Agenda item

The Committee will consider outcomes from the Gravity Fields Festival 2012.

The Economic Development and Investment Service Manager and the Economic Development and Regeneration Lead presented a report which summarised outcomes from the Gravity Fields Festival in 2012. They gave an overview of performance against each of the eight objectives:

·         To deliver a science and arts festival celebrating Sir Isaac Newton attracting 12-15,000 participants. There were an estimated 37,000 attendances plus an additional 50,000 people who listed to radio broadcasts of ‘Giant Steps’ on BBC Radio Lincolnshire.

·         To engage with 25 local schools. 27 schools and colleges from the local area participated.

·         To work with 200 volunteers. 150 volunteers were engaged from a variety of community groups.

·         Involve 20 community groups. 18 community groups were engaged.

·         To attract participation of over 100 businesses. 120 businesses participated.

·         To secure direct or in-kind funding and sponsorship of £100,000. Excluding ticket sales, the project attracted £85,000 direct funding and £50,000 of in-kind support.

·         To generate revenue income equivalent to 65% of total available ticket sales and merchandising. 43% of possible ticket sales achieved.

·         To generate the equivalent of £50,000 worth coverage in local, regional and national media. The estimated value of media generated was £80,000.

Members’ attention was also drawn to other outcomes:

·         25% of people who purchased tickets for events lived 45 minutes or more from Grantham. The normal percentage experienced by the Guildhall was 5%.

·         The number of customers on the Guildhall’s mailing list had increased.

·         The twitter feed attracted 4,000 followers, which was a greater quantity than the long-running Cheltenham Science Festival.

·         Work in association with Lincolnshire One venues showed an increase in engagement from 12% to 32.4%.

·         In booking acts, Arts Centre staff had experienced greater awareness of Grantham.

·         36 compliments were recorded on the council’s ‘comments, compliments and complaints’ system.

·         New and stronger relationships were built with businesses, organisations and venues.

Members asked questions and made comments about the outcomes from 2012. In response to questions, officers explained the methodology for calculating the equivalent cost value of media and measuring footfall during the transformation of the town event.

Officers added that satisfaction surveys were conducted during the event, which were being used to inform the shape of the Festival for 2014. A brief presentation was then made which summarised plans for 2014.

The five-day festival would run from 24 to 28 September 2014 (reduced from 8 days in 2012). Fringe events, including a possible business innovation conference, would take place outside this period. The organisational structure for 2014 was similar to 2012 however a patron, Dr Valerie Gibson, had been appointed. Membership of the steering group had also experienced some small changes.

Members were informed of key milestones for the project. Work was underway to secure funding. Heritage Lottery funding had been awarded while the announcement of whether Arts Council funding had been awarded was expected in September. A media announcement of the dates was planned for October 2013 with a public programme launch in January 2014. Tickets would go on sale in April 2014.

A number of objectives had been agreed, against which performance would be measured following the festival. A number of success criteria had also been put in place. It was hoped that objectives would still be deliverable despite the shorter duration of the festival.

In preparing the programme for 2014, the value for money of different elements was evaluated. The transformation of the town had the most impact but was also high cost. The evaluation considered that academic speakers and family programmes provided the best value for money, meaning they would feature prominently in 2014. The assessment identified that the dramatic pieces only had a low to medium impact.

The key risks to the project were highlighted. Members were assured that these were actively managed as part of the Council’s risk arrangements.

During discussions, the timing of the festival was queried. Members were advised that the festival was scheduled for the end of September to maximise the participation of schools.

The officers were thanked for their presentation and Members wished them well for the 2014 festival.