanding creativity. Generally, such events are of minor interest for the majority of students and young working specialists. Young people have a different system of values to decide which events they find attractive; among them are an opportunity to have fun and be entertained; an opportunity to get something material, and an opportunity to associate with age mates.
Theory Application to the Case
Implementing the theory, describing young people’s interests in modern conditions, to visiting Ottawa Folk Festival, it appears that the difficult task of having more youngsters in the event should be approached from a variety of angels. First, a massive advertizing company is needed in places where young people gather. Reflecting on modern youngsters’ likes, a conclusion can be made that really attractive, brightly coloured and catchy fliers will be the best form of advertizing among this age group. This is explained by the fact that young people tend to spend more time socializing with their age mates in parks, cafes, cinemas, etc., and they generally tend to accept less information from the other sources. However, there exists an important exception, which is in the fact that youngsters also trust the information placed in social networks in the Internet. Therefore, similar catchy advertisements with the invitations to Ottawa Folk Festival should be spread in Facebook, Twitter, and the other popular social nets.
Pros and Cons
The Pros of the implementation of the above-mentioned theory are in the fact that the level of attendance by young people will definitely go up. In addition, some of them will develop interest in cultural matters that are conveyed through the program of Ottawa Folk Festival, and they will find their sympathizers, which will make them regular visitors. However, there exist considerable minuses. In particular, Ottawa Folk Festival is a voluntary organization and it has a limited budget. It may well appear that there will be not enough finance to conduct a proper advertizing company.
Analysis
The evaluation of Pros and Cons
Pros outweigh Cons as a massive and catchy advertising campaign has always been the best way to attract the attention of young people. However, the final decision regarding financial matters is to be done by the President of the festival. In case financial means of the festival are not enough for the advertizing campaign, it may be lessened to a minimum, and combined with the other strategies describes below.
Viable alternatives
A viable alternative to a considerable and costly advertizing program can be seen in developing a row of the other arrangements attracting young people to the event.
Not all young people are interested in visiting the Ottawa Jazz Festival and Ottawa Bluesfest because of their different cultural values. These young people should be especially targeted during the period when invitations to Ottawa Folk Festival will be distributed. To attract such young people, all one needs to do is to simply highlight the main points of the program of the festival.
Young people should be offered an opportunity to participate in the festival’s program. For example, they may perform as dancers. This will create a basis for a bigger amount of young people to visit the event as friends will definitely come to support those who will take part in the festival’s program.
The festival’s management may contact management of local educational establishments, and especially of the colleges and universities, where art is taught. They may offer the managers of such establishments to encourage their students to visit the event with a goal of acquiring additional credits after writing essays about the event or for participating in the event’s program. The educational establishment, in turn, may also benefit from this arrangement by receiving a status of an establishment actively participating in voluntary cultural programs that make the social and cultural life in Ontario.
The budget released from paying for the advertizing company or any other available funds may be used to offer free snakes and drinks during the festival’s programs, which will attract young people in a very effective way. The other opportunity to offer free food and drinks during the program, which is so important for young people who are always ready to be present anywhere for the sake of having meals, is to organize a competition in the best dish of the Canadian cuisine or in the best snake that can be cooked in field conditions.
The evaluation of alternatives
The alternative is an excellent solution for having more young people in Ottawa Folk Festival both if it is implemented separately, and if it is used in combination with the massive advertizing campaign. In combination, the two strategies solve the primary and satellite problems in the most efficient way because young people will be encouraged to visit Ottawa Folk Festival for a variety of reasons.
Recommended Solution
The task of having as many young people as possible in the event can be accomplished best of all in case all the offered strategies are implemented in combination including the catchy advertizing campaign, offering young people an opportunity to participate in the event, offering free food and drinks, connecting the local educational establishment with the offerings of cooperation, and appealing to those young people who do not normally visit previous festivals held in June and July.
Implications
Organization
The organization of the event is a critically important point for the attendance by young people. To really attract youngsters, it should include available options for them to have fun, to entertain themselves, to feel important (for example, to participate in the program of the event), feel welcomed, and see a practical value in their presence (for example, getting extra credits in colleges and universities or having an opportunity to be feasted with free snakes and drinks).
