St Kilda Festival Review by peter ghin

The St Kilda Festival Review Report – FINAL Prepared by Cultural Value for the City of Port Phillip January 2010

The St Kilda Festival Review Report – Final | CONFIDENTIAL

Disclaimer This report has been prepared by Cultural Value for the City of Port Phillip and is intended for their use. The information contained in this document is given in good faith and has been derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. The document is provided solely for informational purposes. No warranty as to accuracy or completeness of this information is given and no responsibility (direct or indirect) is accepted by Cultural Value for any loss or damage arising from reliance on the information provided. Opinions and information are subject to change without notice. www.culturalvalue.com.au

The St Kilda Festival Review Report – Final | CONFIDENTIAL

The St Kilda Festival Review Report – FINAL Prepared by Cultural Value for the City of Port Phillip January 2010

The St Kilda Festival Review Report – Final | CONFIDENTIAL

CONTENTS FIGURES & TABLES ................................................................................................................................. 5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................... 6 RECOMMENDATIONS .......................................................................................................................... 10 1. BACKGROUND ............................................................................................................................. 13 1.1 Project Origin and Purpose .................................................................................................. 13 1.2 Project Scope ....................................................................................................................... 13 1.3 Project Context .................................................................................................................... 13 1.4 Project Constraints .............................................................................................................. 14 1.5 Project Methodology ........................................................................................................... 14 2. POLICY CONTEXT ............................................................................................................................. 17 2.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 17 2.2 Explicit Policy Alignment ..................................................................................................... 17 2.3 Alignment Opportunities ..................................................................................................... 19 2.4 Policy and Strategy Gaps ..................................................................................................... 20 3. ST KILDA FESTIVAL ........................................................................................................................... 24 IMPACT ASSESSMENT .......................................................................................................................... 24 3.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 24 3.2 Community Strengthening .................................................................................................. 25 3.3 Host Community Impacts .................................................................................................... 30 3.4 Community Behaviour ......................................................................................................... 40 Cultural Programming Impacts ............................................................................................ 47 3.5 3.6 Economic Impacts ................................................................................................................ 56 3.7 Indirect Cost Impacts ........................................................................................................... 63 3.8 Environmental Impacts ........................................................................................................ 66 4. SUSTAINABILITY ............................................................................................................................... 72 4.1 Definition ............................................................................................................................. 72 4.2 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 72 4.3 Sustainability Assessment ................................................................................................... 72 5. ST KILDA’S IMAGE & THE FESTIVAL ................................................................................................. 76 5.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 76 5.2 Media Perception and Publicity .......................................................................................... 76 5.3 General Perceptions ............................................................................................................ 77 6. RECOMMENDATIONS ...................................................................................................................... 81 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................................ 84 APPENDICES ......................................................................................................................................... 87 APPENDIX ONE: Key Findings Links to the Recommendations ....................................................... 88 APPENDIX TWO: Stakeholders Consulted ....................................................................................... 92 APPENDIX THREE: St Kilda Festival – An Overview .......................................................................... 94 APPENDIX FOUR: St Kilda Festival – Precinct Areas Map ................................................................ 97 APPENDIX FIVE: Benchmarking ‐ Festivals and Events .................................................................... 98 APPENDIX SIX: Website Forum Report .......................................................................................... 108 APPENDIX SEVEN: Event Calendar – October to March 2009‐2010.............................................. 112

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FIGURES & TABLES Figure One: Existing Policy Alignment ................................................................................................. 17 Figure Two: Overview of Alignment .................................................................................................... 18 Figure Three: Council Plan alignment opportunities ........................................................................... 19 Table One: St Kilda Festival Positive and Negative Impacts – Key Themes ......................................... 25 Table Two: CoPP Market Research analysis ........................................................................................ 26 Figure Four: Age: CoPP and Festival Comparison ................................................................................ 27 Figure Five: Income: CoPP and Festival Comparison........................................................................... 28 Table Four: Festival Sunday Attendees by Residence ......................................................................... 33 Figure Six: Complaints breakdown 2009 ............................................................................................. 34 Figure Seven: Festival Sunday attendance numbers ........................................................................... 47 Figure Eight: Programming and Production budget comparison ........................................................ 54 Table Five: 2003 In‐scope expenditure and economic impact of the St Kilda Festival for Metropolitan Melbourne ($M) ............................................................................ 58 Table Six: 2009 Direct in‐scope expenditure and total in‐scope expenditure of the St Kilda Festival for the Region and State ($M) ................................................................................... 59 Table Seven: Festival Funding Sources 2009 ....................................................................................... 60

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The St Kilda Festival represents a unique and differentiated festival model with no near equivalents in Australia. It contributes to the civic identity and cultural life of St Kilda and Melbourne, delivering successfully on many of the Council’s broad strategic objectives. While the Festival’s impacts on its host community are significant, at no stage during the Review did it become apparent that the Festival’s negative impacts had outweighed the overall community benefits. The challenge for the Festival moving forward will be to continue to deliver tangible benefits to the host community, minimise negative local impacts and enhance its programmatic model so that it is engaging for participants. POLICY The City of Port Phillip has created an event that delivers on many of the strategic objectives of Council, as identified in the Council Plan 2009‐2013. As a major event that engages widely with the local community, it also has the capacity to deliver on greater policy objectives, particularly the Council’s goals regarding the engagement of young people, cultural vitality in the region, and environmental sustainability. To secure the Festival’s continued ability to meet Council objectives effectively, decisions regarding its future direction need to be considered strategically. The introduction of a multi‐year funding arrangement is viewed as a priority recommendation as it is critical to enabling the Festival to effectively plan longer‐term programmatic aspirations and operational needs. The security of multi‐ year funding should also enable the Festival to diversify its income sources by leveraging new partnership funding. The Review has also identified policy inconsistencies that need to be addressed. The Festivals Framework (2003) makes a number of statements that appear to be in conflict with the current status of the Festival’s funding while the existing Events Policy (Draft 2009) does not consider internally produced events. Rectifying these issues will improve the coherence and transparency of the funding and operating environment in which the Festival exists. There are a number of complexities that arise in the delivery of a major festival within a local government portfolio. A gap has been observed in the existing strategic documentation to support communications and planning between the Festival and the Council. A Development Strategy is an effective way to provide an overview of the strategic direction of the Festival in a manner that informs decision‐making and sets out program and delivery implications for Council. COMMUNITY IMPACT As a major event, Festival Sunday impacts on the host community in both positive and negative ways. The positive impacts extend to community strengthening through active and passive participation, constructive engagement of young people, stimulating the local economy, creation of artistic development opportunities and showcasing of the local area. The negative impacts are primarily related to resident amenity issues, in particular excessive noise and antisocial behaviour of participants in addition to more general concerns about the event’s size, its artistic policies and current programmatic model. To better understand the community impact of the Festival moving forward, the collection and analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data is important. In the past, there has been little consistency with regards to the type and frequency of data collated. Market research, attendance surveys and economic impact surveys has been undertaken on an ad hoc basis when funding is available. In order to better understand community impacts it is crucial that a minimum level of The St Kilda Festival Review Report – Final | CONFIDENTIAL

