Festivals Strategy Edinburgh

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FESTIVALS AND THE CITY

THE EDINBURGH FESTIVALS STRATEGY

June 2001

This report was researched and written by Graham Devlin Associates


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Foreword

As the recently appointed Festivals and Events Champion for the city, I am delighted to welcome

the publication of the Festivals Strategy. This document highlights the commitment the Council,

the festivals and a wide range of partners have made to developing and enhancing the citys

festivals. First and foremost, the festivals are important because they enrich our lives. But they

also generate a large amount of cultural tourism, which makes a significant contribution to the

economic wellbeing of Edinburgh and of Scotland as a whole.

I view my role of Festivals and Events Champion as an exciting challenge and look forward to

working with the festivals and other key partners to take forward the recommendations made by

the Strategy.

Councillor Steve CardownieExecutive Member for Leisure and Culture

Festivals/Events Champion


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LIST OF CONTENTS Page number

SUMMARY i

INTRODUCTION 1

PART 1 THE CONTEXT

1.1 Why does Edinburgh need a Festivals Strategy? 4

1.2 Tomorrows world 7

1.3 Starting from today 11

1.4 Impacts 18

1.5 Comparators 24

PART 11 THE VISION

2.1 The need for a shared vision 30

2.2 The vision 31

2.3 The practical application of the vision 32

2.4 Strategic objectives 34

PART 111 THE STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

3.1 To sustain and develop a range of high quality 36festivals or festival-related events mainly concentrated

in August but also taking place throughout the year

3.2 To develop the audience for the festival programme 50

through advocacy, promotion and marketing

3.3 To increase the engagement of Edinburghs citizens with 62

the festivals, and the benefit they get from them

3.4 To strengthen and clarify relationships within and between 72

the festivals and the Council

3.5 To develop a strategic framework for the allocation 85

and, where appropriate, the sharing of resources

PART IV RECOMMENDATIONS 92


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FESTIVALS AND THE CITY

THE EDINBURGH FESTIVALS STRATEGY

SUMMARY

Context

This Festivals Strategy has been developed in tandem with an Events Strategy for the city. These

two documents should be read as sibling documents and implemented on a co-ordinated and

integrated basis.

Background

Edinburgh is host to fifteen national and international festivals, as well as several community and

participative festivals. The festivals are a vitally important part of Edinburgh's life, with principal

impacts lying in the areas of cultural, social and economic benefit and civic profile. City of

Edinburgh Council (CEC) recognises this importance, funding them to the tune of about 2.2m in

1999/2000 and they are also supported, in varying degrees, by SE Edinburgh and Lothian and theScottish Arts Council.

Compared with their peers in the UK and internationally, the festivals provide very good value to

the city. Festivals with the turnover of Edinburgh's would, on a national average, expect to receive

about 300k more in local subsidy while, internationally, public support accounts for

approximately 42% of major European festivals budgets (against EIF 35.4%). Smaller festivals

receive about 35% (Edinburgh 28%) and Fringe Festivals 11% (7%). Australian and even

American festivals also enjoy a greater proportion of public support.

Edinburgh cannot afford to be complacent about its place in the international festivals'

marketplace. It must respond to external issues (such as an increasingly cash-rich/time poor

society, the increased competitionfor leisure spending, and the current strength of the pound) and

specific factors (e.g. the perception that a visit to Edinburgh in summer is becoming too

expensive, or concerns about the quality of some areas of festival activity).

The festivals will also need to take account of emerging demographic and cultural trends if they

are to optimise their position over the next few years, including the possibility that changed

audience expectations and demands will require different approaches to programming.

The festival year


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Losing residents sympathy through disruption to their quality of life.Whilst CEC should be wary of creating or supporting new festivals before securing and stabilising

the existing framework it could consider helping forward a new festival which met a number of

essential criteria. Most existing festivals have chosen their present dates for good reason, and any

re-scheduling would need to be supported by a cost benefit analysis.

In practice, there are two windows in the year for additional festivals the late autumn, leading up

to Christmas and the spring period around Easter. In the autumn, it might be possible to create a

longer winter celebration of traditional arts, based on the Story-telling Festival and involving a

revived Folk Festival and/or the Edinburgh Mela.

The spring might also provide a home for a revived Folk or traditional arts Festival - or a new

festival proposition. The festivals currently in this period have strong family appeal and attract

local audiences; any additional festival might benefit from being compatible with that image, and

should add positively to the critical mass.

It is too early to come to a considered conclusion about the consequences of the Fringe's change in

dates. Audiences for both Fringe and EIF will need to be monitored over the next 2-3 years whilst

other activity is developed for the weeks when the two do not overlap.

Edinburgh can also nurture greater diversity and quality throughout the yearvia:

Collaborations between its cultural institutions including festivals Out-of-festival return visits from festival artists On-touring of festival events, locally and nationally The development of cultural weekends which target the short breaks market (in the October-

March period)

The proposed establishment of a well-maintained, accurate and easily accessible clash diaryof events

Dialogue with the Scottish Executive ministerial task force to promote cultural tourismAudiences, information and infrastructureAbout 1,266,000 tickets are sold for five summer festivals and around 400,000 of the citys

annual visitors are attracted, to a significant extent, by the festival programme. There is a widely-

held public perception that, in the summer, a single Edinburgh Festival takes place. The critical

mass of the summer festivals (including free events and galleries) is a vital component in their

success to be maintained and strengthened through additional support For example The


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The City could spread these messages through a coordinated campaign of advocacy and public

relations, including linking its name with the festivals through its brand for target markets. Thestrength of such communication would be helped by theproduction of new and accurate data on

these benefits, both economic and non-economic. TAB is beginning to address the city'shistorically inadequate market research base in order to ensure that more dependable data is

collected on a consistent basis.

The citys capacity to market the festivals relies in large part on the quality of the festival

experience, and a competitive approach to pricing, both of festival events and of other aspects of

visiting the city (including hotels, car parking etc). It is important that the Council - withEdinburgh Tourism Action Group (ETAG) continues to monitor and analyse developments

affecting tourism as it is now doing through the creation of an Events/Festivals sub-group within

ETAG. This will facilitate a stronger dialogue between festivals and the tourism industry. In

approaching all such issues, the Festival Strategy will be integrated with the Events Strategy.

Information held by different Council departments should be coordinated into a more readily-

accessible resource whilst a closer working relationship between CEC and the festivals could alsohelp the festivals to manage their own information resources. In addition, the future of the

Councils own ticketing operation needs to be monitored and ways of facilitating compatibility

between festival box office systems explored.

There is a belief among festivals that some venues are insufficiently equipped to cater for their

needs (and that the city needs an additional 500-seat venue). Any investment programme would

need to be based on an analysis of the tangible benefits.CEC will also need to work closely withthe Edinburgh International Conference Centre and other potential host venues to ensure that thefacilities and activities offered by the city to the more industry-related festivals (e.g. Television)

remain at the forefront of this market

There is some disquiet about the cost of renting CEC owned venues. This situation has also been

addressed in the draft Events Strategy which recommends that: The Council.. reconsider the

charging policy [towards].. its own venues". This report endorses that recommendation.

The look of the city during festivals (banners, street advertising etc.) is very important in creating

the requisite sense of excitement and buzz. CEC have recently taken the lead role in this area and

should develop its intervention further.

Edinburgh's citizens and the festivals


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To extend their reach into Edinburghs communities, the festivals run active education and

outreach programmes, some of which occur within the main festival periods. Much of thisoutreach work takes place outwith the city centre, although most public events during the festivals

take place in central venues.

For festivals to extend outreach into communities beyond the city centre, invitations and/or

integral connection with the local culture should be sought. Such connection could be facilitated

by:

Linking festival artists with other year-round organisations' outreach programmes Extending the outreach programmes of festivals where there is no year-round organisation

better placed to do it.

