Summation Weekly Oct 28 2015

USPS Publication Number 16300; Authorized August 25,2015 (Pensacola, FL)

This Community Newspaper is a weekly publication of Escambia Santa/Rosa Bar Association Page 1 Vol. 15, No. 43 VISIT THE SUMMATION WEEKLY ONLINE: www.esrba.com October 27, 2015

4 Pages

Foo Foo Fest

By Josh Newby

What’s a Foo Foo? It’s a question that was shared by many in 2014.

While the name may still be a source of confusion (it’s a 19th-century shipping term to describe an impromptu musical celebration comprised of seamen), there’s no wondering about what Foo Foo Fest represents.

It is a platform for all of Pensacola’s best arts, culture, sports, cuisine, heritage and history to be on display for visitors and residents alike.

Foo Foo Fest is also a previously unprecedented collaboration between various governmental, tourism and non-profit entities to market the region as a whole.

Photo Credit: Pensacola News Journal

It all started about 15 years ago, when the now-defunct Arts Council of Northwest Florida, now Arts Culture and Entertainment, Inc. (ACE), decided to lobby on behalf of arts and culture issues in the community for funding from the City, County Commissioners, and chamber of commerce. There was initially hesitance, said ACE board president David Bear, as those entities did not understand the value of an overarching marketing initiative that promoted cultural entities as part of one large tourism package.

“There were a lot of individual organizations fighting for their own funding, instead of working together to accomplish a joint goal,” said Bear. “We wanted to promote collaboration and working together in a way that targeted community outreach, instead of just artistic value.”

This drive toward umbrella funding and marketing grew alongside downtown Pensacola’s business and cultural renaissance, and slowly people in governmental power began to see the value. It was important, Bear argued, to extend Pensacola’s tourism season from the peak summer beach months to the colder, less busy months toward the end of the calendar.

November is also among the prettiest months in Northwest Florida, with less severe temperatures and lots of great events already happening, like the Great Gulf Coast Arts Festival and the Blue Angels homecoming show.

The festival’s 12 days also bears significance, as most cultural tourists will leave on a Friday and travel back on a Monday. By making the events start on a Thursday, however, they are able to capture people a day earlier.

“The end of the year saw hotel vacancies and slow restaurant business,” said Bear. “But we have so much to offer during those times. We just had to get everyone working together to get it out there.” (Continued on page 3)

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Page 3: October 27, 2015

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Foo Foo Fest (Continued) A lot of Pensacola’s peer and aspirant cities, like Savannah, St. Augustine, Asheville and more, attract millions of cultural tourists each year. Smart marketing, an existing infrastructure, and partnership on the local level drive this strong industry.

When the chamber of commerce separated from its tourism development arm to form Visit Pensacola, Bear saw the chance for funding and a facilitator.

The Escambia Board of County Commissioners and 25 percent of the previous years’ unused local bed tax made the 12day festival last year possible. With the $575,000 they created a grant program for Foo Foo Fest events and hired a marketing and advertising firm to push the event out to key driving-distance locations such as Birmingham, Mobile, Nashville, etc.

The first year was a huge success, with over two dozen events sprinkling the calendar from Nov. 6 to 17, 2014.

Organizations like Artel Gallery, Ballet Pensacola, Frank Brown Foundation, Pensacola Little Theatre, Pensacola Museum of Art and Pensacola Sports Association received 100 percent funding for the facilitation of an event. In 2015, the grant structure was changed slightly to fund 85 percent of the event costs, in order to ensure that organizations have some existing funding to pledge and skin in the game.

“We can also meet a greater demand for programs if we can spread the funding just a little thinner,” said Bear. “More and more people are applying for the grants, so we want to ensure event diversity.”

This year, Bear foresees about 25 to 30 events, some of which will receive grants, and some of which will be filed under the Foo Foo banner because they coincide with the dates. The grant process is relatively easy, with a one-page application, cover page and event budget. To not receive money but still have an event listed alongside the Foo Foo platform, participants must simply go to the foofoofest.com and fill out an application and check a certain category.

“We want to have as many events as possible,” said Bear. “We don’t want any day-long gaps without things to do. If you have even a small gap, people may leave.”

Bear and his team rely heavily on digital advertising and marketing to make sure Foo Foo Fest is well known in the Southeast. Although they could not gather a lot of data in the first year, they plan to have analysts at some key events in 2015 so that they can adapt their marketing plan for next year likewise.

“We look at where cultural tourists originate, where they want to go, and why they want to go there,” said Bear.

2015’s Foo Foo Fest is Nov. 5 through 16.

With many previously disparate events occurring in downtown toward the end of the year, the Foo Foo Fest promises to continue being a majorly successful family of celebrations and marketing banner to drive tourists—and their money—to the Pensacola area.

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