research is undertaken and adequately funded. Baseline reporting requirements also need to be established with emergency service partners to enable more effective incident management analysis post event. Programmatically, the St Kilda Festival offers multiple entry points for participation by the local community and statistical evidence suggests that local attendances and active participation are at healthy levels. The ongoing development of local engagement strategies is critical to the Festival’s future to ensure the retention of local identity and local support for the event. The Review has found that there is an opportunity to strengthen the local component of the ancillary events program on Festival Sunday. This could be achieved through multiple mechanisms but additional funding support for local cultural partnerships, in particular, the development of an annual Community Cultural Development project, is considered an optimal approach. Though statistically minor, negative behaviours related to excessive alcohol consumption are real challenges for the Festival while also representing realities that are already present in St Kilda (and in the broader community). The Council has implemented numerous strategies to curb alcohol consumption on Festival Sunday over the last 10 years but there are still some ‘grey areas’. The fact that alcohol can currently be purchased at take‐away liquor outlets within the Festival precinct but not consumed, appears to send contradictory messages to Festival participants and makes the enforcement of an alcohol free zone fraught. The efficacy of the Council’s strategy to directly manage the sale of alcohol within the Festival precinct (through the operation of a number of bars) appears to have been a positive one. There is merit in exploring the feasibility of the expansion of this strategy. There is a need, however, to ensure that any further development of this strategy is effectively managed and does not simply create more avenues for people to consume alcohol. An opportunity exists to develop the in‐house bar concept through partnerships that reposition these areas as ‘cultural experience zones’ that provide broad entertainment offerings. The Review identified that the Festival’s event management team is highly regarded and has worked consistently to minimise the impacts of the event on the host community. A significant effort has made to improve sound attenuation issues, which was identified as one of the major impacts to local amenity. The Review also identified local amenity concerns regarding traffic management on Festival Sunday which does impact on host community access and egress on the day. A feasibility assessment of the merit of extending road closures on Festival Sunday should be undertaken to determine whether this is a beneficial strategy for reducing resident impact. The Review has also found amenity issues related to a general concern by residents (and non‐ residents) that the number of public toilets was inadequate on Festival Sunday. The inference from residents is that this impacts on local amenity by encouraging incidences of public urination on private property. While this view cannot be supported by direct causal evidence, the provision of adequate toilet facilities and directional signage is an issue that requires close monitoring by the Festival’s event managers in 2010. SUSTAINABILITY While the Review has found that there is still strong community support for the Festival overall, a number of concerns need ongoing management to ensure this support remains steadfast. Funding levels and the clarity of intent of the overall Festival program are foremost issues to address. The Review has identified historic underinvestment in programming and a commensurate undervaluing of the contribution of Festival presenters with adequate remuneration.

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The Council needs to remain aware of the risk of normalising a culture of purchasing artistic services for lower‐than‐market‐accepted prices and in turn devaluing content while over‐capitalising on the goodwill surrounding the programming of the Festival. Supporting increased levels of programming investment, concurrent with the opportunity to enhance the artistic policy is considered a positive step in ensuring the St Kilda Festival’s continued longevity and appeal. There is a danger that a broad programmatic offering that is untargeted, will lead to audience confusion, generic programming outcomes and host community disengagement. Building and maintaining a sustainable programming model supported by an artistic policy is pivotal to the Festival’s business development. However, any changes to the current programmatic model need to be considered holistically, and review all existing program delivery including Festival Sunday, Yalukit Wilam Ngargee and Live N Local. The enhancement of the existing programmatic model will benefit from funding to support the engagement of independent arts and cultural advice to assist the Festival producer in any programmatic changes. As part of a longer‐term strategy, additional support should be provided to the Festival Producer and program delivery team through the establishment of a fixed term panel of industry peers to provide guiding advice on contemporary programming matters and issues. Beyond programming, the Review has identified a number of opportunities to provide funding and support to optimise the value of Festival staff skills and ensure the sustainability of the Festival in the years ahead. An assessment of the existing capacity of the Festival team to effectively source, develop and service relationships with major sponsors, build a volunteer program and offer mentorship and training opportunities needs to be undertaken. Any financial investment in these areas should be made on the basis of clearly established need and benefit to the Festival’s development and longevity. While the Festival has made some significant inroads in its ambition to demonstrate environmentally sustainable practice, the Review identified that Council has not supported ongoing funding in this area. An opportunity exists to redirect the sizeable revenue received from parking infringement notices issued on Festival Sunday toward environmentally sustainability initiatives. In the first instance, this funding could be used to support the reestablishment of the Festival’s partnership with Sustainability Infrastructure Victoria. ST KILDA’S IMAGE As a highly visible, long running event that holds memories for many people, the St Kilda Festival is squarely positioned to attract criticism and praise that is sometimes entwined with opinions held about the local area more broadly. For some in the host community, Festival Sunday may represent wider concerns about increasing commercialisation, unchecked growth and loss of local identity. To others, including those outside the host community, Festival Sunday encourages their sense of connectedness to the area and supports their firm belief that St Kilda belongs to everyone, not just to those who call it home, or work in the area now. These opinions may represent the extreme polarity of views, however, they need to be borne in mind when making decisions about the St Kilda Festival’s own development. While a possible point of tension, as a celebration of culture the St Kilda Festival presents an opportunity to simultaneously acknowledge this convergence of views and to act as a catalyst for increased harmonisation between them. The St Kilda Festival Review Report – Final | CONFIDENTIAL

The Review has found that the allocation of resources toward marketing and communications could improve the Festival’s ability to clearly demonstrate on its significant ability to deliver on Council’s strategic objectives, particularly its successful engagement of young people. The St Kilda Festival has the opportunity to build on its positive profile within the community and celebrate its success as a free, bayside, outdoor community‐anchored cultural festival.

