Brecon Jazz Festival Dies?
Scenic spots, beaches, sunshine and features from our past are not the only attractions to tourists. Man made events and creations (Disneyworld etc) also attract people to an area.
One such was the Brecon Jazz Festival which this year celebrated its silver jubilee. Held each August, this years festival had been hit by the bad weather that dogged our Summer. It appears that the festival may have lost £66,000. (which equates to just less than half the average bonus that employees at Goldman Sachs will get this year).
This festival is small. It attracts only about 70,000 people each year. It is pitched at a limited audience so why should most people care?
Tourism is an industry. You might think of it differently but it brings money and jobs into a local economy. According to Powys councillor, Paul Ashton who was interviewed on the BBC, this small festival had been shown to be bringing in around £4 million into the local economy. The effect of this money was not just felt in Brecon or the surrounding area but apparently stretched to Cardiff. With its demise, hoteliers, B&B landladies, restaurants and cafes, shops and even the iniquitous Severn Bridge Toll will have less income.
If this was a company closing down, there would be talk of unemployment and it's impact on the community. The loss of £4 million to a smallish area will be significant. HSBC, the Arts Council of Wales, Powys County Council and at least 22 others provided sponsorship and without this the loss would have been much greater. The success of sponsorship has meant that this loss is only about 1.5% of its economic benefit. I would say finding £66,000 was a pretty good investment to reap £4million.
Good luck to those who will try and keep the festival going.
One such was the Brecon Jazz Festival which this year celebrated its silver jubilee. Held each August, this years festival had been hit by the bad weather that dogged our Summer. It appears that the festival may have lost £66,000. (which equates to just less than half the average bonus that employees at Goldman Sachs will get this year).
This festival is small. It attracts only about 70,000 people each year. It is pitched at a limited audience so why should most people care?
Tourism is an industry. You might think of it differently but it brings money and jobs into a local economy. According to Powys councillor, Paul Ashton who was interviewed on the BBC, this small festival had been shown to be bringing in around £4 million into the local economy. The effect of this money was not just felt in Brecon or the surrounding area but apparently stretched to Cardiff. With its demise, hoteliers, B&B landladies, restaurants and cafes, shops and even the iniquitous Severn Bridge Toll will have less income.
If this was a company closing down, there would be talk of unemployment and it's impact on the community. The loss of £4 million to a smallish area will be significant. HSBC, the Arts Council of Wales, Powys County Council and at least 22 others provided sponsorship and without this the loss would have been much greater. The success of sponsorship has meant that this loss is only about 1.5% of its economic benefit. I would say finding £66,000 was a pretty good investment to reap £4million.
Good luck to those who will try and keep the festival going.
Labels: Brecon Jazz Festival, Powys County Council
posted by cd-traveller at
08:57
3 Comments:
The BBC has reported that Peter Florence, the Director of the successful and widely regarded Hay Festival has been talking to Powys Council. He wants to see if some of the costs can be reduced.
At the same time, the BBC says that Brian Hennessy, a trustee of the Welsh Jazz Society, is also looking to see if they can assist.
Its been announced that there will be no festival in 2009. the Arts Council of wales has said that there will be a gap year and that, all being well, the festival will be back in 2010. Yhey are still taklkeing to interested parties about how it will be staged in the future.
It looks as though the future of the festival is sorted. The Hay Festival will take over the running from 2010 and the entire future will be overseen by the Arts Council of Wales.
There will be some jazz events arranged for this coming August by the Hay Festival management but it will be a cut down version of events. By 2010, they hope everything will be as normal
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