Festival Organizers Research Articles

Sustainability for the festival policy: Focused on community and v isitors

Purpose: To explore the evaluation between tourists’ and residents’ satisfaction with the tool of Importance-Satisfaction Analysis originally introduced by Importance-Performance Analysis.
 Design/methodology/approach: A survey was conducted at Anseong Matchum Land, the venue of the festival, and respondents were selected by the convenience sampling method. Also, rest areas at the festival site were used for data collection and 309 out of 400 were judged to be valid. Included in the questionnaires was a series of Likert-type questions about the respondent’s satisfaction with 18 attributes of the festival and the importance of these attributes to overall satisfaction with the festival.
 Findings: The results of this research show that the average degree of importance for the 18 attributes is 3.89, and the degree of satisfaction is 3.02. The result identified that parking lot, rest area, and washroom were found included in “Concentrate Here” quadrant of the ISA matrix as needed to prior management in this festival.
 Research limitations/implications: This study tried to look into local heritage festival regarding comparative perception between festival goers and local residents with ISA to provide that actual problems and potential solutions to the decision-makers of the city to make a sustainable festival. However, it is difficult to extend the results of this festival to other festivals and further research is needed in the future.
 Originality/value: This research tried to find out the gap between perceived Importance and Satisfaction and to identify actual management problems regarding facilities and services of the festival by ISA analysis originally introduced by Importance-Performance Analysis. This study suggested what festival organizers should prepare for the festival that will be activated after the Covid 19 pandemic.

Spotlight on Film Festivals in Ukraine Today

This roundtable begins with each festival organizer explaining how the outbreak of the current war in Ukraine affected the planning and organizing of their respective film festivals. The discussion that unfolds conveys that the festival organizers stand quite united in their responses to the situation, despite differences in geographic proximity to ongoing hostilities on the ground and opportunities available for drafting up alternative scenarios. They engage in cultural diplomacy and collaborate with international colleagues to create visibility for Ukrainian culture and people. Moreover, there is a shared belief in the need for a boycott of Russian culture. The edited transcript presents detailed argumentation in favor of the Russian cultural boycott as well as responses to concrete issues that had media coverage. Other themes discussed concern the role cinema and film festivals can play in the face of war. The participants acknowledge the trauma that is being inflicted on the Ukrainian people and express hope that safety will be restored quickly, for this is a basic condition necessary to start thinking about and giving substance to the role of cinema and film festivals in dealing with the trauma of war.

Small Film Festivals Surviving the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic was a major challenge for film festival organizers, who had to resort to online platforms to showcase films they had selected. While virtual film festivals did not offer the same experience, being deprived of the opportunity to gather people in a festive atmosphere, they provided a fairly accessible solution that enabled audiences to watch films they would have missed otherwise. Even major and economically stable festivals, such as South by Southwest (SXSW), decided to cancel; and not all film festivals embraced the opportunities provided by online platforms. Responses to the pandemic were as diverse as the six thousand film festivals organized on average each year. Small nonprofit film festivals, however, tend to be more vulnerable than large-scale events. When the pandemic was at its climax in 2020, their economic sustainability was at stake. This article focuses on Cine Las Americas, a small community-based Latino and Indigenous film festival that takes place in Austin, Texas. Based on interviews of members of the executive and programming team, on research about the history of the festival, and on the experience of the 2020 “Virtual Showcase,” it shows that solidarity between the festival and a wide range of local organizations played a great role in its capacity to survive this critical time. To retrace the festival’s history, the article draws inspiration from organizational theory, illustrating that Cine Las Americas became a field-configuring event (FCE) in the city of Austin, to the point where the friendship that its successive organizers, who have showed crucial adaptation skills over the years, had secured with local partners contributed to its survival.

Constructing the festival tourist attraction from the perspective of Peircean semiotics: The case of Guangzhou, China.

Based on the Peircean semiotic theory, this study aims to explore the semiotic construction of a festival tourist attraction using the Guangfu Temple Fair in China as a case. A qualitative research method of grounded theory was used to analyze the organizers' planning scheme, conference materials, 7 interviews, and 45 tourists' interviews. We found that festival organizers produce festivalscape based on social values and tourists' expectations, including safety assurance, cultural activity, personnel service, facilities, creative interaction, food, a trade show, and the festival atmosphere. Tourists in the festivalscape, through cultural, novel, social, and emotional experience and collateral observations, assign meaning to the festival's attractiveness in terms of cultural diversity, vibrant activities, distinctive features, and a sense of ceremony. These findings indicate that organizers' sign production and tourists' sign interpretation constitute the conceptual model of the semiotic construction of festivals as tourist attractions. Furthermore, the study extends the understanding of tourist attractions and will help organizers to create successful festival attractions.