Personnel
The personnel at the event should create a welcoming atmosphere for all the categories of visitors including young people. Of course, it should look natural because young people get nervous if they see bias or the too welcoming reception. Generally, the staff should be friendly and positive, and should make a good impression by pleasant speech. Besides, it is a good idea for the personnel to be dressed in fashionable clothing of bright colors that would add more attractiveness to the atmosphere of the event. Finally, the management of the festival should look for ways to hire as many young people as possible (maybe volunteers) because it will appeal to young visitors, and will also attract more young people who will come to support their friends.
Implementation
Immediate Term
The management of the festival should make their decision regarding the advertizing campaign, and start it in the Internet as soon as it is possible. Young people should see ads on their profiles in social nets. For this, students studying IT may be also attracted through their educational establishments and the opportunity of winning more credits and a working experience. Thus, the funds of the festival can be spent more economically.
Short Term
The management of the event should announce the opportunity to participate in the event for all the young people who desire to do so.
Long Term
The management of the festival should continue promoting it among young people in their educational establishments and places of employment.
Concerts dedicated to jazz music and its modern interpretation, as a rule, gather a large audience since, regardless of specific preferences, almost any listener appreciates the quality sound of jazz ensembles.
One of these events took place not long ago, and it is worth noting that the performance was wonderful. In addition to high-quality music, the public could watch the representatives of three different universities, which made the performance even more fascinating. The concert “Calvin Jones Big Band Jazz Festival” was the party organized under the auspices of the great singer and musician Calvin Jones, and the festival celebrated its 33rd anniversary (“Calvin Jones Big Band Jazz Festival”). In general, both the quality of music and the variability of compositions allowed receiving great pleasure.
Description of the Concert
The concert’s location was the College of Arts and Science, and the event took place on April 29th, 2019. The beginning was scheduled for 8 p.m., but long before that time, the public had gathered. As a result, all the seats in the hall were occupied, although there was enough space. The most interesting feature of the show was the participation of bands from three different colleges – the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) Jazz Ensemble, the Howard University Jazz Ensemble, and the University of Maryland Jazz Ensemble. The scene was relatively close to the seats, and the acoustics were good. There was no emphasis on a light show since such effects are not typical for jazz concerts.
Instrumentation, Musicality, and Repertoire
The musicians of the three colleges created an amazing atmosphere of jazz, and each composition was unique not only due to its professional performance but also through different instrumental approaches. All ensembles included the representatives of standard jazz bands – saxophonists, trombonists, trumpeters, and rhythm section musicians (“Calvin Jones Big Band Jazz Festival”). However, each of the bands had its own vision of certain works, which they transmitted through playing.
For instance, individual parts were performed without solo singers, and all the variety of jazz as one of the most popular genres could be heard. The UDC ensemble presented the most extensive list of compositions, and their performance deserved applause due to the skill and talent of playing. It is hard to say that all the members of the UDC band adhered to a single principle of musicality. Paces, tones, and other aspects were different, and the audience probably was pleased that not only the classical techniques of syncopation and major modulations were utilized but also modern performance variations.
Technically, the musicians did an excellent job, which was their special merit since the repertoire was not easy. All the three universities presented different works, and the audience did not have to compare and evaluate the same songs. Diversity was also achieved due to the fact that individual pieces were performed not by whole ensembles but individual musicians, for example, a soloist, a trumpeter, and a pianist. This allowed making the concert even more colorful and exciting.
Personal Opinion
The whole performance deserved to be seen and heard, and the concert became a landmark event that would certainly be discussed for a long time. The musicians did an excellent job with a complex repertoire, and even the absence of any special visual effects did not disturb the harmony of the holiday. The entourage was appropriate in order to enjoy the music, and the organizers of the concert managed to create the atmosphere of a jazz festival that prevailed in the hall that evening.
Conclusion
The pleasure received from listening and watching the jazz concert performed by ensembles from three universities was achieved by the performers’ professionalism and the variety of their repertoire. The classic principles of playing were mixed with modern interpretations, which created a unique feeling of immersion in the harmony of music. The lack of special visual effects did not break the overall positive impression, and the festival became a landmark.