Complementing the year-round work of other agencies in festival time Developing a specific relationship between a festival and a community arts development

organisation

Sharing databases and mailing lists with others Pursuing connections with the informal education sector Continuing support for and communications with the community festivals

The Capital City Partnerships recently commissioned study into arts development in five priority

areas may identify new opportunities for the festivals to increase their effective work in the area of

social inclusion. The contribution of the festivals to the Councils Community Learning Strategy,

which acknowledges the important role arts organisations will play in delivering its aims, should

be explored further. Festivals may also be able to address social inclusion through training and

employment initiatives, perhaps in collaboration with Capital City Challenge and SE Edinburghand Lothian. . In any such initiatives, ongoing festival needs should be borne in mind:

Core and project funding for such work Specialist advice to festivals about selection of schools with which to work Contact points for community education work Information about training programmes into which the festivals could link

The festivals have the potential (and, with additional resourcing, the capacity) to contribute more

in the areas of outreach, education and training. They would like to explore the followingpossibilities:

The creation of a common database of casual workers A map of the temporary employment needs of the festivals through the year Inter-festival contracts to provide continuous employment for short-term employees

di i f f i l l


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To pursue fully the training and education opportunities identified in this study, the festivals need

to agree their priority activities, the skills and information required and the potential fundingsources for their implementation, perhaps accessing CEC resources for some specific initiatives

which could acting as a trigger for additional investment from other social-inclusion centred

agencies.

Relationships

There is much more co-operation between festivals than ten years ago. Festival representatives

meet collaboratively through the Joint Festivals Working Group (JFWG), TAB and Edinburgh and

Lothian Tourist Board. These fora should be maintained and strengthened, while channels ofcommunication between them and the CEC need to become clearer. This would be helped by a

simplification of CEC structures with regard to the festivals; specifically by the creation of a one-

stop shop (festivals unit) to deal with all independent festivals.A senior CEC elected member

could be identified as the festivals champion, responsible for advocacy and overview both within

and outside the Council. Clarity would also be aided by the publication of a protocol about the role

of elected Councillors on boards.

JFWG members need to spend time thinking together about potential resource sharing, including

the possibilities of collaborations between smaller sub-groups of festivals. If festival groupings

develop particular projects and initiatives, they may require additional resources to carry them out.

Some project investment from the Council and/or SAC or SE Edinburgh and Lothian may be

appropriate for a variety of initiatives

Since the establishment of the Scottish Parliament, a new range of relationships has been

developing. These relationships will evolve over time and need to be nurtured and monitored byregular meetings between CEC, the Scottish Executive, SAC, tourism agencies and SE Edinburgh

and Lothian.

Once a strategic framework for the support and development of festivals has been agreed, it will

be possible to link decision-making about the festivals to the desired strategic outcomes. CEC

could clarify the position by making explicit the criteria by which festivals are assessed. The

consequent financial relationship should then be expressed through funding agreements reflected

in a three-year business plan.

The Council and SE Edinburgh and Lothian should work with the festivals to develop

relationships with the private sector by establishing best practice from other cities, identifying

benchmarks and maximising the benefit that can be gained form them, and constantly reviewing


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The festivals provide economic, cultural and social benefit considerably in excess of the sums

invested. It is impossible to produce an arithmetic formula to prescribe the investment required toproduce particular outcomes. It may, therefore, be more useful to try to base assessment of the

festivals overall financial needs on their position in the national and international marketplace.

Comparisons indicate that:

To attain the mean investment (as a proportion of turnover) of other British festivals, CECwould need to invest an additional c300k

To match the European averages, the national and local funding bodies would need toinvest an additional 520k

To restore the festivals funding to their 1995/96 levels (the last year before unitaryauthority status), the funders would need to find an additional 340k, in addition to the

additional 100k awarded to EIF for 2001/02.

These indicators all suggest that the Edinburgh festivals as a group receive significantly less

investment than their peers and, indeed, considerably less than in the past. If the festivals are to

retain their edge of attractiveness and competitiveness, this imbalance will need to be addressed.

Any additional funds should be apportioned on the basis of a detailed assessment of the needs andquality of each festival.


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INTRODUCTION

Preface1. We have been invited by City of Edinburgh Council (CEC) to undertake a review of the

existing festivals in the city and to develop a strategy for the further development ofEdinburgh as a Festival City. For the purposes of this study, we are concentrating on thefollowing:

Edinburghs Hogmanay

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe

The Edinburgh Festival of the Environment

The Edinburgh Folk Festival1

The Edinburgh International Book Festival

The Edinburgh International Festival (EIF)

The Edinburgh International Film Festival

The Edinburgh International Jazz and Blues Festival

The Edinburgh International Science Festival

The Edinburgh Mela

The Edinburgh Puppet Animation Festival The Edinburgh Tattoo

The Guardian Edinburgh International Television Festival

The Scottish International Childrens Festival

The Scottish International Storytelling Festival2

2. In addition, we recognise the significance of community festivals within the citys

cultural ecology, the contributions of the Fiddle and Harp Festivals, and the desire insome quarters to encourage and develop new festivals to complement the existingprovision.

3. Our full brief is contained in Appendix I.

Methodology4. In undertaking this research, we reviewed existing documentation (listed in Appendix II)

and carried out a number of individual and group interviews (listed in Appendix III).The work was guided by a steering group made up of representatives from the festivalsand from the funding stakeholders, chaired by CEC Director of Recreation (AppendixIV).

5 It h ld b t d h th t thi t t t t b t t i i f th


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Music and Theatre Strategies.Thisdocument has been developedduring summer 2000,at the same time as two other strategies which impact profoundly on it the ScottishExecutives National Cultural Strategy and CECs Events Strategy (currently in draft).

We have also drawn on a concurrent research study on the shape of British Arts Festivalsbeing undertaken on behalf of the British Arts Festivals Association by Phyllida Shawand Keith Allen. We are grateful to them for sharing their interim results with us.

7. The Events Strategy, by its nature, will cover much similar ground to the presentdocument. In practice, festivals should be regarded as a particular type of event and somost of the recommendations in the draft Events Strategy should be seen to apply tothem. As annual landmarks with national and international significance, however, thefestivals should also be acknowledged as the jewels in the events crown with someadditional needs, and bringing with them some particular issues.

8. The Festivals Strategy must, therefore, be seen in conjunction with the Events Strategy.Its articulation and implementation will be highly dependent on the vital groundworkdone by the Events Strategy interdepartmental working group and the two should bemanaged and developed in a wholly integrated manner. This document will, accordingly,

refer frequently to the Events Strategy.

9. The National Cultural Strategy was published towards the end of our consultationprocess and has proved very useful in identifying some of the key organising principleswhich underpin the Scottish Executives approach to culture, in particular its beliefs that:

Participation in cultural activities can improve the quality of life of individualsand communities, promote social inclusion, raise self-esteem and confidence, andwiden horizons.

Culture is at the heart of education

The creativity of citizens is a key national resource

Disability should be no barrier to cultural access

National and local cultural organisations need to work in partnership with thecommunity from which their audience is drawn

10. These principles will also underlie the Festivals Strategy. In addition, it should be noted

that the Scottish Executive is encouraging local authorities to develop cultural strategies,an initiative in which Edinburgh is very much in the lead.

11. Finally it should be noted that CEC, in common with other local authorities, has had tooperate over recent years within strict financial constraints. Despite this, the variousd t t f th C il h i t i d th i it t t th lt l t


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Report Structure12. This report is structured in four parts:

Part I provides some context for the development of the strategy, includingobservations about the historical, current and possible future environment inwhich the Edinburgh festivals operate. It also offers an analysis of the differentsorts of impacts that the festivals have, and makes some comparisons with otherBritish and international festivals.

Part II sets out a vision for the future of the festivals in the city, arising from theanalysis in Part I.

Part III focuses on five key strategic objectives which flow from the vision andidentifies a number of tasks under each objective

Part 1V summarises the recommendations arising from Part II and suggests animplementation programme.

The Big Idea?13. Strategic documents are often commissioned when the organisation or activity to which

they pertain is in difficulty. The commissioner is looking for A Big Idea to bale it out oftrouble. The present case is, however, somewhat different. The research process has notuncovered any horror stories. Rather, it has confirmed what most outside observerswould automatically assume that the Edinburgh festivals are a success story of a high

order and the Council is supportive of them. Consequently, whilst this report makes anumber of specific recommendations, its big idea is a very simple one. The festivalsshould be celebrated and enthusiastically supported by the city, the statutory authoritiesand funding bodies. To that end:

The relationship between the festivals and CEC should be rationalised and mademore transparent; and

The funding agencies should continue to explore a range of ways through whichto support the festival sector (including the option of increased resources) in orderto offer it the opportunity to develop in an international marketplace that is

becoming increasingly competitive.