Towards a More Resilient Festival Industry: An Analysis of the Adoption of Risk Management Models for Sustainability

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on numerous industries, including the event industry, resulting in widespread disruptions. The widespread cancellations of festivals have been a direct consequence of the pandemic, and, following the reopening, those that have taken place have had to implement changes in response to the new guidelines and regulations created as a result of the pandemic. In this study, we examine the experiences of festivals held in 2021 in the Veszprém–Balaton 2023 European Capital of Culture region (VEB 2023 region). The study aims to adapt the PwC Risk Management Model and identify its four pillars (1: detect; 2: protect; 3: react; 4: restore) in the case of festivals. Our study outlines how festival organizers have faced unprecedented challenges and risks (detect), how they survived in complete uncertainty (protect), what lessons they learned, and what risk management decisions they made as a challenge of the pandemic period from a consumer perspective (react). The present study utilized a qualitative research methodology and involved conducting structured interviews with a total of 19 event organizers from five different events. In addition, to gain a comprehensive understanding of the sustainable consumption habits of festival visitors, a questionnaire survey was administered yielding 1133 responses. The biggest challenges for the organizers during the times of the pandemic were uncertainty and unpredictability, with increased financial, human, and mental risks and burdens. However, the positive benefits of the pandemic period and the future developmental directions of sustainable festivals were also highlighted (e.g., small-scale, family-friendly events). Regarding the future, the aspects of greening aspirations, a need to reflect on the social-environmental criteria of sustainability, and more flexible management decisions to deal with uncertainty have emerged among the festival organizers (restore). The research has revealed that festival visitors themselves will be important allies in the introduction of sustainable measures. The research result helps festival organizers to adapt more effectively to the new socio-economic circumstances caused by the pandemic.

Emotion and social identification in music festivals on young’s subjective well-being

ABSTRACT This study aims to examine how young peoples’ participation in a local youth music festival may effect their subjective well-being. In more detail, this study attempts to examine the relations between the festival features, the feelings young people develop, social identification and subjective well-being in young people’s participation in music festivals. The research was conducted in Eskisehir, Turkey. The sample population consisted of individuals participated in youth music festival EskiFest. The questionnaire forms were randomly handed out at the exit of the festival area to potential respondents and collected back after completion. Consequently, a total of 398 usable questionnaires were included in the analysis. The results confirm that festival characteristics as music quality, places and atmosphere, information and facilities are effective in creating positive emotions and social identity formation which consequently effects subjective well-being of young people. The results of the study will assist to the festival organizers in developing strategies for better quality organization of the festivals and increasing the satisfaction of the young participants by understanding their emotions.

Festival Participation, Inclusion and Poverty: An Exploratory Study

Music festivals (in the UK) have the potential to enhance the quality of life of attendees and participants, and therefore it might be argued they should be accessible to all. However, the barriers to participation that some may face when seeking to access and engage with festival experiences can often be attributed to the issue of marginalisation due to poverty. Utilising the three discourses of social inclusion put forward by Levitas as a framework, the study explores what UK music festival organisations are doing and could do to make their events more accessible to people living in poverty. Through an analysis of a series of festival websites and semi-structured interviews with festival organisers, some of the financial considerations that can influence participation and act as a barrier to making festivals an inclusive aspect of our cultural life were identified, and solutions were explored. The paper found that despite the social benefits of attending, those living in poverty have become an increasingly marginalised group of festival goers as a result of the disproportional rise in costs associated with attendance, which often goes beyond only the ticket price to include hidden extras. Whilst several festivals undertake outreach work and donate to charitable organisations, only a handful have specific initiatives that improve access for those living in poverty beyond spreading out the price of the ticket via instalments and volunteering opportunities. Findings suggest whilst many music festivals are starting to recognise the importance of the issue, few have specific initiatives but are willing to consider what they can do moving forward.