Being students in the class of intercultural communication, we had the opportunity to attend for an international film festival in Chicago. The Chicago International Film Festival is regarded as the oldest film festival in North America. It is organized by Cinema/Chicago and features films from all over the world. This festival is organized in Chicago every year since its inception in 1965 by Michael Kutza. As a matter of fact, the festival’s website points out that it has had a consistent objective that still remains to this moment, “… to discover and present new filmmakers to Chicago, and to acknowledge and award these filmmakers for their artistry” (par. 1).
This year’s event was one of the greatest. It pointed out the competitive nature of the event. Many films that had been slotted for the different categories clearly evidenced the established thesis of the festival which has always been the discovery, presentation and rewarding of creativity. The event provided a wide range of artistry that could be compared to non-other. All forms of films were represented in the various categories. Among the categories were feature films, categories for first time directors and their second time counterparts, documentaries, short films, student films, animations et cetera.
Question & answer session
Apart from watching the movies, spectators had the opportunity to come face to face with film directors and actors. During this session, the directors offered screening of their movies before holding a session for questions and answers. This was a chance for filmgoers to get the answers to the questions that they could have otherwise had no opportunity to ask. Accordingly, I had the opportunity to chat with several revered film directors. I had the opportunity to see the personality of the all-time great horror Dracula’s director, Christopher Lee, Four Little Girls’ director, Spike Lee and Catherine Breillat of the movie Fat Girl. I had a one on one chat with them and thus got to know what had been the inspiration that made them come up with such great movies.
Black perspective
Another exciting aspect of the festival was the section dubbed Black Perspectives. This gave opportunity to directors and actors who had afrocentric views to showcase their extraordinary talents. We had the opportunity of feasting on extremely diverse and rich films that portrayed a high sense of creativity and brilliance. This program also offered opportunity to directors and actors to bring out a clear picture of the black experience and hence make substantial contributions by broadening the world’s perception of the black people. It was from this program that the exemplary actions from Halle Berry, Morgan Freeman, Laurence Fishburne and many other directors and actors who had positively contributed to the black experience had been exposed.
Opium: diary of a madwoman
One of the movies that were featured in this festival was Opium: Diary of a Madwoman. This movie that draws its inspiration from Hungary’s Geza Cath, a neurologist brings out the issue of ethics in the contemporary society. It points out how a professional can go against his work ethics with a selfish intention of acquiring his personal interests. In the movie, Dr. Josef Brenner (Ulrich Thomsen) is addicted to Morphine. He believes that a small dose of morphine was enough to steer his creative string. As a result, he heads to a small remote asylum which hosts mentally disturbed women where he intends to acquire his desperately needed drug under pretext that it was meant for a psychoanalytic study. His plans face a hurdle when the director of the clinic identifies some non traditional approaches by this doctor. During this period, Dr. Brenner strikes a friendship cord with one of the asylum dwellers (Kristi Stubo). On her part, Kristi believes that the devil had claimed her soul. This makes Brenner make a lot of effort to rescue this lady from her pains. However, he does not use ethical means to achieve this goal. In addition, the intention of Dr. Brenner is not just to salvage the mentally disturbed Kristi but also to advance his own selfish desires. Yet, this method becomes effective to everyone’s surprise.
Positive implications
This event had a positive implication on me. I now appreciate all movies without their point of origin or without being referred to by a friend. Prior to this, I only watched a movie because it was from the United States but now, I watch movies from all over the world. I learnt to appreciate the cultures of other regions of the world. Specifically, I was really impressed by the Black Perspective program which opened my eyes concerning the black experience. To sum up everything, I learnt to appreciate other cultures and enjoy their creativity.
Negative reaction
The festival was completely educative. However, the only negative aspect that I realized was that most of these movies were from Europe and America. Asia was also partially represented but Africa had the least representation. To clearly portray the afrocentric perspective, more movies from Africa should be featured. This would help people like me to understand the African culture and appreciate their artistry. In addition, it will give Africans an opportunity to rank themselves with other developed continents. This does not major purely on Africa but also some parts of Asia and South America. If all these are equitably incorporated, Chicago International Film Festival will be a collection and celebration of the world’s culture.