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PART I THE CONTEXT

1.1 Why Does Edinburgh Need a Festivals Strategy?

14. At the outset, we should ask why Edinburgh needs a strategy for its festivals. And,indeed, what is the value of festivals?

15. Throughout the world, festivals have proved one of the great cultural success stories ofthe last twenty-five years. In Salzburg and Sydney, Holland and Hong Kong, Adelaide

and Aix, cities, governments and the private sector have all invested in creating,sustaining and developing a wide range of festivals in order to reap a number of benefits.These include:

improvements to the quality of life in the city

creative activity

the growth of audiences

the creation of partnerships

recreational and educational opportunities economic and social benefits

national and international profile-raising; and

meeting civic objectives

16. As an example, Georges Freche, ex-deputy mayor of Montpelier in France has explainedhow the creation in 1981 of a Dance Festival in his small city (population 208,000) hasattracted visitors, caused a summer school to be initiated, led to the establishment of

performing arts courses at the local University and helped grow the student population to45,000. As a direct result, theatre-going in Montpelier tripled in seven years and M.Freche concludes that the citys economic policies and well-being now rely to a largeextent on its cultural life. Dance and the Festival are, in M Freches view, vote-winners3.

17. Similarly, the new Mayor of London stated at the outset of his term that he regardedfestivals as being vital to the quality of life in the city and to its tourism appeal. The

cultural strategy for London, currently being developed will undoubtedly payconsiderable attention to this area. (Incidentally, as a consequence of this perception, it ishighly likely that London could become a significant competitor in the internationalfestivals arena).

18. At a different level, the city of Salzburg regards its Festival as the most important factor


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exciting and popular festivals unmatched in the UK or Europe. Indeed, during Augustthe city becomes effectively the cultural capital of the world. As a result, there are manythroughout the world who know Edinburgh primarily (if not solely), through its image as

a Festival City. That image brings with it associations of sophistication, modernity,civilisation and attractiveness. It undoubtedly helps make the city a desirable place tolive.

20. Since the creation of the International Festival (EIF) in 1947, Edinburgh has been atrailblazer. In subsequent years, the following festivals have been created in the city. All,other than the two marked with an asterix, were started with the support (and, in somecases at the instigation) of the Council:

Fringe

Film

Tattoo

Television*

Jazz and Blues

Folk

Harp*

Book Puppet Animation

Science

Children

Environment

Hogmanay

Storytelling

Mela Fiddle

Capital Christmas

21. So successful have these initiatives been that, around the world, a number of cities havedeveloped festivals based on the Edinburgh model. There are, for example, Fringes inAdelaide and Torontoand Science Festivals in Canberra, Luxembourg and Pittsburgh

(while the Tattoo has even exported itself to New Zealand) and the EdinburghInternational Film Festival, which has enjoyed a longer unbroken run than any, is one ofthe premiere non-competitive film festivals in the world.

22. The Council has long recognised the importance of the festivals sector. Despite thestringent pressures on its budgets over recent years (exacerbated by the move to unitary


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draft Events Strategypoints out,there is no strategic framework operating for theevents programme for the city. in order to provide for the continued success of

Edinburgh as an event centre, but also to guide and secure its future development, there

is a need for an overall strategic framework.

25. Despite this, Edinburgh is well placed to explore the possibilities offered by the festivalssector. Whilst most cities in the UK are only now beginning to take on board thegrowing economic, social and educational significance of cultural activity, CEC hasalready undertaken a number of important pieces of research and strategic planning inthe cultural field. A Festivals Strategy should be a vital - if not the most vital - element inthat mosaic, especially given the enormous social and economic benefits that accrue to

the city through the festivals.

26. The Council should, however, be wary of making too many demands on the festivals,which are only a (very important) part of the citys cultural ecology. A robust festivalsector can only exist in the context of a healthy year-round cultural provision. It is notrealistic to expect the festivals alone to deliver all the Councils cultural, social andeconomic objectives. In this context, it is worth noting that the 1996 CEFRAC study for

the European Commission on The Economic Impact on Employment of Ten Festivals inEurope concluded that:1. The social and economic feedback of a festival town is organised around an

artistic coherence which exceeds the time limits of the festival. The more this

coherence is planned and structured, the greater are the chances of economicdevelopment downstream, whether linked to culture or not.

2. The most beneficial economic impact and employment for the communityshould reside in the durable establishment of the [festival].

27. From this, we can suggest that:

The festivals economic and cultural success will be significantly enhanced by a strategicapproach.

Festivals must be closely linked to the rest of the citys annual cultural provision andgiven a degree of continuity and security.

28. Later sections of this report will consider these issues in more detail. Before that,however, we will consider the broader context in which an Edinburgh Festivals Strategywill operate, looking at both the future and the present situation.


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1.2 Tomorrows World

General Trends

29. The attempt to predict the future can be one of the most vainglorious activities in whichwe can indulge. Many have tried; and some have hit the mark roughly. In 1902, forexample, H.G. Wells predicted (while acknowledging that his prophecy would inviteridicule) that by 1980 aircraft would be able to fly at 100-130 m.p.h. Fifty-five yearslater the Astronomer Royal dismissed the idea of space flight as bunk two weeks

before the USSR launched Sputnik I. Most famously perhaps, a British Governmentbriefing note at the end of World War II (following the success of Enigma et al.) advisedthat computers would become so important that by the end of the century, every nationwill have one.

30. It is clear from these examples that even the most perceptive of futurologists may not getthe detail quite right. Nevertheless, an element of crystal-ball-gazing is advisable if weare to avoid developing a strategy that will be out of joint with its times.

31. In terms of developing a Festivals Strategy, it is, accordingly, important to ask how

peoples leisure habits will change over the next few years. The Henley Centre hasrecently undertaken a survey to consider this question5. It concludes that:

32. Money/wealth:

The majority of the UK is getting richer (with 40% more disposable income in thelast 15 years and an anticipated 150% increase between 1976 and 2009)

77% of all social classes say there are no material comforts missing from their lives

In 1997, for the first time, we spent more on leisure than food.

33. Leisure/work:

There is a growing choice of options for spending leisure time

However, whilst money has become more available, time has become scarcer with63% complaining that they do not have enough time to get things done

The UK has the longest working week in Europe with people only having an averageof 60 hours free time per week and time pressure is greatest on high-income groups

As a consequence, value for time is becoming as important a concept as value formoney. Price will continue to be a factor, but 'value' will be a subtler, more pervasivedriver and will be assessed by a wider range of criteria.

Far fewer people will be in full-time employment (45% in 2010 compared with 62%in 1996) - with traditional working patterns shifting to a variety of more flexible

d l


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35. Communications/new media:

There are more means of receiving information and communicating with other

people than ever. Life is faster and more connected, we are building communitiesaround shared interests as much as around geographical location.

The generations brought up with digital media will be more visually literate, havegreater facility with scanning large quantities of data and with handling fast cuts andedits. More demanding audiences will want special experiences and high impact artin short bursts. We will be less generous about seeing potential in emerging orsecond rate work

We will be more demanding in other ways. Digital interactivity such as DVDalready offers us choice of viewing angle. Will we continue to be as accepting of theartist's right to select our viewpoint?

36. All these factors suggest a world in which a large number of people will have moremoney to spend but less time in which to do so. They will also form an older, far lesshomogenous market than at present and this heterogeneity will be fed by theexponential increase in media available to occupy their leisure time. The following

demonstrates how that supply has grown in recent years:

1988/89 1997/98

Magazine titles 2,042 2,438

Singles Released 3,932 5,928

Albums released 8,752 18,386

Multiplex sites 14 118

Commercial radio channels 60 188

CD-Rom titles 390 16,762

Web Pages 0 132m

TV channels 4 60+

37. Despite this enormous increase, however, the time spent in consuming these media hasremained roughly constant, which re-emphasises the increasingly competitive nature ofthe leisure market. Some of the implications, as drawn by the Henley Centre, are:

People no longer want to sit still for four hours Instead, they will look for art in short bursts

They will become cultural snackers

Value-for-time media will become increasingly attractive

Flexible opening and programming times will become essential


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this trend suggests that increased participation may be the order of the day, rather thanthe more passive reception of prepared product.

