Christopher Maughan and Dr Franco Bianchini Faculty of Humanities De Montfort University Leicester

1. The economic and social impact of festivals: a case study from the East Midlands, England and its implications for festivals and regional development in Europe Christopher Maughan and Dr Franco Bianchini Faculty of Humanities De Montfort University Leicester

2. Aims of presentation To use case study from East Midlands, England to: Discuss methodological issues concerning the calculation of the economic and social impact of festivals Raise questions about the contribution of festivals to regional development in Europe, and how to maximise this Identify questions for future studies on festivals and regional development in other European countries

3. The 11 festivals included in the research February Leicester Comedy Festival June Art on the Map (Lincolnshire Open Studios) Newark on Water Festival Tideswell Well Dressing July Buxton Fringe Festival Buxton Festival Leicester Belgrave Mela Derby Caribbean Carnival September Northamptonshire Open Studios and Exhibition Wirksworth Festival (and art and architecture trails) October Now Festival, Nottingham

4. Income and expenditure data for selected festivals

5. The Research Methodology • review of literature on economic and social impact of the arts • design of audience questionnaires • 4,704 questionnaires completed by audience members • an estimated 250,000 people attended the 11 festivals • additional questionnaires to: • local authorities • tourism authorities • relevant regional bodies • arts organisations • festival organisations • local businesses and sponsors • Chambers of Commerce • analysis of the festivals’ websites and relevant policy documents

6. Calculating Economic Impact (1) Two principal sources of financial information: • expenditure by the festival organisation • expenditure by the festival audience – ancillary This raw data can be used to calculate three types of impact: • direct (expenditures by the festival and audiences in the area) • indirect (expenditures by the suppliers of goods and services to the festival and to ancillary businesses) • induced (expenditure by the employees of those companies that supply the festival and the ancillary businesses) To show: • incomes generated by expenditure in the local economy • jobs created/supported in the local economy

7. Calculating Economic Impact (2) • rationale for the choice of the multipliers, or why Atlanta is different from Tideswell (or Tralee) • the vexed issue of how to define a local economy and why this matters • the importance of the tourist pound (or euro) • the infrastructural costs of festivals • local business and festivals

10. Variations in occupational profiles between festivals

13. Some key findings in Festivals and the Creative Region (1) Festivals generate wealth and employment • £7 million spent by audiences through local businesses. A further £4 million may have been generated for the region - equivalent to 209 FTE jobs • 93% of local businesses saw festivals as good for communities and 84% saw them as contributing to tourism but ..... • 45% thought festivals were not sources of new business for them – 33% did • 20% thought that festivals were actually disruptive

14. Some key findings in Festivals and the Creative Region (2) On social and cultural impact: enhancing local image and identity • more than 64% of audience members felt more positive about the place where the festival was held • 90% rated the content of the festials as good to excellent • return visits - almost 70% of the audience would be more likely to attend other events in the future • 55% of people who attended, had been to the festival before • increasing interest in arts activities - more than 44% said they had become more interested in the arts as a result of attending a festival

15. Some key findings in Festivals and the Creative Region (3) Varied audience profile • almost 90% of people attending were in a group or couple • 65% of attendees were over 45 years old • young people under 25 represented the greatest potential for growth. They make up 30.9% of the region's population but for these festivals only make up 13.5% of audiences Local commitment • audience members generally travelled less than 50 miles return. 50% travelled less than 5 miles and 16.2% less than a mile. • More than 17% of audience members came on foot. The majority of those who attended travelled by car (71.9%.) • 44% of people found out about the event by word of mouth and 17% from the local newspaper • an estimated 33,000 hours of help by volunteers (equivalent to 375 days work or £15,000 for each of the festivals) demonstrates that many festivals are rooted in the social and cultural life of the host community

16. Issues around disability, ethnicity and age • provision for people with disabilities • under-representation of Black and Asian people in the festivals sector • attracting more under-25s

17. Stakeholder views: some key points (1) • need for increased funding • improving communication, co-ordination, the calendar • weak links with non-cultural policy agendas • profit v corporate social responsibility • local v county v regional • need for integrated action by local authorities in their partnerships with the Arts Council

18. Stakeholder views: some key points (2) • developing project management/evaluation skills • understaffing and dependency on volunteers • festivals are not always party to the existing dialogue between tourism and business • weaknesses in tourism infrastructure – transport, accommodation and catering • the weather is not always an asset

19. Some practical recommendations • publicity in workplaces • group discounts • improving festival websites • potential role of local newspapers • signage – planning issues and cost • local festival fora and e-newsletters • making festivals part of local cultural clusters • developing high profile niche events

20. Festivals and the crisis of public social life Some trends: • privatisation of public space • standardisation and excessive theming • museumisation • fear of "the other“ • the emergence of "gated communities“ • information and communication overload • the erosion of free time • a crisis of creativity?

21. The potential of festivals A festival at its best can be: not only • an effective way of nurturing skills and social capital • a vehicle for attracting visitors, and for enhancing the image of a place for both local citizens and the outside world. but also • a catalyst for reflection and for imagining alternative futures for both individuals and communities • a source of creativity and innovation • a way of developing audiences for different forms of cultural activity • a process for generating different perspectives on place identity and uses of space

22. Some concluding thoughts • are festivals "festive"? • the virtues of disruption and ambiguity • the danger of "instrumentalisation“ • the importance of core audiences and core identities • widening mental and spatial horizons • creating new intercultural festivals