Reference List
Chicago International Film Festival. (2009). 45th Anniversary of the Chicago International Film Festival. Web.
This paper seeks to analyze a multi-day festival to measure the effectiveness of such a festival in achieving its goals. The Multi-day festival selected for this purpose is the Edinburgh’s Festival in Scotland in which schedules of events are set on August 7-27, 2009. The multi-day festival includes the following activities that shall run throughout the period: “Mensch Bluetooth-delivered stories” by Juan Cruz, “Edinburgh Drawing: Chatter Shapes by Greg Creek’s,” “Dread” by Joshua Mosley, and “Elevation” by Lee Mingwei.
It must be noted that in each event launched, event organisers aim at creating unique experiences. These unique experiences are in synergy with the idea that different people gain different experiences, determined by their role and form of participation in such events. Experience of an event is gained in anticipation of it as well as during a person’s participation in such event and after attending it (Getz, 1997).
It may be inferred that the goals in engaging audiences in an event includes the behavioural, cognitive, and affective aspects. Influencing audience’s behaviour through the behavioural experience gained from the event is not enough. Rather, the cognitive and affective aspects must also be included. Hence, event planners and organisers must highly consider what people think about the event, which includes awareness, perception, and understanding of such event.
It is necessary that the event engages the audiences on these dimensions. Moreover, what people feel must also be taken into account, such as the emotions and values ensnared in the event (Getz, 1997). All of these are important considerations embodied in event planning, which the Edinburgh Festival also contains.
The Edinburgh Festival and Its Objectives
The Edinburgh Festival follows a mission of being the most exciting, innovative, and accessible festival in the world in the realm of the performing arts, promoting the cultural, educational, and economic well-being of the people of Edinburgh and Scotland (EIF, 2008).
This mission is achieved by presenting arts of the highest possible international standard as well as reflecting international culture to the people of the United Kingdom and the world. The mission and objective is also carried out through an international showcase of Scottish culture and events that involve innovative programming and commitment to new work. The festival also encourages active participation in the arts by collaborating with festival organisations. It also ensures that adequate core funding is achieved in order to fulfill its mission and thus sustainably address it (EIF, 2008).
“Mensch Bluetooth-delivered Stories” by Juan Cruz
A number of interconnected narratives circulating around the old city of Edinburgh are involved in Mensch. This exhibition uses the definition Mensch as someone of noble character who must be admired and emulated for his rectitude, dignity, and a sense of what is right (EIF, 2009a). In this exhibition, Cruz depicts stories that wander through social change through his examination of the shifting status of professional men such as the priest, artist, and shepherd. Anna MacDonald and Charlotte Date are the project coordinators for the Mensch event. The exhibition shall run from August 7-26, 2009.
Cruz’s “Mensch Bluetooth-delivered Stories” outlines the achievement of the above objectives of the festival, with its presentation of the performing arts through interconnected narratives of the old city of Edinburgh. Making the exhibition available to people from all walks of life and to a vast variety of audiences is reflected in the event that extends from August 7 to August 26. It may be posited that the event’s usage of the theme of the shifting status of professional men is in consonance with the festival’s mission on innovation. The festival’s objective of accessibility is reflected in the event’s free admission that allows people to visit, unblocked by expenses posed by admission fees.
“Edinburgh Drawing: Chatter Shapes” by Greg Creek
A form of city panorama is depicted in “Edinburgh Drawing: Chatter Shapes” in which Greg Creek combines Edinburgh’s darker underbelly. Doodles, scenes, scatological notations, and invented prose intersperse detailed drawings of Edinburgh’s architecture in which a delicate ornamentation of place is built. Audiences are lured to travel to a visual journey that represents both place and time, which Creek’s drawings emphasise. Historical, contemporary, and fictional events, people, and subjects are contained in these drawings, making it possible for people to travel to this visual journey (EIF, 2009b). The exhibition runs from August 7-27, 2009. The Dean Gallery is the venue for the event, and admission is free.