40. These conclusions seem to suggest that festivals, which should, by their very nature, bespecial, should be well positioned in the future. However, before complacency sets in,we should add some qualifications.

41. The increased availability of comparatively cheap travel over the last few years(combined with the growth in spending power noted above) has led to considerably more

people travelling on a regular basis and a significant proportion of them are culturesnackers. If these cultural consumers are used to hearing the Berlin Philharmonic in its

home environment or seeing Peter Brook at the Bouffes du Nord, the rarity value ofthose companies visits to the UK will be reduced.

42. At the same time, international companies travel more and, with the new Lottery-fundedfacilities now available, Britain is now seeing more major European and American workthan at any time for a generation. In particular, London - which provides a significant

part of the Edinburgh Festivals market - is now regularly seeing work from the likes of

Mark Morris or Netherlands Dance Theatre which, previously, would probably onlyhave been seen in Edinburgh. Moreover, Londons continually growing role as aninternational centre of presentation is only one (albeit, a very important) manifestation ofthe increasingly competitive marketplace.

43. Concern about these trends and their implications for the future are currently beingexpressed by a number of smaller European festivals, which are debating whether theirsuccessful growth over the last twenty years may be under threat. Under these

circumstances, it is very timely for Edinburgh to develop a Festivals Strategy capable ofbuilding on current strengths and preparing for future challenges.

Edinburgh Itself

44. And what of Edinburgh itself? How will the city change over the next few years?According to analyses undertaken by CEC8, the population of the city will continue togrow by about 0.15% annually over the next decade, reaching 459,000 by 2011.Employment will grow by 4.7% between 1996 and 2005, almost entirely within theservice sector. It is estimated that, during that period, there will be an acceleratingincrease in older working population (up by 20%) who will have a larger disposableincome. This development will reinforce the citys existing stock of ABC1s which issignificantly higher than the Scottish national figure.


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46. In particular, Edinburgh has a highly educated population (14.1% of over-18s qualifiedto degree level) and high growth in the SME sector. It is well positioned to develop as a

creative city and perhaps its most powerful calling card is the profile of its festivals.

Summary

47. The trends anticipated in this section will, if translated into the real world, have asignificant impact on the environment in which the Edinburgh festivals operate, viz:

A more demanding public will be confronted with a significantly increased rangeof leisure choices.

It will have increased spending power, expect more from its leisure time andprobably enjoy more flexible working patterns.

The festivals will have to operate in an increasingly competitive internationalmarket for an audience with a greater taste for the new and the special.

There is potentially an increasing polarisation society with an accompanyingsense of social exclusion for some.

48. The festivals will need to take account of these factors if they are to optimise their

position in a creative city over the next few years. The Festivals Strategy must therefore,be capable of responding to changes in the environment.

49. Finally, this study is not designed to make specific recommendations aboutprogramming policy; however, some of the anticipated shifts in audience expectationsand demands may require some or all of the festivals to review their approach to

programming in the future.


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1.3 Starting From Today

50. The previous section identified some of the macro-issues which are likely to influence

the pattern of our lives over the next twenty years. Bearing those in mind, this sectionsketches out the current position of the festivals within their political, economic, culturaland social context. In doing so, it draws on a range of published objective data as well assome subjective opinions which were expressed during the research process.

The Political/Economic Context

51. The creation of the Scottish Parliament has substantially changed the political landscape.In this new environment, Edinburgh occupies a very particular place as the nationscapital. It is the standard-bearer for the country and a principal focus for thestrengthening pride in Scotlands national identity. Some contributors to this study,however, expressed concern that as yet, Edinburgh is not getting recognition for itscapital city responsibilities (including its cultural role) despite the fact that, over anumber of years of constrained budgets, it has repeatedly demonstrated a commitment toits national and cultural responsibilities.

52. Within the national picture, Edinburgh faces a number of challenges and opportunities.Some believe, for example, that the perceived concentration of resources into thecapital10 may cause resentment (especially in terms of the non-Edinburgh MSPs). Otherssee significant opportunities in the citys robust economy, the perceived excellence of itsquality of life11 and its international reputation. CECs document Action for the NewMillennium observes that apart from the need to resolve development pressures withWorld Heritage site status and congestion, unlike other city centres, Edinburgh does not

appear to be faced with any major problems.

53. Certainly, Edinburgh is in a healthy economic position with comparatively lowunemployment, a projected growth in jobs and a greater proportion of the workforceemployed at a higher level of skill than in Scotland as a whole. Business Strategies Ltd.estimate that average personal disposable income in Edinburgh is about 32% above theUK average. Having said that, the city still contains areas of comparatively highunemployment.

54. The majority of the recent and projected growth in the citys economy lies in the servicesector (accounting for about 80% of its GDP). In the main, this is accounted for byfinancial services but the city has significant concentrations of those activities whichare expected to be engines of growth including tourism. As is demonstrated below andelsewhere in this study, the festivals are an important contributor to this effect.


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56. As a result of the success of the tourism sector, a number of new hotels are currentlybeing built in the citys environs. Whilst this offers the opportunity for the city to further

develop its markets, it also creates the challenge of attracting sufficient visitors to justifythe new investment. It is estimated that Edinburgh will need to generate 250,000 extra

bed occupants by 2005 to return hotel occupancy to historic percentage levels13. If thatwere achieved, it would clearly have a very beneficial impact on the citys visitoreconomy. However, it is worth noting that most comparable European conferencedestinations have larger hotels than Edinburgh which may put the city at a disadvantagein terms of attracting major corporate clients. This lack of individual size would not,however, be a deterrent to festival visitors and, consequently, Edinburgh may find that

the festival market becomes even more important in the years ahead.

57. The following chart analyses the place of origin of overnight visitors to Edinburgh,according to whether they are general tourists, visitors to the summer festivals or visitorsto the spring festivals.

Table/Chart 1: Visitors to Edinburgh

0%10%

20%30%40%50%

60%70%80%

90%100%

General

SummerFest

SpringFest

Overseas

England

Scotland

58. This demonstrates a very high correlation between the pattern of visitors to the summerfestivals and Edinburghs general visitor profile (perhaps unsurprisingly, given thenature of Edinburghs overall image and appeal). The spring festivals display a radicallydifferent profile, with much higher Scottish attendance and lower attendance fromoverseas. Their strength at present, therefore, is in the area of local/regional provision as


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activities. A study14 of the 1985 Avignon Festival, for instance, demonstrated that theFestival that year generated about 10mF worth of free publicity for the town (incomparison with the Festivals actual budget of 20mF and a subsidy subvention of about

9mF). That study also concluded that: it is firstly in terms of brand image and appeal ofthe region that the long term feedback of the Festival can be evaluated.

The Cultural Context

61. Over recent years, a number of major regional capitals in Europe (including. Barcelona,Antwerp, and Strasbourg) have reasserted their individuality and importance. In everycase, a crucially important cultural dimension has been at the heart of the process, with anew interest in indigenous artforms (story-telling, folk arts etc) complementing the

desire to develop an international profile. These two drivers are also important toEdinburgh, which has, for some time, been among the British cities most alert to the

potential inherent in cultural development. As early as 1996, CEC, in its City Strategy,committed itself to the idea of culture at the heart of its civic purpose and to its own roleas a supporter and motor of that concept when it expressed as central to its intention:Tocreate a city where culture, the economy and the local environment can prosper and

where all sections of the community can participate in, and be committed to, its

success.