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RECOMMENDATIONS The following recommendations build on the key findings and take into consideration all of the information received during the review process (a matrix that illustrates the linkages between the key findings and the recommendations is at Appendix One). The recommendations detail specific actions that will assist the Council to deliver on its strategic objectives and support the sustainability of the St Kilda Festival beyond 2010. To ensure a strategic implementation process is undertaken, the Council is encouraged to work closely with the Festival team to determine a priority level and the timeline for action it assigns each recommendation. 1.

Establish a long‐term commitment to the St Kilda Festival by introducing a multi‐year funding arrangement that will enable the Festival to plan strategically, improve its ability to leverage diversified income sources and to deliver against Council’s broader objectives.

Review the purpose and applicability of the Council’s Festivals Framework (2003) to the St Kilda Festival moving forward.

Develop a new (or amend the existing) Events Policy to ensure that there is improved transparency regarding the St Kilda Festival to the local community and other stakeholders.

Improve strategic decision‐making by providing resources to support the creation of a Development Strategy that will aid communications, planning and policy implementation between the Festival and Council. This should become part of the annual planning cycle and inform Council’s budget process.

Enhance the value of current research and reporting activity related to the St Kilda Festival (including Festival Sunday) by: i. establishing consistent methodology and frequency of research to enable comparison from year to year. The following frequency is recommended as a minimum: a. b. c. d.

Festival Sunday attendance surveys – annual Live N Local attendance survey – annual market research surveys (residents/traders) – every three years economic impact analysis – every three years

ii. incorporating additional questions into future research: a. attendance surveys (country of origin and/or ethnicity of Festival Sunday participants) b. market research surveys:  reasons for traders not opening on Festival Sunday  level of benefit from traders who do open on Festival Sunday  (to non Festival Sunday attendees) programming that is likely to encourage resident participation iii. establishing baseline reporting requirements with emergency services partners to enable meaningful comparison of public safety related data from year to year. 6.

Provide additional funding to support the local component of the ancillary events program on Festival Sunday. This should include the opportunity to explore partnerships with local cultural organisations and the development of an annual Community Cultural Development project.

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Undertake a feasibility analysis regarding the Council’s overall alcohol management strategies for the St Kilda Festival to: a. establish the viability and effectiveness of closing take‐away liquor outlets within the precinct on Festival Sunday, in consultation with Liquor Licensing Victoria and other key partners b. expand the number and area of the existing Council‐operated bars in the Festival precinct as an effective community behaviour control measure c. assess the opportunity to develop partnerships to reposition existing Council‐ operated bars as ‘cultural experience’ zones that provide broad entertainment and cultural offerings including comedy, live music, video art etc.

Monitor and review the adequacy of public amenities during Festival Sunday in 2010. Provide funding for additional temporary public conveniences and improved directional signage to public amenities where deemed necessary.

Consider the feasibility and benefit of extending road closures on Festival Sunday from 2011 to reduce impact on local residents and promote public transport usage.

10.

Build on and secure the ongoing sustainability of the arts and cultural program of the St Kilda Festival by: a. addressing immediate funding programming shortfalls, including Live N Local, and providing a longer‐term investment strategy to support the implementation of the Festival’s programmatic policy b. allocate once off funding to engage independent arts and cultural advice to support and work with the Festival Producer to develop a programmatic policy or framework c. as a longer term strategy, support the Festival Producer and program delivery team through the establishment of a fixed term panel of industry peers to provide guiding advice on contemporary programming matters and issues.

11.

Assess the Festival team’s existing capacity to undertake the following activities and prioritise investment of additional resources where needed to ensure the sustainability and relevance of the Festival in the years ahead: a. source, develop and service relationships with major sponsors b. build, recruit and manage a volunteer program in the mid to long term c. develop mentoring programs to support participants through the Call for Events and Call for Entries programs d. share event management expertise, through the development of case studies, training or mentoring initiatives with other Local Government Authorities, festival associations and event organisers.

12.

Redirect equivalent revenue from parking infringement notices on Festival Sunday towards the delivery of the Festival’s environmental targets. These may include continuation of the partnership with Sustainability Infrastructure Australia (or equivalent partner), improved marketing of sustainable transport options to Festival Sunday, increased pre‐event maintenance of green spaces and sound attenuation.

13.

Provide appropriate resources for marketing and communications to ensure the St Kilda Festival can improve its capacity to: a. demonstrate clarity in its delivery of Council’s strategic policy objectives, particularly the Festival’s successful engagement of young people b. build on its positive profile within the community c. celebrate its success as a free, bayside, outdoor community‐anchored cultural festival.

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Section 01 ST KILDA FESTIVAL BACKGROUND

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1. BACKGROUND This section provides background information on the St Kilda Festival Review, identifies the project scope and constraints.

1.1

PROJECT ORIGIN AND PURPOSE

The City of Port Phillip Council Plan 2009–2013 identifies the St Kilda Festival Review as one of the actions to be undertaken as part of strategic objective 3.2: ‘Creative, active and culturally diverse life’. In June 2009, a proposal to review the St Kilda Festival (the ‘Festival’) was tabled at the Strategy and Policy Review Committee meeting. The proposal outlined that 2010 was a milestone year for the Festival as it celebrates its thirtieth anniversary and its two major sponsorship deals arrangements enter their final year. The proposal noted that while the Festival can be seen as a highly successful event it also presents some challenges in terms of its impact on the local area. The review was seen as a timely response to reassess the public value of the St Kilda Festival, its impact on the local community and the sustainability of the event moving forward.

1.2

PROJECT SCOPE

In June 2009, the City of Port Phillip Council (the ’Council’) formally approved the scope of the St Kilda Festival Review. The Consultant Brief identified the core questions that define the project scope for the St Kilda Festival Review as:  

 

1.3

Does the St Kilda Festival deliver on this Council’s strategic objectives and is it consistent with this Council’s policies? Determine the net community impact and benefit, considering: o What are the benefits and to whom do they accrue? o What are the impacts and whom do they affect? o Consider any indirect costs to the community Is the St Kilda Festival sustainable when measured in terms of cultural, social, economic and environmental outcomes? Consider the impact on the image of St Kilda.