“Dread” by Joshua Mosley
Dread is a digital film by Joshua Mosley featuring animated clay figures. A fictional encounter between two of history’s significant philosophical thinkers are presented, particularly Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Blaise Pascal. The film contains an encounter between the two philosophers who meet whilst on a journey through woodlands and begin contemplating about creation and central philosophical queries that revolve on the divinity of God and His secular involvement in history. Mosley’s film also asks if man is inherently good, contradicting the doctrine of original sin adopted by the church (EIF, 2009c). The film runs everyday from August 7-27, 2009 at the Dean Gallery with free admission.
Edinburgh International Festival’s objectives are seen in Mosley’s “Dread” in which animated clay figures are featured in digital film. This connotes innovation and creativity that transgress from the usual and traditional mode of film-making. Innovative programming is embodied in the film, which is likewise set in the mission of the Edinburgh International Festival.
The cultural and educational well-being of people are also enhanced by the film with its theme involving the philosophical question about the nature of God and man’s inherent nature in a discussion between Rousseau and Pascal, who were represented by clay figures.
“Elevation” by Lee Mingwei
Lee Mingwei creates anan installation that fills one side of the gallery and elevates viewers in the same manner as Edinburgh’s physical situation. This physical situation is perched above, allowing for observation of the surrounding terrain and the ornaments on Edinburgh’s buildings. Through this elevation, gallery visitors at floor level are able to see people above them. Lee’s “Elevation” synergises with the idea that different perspectives can be offered by sitting high up and looking down on others in addition to the sensation of being above a place. It gives an overview that creates a large mental space (EIF, 2009d).
Lee’s “Elevation” is an innovative art that meets the goals and objectives of the festival. As the festival aims to present cultural arts that have never been presented anywhere else in the world, “Elevation” is a pioneering installation that allows people to observe the overview of Edinburgh’s surrounding terrain and buildings.
The four events of the festival attempt at instilling behavioural, cognitive, and affective values to their audiences as they endeavor to promote the cultural, educational, and economic well-being of the people in Scotland. The cultural well-being is reflected in the presentation of the Scottish culture in all events, whilst the educational well-being is promoted in the educational values contained in all events, which students of the arts and humanities can generate from.
The economic aspect of the events is seen in their economic accessibility, in which visitors are able to save for these entertainments and distinct experience compared to the usual forms of entertainment often sought out in today’s world. It is also worth-mentioning that each dimension affects the audience’s level of engagement, such as active (education) and passive (entertainment) and physical and mental engagement (Getz, 1997). The four events are a mixture of passive and active engagement. Cruz’s “Mensch Bluetooth-delivered Stories,” Creek’s “Edinburgh Drawing: Chatter Shapes”, and Mosley’s “Dread” are characteristically mental whilst Lee Mingwei’s Elevation is physical.
It may also be inferred that the four events are able to possess the power to connect with people as audiences mentally absorb them and be physically immersed with them. These characteristics are naturally embodied in successful events as they attempt to create unique experiences. With the unique presentation of the Edinburgh International Festival, particularly of the four mentioned events by Cruz, Mosley, Creek, and Lee, pre-liminal, luminal, and post-liminal stages are attempted to.
The pre-liminal stage is reflected in the events’ pursuit to present arts that bring and separate the audiences from normality, apparently seen in their very nature. Their luminal stage is seen in their attempt to make a transition to another realm of being – from the ordinary to the extraordinary – such as Cruz’s “Mensch Bluetooth-delivered Stories” Creek’s “Edinburgh Drawing: Chatter Shapes”, and Lee’s “Elevation.”
The Event Experience
Getz (2009) states that “event design is the creation and conceptual development of an activity that aims to maximise the positive and meaningful impact for both audience and participants.” The same idea is contextualised in the festival’s events. In this pursuit, it is important to enquire about the participants need.
These needs include staging and technical requirements, which are crucial necessities in setting up the equipment needed for presenting Cruz’s and Creek’s exhibitions, of Mosley’s digital film (which mainly lies on technological enhancement and innovation), and Lee’s elevation installation that needs ample of sturdy equipments and materials. Networking, which is done through coordination with various cultural and educational organisations, is achieved by the events, not to mention the usage of the internet to market the activities.
