Festivals and Events - The New Age - Essay Example

? Festivals and Events: The New Age Introduction As record number of tourist arrivals continue to flood to the region of the United Kingdom annually, it has become necessary for industry professionals to look for new and creative ways of attracting visitors. Just as any competitive business, the hospitality and tourism industry must continually reinvent itself in many areas to generate the enthusiasm and energy that is needed to keep people coming back (Vapaavuori, 2012). One way to accomplish this is by creating various festivals and events that attract individuals from a particular genre or culture to come to a region and stay for a period of days, all the while enjoying a spectacle of interest to them. This concept has become so popular in recent years, however, that there is now the danger of having a glut of such events that are aimed at the same demographic group (Santino, 2009). This has been a most interesting development in regards to the creation of even more specialized festivals and events that are truly unique to one particular geographical region. This is showing great signs of success and is likely to be a trend that will continue into the future. This report at three different such festivals and events in the nations of England, Wales, and Scotland. Focused on will be the background to such events, the type of tourist that is target, and its economic and tourism related benefits that are arising in the region as a result. 2. The Green Man Festival - Wales 2.1 Festival Background The Green Man Music Festival is generally held over a four day period in the Black Mountains of Wales. It has been in existence for only ten years and was formed in response to the increasing desire to host a truly independent music festival within the region. It is quite an eclectic event that definitely appeals to a particular demographic group. The event was the brainchild one family from Wales, and the festival now truly takes on a family type atmosphere, as many of the visitors come year after year, creating a reunion type atmosphere. The festival itself is designed to have quite an intimate feel to it, yet it has multiple attractions and performers to keep things going around the clock. The location itself is also another unique component of the festival, as it is in the wilderness, yet is only 3 hours away from either London, Manchester, or Brighton, and only 90 minutes away from Bristol. The developers and designers of this particular festival wanted to provide a unique and different experience, realizing that not everyone can travel to multiple festivals each and every year. From the reality that this is one of the only festivals in the entire United Kingdom to have a 24-hour alcohol beverage license to the reality that they have developed many options for children to enjoy as well, the Green Man Festival has developed a truly niche market that has positioned itself for future growth despite its young age. 2.2 Linkage to Tourism Development (Visitor Numbers and Economic Impact) The Green Man Festival began as a small and intimate event on the Wales calendar, but today is by far the largest music festival in the country. The first year, the festival attracted 300 people, yet it received rave reviews from most in attendance, and the festival even had to move locations in its second year in order to accommodate all of the interest. Now in its tenth year, the Green Man Festival attracts more than 15,000 people annually, and its economic impact is felt far and wide. While the event itself has grown into four days of music and festivities, permission has recently been granted to allow attendees to remain on the festival ground for an entire seven days (Frost & Laing, 2013). This has allowed the surrounding areas in Wales to benefit from this tourist event as well, as thousands of travelers now descend on the region annually. The Green Man Festival is about more than just music. The organizers of the event have created an event that is known region wide as being non-corporate and ethnically minded. They have a range of holistic and nature activities designed to attract a niche audience. There are now nine different stages containing over 400 different musicians annually, providing a boom to the music industry as well. The event is a place for new artists to become known outside of Wales. The festival is young, but given the reality that it has survived by attracting some of the newest acts in the business, and that it has generated the support of the Welch government, it is certainly likely to only continue to grow in years to come (Clarke & Jepson, 2011). 