62. The festivals are a vital part of that mission and in some ways can be said to underpin it.It is, in large part, because of the needs of the festivals that Edinburgh enjoys the wealthof cultural resources that it does. The Theatre Strategy (1996) pointed out how the needsof the summer festivals have resulted in the year-round provision of about 11,000 seatsin the citys principal venues15 - more per head than any other city in the UK other thanGlasgow. During much of the year, this plethora of seats presents Edinburgh's cultural

managers with a challenge. In festival times, however, the city's stages and auditoriaprovide the hardware essential for the provision of a programme which attractsaudiences from all over the world. In venue terms, the city is without parallel in Britainand, probably in the world. In 2000, for example, the EIF used the following venues:

The Usher Hall

The Festival Theatre

The Playhouse Theatre

Queens Hall Kings Theatre

Lyceum Theatre

The Hub

63 Some of those venues (notably the Festival Theatre) would probably not exist were it not


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of the festival ecology, to the cultural life of the city and, ultimately, to its ability toattract visitors. It is, therefore, essential that the festival directors are encouraged to

pursue their individual and distinctive visions with the aim of achieving the highest

quality product.

The Festivals: An Overview16

65. Within this broad cultural context, the festivals have developed both separately andtogether. To summarise a range of views expressed during the research period:

66. An historic pattern of activity has become established in which quantity, quality and

diversity co-exist, most particularly in the five week summer period when, starting withthe Jazz and Blues Festival and ending with the Mela, the city hosts the EIF, the Fringe,the Tattoo, the Book, Film and Television Festivals. Outwith this intensive period ofconcentrated activity, there are naturally peaks and troughs in the years festivalactivities.

67. The festivals enjoy a much greater level of mutual co-operation and stimulus than ten

years ago. The impression is of an integrated culture (or industry) with people, ideas andskills moving between different festivals. Many senior staff have worked for more thanone festival or other Edinburgh cultural organisation. However, this sense ofcollaboration is not co-ordinated systematically, with the consequence that possiblesynergies may not have been fully explored.

68. The festivals themselves range across a wide spectrum - not just in terms of their subjectmatter (Jazz and Blues, Film, Science etc.) but in terms of their objectives, their stages of

development and their financial profiles. Some, such as the EIF are almost exclusivelyconcentrated on the presentation of professional work to paying publics; others(especially the Fringe) are more catholic with no central programming control and awide range of not exclusively professional participants. At the other end of thespectrum, the Television Festival is effectively a high-level 'industry' forum.

69. The Science and Environment Festivals have public education at their hearts (with theScience Festival, for example, expending about 33% of its turnover on outreach activityacross Scotland) whilst the Harp and Fiddle Festivals focus on developing theinstrumental skills of participants, alongside public concert programmes. This range of

purpose provides a unique blend in the festival ecology. Publicly-ticketed events attractreview-based print and other media coverage, whilst the more industry-centred activitiesachieve national and international attention for their important debates and keynote


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71. Financially, the economy of each festival is distinct with a variety of sources of income.The following table analyses the income of subsidised festivals for 1999/200017.

Table/Chart 2: Festivals income

INCOME ANALYSIS (k)CEC andother l.a.

SAC &Scottish Screen Sponsors

Box Off &Other Total

Book 5 58 105 284 452

Children's 60 80 33 75 248

EIF 1,174 775 1,549 2,000 5,498

Environment 32 37 0 69

Film 65 82 252 153 552

Fringe 32 25 148 665 870

Hogmanay18 1,03619 153 702 1,891

Jazz 47 8 50 213 318

Mela 47 620 4 38 95

Puppet Animation 10 18 0 0 28

Science 132 0 75 304 511Storytelling 3 8 5 14 30

Proportionally, this can be represented as follows:

Table/Chart 3: Proportion of income by source

0%

10%

20%30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%100%

ok n's EIFent

ilm ge ay zz ela pet ce ing

B.O. & other

Sponsorship

SAC /Scot Film

CEC/LEEL/la.


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72. Together the festivals offer a high degree of internationalism both in terms of theevents they present to the city (and to Scotland) and in terms of the visitors they attract.

At the same time they have a high level of local support, marked by the preparedness ofthe local population to tolerate the inevitable associated disruption and congestion. Thissupport is actively demonstrated by the local take-up on tickets. Nearly half of the EIFaudience, for example, comes from Edinburgh and Lothian and about two-thirds fromScotland. Comparable figures for other festivals are 53% and 68% for Hogmanay, 50%and 67% for Film, 51% and 74% for Book, and 43% and 53% for the Fringe.

73. These positive observations are, however, accompanied by more negative perceptions.

These fall into two main categories:

74. Attitudinal, centring mainly on the festivals belief that:

There is little understanding of the creative process in the broader Edinburghworld

Some still harbour doubts about the value of the festivals in terms of their culturaland commercial benefits

Their current and potential contribution to the social inclusion agenda is not fullyrecognised

There is not sufficient recognition of the festivals contribution to the quality oflife of Edinburgh citizens.

and, perhaps predictably:

75. Financial, where there is a sense that there is:

inconsistency in the funding of festivals (from different departments of CEC and fromother public funders)

a lack of clarity and stability in the funding processes

a lack of investment, exacerbated over a number of years through the real-terms erosionof grants21

76. In noting these financial perceptions, we should also recognise that:

In common with most areas of the public sector, local authority budgets havebeen constrained in recent years, as have those of SAC.

Despite that, CEC has maintained a significant commitment to the festivals(primarily through the Recreation Department) investing about 2.2m in them peryear

SAC t k i ifi t t ib ti f thi 1


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1.4 Impacts

Introduction

79. It is now generally accepted that the cultural sector brings a wide range of benefits tosociety. Some of these are quantifiable, others less tangible. However, even in thoseareas where benefits do not readily lend themselves to calibration, it is worth attemptingto identify the impact of culture on its environment. This makes it easier to:

develop a sense of the socio-political importance of culture

assess the efficacy of cultural activity in achieving identified goals

track the development of policies and strategies and evaluate their outcome

80. This exercise is especially valuable in the case of Edinburgh, where culture is animportant motor of the citys profile, quality of life and economy particularly in thecase of the festivals.

81. One of the most visible of the festivals impacts lies in the area of civic profile. It hasalready been argued that Edinburgh is, in many eyes around the world, equated with itsfestivals. That is a huge strength to build on and one which it should be possible to

evaluate. There are a number of indices which could be employed to assess the value ofthe festivals to the Edinburgh story, such as:

press and other media coverage for each festival

name-checks for the city and the Council (including negative weightings forexamples such as the recent28 spate of hostile press, criticising CEC for its lack ofsupport for the festivals)

festivalrelated visits by international civic leaders or other opinion-formers,

especially those occasions when visitors wish to study the cultural life of the city. the many studies undertaken by other cities or festivals which use Edinburgh as

the benchmark, demonstrating the city as a model of good practice.

supportive articles or comments from International practitioners (e.g. artists, TVexecutives)

82. In addition to this over-arching impact on the profile of the city, the festivals offer arange of other impacts and benefits which this report will categorise under threeheadings:

Cultural

Social

Economic


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84. There is a common tendency in impact assessments to focus primarily on the economicindicators. These seem more susceptible to quantification and it is often assumed that

they will be more persuasive politically. This study does not decry the importance ofthese sorts of impact, but recognises that they cannot tell the whole story.

85. Economic development is not the only - or, even, the principal - value of the arts.Individuals can draw enormous personal sustenance from attending a play or

participating in a musical performance - emotional, intellectual and spiritual. Indeed,lives are enriched, and even transformed, by such experiences. These spiritual and social

benefits are unquantifiable but undeniably real. Our consideration of the impacts of the

festivals will, therefore, start with the area of cultural and artistic benefits since, at theirheart, that is what the festivals are about.

Cultural

86. Culture, as exemplified in the festivals, is central to the quality of life of Edinburghscitizens. Cultural activity offers creative expression and entertainment to the citysinhabitants at the same time as acting as a magnet for visitors and inward investment. A

vibrant cultural life is essential for the maintenance of a thriving and successful citycentre, as it is for the various communities which make up the whole city. The festivals as a whole should reflect the culture of the city and the country whilst also refreshingthem by introducing new ideas, new practices and new practitioners.

87. The festivals cultural impact goes beyond Edinburgh. As already shown in Table/Chart1, the major festivals attract visitors from all over Scotland. Like the city itself, they alsoact as a gateway to Scotland for other UK and overseas visitors. In their appeal to a

national population, their showcasing of national artists, traditions, innovations andideas, their bringing of international artists and events to Scotland and their activeoutreach and education programmes, they play a powerful and developmental role incontemporary Scottish culture.