Defining a theme is part of launching an event, which the Edinburgh International Festival itself pursues. Thus, it is important to contemplate about what is being celebrated, the activities that people engage in, the emotional stimulation embodied in the event, and the scripted program that people observe (Getz, 2009). The theme of the festival is basically depicting the Scottish culture through the arts and other cultural presentations.
“Communitas” are also embedded in the experience of people of these events wherein they are brought together to a temporary state and are removed from ordinary life to share a common experience. A sense of belonging is promoted in these events, as people experience awe, enjoyment, and new learning in them (Getz, 1997).
A model of the event experience includes the antecedents (needs, motives, expectations, and preparation), separation (valorisation rituals and entry statements), and reversion (feelings of loss, renewal, and transformation) of the event, which are often considered when planning an event of a unique experience.
Event Impacts and Evaluation
People are impacted by Cruz’ “Mensch Bluetooth-delivered Stories” by becoming aware and familiarised by the interconnected narratives circulating around the old city of Edinburgh, embodied in the exhibition. They are also made to contemplate on the existing social statuses of people as they are carried into noble characters of rectitude, dignity, and sense of what is right and earn moral education through it.
On the other hand, Creek’s “Edinburgh Drawing: Chatter Shapes” creates an impact to audiences through his depiction of city panorama through detailed drawings of doodles, scenes, scatological notations, and invented prose (EIF, 2009b). They are also carried to a different dimension as they are taken to a visual journey that represents both place and time. In the same manner, audiences are taken to a different dimension, thereby giving them a unique experience as Mosley introduces animated clay figures that show innovation in his digital film “Dread.” Thus, audiences are impacted by being shown this distinct experience as they learn the philosophical and theological questions often asked about God and His existence.
Meanwhile, Lee’s “Elevation” creates an impact by advancing an art through technological innovation embodying Edinburgh’s physical situation. People are hence able to connect this kind of technological innovation to that of their own experience with technology and consider this an addition to already existing knowledge of the realm.
Event Design
Based on the information gathered from the four events that embody the Edinburgh International Festival, their impact is primarily towards the cultural enhancement of Scotland. We may infer that the arts are effective venues for staging such purpose since people readily engage in the enrichment of their senses and involvement of their cognitive and affective well-being. It is through the arts that people are able to appreciate their culture exhibited in such avenues.
Event Programming
The four events in Edinburgh International Festival are programmed according to the mission of the festival and are carried out through subsidies from taxpayers through increased taxation. Some businesses and key stakeholders may also contribute financially to fund the festival and make its activities possibly successful. The outcomes of the events need to be evaluated according to individual, economic, social, and environmental aspects, whichever applies, so that future planning of the same nature of events may consider negative feedbacks and reinforce the positive ones.
It is also important to consider what the audiences need for a unique experience. This generally involves entertainment, emotional experience, and relational experience, which the Edinburgh International Festival purports to take place through the four events. Considering the concept of creativity is likewise an important consideration in events like these, in which the ability to create, to bring into existence, and to invest with a new form is carried out. Creativity is reflected in the four events as a novel and relational product emerges out of the uniqueness of the individual (Rodgers, 1968).
Public Policy
Since Edinburgh International Festival is a non-profit event, the festival is not legally entitled to carry out profitable activities but vastly relies on public funding, sponsorship, donations, and other financial help from outside sources. In return, the festival is able to promote the Scottish culture in the entire UK and around the world. Through legislations that serve the purposes of non-profit organisations and activities, the festival carries out innovative, artistic, entertaining, and educational cultural activities.
The subsidy theory is used in understanding public policy carried out in the festival. It explains the existence of non-profit firms and proposes that some security is afforded by the non-profit model on the idea that the funds provided by philanthropic providers proceed to the cause intended for such purpose (Hansmann, 1981 in Getz, 2009). The same pursuit is aimed at the events sponsored by philanthropic organisations and other stakeholders in the Edinburgh International Festival.
Event Management
The event management of Edinburgh International Festival is pursued through the sponsorship of the Bank of Scotland, Homecoming Scotland, and the Government of Victoria, Australia through Arts Victoria (EIF, 2009a).
