Tourism Events & FestivalsAn Approach to Evaluation

Cristine AngusAngus & Associates

Riyadh, 17 March 2015

• Founder and principal of Angus & Associates, New Zealand-based tourism sector marketing and research specialists

• Working with organisations at all levels of the tourism sector – government, industry associations, private sector operators

• Board member representing the Tourism Services sector, Tourism Industry Association New Zealand (membership organisation and peak body for New Zealand’s tourism sector)

• Judge for the NZ Tourism Awards over a number of years

• Involved in dozens of event evaluations in recent years – including arts festivals, cultural and heritage events, sporting events, business events, and others

A brief introduction

• Two small islands at the bottom of the world

• Population of 4.5 million

• 2.75 million inbound visitor arrivals in 2014

• More than 40 million trips made by New Zealand residents annually (15 million overnight trips)

• International (inbound) tourism expenditure of NZ$10.3 billion in YE March 2014 (15.3% of exports by value - second only to dairy)

• Domestic tourism expenditure of NZ$13.4 billion in the same year

• Tourism supports more than 160,000 jobs (FTEs)

• Major events and festivals are recognised for their contribution to New Zealand’s tourism economy and for their wider social benefits

• One example: Rugby World Cup 2011 brought more than 130,000 visitors to New Zealand who collectively spent more than NZ$387 million

• Regional dispersal: These visitors travelled widely around New Zealand, benefiting communities from north to south

• Seasonality: The event increased visitors in the off-peak season by more than 14%

• While not anticipated or planned for, the event provided a vital ‘feel good’ for the NZ population in the period immediately following the devastating Christchurch earthquakes of early 2011

• Major events that draw large numbers of international visitors are the exception

• Smaller regional events contribute significantly to domestic tourism activity

• Recognising this, most regions of New Zealand have some form of events strategy

• Our ongoing tourism research indicates that at least 6% of overnight domestic visits can be attributed to leisure events and festivals and at least 4% to business events – a total of more than 1.5 million overnight visits each year and potentially upward of NZ$1 billion in tourism expenditures

• Beyond immediate economic benefit, events also contribute to: -

‐ Community pride and well-being‐ An enhanced sense of identity and belonging‐ Increased participation in fields related to an event‐ Employment opportunities‐ Opportunities for participants to learn/improve their skills‐ A legacy of improved skills/capabilities in the community‐ A legacy of improved infrastructure

Evaluate events in relation to their

objectives

Use robust data, not assumptions

or anecdote

Use common measures to

facilitate benchmarking and

aggregation

Use best practice methods, aligned

to industry standards

An Approach to Evaluation

• Designed to reflect event objectives

• But using a common measuring system and methodology

• Data collection – event attendees (all groups) ‐ Usually undertaken online using a ticketing/other database or contact details collected at event ‐ Survey invitations are sent immediately following the event (to maximise survey response rate)‐ Up to 14 days are allowed for response before the survey closes‐ Up to 2 reminders are sent to non-responders during this time‐ Response rates average 30-50% (depending on event type)

• Data collection – event organisers/sponsors/partners‐ May be undertaken online, face-to-face or by telephone, depending upon circumstances

• Analysis using models of Social/Economic Return on Investment and/or Cost-Benefit Analysis

Key measures - event attendees Key measures - event organisers/partners

Origin and reasons for visit to country/host region* Attendance

Nights stayed (visitors) Event incomes

Number of adults/children in party Event expenditures

Nature of involvement with event Employment generated

Reasons/motivations for attending Other benefits attributed to event

Assessment of event

Perceptions of wider benefits to region

Satisfaction with event experience

Propensity to return/recommend

Barriers to attendance in future

Expenditure at event/in host region if visiting

Preferences for future communication

Demographics

* When calculating economic contribution, only the expenditure of visitors drawn to the country/region primarily by the event is recognised

Benchmarks

Origin of participants/attendees and other demographic/psychographic profile data

Evaluation scores on a wide range of dimensions (e.g. perceptions of innovation, safety, entertainment, venue quality, value for money, overall satisfaction)

Loyalty scores (including propensity to return, propensity to recommend, Net Promoter Score)

Value accruing to host region from event operations and tourism expenditures (including average daily expenditure by visitors to region, average daily spend by category of expenditure – accommodation, retail etc – overall ROI)

Other benefits (e.g. perceptions of pride and contribution to community well-being, lift in regional profile, increase in participation in activities related to event, other legacy benefits)

Arts Festivals

Attract more than 10% of their audience from outside of their host region

Score an average 9.0 on a 10-point Likert scale for satisfaction with experience

90% of the audience say they are ‘very likely’ to attend again in future

Visitors to the region spend more than $400 per person, excluding expenditure at the Festival

Are seen to bring people together within the local community and instil a sense of community pride. Are seen to make their host region a better place to live.

Thank you