88. Other festivals based in the citys communities offer people opportunities for self-expression, for shared experiences and common activities. Participatory and locally-

based arts help develop individuals and communities. At the same time, larger-scaleprofessionally-based festivals provide a complementary range of artistic experience.

89. One interviewee - a senior member of Edinburgh's business community - observed thatthe unquantifiable benefits of the summer festivals included the fact that "they give acontinental feel to the city" that they "make it an attractive place to work" He even


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91. Although the cultural benefits of the festivals are hard to measure, it is possible tosuggest indicators to enable some degree of assessment. These could include:

a) Opportunities for artists, through: employment, both during the public festival programme and for

community/outreach/education work. Summary data suggests that the festivals(excluding Hogmanay) offer at least 10,000 days of artists' employment betweenthem, excluding the Fringe (12,000 person weeks), and the 2,000+ delegates tothe Film and Television Festivals.

the development of new work

artistic exchanges, and the exploration of collaborations between visiting, local

and national artists; between professional and voluntary artists profile with the press and potential promoters

exposure to experiences which have a long-term impact on their work

b) Opportunities for audiences, through:

the enjoyment of unique experiences

access to work of the highest quality that would otherwise not take place in

Edinburgh or Scotland the exploration of their own and other cultures

exposure to international artists and ideas alongside local and national ones

a continuation of the voyage of discovery through other events promoted ordrawn to their attention by the festivals

access to a range of work at affordable prices

learning about new subjects, and in new ways

c) Opportunities for Edinburghs citizens, through

participation in the artistic programme

participation in a range of other activity during and outwith the festival periods

the range of participants involved

the quality of opportunities offered

strategies to broaden accessibility

d) A contribution to year-round cultural infrastructure, through:

the impact of festivals on local and national artistic and community organisations,including the economic impacts of the festival programmes on the year-roundfinancial position of cultural venues

ongoing partnerships with other cultural and educational organisations


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Social

92. In addition to those benefits which affect the specifically cultural life of the city, there is

a range of other impacts which relate to the more general area of the social environment.Many of these are directly connected to the social inclusion agenda, as illustrated by theUK Governments 1999 PAT 10 report.

93. Any credible assessment of the social impact of the festivals would need to acknowledgeand incorporate the viewpoint of the communities affected by them. Bearing that inmind, CEC could base its evaluation of the festivals social impact on the following sortsof indicators:

participation new audiences

urban regeneration

training and employment opportunities

the effect on the citys environment, infrastructure, attractiveness

the change effected by arts activity

arts in education

self-esteem and socialisation

94. Evaluation in these areas can be achieved by a mixture of quantitative and qualitativemeasures including:

the levels of local participation in events, particularly those held in localcommunities

the degree of volunteerism encouraged and accommodated by the festivals (atevery level from board membership to stewarding)

audience surveys designed to identify genuinely new take-up

agreed measures of urban regeneration with the appropriate agencies

number and/or quality of training and employment initiatives provided

civic pride in the past measured through citizens panel surveys

external perception studies about environmental improvements and anydisruption to the city and irritation caused to residents31

liaison with representative educational bodies including schools, tertiary

education, and specialist staff

participation by communities of interest (such as people with disabilities,families)

Economic


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While this has not been definitive, it has established guidelines to be fleshed out by moredetailed work.

100. Such guidelines are needed for three main purposes: deciding the criteria to be used to evaluate the prospects for a new festival

reviewing the achievements of a new (or changed) festival

determining the possible changes to the nature and level of investment in anexisting festival

101. The first two of these are concerned with evaluating and reviewing new and existingfestivals and, consequently, can be based on similar criteria such as:

Hard measures, along the lines of existing economic impact studies

numbers of jobs created

annualised cost per FTE job

level of public sector investment leverage threshold

Softer impact measures36, such as:

quality of life in Edinburgh the citys profile, e.g. by column inch measures

increased propensity to visit

Business Planning Issues:

the nature of the market failure that demands the intervention of public funding,and, where appropriate, the exit strategy

an evaluation of in-kind contributions

sponsorship objectives (and achievements)

102. The third objective requires a somewhat different approach which takes into account arange of other considerations, some of which are likely to be more qualitative. Forexample, the international audience (particularly for the larger summer festivals) will besignificantly affected by international competitive issues such as major festivalselsewhere in the world, expos or other international cultural bonanzas. A purely local

view will not be sufficient to make strategic decisions in these circumstances. A secondconsideration is whether changes in investment should focus on the product itself, or onits promotion.

103. A segmentation approach to assessing the impact of economic investment has beendi d i h di b h d hi d ffi h i


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1.5 Comparators

104 The previous section considered some of the impacts that the festivals have on the city

and identifies some ways of measuring them. Value can be added to that sort of data byplacing it in a wider context. How, for example, do the Edinburgh festivals perform,compared with their peers? In particular, how do they relate financially andeconomically? This section considers the profile of the Edinburgh festivals in relation toa range of other British festivals and to a number of international comparators. Thefinancial data on the Edinburgh festivals is drawn from the table contained inTable/Chart 16 (Part 3 Section 3.5 ( c )) and Appendix V.

The British situation105 The Shaw/Allen report on British festivals is based, in large part, on a questionnaire

survey to which 137 festivals replied. Of those 101 furnished financial information. Thefollowing tables offer extracts from that information and set it against an analysis of 14Edinburgh festivals in 199937.

Table/Chart 5: British and Edinburgh festivals by size

AnnualExpenditure

No ofFests inBritishsample

%ageofsampl

e

No ofEdinburgh Fests

%ageof Edinfests

< 30k 29 29 1 19

31-100k

20 20 3 19

101-

300k

19 19 2 12.5

301-500k

20 20 2 12.5

501k-1m

8 8 3 19

>1m38

5 5 3 19


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Table/Chart 6: percentages of income source (nationally and for Edinburgh39

)

British Festivalsfrom Shaw/Allenreport

Localauthority(%)

Arts Council/RAB/Government

(%)

Other(%)

All 17 14 69

< 30k 19 8 73

31-100k 14 18 68

101-300k 18 14 68

301-500k 13 17 70501k-1m 7 9 8240

> 1m 10 35 55

14 Edinburgh

fests41

14.9 7.842

77.3

106. These two tables include the unsubsidised Tattoo. Were that to be excluded, the local

authority contribution to Edinburghs festivals would rise to 18.8% and the SAC/ScottishScreen contribution to 9.9%. (It should also be noted that these figures only reflect theturnover that passes through the Festival Fringe Societys books, not the vast majority ofthe Fringes income. Were this (c. 4.75m) to be included in the festivals turnover, the

percentages in the final line of the above table would alter to: 11% (instead of 14.9%)and 5.8% (against 7.8%). Again, if the Tattoo is excluded, these figures would become13.0% and 6.8%).

107. A definitive analysis of the public sectors contribution to the Edinburgh festivalseconomy is evidently very reliant on the status accorded to the Tattoo, and to the Fringeincome which does not go through the Fringe box-office. If both these are excluded, the

public sector input amounts to 28.7% of turnover (against a national average of 31%).Were they to be included, that figure drops to 16.8%. This can be interpreted as ademonstration of CEC and SAC achieving a great deal for its investment. On the otherhand, it could be argued that the funders would need to invest another c. 300,000 p.a.

to achieve the national average spend and that this investment would produceincreased financial and cultural benefits.

The International Situation

108. International comparators, whilst beguiling, are often misleading. Cultural statistics arell d d d i i f diff i ( d


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have to face the problem of consolidating widely-spread data produced by others andaccording to varying definitions, methods and timing44

109. This difficulty is exacerbated by the fact that different politico-economic systems createdifferent arrangements for the support of culture. In the United States, for example, thereis very little public sector involvement in the direct funding and support of festivals.Instead, private sector and/or commercial activities are the dominant sources of revenuefor festival organizations. Among the US based festival organizations interviewed for arecent study, food, beverage, and merchandise sales and private sector sponsorshipaccounted for approximately 89% of total budgets.