Water management issues in the context of music festivals

In recent years, festivals, especially music festivals have become important vectors for promoting their host cities. Festivals are complex phenomena with high economic and socio-cultural impact. High CO2 emissions and huge resource consumption are commonly related to the festivals’ negative environmental impact. Ensuring the suitable amount of water for a large-scale event is essential for both the audience experience and the city residents, especially when their access to water is hindered by excessive water usage for the festival. Therefore, an accurate estimation of water consumption during festivals is a prerequisite for rigorous water planning. In the Covid-19 world, due to the worsening crisis of resources and to the increasing pressure exerted by audiences asking for more eco-conscious events, festival organizers are called to get together with other stakeholders and re-examine the water management issues. Water companies have already started to embrace digital solutions. Their further implementation will result in a large amount of environmental data that could contribute to a paradigm shift concerning festival sustainability. The present paper was conceived around this topic, with the goal of increasing the awareness of all the actors involved in festival operational processes. Outcomes of a desk research and a case study focused on the UNTOLD and Electric Castle music festivals are presented.

MULTIVARIATE STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF WINE FESTIVAL VISITOR EXPERIENCE

MULTIVARIATE STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF WINE FESTIVAL VISITOR EXPERIENCE

James S. Griffith: Remembering “Big Jim” (1935–2021)

James S. Griffith: Remembering “Big Jim” (1935–2021)

Segmentation and the Key Communication Channels to Promote a Music Festival – The NOS Primavera Sound Case Study

In this paper, we segment the festival audience considering the loyalty and the participation intensity, and each group was characterized considering the main motivations, global satisfaction and the key communication channels to promote the event. We study the unique and authentic NOS Primavera Sound Festival that occurs in the city of Porto. To answer our research questions, we analysed two editions (2018 and 2019) that contemplate 2156 valid responses and subsequently applied non-parametric tests. We intend to contribute to the literature through the presentation of a clear audience segmentation and also the diverse potential communication channels across the different groups. This information is extremely useful not only for the festival organizers, but also for other stakeholders, namely marketers, policy makers, sponsors, sector professionals, researchers, among others. DOI : https://doi.org/10.54663/2182-9306.2022.v10.n19.5-35

The festival customer experience: a conceptual framework

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to contribute to the conceptualisation of the festival customer experience by proposing a new framework based on three interrelated concepts: event design, social environment and digital environment.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use a theory adaptation research design to adapt an existing customer experience framework to the specific context of festival customer experience based on the literature on customer experience and experiential marketing within events, festivals, tourism and leisure.FindingsBased on this new conceptual framework, the authors identify interrelationships between event design, social environment and digital environment which can be managed by festival organisers to improve the customer experience.Research limitations/implicationsThis study’s analysis identifies five areas which are crucial for managing the contemporary festival customer experience. It offers researchers a conceptual framework for further development.Originality/valueThe paper proposes a new conceptual framework for festival customer experience which can be used to improve brand experiences at festivals. This is an emerging area which warrants further attention since festivals provide a valuable opportunity for brands to engage and build relationships with prospective and existing customers. This study is the first to combine insights from the interrelationships between event design, digital environment and social environment to better understand how to improve the management of brand experiences at festivals.

Beyond a Lush Life: Representation and Performativity at America's [Only] Queer Jazz Festival

Beyond a Lush Life: Representation and Performativity at America's [Only] Queer Jazz Festival

On the issue of organizing and holding music festivals

The article reveals the peculiarities of organizing and conducting music festivals, considering Ukrainian society’s challenges in the current socio-cultural situation. Despite the full-scale Russian war, music festivals are taking place in the cultural space of Ukraine, which are a manifestation of interaction and dialogue between musicians, a representative of current ideas of contemporary performing arts. The aim of the paper is to outline the problems faced by the organizers of music festivals in their preparation and conduct. The article uses general scientific research methods, namely, analysis, synthesis, and generalization, which together make it possible to reveal the essence of the organizational aspects of music festivals.

Re-examining the roles of experience quality at festivals: a comparative analysis using SEM and fsQCA

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to reexamine the dimensionality and role of experience quality (EQ) to explain other related factors, namely, perceived value, satisfaction and behavioral intention. Using dual methodological approaches of fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) and structural equations modeling (SEM), it seeks to establish the EQ’s construct and predictive validity.Design/methodology/approachGrounded in cross-sectional and online research design, the present study surveyed 881 attendees of an annual music festival (Malakoff) held in Norway and subjected the quantitative data to SEM and fsQCA.FindingsBoth SEM and fsQCA confirmed the socializing and enjoyment dimensions of EQ, with good validity and reliability, as well as the functional and emotional value dimensions explaining visitors’ perceived value of attending a festival. Both statistical analyses also showed that perceived value-derived satisfaction leads to behavioral intention regarding festival visits.Practical implicationsThis study provides numerous valuable consequences for festival organizers, or marketers that can aid in developing effective strategies to measure visitors’ perceived quality of experience and numerous practical implications for festival organizers or marketers can help in developing effective strategies to measure visitors’ perceived quality of experience and then increase value perceptions, satisfaction and behavioral intentions toward attending festivals.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is among the first to adopt a dual-dimensional framework to measure EQ in festivals and establish its utility with two statistical approaches (SEM and fsQCA). It also shows the utility of perceived value, initially developed for adventure tourists, to study visitors’ experience with festivals.