PROJECT CONTEXT

The review of the St Kilda Festival was commissioned by the City of Port Phillip to inform the direction of the Festival beyond 2010. Cultural Value was engaged to assist the Council to understand the Festival’s capacity to deliver on strategic objectives, its impact on the host community and to consider the sustainability of the event against cultural, social, economic and environmental outcomes. To address the scope, Cultural Value employed methodology that involved an extensive analysis of both qualitative and quantitative information including a range of data analysis, benchmarking, consultation and documentation review. The St Kilda Festival is wholly supported, managed and produced by the City of Port Phillip who is the primary funder and underwriter for the event. Approaching its thirtieth anniversary and now a fixture in Melbourne’s busy cultural event calendar, the Festival has changed significantly since its inception in 1980, as has the local area. What began as a two‐day celebration of local culture designed to help shift the public perception of St Kilda, has since become a week‐long event with multiple programmatic offerings culminating in Australia’s largest ongoing outdoor cultural event. 2007 was a major turning point in the Festival’s history. Following its cancellation in 2006, the Festival relaunched with a new major private sponsor and a significant investment from the

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Victorian State government. It introduced two new programming initiatives, Live N Local and Yalukit Wilam Ngargee and reemphasised its position as an event that offered ‘something for everyone’. Now in the final year of these major sponsorship deals, the Festival has an opportunity to reflect on the success of this strategy and how it might continue to develop in the years ahead. Festival Sunday has been the main focus of this report as it is the largest component of the Festival, averaging attendances of 300,000 people, and has the greatest impact on the host community. This main day in particular represents a differentiated model in the festival landscape predominantly due to its scale and its free, open access philosophy. It draws strong local participation and attracts a large, demographically and socio‐economically diverse audience base from metropolitan Melbourne. Festival Sunday’s programmatic focus is on live music, with an emphasis on providing opportunities for emerging artists. It also provides multiple entry points for community participation through an open program that includes varied activities.

1.4

PROJECT CONSTRAINTS

It should be noted that the project scope and methodology for the St Kilda Festival Review did not include the following:  



Yalukit Wilam Ngargee – the Indigenous celebration that opens the St Kilda Festival was outside the scope of this Review Programming – while the report does consider the impact of programming, it does not make specific recommendations regarding artistic content which is out of the scope of the Review Research – the report relies on the analysis of existing statistical data. No additional quantitative research was commissioned as part of the Review, however, extensive qualitative research was undertaken Sponsors – the timing of the Review coincided with the negotiation of new sponsorship arrangements. Due to the nature of these negotiations, it was not possible to interview sponsors as part of the consultation process Political Impacts – the Review scope did not consider political impacts that are associated with the Festival Review.

1.5

PROJECT METHODOLOGY

1.5.1

OVERVIEW OF METHODOLOGY

The Review was focused on four major tasks, each of which involved a range of data analyses, benchmarking, consultation and documentation reviews: 

An analysis of the St Kilda Festival’s alignment with existing Council policy and strategic objectives  A review of the negative and positive impacts of the Festival on the host community and its contribution to public value for the broader community  An assessment of key sustainability challenges facing the Festival beyond its thirtieth anniversary in 2010  The development of a number of recommendations to assist future strategic decision‐ making. During the course of the Review constructive working relationships were developed with the Council, Festival team and key stakeholders, including the host community, to identify issues of concern, current good practice and opportunities for development. There was an emphasis on maintaining impartiality at all times to ensure quantitative and qualitative evidence was effectively analysed to provide clear recommendations on the future of the Festival.

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1.5.2

DATA COLLECTION

Information was gathered and analysed through a combination of quantitative and qualitative research approaches, including:            1.5.3

market research (host community) Festival Sunday attendance survey data economic impact assessments Council policy and strategy documentation analysis Festival complaints data Reference Group input findings from group workshops telephone and in‐person interview findings data from an online forum written submissions review of literature related to event management.

CONSULTATION

A multi‐methodological consultation process was used to inform the St Kilda Festival Review. The aim of the consultation was to canvas a diversity of views regarding the Festival from multiple stakeholders through a variety of mechanisms to assist Council’s decision‐making regarding the future of the Festival beyond 2010. It is acknowledged that a major event of this nature will attract a continuum of views from the host and broader community; as such, achieving a consensus view was not the objective of consultation. The consultation included:     

input from four Reference Group meetings thirteen one‐to‐one interviews with key internal and external stakeholders; four group workshops with Festival staff, (CoPP) staff, Festival presenter groups and Councillors an open online forum that received 1,414 unique visitors, 212 comments and five email submissions two additional email submissions received directly.

A list of organisations and individuals that contributed to this study is provided in Appendix Two. A detailed overview of the Festival is at Appendix Three.

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Section 02 POLICY CONTEXT Does the St Kilda Festival deliver on this Council’s strategic objectives and is it consistent with this Council’s policies?

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2. POLICY CONTEXT This section explores the St Kilda Festival’s alignment with the Council’s key policy and strategy documents and reviews whether the Festival delivers on the Council’s strategic objectives.

2.1

INTRODUCTION

There are three key policy and strategy documents that have been considered in this section: COUNCIL PLAN 2009–2013 The CoPP released its Council Plan in July 2009. This document provides the overarching framework for the delivery of the Council’s strategic objectives for this period. The Council Plan identifies four strategic priority areas: engaging and governing the city, taking action on climate change, strengthening our diverse and inclusive community, and enhancing liveability. COMMUNITY PLAN 2007–2017 The Community Plan was developed following extensive consultation with the local community and establishes a long‐term vision for the CoPP. The Community Plan identifies ten community priorities for action, which also informed the development of the Council Plan. CREATIVE FUTURES STRATEGY The Creative Futures Strategy sets the direction for Council’s library, arts and festivals services. It forms part of the Active and Creative Framework which includes the Sport and Recreation Strategy, Youth Development Framework and Events Management Strategy. There are a number of additional Council policy and strategy documents that have informed this Review including: St Kilda Festival Business Plan 2011–2013, Festivals Framework 2003, Events Policy 2009 (draft), Event Policy 2003, Event Strategy 2008, Open Space Strategy 2009, Port Phillip Health and Wellbeing Plan 2007–2011, Tourism Strategy Plan 2007–2010, and the Waste Wise Strategy 2006–2009.

