Bruce Festival should deliver king-sized financial lift to Dunfermline
The Bruce Festival is set to produce a £400,000 boost for local traders, according to the event's organisers Dunfermline Delivers.
Hammering home the success of the festival.
- By Leeza Clark
- Published in the Courier : 23.06.11
- Published online : 23.06.11 @ 08.44am
Independent research at 2010's event showed visitors each spent an average of £22 in Dunfermline as a direct result of their visit. With 18,000 visitors expected at this year's event, it represents a major opportunity for town centre businesses to cash in.
Chairman of Dunfermline Delivers' events sub-group Stuart McGann said, "We're building on the success of last year by investing in new content and a national marketing campaign which we're confident will significantly increase visitor numbers. The evidence from 2010 confirmed that the festival resulted in a big boost for the local economy and we're confident that we can make an even bigger impact in 2011."
Studies by Fife Council support the claim that visitor events deliver a positive effect for businesses. The Celebrating Fife initiative in 2010 promoted a huge programme of events across the region.
The council's events strategy co-ordinator Linda Temple said the strategy provided the way forward to maximise the benefits events can bring. "The last audit of events conducted by Fife Council revealed that over 6000 events are delivered in Fife every year and together they generate an estimated £269 million visitor spend."
Showpiece events
Dunfermline Delivers has been quick to capitalise on the opportunity and a vibrant events programme forms a significant part of its business plan. Visitors are encouraged to the town through craft fairs and children's activities to bigger showpiece events like the Bruce Festival and an annual fireworks display.
Graham Henderson is owner of Pink String & Sealing Wax and a director of Dunfermline Delivers. He said, "There's no doubt that successful events bring people into the town and that has to be a good thing for local businesses. But it's still important that shops, cafes and restaurants make the effort to bring visitors through the door and offer them the service and value that will encourage them to return again and again."
Festival sponsors ESPC's marketing manager Neil Harrison believes that communities also benefit from high-profile activities like the Bruce Festival. "When communities can share in successful events in their local area it creates a sense of confidence and pride. This has a ripple effect to local businesses and can be a significant factor in boosting the local economy."
The festival will be promoted by a media campaign designed to position Dunfermline as the contemporary home of the Bruce story. Mr McGann said a mixture of radio, TV, posters, print advertising and internet marketing would be used to raise the profile of the town and deliver an indirect benefit for local businesses.
The value of events to the national economy was illustrated when the R&A and EventScotland announced that the 150th anniversary Open Championship staged in St Andrews last year delivered a combined £100 million benefit to Scotland.
Mr McGann said it was difficult to calculate the economic impact on such a large scale but research commissioned by Dunfermline Delivers gave a genuine cause for optimism for the forecasts for the festival, which runs from August 26-28.
"The content, planning and promotion of the event gives us every confidence that we will achieve our targets for the event," he added. "Of course, the one thing we can't control is the weather, which can have a big influence on things."
09.11am - 23.06.2011 a footsoldier - Cupar, Scotland Report This
Usual PR nonsense. Dunfermline has Bruce lying in the church and can make very little from him. Amateurs and the amateurish are in charge to produce another bad dose of The Scottish Cringe.
Add a comment