Cultural festival attendees: a path from motivation to loyalty

ABSTRACT Scholars have long undervalued the role of knowledge in the formation of festival loyalty. The purpose of this study is to define a knowledge-based model of attendee loyalty at a cultural festival. It evaluates the influence of cultural motivation – descending from knowledge needs – and acquired knowledge in the formation of festival loyalty and assesses the role of festival attachment and satisfaction in explaining the nexus between acquired knowledge and loyalty. A questionnaire survey was administered to 456 attendees at the ‘Sponz Fest’, a festival organized annually in South Italy. Data were analysed by applying a covariance-based structural equation model in two stages. The results highlight that loyalty depends on knowledge acquisition, which, in turn, is influenced by cultural motivation. Satisfaction and festival attachment act as mediators in the relationship between acquired knowledge and loyalty. These findings offer a new perspective on the explanation of the formation of loyalty to cultural festivals in light of knowledge-based constructs. Moreover, it allows to understand how specific constructs of affective and cognitive nature intervene in explaining why acquired knowledge leads attendants to be more loyal to this type of festival. The managerial implications of these findings are provided for festival organizers.

An Irish Perspective on Festival Making in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case of St. Patrick’s Festival

In December 2021, Danielle Lynch interviewed interim director of St. Patrick’s Festival, Anna McGowan about the experiences and challenges faced by the festival in planning Ireland’s largest arts festival during a global pandemic. The discussion details immediate actions taken by festival organisers in the aftermath of the March 2020 cancellation. The interview also provides an insight into how the festival responded to ongoing public health constraints in planning the 2021 national St. Patrick’s Festival.

Too much reality? Reflections on the educational-observational film world of Tammy Cheung and Augustine Lam

My article reassesses the direct cinema documentaries of respected and influential documentarians, festival organizers and documentary teachers Tammy Cheung and Augustine Lam in the light of the profound changes Hong Kong has experienced since their work was produced and distributed in the first decade of the new millennium. The present commentary on their body of work is conceived primarily as a critical retrospective, although it seems highly like they will continue to make films in self-imposed exile related to the new Hong Kong diaspora. In this article I am interested in tracing a through-line in their work and connecting the subject-matter of their sociological documentaries with the profound changes that have taken place in Hong Kong society and culture over the past few years.

Virtual Reality in Festivals: A Systematic Literature Review and Implications for Consumer Research

Technological advancements in virtual reality have influenced festivalgoers, performers, and festival organizers. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, organizers of cultural and tourism festivals have sought to deliver festivals online using virtual reality to provide an immersive experience from home. However, despite growing interest in virtual reality for festivals, there is no current systematic review to synthesize knowledge from academic papers within the festival context. This paper aims to provide a structured understanding of extant virtual reality research regarding festivals by using a systematic literature review. After a comprehensive review of extant literature from major databases, 19 relevant articles were extracted and synthesized according to the types, venues, roles, and objectives of the virtual reality applications. This study is the first systematic literature review to examine the current landscape of consumer research on virtual reality in festivals. Our results show that the limited numbers of extant literature concerning virtual reality in festivals indicates that this is an important yet significantly under-researched topic for future research. Current literature on virtual reality in festival contexts also lacks an in-depth understanding of consumer engagement and experiences. This paper recommends incorporating the application of theory and robust consumer research methods into future virtual festival research. Doi: 10.28991/ESJ-2022-06-05-016 Full Text: PDF

Remaking the Festival Business Model During a Pandemic

During the 2020 coronavirus pandemic mass gatherings were prohibited across Canada. Festival organizations were faced with a challenge not seen in modern times. How festival business models changed course as a result of pandemic restrictions was explored with in-depth interviews. Senior festival organizers of festivals from across Canada were invited to participate in this qualitative study and share their experiences. In total, 25 participants described how they were moving forward in light of the pandemic. Findings revealed that festivals' business models were changing to focus on organizational sustainability, innovation, relationships, and adaptation. Factors influencing these changes were explored.