2.2

EXPLICIT POLICY ALIGNMENT

The documentation review has reviewed the three key policy and strategy documents to identify their explicit alignment with the St Kilda Festival. Explicit alignment in this instance refers to instances where the Festival, or events generally, are noted as part of the delivery mechanism for Council’s key strategic actions. An overview is provided in Figure One below. Figure One: Existing Policy Alignment

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The documentation analysis identified one strategic action in the Council Plan related to the St Kilda Festival – ‘Review the St Kilda Festival 2010 and beyond’. The Community Plan contained two references that were particularly pertinent to the Festival regarding event management impacts and ensuring broad access to cultural events. As the Council’s creative framework, the Creative Futures Strategy was most clearly aligned with the Festival and contained seven specific actions that have some impact on the Festival’s future delivery. Figure Two provides an overview of how the high‐level objectives of these three documents align directly to goals identified in the St Kilda Festival Business Plan 2011–2013. Figure Two: Overview of Alignment

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2.3

ALIGNMENT OPPORTUNITIES

The review has undertaken a detailed analysis of the Council Plan and identified a number of instances where the St Kilda Festival is currently delivering, or has the potential to deliver, on key Council strategic objectives. These are represented below (Figure Three) as alignment opportunities. Figure Three: Council Plan alignment opportunities

An analysis of the key alignment opportunities for existing Council policy/strategy documents and the St Kilda Festival has highlighted the following: 



The Festival has the potential to be a significant contributor to the Council’s stated objectives with regard to climate change. As a large‐scale event, with a strong Melbourne profile, it is in a position to build on the achievements it has already made in this area and continue to move towards its carbon neutral ambition. The Festival is aligned to and already delivering on numerous strategic objectives related to community strengthening identified in the Council Plan. In particular, it is engaging with a large youth population and providing opportunities for cultural participation across a wide demographic within the local community. As a major event, the Festival impacts on local liveability in a positive and negative way and has the potential to be developed as an exemplary model for managing the balance between resident and visitor impact.

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

2.4

The Festival is a major contributor to economic development and is providing opportunities for building the economic capacity of the local population.

POLICY AND STRATEGY GAPS

Documentation analysis has identified a number of gaps that offer opportunities for the St Kilda Festival to more strongly align with existing Council policy and strategy documents. 2.4.1

FESTIVALS FRAMEWORK 2003

The Festivals Framework is an overview document that defines the typology of festivals that the CoPP supports and seeks to establish an investment priority. The three types of festivals identified are: o Level 1: Small local, neighbourhood celebrations o Level 2: Larger scale ‘theme’ festivals o Level 3: Flagship events The St Kilda Festival, with St Kilda Film Festival, is identified as one of the City’s two flagship events. The document specifies that the Council may need to manage the growth of these events to ensure they remain relevant to both the local community and visitors. The framework makes a number of statements that appear to be in conflict with the current status of the Festival, including: 



2.4.2

‘Council’s funding to Festivals decreases over time’ – a review of the Festival’s financial reports over the last three years suggests that Council contribution has in fact increased despite a growing diversification of funding sources. Although, the framework does suggest that there may be reasons for longer term support of a festival, this is based on the recognition that it takes time for a festival to gain broader support and establish financial stability – this is not an argument that can be readily applied to a festival with a thirty‐year history. ‘Grant money should be seen as seed funding only’ – the level of investment in the St Kilda Festival extends beyond seed funding, although there is an emphasis in the current business plan to reduce proportional investment of Council over the next three years. ‘Flagship Festivals should be the Council’s third funding priority’ – although this review has not assessed the Council’s broader festival investment funding priorities, this comment does not appear to be consistent when considering the level of annual investment made in the St Kilda Festival.

EVENTS POLICY 2009 (DRAFT)

The Events Policy 2009 (draft) and its predecessor, Event Policy 2003, are documents that provide policy guidance on the hosting of events in the CoPP. They establish a clear set of objectives and key selection criteria that relate exclusively to externally produced events. There is currently no policy that establishes a comparative framework for hosting internally produced events such as the St Kilda Festival. This means that there is currently a differing level of public awareness of expectations for internally and externally produced events. This represents a gap in existing policy in terms of the objectives stated in the Council and Community Plans related to the impact of events on the local community. 2.4.3

ST KILDA FESTIVAL BUSINESS PLAN 2011–2013

The St Kilda Festival Business Plan identifies a number of key issues that will shape the Festival during 2011–2013, including the benefit to and impact on the local residential and business community and environmental impacts. The St Kilda Festival Review Report – Final | CONFIDENTIAL

RESIDENT AND TRADER IMPACT The following goals and actions are identified: Goal 9: To balance protection of amenity and business opportunity with production of a large scale event. o o o

9.1 Devise and continually implement events held within trader precincts to enhance economic impact for local businesses 9.2 Develop and implement a Festival environmental impact minimisation plan 9.3 Monitor sound levels throughout Festival Sunday to ensure residential comfort and amenity

Performance Indicators: o

Trader satisfaction levels in post‐event surveys hosts To be consistent with the strategic objectives identified within both the Council and Community Plans, there is an opportunity here for host community satisfaction regarding amenity to be measured beyond a single narrowly defined performance indicator. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT Although the Business Plan does identify the development of ‘environmental impact minimisation measures’ in the report, there is currently no goal or performance measurement that relates specifically to achieving an environmental target. This may be the direct result of funding uncertainty for the implementation of environmental measures, however, it is a gap in alignment with the strategic objectives of the Council and Community Plan. 2.4.4

DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY

The Festival currently produces an annual business plan which is a hybrid business and strategic plan in nature. It provides financial information, sets operational context and identifies risk management planning but also establishes a number of high level goals, strategic actions and performance indicators. This is acceptable business practice, however, the review has identified an opportunity/gap in terms of optimising strategic decision‐ making between the Festival and Council. The Festival team delivers a unique service for Council. Its qualities are that of an ‘arms‐ length management model’ more than a typical local government division. The St Kilda Festival has its own brand, profile and partnerships, however, it is supported by Council resources and is subject to its guiding legislation, policies, approval and procurement processes. This environment creates a level of operating differentiation not commonly found in other areas of Council. The introduction of a concise Development Strategy may be an effective way to provide an objective assessment of the strategic direction of the Festival in a manner that informs decision‐making and sets out high‐level program and delivery implications for Council. The Development Strategy could outline how the Festival plans to deliver in terms of competitive differentiation, cost leadership, program response and anticipate how this will impact on the key stakeholders, including the host community. The benchmarking has identified the St Kilda Festival as a major festival, however, it has a number of unique characteristics that could see it strategically develop into a The St Kilda Festival Review Report – Final | CONFIDENTIAL

flagship/hallmark event of national and international significance. A Development Strategy would help articulate issues related to the Festival’s growth and provide a transparent appraisal of the key factors that hold influence on the Festival’s ongoing development. The Culture and Recreation Department would have ‘ownership’ of the Development Strategy which would need to be tabled with Council at a time that informs future festival planning and its budget allocation cycle. The Development Strategy would represent a proactive response that should build upon existing briefing processes already in place.