Tickets for the four mentioned events are free, with a daily duration for the shows with the series “Visual Arts – The Enlightenments.” Juliana Engberg, Curator of the Enlightenments and Anna MacDonald and Charlotte Day, Project Coordinators, ensure that the events are carried out successfully through initial planning and coordination with various organisations, arts associations, governments, individuals, and other stakeholders. Event planning ensures outlines the goals of the events in great consideration and reference to the festival’s mission. Events undergo post-event evaluation in which strengths and weaknesses are pointed out for beneficial use.
Event Sponsorship
As mentioned, event sponsorship is one of the means in which events are carried out. The same is undertaken by the four events by Cruz, Creek, Mosley, and Lee. In Cruz’s “Mensch Bluetooth-delivered Stories,” the sponsors are the Bank of Scotland, Homecoming Scotland, and the Government of Victoria, Australia through Arts Victoria. Creek, Mosley, and Lee’s events also have the same sponsors. They are all presented in partnership with the Dean Gallery, National Galleries of Scotland (EIF, 2009c).
Corporate sponsorship is a model that supports organisations in their pursuit to extend financial and material support to non-profit organisations in exchange for some corporate aims and objectives (Coughlan and Mules, 2001 in Yeoman, et al., 2004).
A model of the event experience includes the antecedents (needs, motives, expectations, and preparation), separation (valorisation rituals and entry statements), and reversion (feelings of loss, renewal, and transformation) of the event, which are often considered when planning an event of a unique experience.
The subsidy theory is used in understanding public policy carried out in the festival. It explains the existence of non-profit firms and proposes that some security is afforded by the non-profit model on the idea that the funds provided by philanthropic providers proceed to the cause intended for such purpose (Hansmann, 1981 in Getz, 2009). The same pursuit is aimed at the events sponsored by philanthropic organisations and other stakeholders in the Edinburgh International Festival.
Corporate sponsorship is a model that supports organisations in their pursuit to extend financial and material support to non-profit organisations in exchange for some corporate aims and objectives (Coughlan and Mules, 2001 in Yeoman, et al., 2004).
Comparison of Theories
The theory of corporate sponsorship is in synergy with the subsidy theory embodied in public policy as corporations seeking sponsorship for non-profit organisations want to ensure that the funds they release go to the intended purpose. On the other hand, a model of the event experience which includes antecedents, separation, and reversion is in accordance to staging activities that produce good outcomes and attract the sponsors’ attention.
Conclusion
Apparently, the Edinburgh International Festival is able to achieve the goals identified through the events of Cruz’s “Mensch Bluetooth-delivered Stories,” Creek’s “Edinburgh Drawing: Chatter Shapes,” Mosley’s “Dread,” and Lee’s “Elevation.” The four events embodying the festival characteristically depict the Scottish culture through the performing arts that promote the cultural, educational, and economic well-being of the people in Edinburgh and Scotland in general. Through sponsorship and utilisation of available public policy, the festival carries out its objectives and attains them.
References
EIF (Edinburgh International Festival) (2008) Edinburgh international festival ’. Web.
EIF (Edinburgh International Festival) (2009a) Juan Cruz – Mensch: Bluetooth-delivered stories. Web.
EIF (Edinburgh International Festival (2009b) Greg Creek – Edinburgh drawing: Chatter Shapes. Web.
EIF (Edinburgh International Festival) (2009c) Joshua Mosley: Dread. Web.
EIF (Edinburgh international Festival) (2009d) Lee Mingwei: Elevation. Web.
Getz, D. (1997) Event management and event tourism, Cognizant Communication Corporation.
Getz, D. (2009) Events studies: theory, research and policy for planned events, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, p. 327-350.
Rodgers, C. (1968) on being a person best, New York: Houghton Mifflin Company.
Yeoman, I, Robertson, M, Ali-Knight, J, Drummond, S & McMahon-Beattie, U, 2004. Chapter 17 ‘A strategic approach for the use of sponsorship in the events industry: in search of a return on investment’. In Festivals and Events Management: an international arts and culture perspective. Butterworth Heinemann, Oxford.