Festivals must play a winning game

The world-renowned Edinburgh Festivals have come to an end. The frenzy of street artists has subsided and the bustle of thousands of extra people in the city is over, but even now thoughts inevitably turn to 2012. Will next year’s festivals be as successful? Will ticket sale targets be beaten and – as some have suggested – will the 2012 Olympic Games steer foreign tourists away from Scotland’s capital and have a negative impact?

We must first start by scrutinising what works about Edinburgh’s festivals. There is no doubt that this year’s events went down with a bang as impressive as the finale fireworks display, but how do we truly analyse its success?

The numbers of performers, shows’ takings, visitor numbers and spend can only take us so far. Certainly the breadth of international coverage is a positive indicator. But the truth is, these gauges don’t really explain why the festivals are successful and – most importantly – how they can continue to improve

So how do we explain it? Look to Darwin’s theories of species survival or the evidence of what keeps businesses afloat – adaption. The message is clear: adapt or die.

Edinburgh’s festivals have adapted to seek new funding streams and to embrace more entrepreneurial governance styles. Event promoters worked feverishly to adapt to – and maximise – social media platforms while the Free Fringe was an adaptation to tight finances (and for some repeat performers, this made it all the better). Even the content of many shows adjusted, particularly in capturing the mood of the turbulent East.

With the same gusto and enthusiasm, festival organisers must continue to adapt to compete with other international outstanding festivals, attractions and destinations, including the potential threat of a competing international event on UK soil.

In fact, the 2012 Olympic Games has the potential to benefit Edinburgh and its many festivals rather than threaten them.

There is potential to launch Edinburgh to new audiences through the global visibility of The Olympics. The Games will bring new opportunities across the UK through the media and business impacts generated on an international scale.

Rather than worrying about our frequent visitors from Southern England forsaking us for the once in a lifetime spectacle on their doorstep, we need to concentrate on the presence of much broader new audiences.

The Edinburgh Festivals and the city’s destination marketers need to see the London Olympic Games as the greatest opportunity since the day the International Festival began, a golden public relations opportunity.

The Olympic visitation figures speak for themselves. Visit Britain expects nearly one million people to descend on London the 2012 Games, about a quarter of them from overseas.

The London organising committee and the city are planning for around 1,500 Olympic and Paralympic athletes, 20,000 press and media, and ticket sales of more than 9 million. Over 200 countries plan to send delegations to the Olympic Games and 170 countries will send delegations to the Paralympic Games.

Even a fraction of visitors arriving in Edinburgh around the time of the Olympics and before the Paralympics, even a modest amount of coverage in the press and media of the participating countries across the world increases our followers, raises our profile and helps Edinburgh reassert its position as a key cultural destination and preferred business partner.

The publicity on the back of Olympic Games can be phenomenal and there are ways for Edinburgh to benefit from the glow of the positive media coverage. The torch relay that will bring the flame to Scotland between the 8-13 June next year will also be a “moment to shine” – at least at UK level. Global media visiting the Games themselves can be issued with travel passes and free tickets to relevant Festival shows.

The UK government has already invested £750,000 to buy 9,000 2012 Games tickets for international guests, influencers and foreign dignitaries like royalty and business leaders. Money invested to the “country’s benefit”.

Another opportunity beckons: how many of these beneficiaries will receive a ticket to Edinburgh festivals, bringing visiting VIPs which will attract that extra attention to Edinburgh.

Other festival organisers have gone the extra mile in pursuit of such opportunities and data on previous Olympic strategies suggest very specific action.

Some non-Games host cities invest in hosting preparation tours and pre-Games training camps for athletes before the Olympic village opens its doors. They increase awareness of their city by enhancing the reputation and profile of its facilities.

In Australia ahead of the Sydney Olympics, Queensland and the Gold Coast established a taskforce and their pre-Games training opportunities and even brought forward a capital works programme.

Leveraging the Olympic spotlight to direct new foreign investment into Australia was modelled on Atlanta’s 1996 “Operation Legacy”. Offshore briefings and inbound visits delivered a sophisticated, targeted message aimed at communicating the value chain of international corporations.

For the Gold Coast in particular, media exposure was targeted to increase awareness in key tourism related markets.

Steps have already been taken to promote Scotland in this way. Two pre-Games training camps have been secured and will take place here. The National Olympic Committees of Zambia and Namibia recently signed agreements with Glasgow City Council to bring their athletes and coaching entourage. This move is aimed at strengthening sport development links and business growth agendas which will surely also generate promotional space for the city too.

So far, so good, but what of the logistics? Will demand on skills and resources from London outstrip vital supply to Edinburgh? Will our usual suppliers be overwhelmed? The Organising Committee is currently looking for 10,000 Olympic Ceremony performers, alone.

That word “adaptation” again. Our organisers have anticipated the challenge and are already advanced in making alternative plans.

Our problems are not unique; there are best practice models across the world where other cities have faced resource issues. Sydney urgently needed chefs in 2000, Athens – as the first games after 9/11 – needed security personnel in 2004 and Beijing needed linguists with appropriate etiquette and social skills for the most recent 2008 Olympics.

Yes, there will be unprecedented demand, but this is an opportunity for suppliers to cement their relationship with our festivals as trusted and loyal product and service providers. Recruiters are already thinking creatively about new markets for talent to plug shortage gaps.

Edinburgh must leverage the Games for learning, tourism development, infrastructure and awareness building, destination and media profiling, business networking and procuring as well as post games attraction of cultural events.

Through such strategies we can promote the city, its business capabilities and venue infrastructure to an enormous plethora of stakeholders. Our unique selling proposition needs to be clear and succinctly conveyed so that visiting guests and journalists can take the messages away with them.

We need strategies in place now to ensure the links are made for next year. Edinburgh needs to continue to strengthen links with London and learn lessons from other cities which implemented impressive pre-Games training strategies.

Time is short and our possible ambassadors inundated by offers from others. Edinburgh can outwit them to seize this unique opportunity of leveraging the Olympic Games through yet another form of strategic alliance and business adaptation.

Let’s prove that we are open, ready and eager for business and have some of the richest cultural scenes on offer.

l Dr Eleni Theodoraki is director for festival and event management at Edinburgh Napier University’s Business School.