KEY FINDINGS The following key findings relate to the St Kilda Festival’s alignment to and delivery against the CoPP’s key policy and strategy documents: 



The Festival has clear alignment to the Council Plan, Community Plan, and Creative Futures strategy and delivers against its identified policy outcomes. Further analysis has shown that there is an opportunity for this alignment to be strengthened. There are elements in the Festivals Framework, Events Policy, and St Kilda Festival Business Plan that represent inconsistencies with the current strategic goals of Council. There is an opportunity/gap to optimise strategic decision‐making between the Festival and Council through the introduction of a Development Strategy to inform high‐level program and delivery planning.

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Section 03 ST KILDA FESTIVAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT Determine the net community impact and benefit, considering:  What are the benefits and to whom do they accrue?  What are the impacts and whom do they affect?  Consider any indirect costs to the community

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3. ST KILDA FESTIVAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT This section considers the positive and negative impacts the St Kilda Festival has had on the community from a socio‐cultural, environmental and economic perspective.

3.1

INTRODUCTION

Major festivals and events impact on the host population and major stakeholders in a number of ways, both negative and positive. This report focuses on the socio‐cultural, economic and environmental impacts of the St Kilda Festival and identifies where those impacts are most strongly felt and by whom. 3.1.2

RESEARCH CONTEXT

Considerable work in the events sector has been undertaken to better understand the impacts of major events, however, the primary focus of this activity has been in the area of economic impact assessments. This has been driven in the main by the need of event funders and organisers to demonstrate the financial value major events can bring to a community. Economic impact assessments can help support the argument for investment of public monies and, as a result, help to address public expectations. The socio‐cultural impacts of major events have been less consistently evaluated, initially because their importance is not front‐of‐mind but also because their largely intangible nature defies capture through the use of simple metrics. The most consistent solution applied to understanding the variety of socio‐cultural event impacts has been through a combination of statistically acceptable market research and qualitative analysis obtained through various consultation methodologies. Over the last decade, a renewed and growing public interest in environmental matters has also seen a steady increase in major events organisers seeking to demonstrate their ‘green’ credentials by developing measures to evaluate environmental impacts. In addition to a genuine desire to minimise environmental impacts, event organisers have become aware that the public are increasingly viewing ‘green’ consciousness as one of the critical success factors in the delivery of major events. 3.1.3 IMPACT ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK In order to address the impacts of the St Kilda Festival, an analysis of current event impact research was undertaken to determine a broad framework for evaluation. Table One ‐ St Kilda Festival Positive and Negative Impacts – Key Themes (below) identifies the continuum of positive and negative impacts that the research and consultation process has identified as being consistent themes requiring consideration to successfully review the future of the St Kilda Festival.

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Table One: St Kilda Festival Positive and Negative Impacts – Key Themes Impact Category Socio‐Cultural

Positive Shared community experience Revitalising/expanding cultural experiences Building community pride and belonging Validation of community groups Increased community participation Social cohesion

Economic

Community capacity building Artist development Destination promotion and increased tourist visits Higher visitor yields Increased revenue Job creation Showcasing the local environment Providing models for best practice Increasing environmental awareness Improved transport and communication

Environmental

Negative Host community alienation Lacking cultural focus Negative community image Poor visibility of community groups Loss of host community amenity Social dislocation (anti‐social behaviour etc) Growing community irrelevance Artist exploitation Host community resistance to tourism Damage to reputation, local amenity Market exploitation, revenue loss Indirect costs Environmental damage Pollution (noise, air, waste etc) Disregard of environment Traffic congestion

The themes identified in the table above have been further synthesized to better understand the key impacts of the Festival that can be adequately assessed by a qualitative and/or quantitative evidence base. The key issues to be addressed in this report are presented according to the following impact areas:        

3.2

Community strengthening Host community Community behaviour Cultural programming Economic impact Indirect costs Environmental impact Image.

COMMUNITY STRENGTHENING

The following impacts sub‐section discusses the diversity of participation in the St Kilda Festival and the impact it currently has on community strengthening. 3.2.1

INTRODUCTION

A community’s sense of connectedness is drawn from its ability to share a vision, to be tolerant of others’ views, to participate and to celebrate. The St Kilda Festival has had many evolutions in its thirty‐year history but its open access spirit and low barriers to participation have always been its hallmark characteristics. Even before music became the unifying vehicle that brought people together, its biggest asset was as a cultural gateway that supported openness and tolerance. Thirty years on and the definition of community has become a much more global concept and one to which the Festival is having to adapt, as is the host community.

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3.2.2

AUDIENCE DIVERSITY

The St Kilda Festival Business Plan 2011–2013 identifies three broad participant markets: 18–35 year olds living in Victoria interested in music, all ages interested in music and cultural activities, and Victorian families. To better understand the current demographic profile of Festival Sunday attendees, an analysis of the CoPP’s market research has been undertaken (Table Two below). Where possible, this information has been compared with Census data to provide some opportunity for comparison between the CoPP resident and attendee demographic. Table Two: CoPP Market Research analysis

CoPP Census Data 2006

Median (2007‐2009)

2009

2008

2007

Gender Male

50%

49%

47%

50%

49%

Female

50%

51%

53%

50%

51%

16 – 17

n/a

18 – 24

10%

25%

31%

17%

27%

25 – 34

28%

32%

29%

32%

34%

35 – 49

25%

23%

21%

28%

19%

50 and over

26%

15%

13%

16%

Unanswered

n/a

St Kilda

n/a

15%

20%

11%

City of Port Phillip

n/a

12%

Melbourne

n/a

53%

52%

47%

59%

Victoria

n/a

11%

12%

11%

10%

Australia

n/a

Overseas

n/a

32%

34%

35%

28%

Age

Where do you live?

Highest level of education Secondary School Trade Qualification

10%

Certificate/Diploma

16%

12%

17%

18%

32%

35%

28%

33%

35%

12%

11%

n/a

University Degree Postgraduate Degree or higher Unanswered Annual personal Income Under $25,000

16%

28%

33%

29%

21%

$25,001 ‐ $40,000

13%

15%

12%

20%

$40,001 ‐ $60,000

16%

23%

22%

24%

$60,001 ‐ $80,000

11%

14%

15%

16%

10%

$80,001 ‐ $100,000

$100,001 or more

27%

10%

Unanswered/other

11%

n/a

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The key findings of the research indicate the following: GENDER 

Over the last three years, the gender of attendees has been evenly divided between male and female, consistent with CoPP gender distribution.



