Three festivals research report for Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothian: final report

In 2002, Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothian (SEE&L) secured sponsorship agreements with the Edinburgh International Film, Book and TV Festivals to promote the Creative Edinburgh Initiative and the digital media sector generally. This study aimed to: provide an impact assessment of the sponsorship; define and quantify the extent of these impacts; obtain qualitative feedback on the nature and effectiveness of the sponsorship; suggest any improvements and highlight the potential of future events; and provide information on similar evaluation exercises and benchmark comparative examples.

The research involved a combination of background reading and a series of meetings and telephone interviews with a variety of individuals involved with each of the festivals, the Creative Edinburgh initiative and other projects located outwith the Lothian area.

Each of the three festivals was found to be well managed. Edinburgh provides a unique showcase of talent each year, which presents a lucrative opportunity for local businesses to target the festivals’ audiences, grow and network with other businesses. Promotional materials must, because of the fast-moving nature of the events, work hard to capture the attention of the business community. Particular promotional activities were found to be successful: the CDRom produced in 2002 which marketed local businesses, and the Creative Edinburgh website. The festivals generally were found to provide a good marketplace environment, and have the potential to help the Enterprise agencies to develop future strategies to support the digital media sector. It was found that SEE&L’s sponsorship of the festivals created business networking opportunities for local companies, raised awareness of the work of Creative Edinburgh and highlighted the skills of Lothian’s digital media sector.

A three year sponsorship plan should be considered by SEE&L for each of the festivals. A decision should be made as soon as possible on SEE&L’s likely involvement in 2003. The role of Creative Edinburgh should be considered, and other festival organisers worked with more closely. The success of the website and CDRom promotions should be built on. The 2003 Computer Games Industry event offers potential to encourage greater involvement between the games and film industry. SEE&L should work with Scottish Enterprise and other Local Enterprise Companies to make sure Scotland’s creative industries benefit from the effect of the festivals.