2.3 Analysis of Festival Management The management team at the Green Man Festival are certainly well versed in the principles of events and festivities, particularly as they related to a niche market. Every component of the operation is managed to attract a specific demographic group, and all of their marketing is conducted to that end. From the limitless numbers of bars and alcoholic venues, to the number of stages providing a range of everything from reggae to techno to stoner rock music, the unique tastes of this musically oriented audience are met. The organizers have strived to put together an eclectic event that attracts a variety of literature, film, and theater oriented individuals as well. As this group prefers to stay in reasonably priced accommodations near to the event venue, the current location suits the needs of the Green Man Festival well. The current camp and festival site is zoned and equipped to host up to 20,000 visitors at a time, which the management deems the limit as to the number of individuals they would want to attend an event of this nature anyway. They now have built up the infrastructure to where they are able to provide round the clock entertainment is a safe and confined area. The festival has grown, and long with that its impact on this region of Wales has been positively impacted as well. The Green Man Festival is now a regular event of the calendar in the region and one that is look forward to annually by travelers throughout the United Kingdom, and indeed all of Europe. 3. The Bloody Scotland Crime Writing Festival 3.1 Event Background The Bloody Scotland Crime Writing Festival is a new addition to the events circuit in Scotland and certainly attract a special kind of traveler. This is a unique event that was developed in response to the growing interest in crime novels based upon the region of the United Kingdom. Recent years have seen a resurgence of interest in such novels, and many writers are jumping into the fold and trying to perfect their craft. The event has been held for two years, and there are already plans in the work for the 2014 edition. The festival itself was the brainchild of two crime novel enthusiasts, Alex Gray and Lin Anderson, and is designed to showcase “all that is great in Scottish crime literature and the fabulous authors who excite, thrill and entertain us” (Prentice & Anderson, 2013). The event spans three days and hosts famous crime writers, aspiring writers, and readers of crime novels. It is located across multiple venues in Stirling, Scotland, with a central venue where all participants and presenters alike gather in the evenings for social events. The event truly is unique and moves away from more tradition music and arts festivals that are almost in excess throughout Scotland. 3.2 Linkage to Tourism Development (Visitor Numbers and Economic Impact) The first year that Bloody Scotland operated, 2012, saw over 3,000 attendees (Fisher, 2012). This is a most respectable number for such an event that is certainly with a niche market. That number grew this past year to over 5,000 and the interest continues to grow. The press has given the event reviews for its management and quality of presenters, and the venues are close together and well maintained. While the event is relatively short, with many travelers only staying two nights, the economic impact on the area is quite noticeable. The University of Stirling is a major sponsor of the event and has noted a rise in interest in literary pursuits throughout the region. This past year, a total of 48 crime writers participated in the festival, which hosted 35 different events in the span of 3 days. The media is now claiming that, “In just two years, the event is well established in the cultural calendar…the festival has grown significantly this year” (Prentice & Anderson, 2013). A major breakthrough for the event was in being able to attract one of the most famous crimes writers globally, Jo Nesbo, who has sold more than 20 million books worldwide. This was a huge draw for Bloody Scotland and has helped put its name on the map for individuals interested this particular type of event. It has been a boom for the tourist industry of the area as many of the more than 5,000 visitors come from outside Stirling. 3.3 Analysis of Event Management The simple fact that Bloody Scotland has garnered such tremendous support in such a short span of time speaks well of its management. The organizers of the event have worked to sustain a solid lineup of sponsors who believe in the festival and want to see it succeed. Tourism events of this magnitude are often difficult to organize, manage, and maintain due to the number of different venues and logistics involved (Friedman, 2011). This past year saw seven different sites being utilized and all indications are that everything went off without a notice hitch. This creates a more intimate and enjoyable experience for the participants, as they are able to choose which events they want to attend during the festival and they can be reasonably assured that they will have no problem being accommodated. In addition, even in this niche market there are various interests amongst the attendees. On each of the three days, the organizers of the event provide three different options, that are in different genres of crime writing, from which participants can choose from (Morgan, 2006). This adds to the intrigue of the event and it enables each venue to be utilized to its maximum capacity. In addition, this structure will serve to accommodate the future growth of the event as the infrastructure is already in place for multiple events to be held simultaneously, thus accommodating a larger crowd. 