25–35 year olds represent the highest proportion of Festival Sunday attendees (32%) and also represent the highest proportion of CoPP residents (28%). Festival Sunday is attracting a significantly higher proportion of the 18–24 demographic (25%) than is residing within the CoPP (10%). Festival Sunday is attracting a significantly lower proportion of the 50+ demographic (15%) than is residing with CoPP (26%). Overall, Festival Sunday is attracting a broad age demography.

AGE

  

Figure Four: Age: CoPP and Festival Comparison

RESIDENCE 

Over half of attendees (53%) are from outside the CoPP but reside within metropolitan Melbourne.  On average, 23% of attendees reside within the CoPP.  Festival Sunday attracts a small proportion of international visitors (7%) and interstate visitors (6%). EDUCATION 

40% of attendees hold a university (or higher) degree as opposed to 35% in the CoPP.

INCOME  

28% of attendees earn under $25,000 p.a. as opposed to only 16% of CoPP residents. only 10% of attendees earn over $100,000 p.a. as opposed to 27% of CoPP residents.

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Figure Five: Income: CoPP and Festival Comparison

3.2.3 AUDIENCE DIVERSITY SUMMARY These statistics suggest that in terms of age demography, Festival Sunday is successfully attracting a diverse range of people with particularly strong attendances from the 18–24 demographic (25%), which represents a highly valued market for festivals and major events. With 53% of attendees from metropolitan Melbourne (other than CoPP), Festival Sunday is also injecting a significant boost to the local economy and is simultaneously attracting a broader socio‐demographic to the area. The statistics indicate that, on average, 40% of attendees hold a university or post graduate degree (higher than the CoPP average of 35%) and yet 28% of those surveyed earn under $25,000 p.a. (higher than the CoPP average of 16%). Only 10% of attendees earn over $100,000 p.a. in contrast with 27% of CoPP residents. These statistics suggest that Festival Sunday attracts a highly educated but relatively low income attendee ratio that is in contrast to the relative wealth of the CoPP residents. There is currently no way to determine participation by ethnic grouping based on existing data collection, so it is not possible to understand the diversity of attendees according to cultural origin. Therefore, no evidence‐based analysis can be made as to whether the Festival is successfully attracting a mix of people that is reflective of it own ethno‐ demography, or that of Melbourne more generally. 3.2.4

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND PUBLIC VALUE Events are a potential mechanism for strengthening weak community structures in a particular location and to help in developing community cohesion, increased cultural and social understanding and improved community identity and self‐confidence. Shone, A. (2001). Successful Event Management: A Practical Handbook, Continuum, London.

As a free open access festival, the St Kilda Festival is an event for which there are few Australian equivalents in terms of attendance and commensurate local government investment. The statistics noted above, indicate a diversity of socio‐demographic representation on Festival Sunday, particularly in relation to age and income capacity.

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What this means in practice is that there is a strong multi‐generational mix of attendees interacting with each other in ways that they are unlikely to in ordinary circumstances or through their regular cultural event choices. There are a number of ways that both the host and broader community currently participate in the St Kilda Festival. In 2009, the Call for Events process (see Section 3.5.5) saw 40 groups (comprising mostly small community groups) apply to be part of the program of Festival Sunday. The CoPP also runs an annual competition to design the imagery for the St Kilda Festival. The winner receives a cash prize and entry is only open to people living, working or studying in the City of Port Phillip. Through a call for entries process, there are opportunities for emerging artists to participate in the non‐curated component of the music program for both Live N Local and Festival Sunday. There is also a small cohort of volunteers who actively support the Festival predominantly through donating their time to the Live N Local program and through some production assistance on Festival Sunday. The benchmarking revealed that for a number of festivals volunteers are also a vital source of service hours to ensure delivery. The majority of festivals that were benchmarked rely on volunteer labour and also offer internships to support the next generation of professional event management students. Like many other festivals, the St Kilda Festival receives requests for work experience or internships but there is only limited capacity to support skills development within the current resource framework. There was general acknowledgement that the training and servicing of volunteers can also be resource intensive. In terms of the benchmarking findings, the St Kilda Festival has low levels of volunteerism with 15 volunteers in 2009. The public value of cultural events in terms of developing community cohesion and social understanding has been well argued but remains challenging to represent through quantitative research. Much easier to define are the moments when things go wrong, such as increased crime, poor behaviour, litter etc. The benchmarking revealed that based on attendance levels, the Council’s funding contribution represents high public value relative to its annual investment. The online forum has provided an opportunity to capture some of the qualitative evidence that suggests how individuals perceive the St Kilda Festival offers public value to the host and broader communities: ‘A free festival with great music that brings St Kilda to life. With the beaches, foreshore, parks, as well as bars, pubs, restaurants and music venues ‐ there is no better place to put on an urban festival.’ ‘By far my FAVOURITE day of the year! Warm weather, friendly people, great food, music and so much more. It’s the best finding a spot for the day and doing some people watching ‐ very entertaining!... A fantastic, enjoyable day for all ages!!’ ‘As a long term St Kilda resident I feel very proud of the festival. There's nowhere else in Melbourne that has this sense of community like St Kilda does on festival day. It's a hugely important part of the culture of the suburb, which is by far one of the most unique in the state…’

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‘I love that I can catch the ferry across from Williamstown (on a calm day!) and just wander ‐ never seeing everything ‐ and enjoy all this magnificent festival has to offer…’ Engaging both the local and broader community is critical to the success of the St Kilda Festival. Active civic engagement, particularly at a local level, contributes to a sense of community ownership of an event and ways to extend the existing levels of participation should be part of the Festival’s mission for continuous improvement. This is a prominent local identity issue that will remain a pertinent one if Festival Sunday continues to attract large audiences that are predominantly drawn from outside the host community.

KEY FINDINGS The following key findings relate to the St Kilda Festival’s role as a tool for community strengthening: 



Festival Sunday currently attracts people that reflect a broad demography, are generally well educated but represent lower income groups when compared with the host community. Festival Sunday attracts a significantly higher participation rate from a younger demographic, than that represented within the host community. The high youth demographic is a point of competitive advantage for the Festival as it is a highly desirable consumer market and anecdotally a difficult one for other like festivals to attract. The Festival’s open access philosophy delivers significant public value to the community. It contributes to the civic identity and cultural life of St Kilda and Melbourne and the social and cultural wellbeing of its host community and visitors attracted to the area. The Festival currently attracts a low level of volunteerism when compared with other festivals.