110. In Europe, where direct public funding for festivals and events is more prevalent, thesituation is, of course, very different. On average, government support accounts for

approximately 35% of total European festival budgets. However, within this figure,

which covers smaller and fringe events, as well as major international festivals, there is

considerable variation. According to a KPMG study of festivals in Europe and the

United States, undertaken on behalf of Quebec 2000 more established festivals

generate approximately 42% of their budgets from public sources45. Indeed, in many

instances, government bodies, especially at municipal levels, have developed strategiesfor the support and development of festivals for the sake of their economic and tourism

impacts. This results in festivals in this category being funded at an average of 50% of

their total budgets.

111. In Australia, too, public subsidies for major festivals approximate to European norms.

Perth, for instance, receives 44% of its budget from public sources, in addition to a

substantial one-off grant to eradicate its significant current deficit. In Edinburgh, bycontrast, the International Festival received 35.4% of its 1999 income from public

sources (CEC and SAC). At the smaller scale, European fringe festivals generate

approximately 11% from public sector subsidy and Adelaide receives about 18%.

whereas the Edinburgh Fringe Society receives just 6.5% of its turnover from the public

sector. In terms of the Fringe as a whole, public sector grants amount to almost exactly

1% of the total box-office.

112. The Edinburgh Fringe is, by a considerable margin, the largest event of its type in the

world. The main Fringe festivals in the USA, for example, run for an average of 9.4 days

(compared with Edinburghs 3 week) and Orlando, which is by far the largest of them

presents about 400-500 performances, selling about 100,000 tickets (i.e. about one-


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compare the Fringe with its equivalents (and, similarly, the Book, Film and Science

Festivals). It is much more difficult to compare the whole Edinburgh basket with any

other especially since the critical mass of the summer festivals is unique. However, it

may be of interest to look at one city which hosts a range of festivals through the year:Chicago.

Chicago

114. The Chicago Mayors Office of Special Events (MOSE) is a developer, operator and

supporter of major and minor special events and festivals for the city of Chicago. It is a

cabinet level office within the City Hall of Chicago that directly funds and operates a

series of major festivals, and provides technical assistance, marketing advice, andorganizational support to smaller local event organizations. The Office is ultimately

responsible to the Mayor of the City for the quality and the impacts of these festivals to

the economy and social fabrics of the community

115. MOSE owns and operates 9 major events in Chicago that generate approximately five

million visitors annually. The largest of these events, is The Taste of Chicago, a free

festival of food and drink which attracts 3.5m attenders. This has been reported to

provide an economic impact that surpasses $US130 million to the city.

116. MOSEs 1999 budget amounted to just under $US23 million derived from three primarysources. The first, which provides approximately 82% of the offices total funding, isincome generated from the events and festivals themselves. The income is separated outinto as a specific fund item on the Citys Budget. The revenue is generated primarilyfrom food, beverage, and souvenir sales at the various events and festivals, and through

corporate sponsorship.

117 The second source of revenue for the office, which amounts to approximately 18% of thebudget, is the Municipal Hotel Operators Occupation Tax. This is a 1% tax onhotel/motel rooms in the City of Chicago. MOSE receives approximately 33% of thetotal income generated by the tax.

118 The third source of revenue, which provides a minimal dollar amount, is an annual grant

received from the State of Illinois Tourism Matching Grant.

Table/Chart 7: Mayor of Chicagos Office of Special Events 1999

Source US$ (million) %


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119 Even in the generally non-subsidised world of the USA, therefore, the Chicago festivals

programme receives a tax-dollar contribution of about $4.27m. Superficially, this wouldappear to represent a subsidy of approximately 53p per visitor. However, for a

meaningful comparison, The Taste of Chicago should be excluded from this calculation,

on the grounds that it is (a) a different type of festival from the rest of Chicagos

programme (and from any of Edinburghs) and (b) financially self-sufficient. If this

festival is excluded, the visitor subsidy rises to c 1.77. Compared to this, CEC

contributes 2.195m for an estimated 1.75m visitors at 1.25 per visitor

120 Whilst the Chicago example offers some general indication of the comparative cost-

effectiveness of a group of festivals in relation to Edinburghs, it does not shed much

light on the question of individual festivals. Here, it is important to distinguish between

the different types and size of events.

Large Festivals

121 Salzburg is one of the worlds leading music festivals and so should be an obvious point

of comparison for EIF. The following table summarises their respective profiles in 1999.

Table/Chart 8: EIF & Salzburg

Salzburg Edinburgh Edinburgh as%age ofSalzburg

Number of Perfs. 197 182 92.38%

Opera/Dance 48 32Drama/readings/talks 74 59

Concert 67 66

Other 9 25

Total TicketsAvailable

221,722 168,270

Tickets Sold 194,993 131,250 67.31%

Budget () 27.67m 5.50m 19.88%

Box Office 13.11m 1.77m 13.50%

Public Subsidy 7.89m 1.95m 24.71%

Sponsors/Patrons 2.93m 1.55m 52.90%

Other 3.74m 0.23m

Ticket Yield 67 23 13 49 20 06%


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123 Clearly, Salzburg is publicly funded at a far higher level than is Edinburgh and its ticket

pricing policy (with top prices of 200) is designed to achieve income on a comparable

scale. Beyond that, it may be difficult to draw many precise conclusions. It may,however be worth comparing these two with two other major European festivals

(Bourges and Avignon). The CEFRAC study considered these four festivals in 1995 and

the following table summarises that analysis in terms of their budgets, public subsidies

and assumed economic impacts (according to a common methodology adopted for that

report). The last column reflects the gearing of the perceived economic impact against

the public subsidy. (All figures are in millions of ecus).

Table/Chart 9: EIF and other European Festivals

ECU m. Budget SubsidyEcon

Imp

Ratio of

Impact to

Subsidy

Salzburg 39.38 10.40 26.68 2.57

Avignon 6.52 2.93 12.91 4.40

Bourges 4.22 1.48 8.25 5.59

EIF 5.85 2.34 20.12 8.60

124 From this comparison, it would seem that the return that Edinburgh achieves on itspublic investment in EIF compares extremely favorably with that in the other cities. This

positive outcome is also reflected through the other festivals. The following tablecompares the Edinburgh festivals with turnovers between 100k and 1m46 with a basketof European comparators (noting that, as already remarked the Fringe receives a subsidyof 6.5% of its turnover compared with a European average of 11%).

Table/Chart 10: Edinburgh Festivals and European comparators

%age public

subsidy

Edinburgh Festivals 25.3

E ropean Festi als47 35 2


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PART II THE VISION

2.1 The Need for a Shared Vision

126 To be of practical use, a Festivals Strategy should have a clear set of objectives arisingfrom a widely shared vision. During the research process, there was widespreadagreement that the first requirement should be the development of this shared vision onthe basis of which CEC, the various festivals and other interested parties could sign up toa common plan of action.

127 A shared vision for the festivals would need to be compatible with the Councilsdefinition of culture as expressed in its cultural strategy, Towards A New Enlightenment,and with its broader objectives as expressed in A Vision for Edinburgh. In particular, itshould take on board the desire for Edinburgh to be:

a capital city of international standing, where institutions work together for thebenefit of all, every citizen is able to participate in and enrich the life of theircommunity and the city as a whole

a city whose economic, social, educational and cultural advantages are equally

accessible to all and where the gap between different individuals in thecommunity especially the most vulnerable in quality of life, is closing.

a learning city thriving by dedication to quality.which maintains itscompetitive economic position.

a city which promotes sustainable practices in every sphere of life..

128 These four headline ambitions are benchmarks against which a Festival (or other

Cultural) Strategy should be tested. The Festivals Strategy must also build on the manypositive attributes of the current ecology of Edinburghs festivals. The consultationprocess developed and agreed the following set of cultural ambitions which togetherprovide the shared vision which underpins the Festivals Strategy.