4. OsFest Music Festival in Shropshire, England 4.1 Event Background It is interesting to note that in 2004 there were a mere 100 music festivals located throughout all of the United Kingdom. As of this past year, that number had mushroomed to over 700. With this number of events beginning every year, it is plausible to conclude that many will certainly fail. The market is simply changing too rapidly for many festivals to keep up. One event that began three years ago is the OsFest Music Festival in Shropshire, and it certainly appears to be one of the ones that will make it. In its very first year back in 2010, more than 5,000 people attended. Part of the appear in forming this particular festival was the rural location of the venue and ready accessible to host an event of this magnitude. In contrast with other music festivals that have seen explosive growth in numbers, such as Bestival with began with 5,000 and have grown to have over 50,000 in annual attendance (Robinson and Clifford, 2012), OsFest is purpose driven and strives to keep the number of people below 10,000. This has become a major drawing point festival attendees as the quality lineup, couple with the more intimate and family atmosphere, lends itself to becoming an annual stop for many music lovers and travelers. 4.2 Linkage to Tourism Development (Visitor Numbers and Economic Impact) OsFest has an enormous impact economically on Shropshire, even though it has only been in existence for three years. The event is already one of the highlights of the tourist calendar in the area, and residual income received from the thousands of visitors that come from around the United Kingdom is quite noticeable and extreme. As mentioned, the festival now attracts more than 7,500 people and the number of individuals coming from outside the county has increased exponentially in the last two years. As the event continue to become more known throughout the United Kingdom, this number will likely continue to increase (Quinn, 2005). The lineup of musicians that have agreed to perform is also quite stellar considering the relatively small size of the festival. This past year saw JLS and The Enemy attending the festival, which are two enormously popular groups that appeal to this particular demographic. 4.3 Analysis of Event Management The OsFest Music Festival is well managed and has learned to adapt to the changing needs and desires of today’s travelers. In years past, rustic camping and minimal standards were the norm, and they were accepted. Today, however, even music festival attendees require something a bit more thought out. So, whereas festivals of old often started as a small stage out in the middle of the wilderness somewhere, today’s startup festivals must have better planning from the outset. From its inception, OsFest focused on providing visitors with clean toilets, showers, a range of food options, local beer and ales, high quality sounds system, and minimal distractions. In addition, while the festival is outdoors in a wooded area, the organizers have worked hard to create areas that would be free from mud, in addition to areas that are family friendly. These provisions are all in line with industry theory about how to effectively manage and promote festivals (Anderton, 2011). OsFest has been able to attract sponsors due to its effective management, and the organizers appear to be well equipped to handling the strict budgeting guidelines that are desperately needed to make such an event a financial success. While the cost to host an event that contains such a high level of standards and planning is much higher, with proper planing OsFest has proven that it can be done, and quite successfully at that. 4. Conclusion Festivals and events have certainly developed into a niche market. As the modern traveler becomes more adventurous and desires to attend multiple events in any given year, the market for such attractions will likely continue to grow. It is important, however, that festivals be properly managed in order to provide the quality of services and the lineup that visitors want (Morgan, 2006; Oakes, 2010). The consequences of doing otherwise can be financially devastating. Because of the success of the three recent start-up events mentioned in this report, surrounding areas would be wise to support event organizers, as the concept can be mutually beneficial to everyone involved if properly managed. References Anderton, C. (2011). Music festival sponsorship: Between commerce and carnival. Arts Marketing, 1(1), 145. Clarke, A. and Jepson, A. (2011). Power and hegemony within a community festival. International Journal of Event and Festival Management, 2(1), 7-19. Fisher, J. (2012). Auteurist mutations: The Locarno film festival. Film Criticism, 37(1), 55. Friedman, R. (2011). Tribeca film festival. Millennium Film Journal, 54(1), 88. Frost, W., and Laing, J. (2013). Communicating messages through slow food festivals. Journal of Vacation Marketing, 19(1). Morgan, N. (2006). Voices: Peninsula arts contemporary music festival. Computer Music Journal, 30(3), 77. Oakes, S. (2010). Profiling the jazz festival audience. International Journal of Event and Festival Management, 1(2), 110-119. Prentice, R., and Andersen, V. (2013). Festival as creative destination. Annals of Tourism Research, 30(1), 7-30. Quinn, B. (2005). Arts Festivals and the City. Urban Studies, 42(5/6), 927-943. Robinson, R., and Clifford, C. (2012). Authenticity and festival foodservice experiences. Annals of Tourism Research, 39(2), 571-600. Santino, J. (2009). The ritualesque: Festival, politics, and popular culture. Western Folklore, 68(1), 9-26. Vapaavuori, P. (2012). Nordic keyboard festival. Early Music, 40(4), 726. Read More