Irish Festivals, Irish Life:

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Irish Festivals, Irish Life celebrating the
wealth of Irelands festivals
Fiona Goh Consulting 2003
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Background

• Why do we need the research?
• To evaluate the value and impact of Irish
  festivals
• To understand the needs and priorities of
  festivals better
• To explode myths about the festivals movement
• To share best practice in festival organisation
  and development
• To make the case for Irish festivals nationally
  and internationally

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Background

• The research objectives
• To gather baseline data on the Irish festivals
  movement
• To analyse the data and provide a summary of key
  findings,
  
  
  
  together with a full report
• To explore the main issues in depth in a series
  of case studies
• To produce an appropriate research template for
  future use

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Methodologies

• Project overview
• Consultation and literature review
• Survey research via a postal questionnaire
• Case studies via telephone interviews
• Database of 469 member and non-member festival
  organisers
• Republic of Ireland - 2002 data only
• 103 eligible questionnaires returned - 22
  response rate

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Irish festivals a picture of activity
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Irish festivals a picture of activity
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Irish festivals a picture of activity

• Events
• Each festival programmed a median of 23 events
• 90 of festival organisers programmed free
  events
• 85 of festivals promoted ticketed events
• No. of events programmed by the sample 4,660
• Total population - an estimated minimum of
  10,600 events
  
  
  
  per year equivalent to 30 events
  per day

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Irish festivals a picture of activity

• Audiences
• An estimated audience of 5 million saw free
  festival events
• At least 2 million tickets were sold for
  ticketed events
• Over 7.1 million attendances at festivals in
  2002 (cf. population of
  
  
  
  Ireland - 3.9 million)
• Audience breakdown 67 local, 33 visitors
  
  
  
  
  1/3 of the audience require overnight
  accommodation

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Irish festivals creating an impact

• Finances
• Sample spent 10.6 million - median expenditure
  of 28,000
• Income of 10.4 million - median income of
  33,000
• 67 recorded a surplus the remaining 33 had a
  deficit
• Estimate of the total indirect economic impact
  of festivals
  
  
  
  spending on other areas of the Irish
  economy 31.7 million

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Irish festivals creating an impact
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Irish festivals creating an impact
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Irish festivals in context

• National presence, local impact
• Festivals primary objectives are artistic
  excellence, tourism and
  
  
  
  their local communities
• 55 undertake additional activity, including
  arts-related work,
  
  
  
  tourism initiatives and education
  programmes
• 66 use community venues - pubs, churches,
  outdoor public
  
  
  
  spaces, village, community or
  school halls
• 69 of income is spent in the local area -
  direct investment back
  
  
  
  into local economies of at least
  8.9 million

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Irish festivals in context

• External relations
• Good relations with key stakeholders is vital to
  festivals success
• 94 of festivals rated their relationship with
  the Gardai as good
• 77 of festivals have a website or other web
  presence
• 99 receive coverage of their events in a
  regional newspaper
• 30 receive coverage at an international level

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Volunteering
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Volunteering

• Volunteers - a key festivals resource
• 98 of festivals use volunteers - 50 have no
  paid staff at all
• Support is given at all levels for a broad range
  of tasks
• An estimated 2,772 people work year round - plus
  8,316 during
• festival time
• Total estimated support given by volunteers to
  Irish festivals
  
  
  
  185 Full Time Equivalents (FTEs)
• Value of volunteers time at the Minimum Wage
  2.2 million

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Summary

• In conclusion
• Irish festivals are here to stay they are a
  vibrant and growing
• sector providing a wealth of activities
  year-round
• Festivals have a significant impact on the
  cultural, social and
  
  
  
  economic fabric of Ireland
• Festivals support and develop active communities
• The research allows us to demonstrate the value
  of festivals,
• share best practice and make the case to key
  stakeholders

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Fiona Goh Consulting fiona.goh_at_virgin.net