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2.2 The Vision

129 Edinburghs Festivals Strategy should aim to achieve:

a year-round programme of cultural festivals and events which attracts increasingnumbers of visitors to the city and is supported by high quality levels of serviceand a customer-focussed infrastructure.

as part of the above, a range of independent festivals (each of which is highlydistinctive and open to new ideas, innovation and risk-taking), satisfactorily

balancing the demands of creative ambition, social objectives and commercialviability

the maintenance of a summer programme which continues to be recognised as the

pre-eminent festival in the world, of very high quality and offering great diversityof experience, including an international dimension (both in its content and its

public); complemented by a programme of festivals and events at other times ofthe year which achieves an equally high level of quality and diversity.

the involvement of a broad range of Edinburghs citizens, maintaining andgrowing existing levels of local support; involving Edinburghs communities as

participants and audience members in the citys festivals; and encouraging

festival initiatives which address social inclusion goals for the city a learning culture around the festivals in which the city can better use the skill-

base they offer, emerging talent can be nurtured and a range of trainingopportunities developed.

an inter-connectedness between the festivals, enabling co-operation, jointinitiatives and the sharing of resources (and ideas), stimulating a positive sense ofcreative competition whilst avoiding destructive competition for scant resources

a healthy relationship between CEC and the festivals, based on clear council

objectives and transparent decision-making, which offers stability, is light onbureaucracy and is supported by a can-do attitude.

an explicit recognition of the festivals worth (both within and outwithEdinburgh), which acknowledges their contribution, both economically and interms of the quality of life of the citizenry, and which is reflected in appropriatefunding

an effective advocacy and marketing campaign, based on all the above and

involving CEC, Scottish and area tourism boards, SAC, The Audience Business(TAB), SE Edinburgh and Lothian, festivals and other principal culturalinstitutions,intended to develop Edinburghs reputation as the festival city and asa city of culture, both nationally and internationally.


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2.3 The Practical Application of the Vision

130 The ambitions outlined above together constitute a vision for Edinburghs festivals

which has been agreed by the festivals themselves and the principal stakeholders. If theyare to be translated into a practical strategy they need to be expressed through a set ofconcrete objectives. These objectives will also be shaped by some of the observations setout in the first part of this report, summarised in the following box:

SUMMARY POINTS FROM PART 1

The citys economic and cultural success will be significantly enhanced by astrategic approach

Festivals must be closely linked to the rest of the citys annual culturalprovision and given a degree of continuity and security.

Probable future trends are likely to have a significant impact on theenvironment in which the Edinburgh festivals operate, viz: A more demanding public will be confronted with a significantly

increased range of leisure choices. That public will have increased spending power, expect more from its

leisure time and probably enjoy more flexible working patterns. The festivals will have to operate in an increasingly competitive

international market for an audience with a greater taste for the new andthe special.

A potential increased polarisation of society may lead to an accompanyingsense of social exclusion for some.

Edinburgh is a thriving city and its health is intimately related to the strengthof its cultural life. The festivals constitute an important element within thatcultural sector and their continued prosperity depends on the recruitment,training, encouragement and support of first-rate directors. The festival sectorconstitutes a distinct ecology with a comparatively high degree ofcommunication and co-operation, which also sustains a number of vitalrelationships with the rest of the Edinburgh year. The support of this sectorwill rely, in large part, on the citys recognition of the value of the festivals, on

a successful, simple and open system of communication and decision-makingbetween the Council and the festivals and the continuing and secure provisionof resources.

Edinburghs festivals provide the city with a wide range of tangible and

d h i i l h li d i i i d d h


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131 Based on these principles, the Strategy outlined in Part III is organised around thefollowing five strategic objectives with associated actions, designed to help Edinburghrealise the vision for its festivals.


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2.4 Strategic Objectives (and associated actions)

132 Strategic Objective 1:To support and sustain a range of high quality festivals or festival-related events

mainly concentrated in August but also taking place throughout the year by:

A. agreeing the strategic importance of the festivalsB exploring ways in which to support and promote the festivals

C evaluating the viability of changes and/or additions to the festival calendar and,where appropriate, enabling them to happen

D exploring and encouraging possibilities for shoulder activities by existing

festivals, probably in collaboration with other Edinburgh-based culturalorganisations.

133 Strategic Objective 2:To develop the audience for the festival programme by:

A understanding the audienceB publicly acknowledging the value of the festivals and identifying their success

with the cityC developing the citys capacity to promote the festivals and the festivals capacity

to promote themselves

D improving the information resources available to the festivalsE improving the citys infrastructure in order to make it more appealing to visitors

and to facilitate the festivals ability to deliver their missions.

134 Strategic Objective 3:

To increase the engagement of Edinburghs citizens with the festivals and thebenefit they get from them by:

A making festival events available to the widest possible cross-section ofEdinburghs citizens

B taking activity into as many areas of of the city as possible

C developing links with the ongoing cultural programmes within the communitiesD ensuring that the festivals contribute towards the wider social inclusion agenda

E connecting festival programmes with education, training and other initiatives in

the area of life-long learningF improving the festival infrastructure to facilitate the above

135 Strategic Objective 4:To strengthen and clarify relationships within and between the festivals, the


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136 Strategic Objective 5:To develop a strategic framework for the allocation - and, where appropriate, the

sharing - of resources by:

A identifying appropriate outcomes for different festivalsB establishing criteria for assessing festivals qualityC evaluating the needs of festivals (in terms of cash and other resources) and

setting out a plan to achieve them

PART III THE STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES


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PART III THE STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

3.1 Strategic objective 1:

To sustain and develop a range of high quality festivals or festival-related eventsmainly concentrated in August but also taking place throughout the year. by

A)Agreeing the strategic importance of the festivalsSuccess and Risk

137 The first part of this study identified the importance of festival visitors to Edinburghsreputation and economy. However, this success story cannot be taken for granted norcan its continued growth at the requisite level. The Fringe offers a salutory case study. Ithas expanded very successfully over recent years, growing its audience by 17% between1995 and 1998. Over the same period, however, the number of performances hasincreased by 22%. Perhaps equally significant is the fact that between 1996 and 1998,the audience growth was only 2%.

138 The following chart compares the increase in the number of Fringe performances over

the last twenty years with the growth in audiences48

. It is noteworthy that, over thatperiod, whilst the audience has tripled, the number of events has increased nearly five-fold, with the real explosion taking place since 1987.

Table/Chart 11: Growth in fringe performances and audiences since 1979

00.5

1

1.52

2.53

3.54

4.55

1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999

Performances

Audiences

139 This demonstrates that the competition for audiences in Edinburgh is increasinglyi d f h i l i i i i f h i i l


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141 This perception could, in time, lead to increased price resistance and the consequenterosion of the festival ecology. If CEC accepts that the festivals are strategicallyimportant, it must be alert to this sort of threat. At present there is no co-ordinated data

on the costs of hotels for visitors (nor of bed-and-breakfast or rented accommodation forfringe companies). The tourism agencies should consider collating and monitoring suchdata to identify any incipient problems.

142 In addition, the festivals are always vulnerable to the vagaries of critical opinion (e.g.The International Festival has become bland, Theres no experimental work on the

Fringe any more. Its just Comedy). Critics and arts commentators are notoriously

prone to moaning about the state of the artistic world; however, a number of contributorsto this study also expressed concern about the lack of high-quality challenging work onthe Fringe and, further, identified the cost of bringing a show to the Festival as a majorcause for this. One contributor had this to say: There was a time when the Edinburgh

Fringe was basically the only such event in the world that simply is not true anymore.Increasingly, I feel there is an exploit the tourist subtext about the Fringe and I see no

reason why people will continue coming when they can just as easily (and in many casesmore cheaply) travel to a frankly more welcoming and adventurous festival elsewhere. I

believe Edinburgh is running on the momentum of past reputation and will (unless itchanges) fail in the long term to remain the Festival City

143 The Fringe has always been non-hierarchical and non-selective, operating in an almostpure market economy. Consequently, it is difficult to see how active intervention couldaddress this problem without skewing the market. Despite that difficulty, if the qualityand reputation of the Fringe as a crucible for new work begins to suffer, it may become

necessary for some mechanism (and funding) to be found to protect its credibility. CECshould initiate a discussion with the Scottish Arts Council (SAC) and the directors of theFringe and EIF to consider this question and explore possible approaches to it.

The Strategic Need

144 The first part of this report showed that it is clearly desirable for CEC to adopt a strategicapproach to festivals both for the sake o

Documents

Festivals Strategy Edinburgh