3.3

HOST COMMUNITY IMPACTS

This sub‐section reviews the impacts of the St Kilda Festival on the host community, particularly those living within the Festival Sunday precinct. The majority of the data available to assess these impacts specifically relates to Festival Sunday, which is reflected in the analyses that follows. 3.3.1

INTRODUCTION

Host communities play a pivotal role in the success of any major cultural event. They are usually staged by local people and focus on a unique aspect of that community. An event the scale of Festival Sunday can present significant challenges to a host population whose support is vital to it success. Issues created by a temporary influx of people can create flow on effects that include anti‐social behaviour, traffic congestion and noise disturbances that affect the quality of life of some local residents. The St Kilda Festival Review Report – Final | CONFIDENTIAL

The St Kilda Festival also has a long history, so it has had time for residents to develop a sense of ownership of, pride in or displeasure with the event. While the Festival continues on its own journey so too does that of the host community, whose values and tastes change as its own demography and leadership changes. Visitors to St Kilda bring their own set of values and expectations to the Festival and, at times, they may be in harmony or in conflict with the predominant values of the local area. All perceptions have validity and all need to be understood against an existing evidence base to determine how each view should influence decision makers. 3.3.2

CITY OF PORT PHILLIP – AN EVENT DESTINATION

As an iconic Melbourne destination, St Kilda occupies a unique place in the psyche of Melburnians. From its heights of edgy bohemian chic in the 1980s to its current more upscale, high liveability profile, its distinctive location has always been a major drawcard for residents and visitors alike. Particularly on weekends and in the warmer seasons, St Kilda plays host to large numbers of visitors who come to experience all that it has to offer. The CoPP is promoted as being an active and creative city and has a long history of event staging. Its 2009–2010 event calendar identifies sixteen externally produced events between October 2009 to March 2010 that will take place in the City ranging from triathlons and fun runs to the Pride March. The only internally‐produced event noted in the events calendar is the St Kilda Festival, which is by far the largest. Of these seventeen events, eleven require some degree of road closure. Between December and March, three incidents of consecutive weekend road closures affect the same locale and roads. This provides a brief snapshot of the conditions within which residents of the CoPP, and in particular St Kilda, carry out their day‐to‐day routines. It is important to consider the event context in which the St Kilda Festival is situated. Anecdotal evidence suggests that resident tolerance for the Festival may be impacted by the cumulative effect of residing in an environment that is already prone to high levels of cultural tourism and amenity disturbance. 3.3.3

FESTIVAL SUPPORT AND PARTICIPATION

Large‐scale events can have a significant impact on the quality of life for local residents particularly those living within an immediate event precinct. This can be evidenced in market research findings where local residents within a precinct zone tend to have the most polarised views. For example, post‐event market research commissioned by the CoPP in 2009 shows that residents living within the Festival precinct were more likely to strongly support Festival Sunday (34% compared with 26% of total residents), however, they were also more likely to oppose the day (25% compared to 13% of total residents)1. Post‐event market research is one of the most accepted methods for understanding host community perceptions of impacts of an event. In the absence of any consistent longitudinal data, the table below offers a comparison of the key findings from 2009 and 2001 post‐ event market research surveys undertaken by the CoPP.



The Australian Grand Prix is not included in this analysis.

NWC Opinion Research, St Kilda Festival Research Report, 2009.

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Table Three: Host community perceptions of Festival Sunday Measure In support of Festival Sunday Not in support of Festival Sunday Reasons for opposing Festival Sunday:  Disruptive/anti‐social  Event organisation  Community cultural implications  Impact on businesses Previously attended the Festival Planning to attend the following year Frequency of attendance:  Once  2–4 times  5–10 times Highest ranked attributes of the Festival:  Live music program and stages  General atmosphere of the area  Tourism Satisfaction with impacts of Festival Sunday:  Noise levels  Cleanliness of area  Behaviour of attendees  Number of people  Road closures  Availability of parking Traders open for business on Festival Sunday

2009 Residents Traders 64% 58% 13% 7% 76% 52% 59% 26% 22% 9% 4% 83% 84% ‐ 44% ‐ 17% ‐ 48% ‐ 21% ‐ 88% 83% 84% 66% 80% 66% 72% 71% 59% 60% 59% 61% 57% 60% 56% 53% 31% 14%

2001 Residents Traders 87% 80% 8% 14% ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ 78% 75% 58% 51% 17% ‐ 51% ‐ 22% ‐ 76% 33% ‐ ‐ 84% 100% ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐

‐

72%

‐

(d) ‐ (dash) denotes where comparable information is not available

It is not statistically sound to extrapolate any trends regarding host community perceptions based on this data alone and a caveat should be placed on the 2009 data, where only a relatively small cohort of people aged between 15 and 24 (a sizeable proportion of the target demographic for the Festival) were interviewed. However, the information is more useful when considered in conjunction with other data and information collated during the consultation process. The 2001 market research figures indicated a high level of resident support for Festival Sunday (87%), declining to 67% in 2009. Festival attendance figures for these years are estimated at 380,000 and 250,000 respectively. Of the 13% of residents not in support of Festival Sunday, 78% identified the ‘disruptive or anti‐social behaviour of attendees’ as the main reason. Crowd behaviour also emerged as a concern for both residents and non‐ residents who expressed some level of reservation about Festival Sunday during the consultation process. This was attributed partly to the combination of high attendance numbers and the presence of alcohol leading to a perception of the event becoming ‘unwieldy’ (see Section 3.4). Without strong longitudinal evidence, it cannot be concluded that host community support for Festival Sunday is, in fact, eroding. Participation rates offer an opportunity to interrogate this issue further, however, they are not necessarily an indicator of levels of support. For instance, it is known that while many people may not directly participate in events they may still be supportive if they believe the event delivers overall benefits for their community. The St Kilda Festival Review Report – Final | CONFIDENTIAL

The host community attendance figures above indicate a relatively stable but high rate of repeat participation (48% of respondents attended between two to four times). Research undertaken over the last three years during Festival Sunday itself has shown that host community participation peaked at 28% (2008) as a proportion of total attendees (see Table Four). Table Four: Festival Sunday Attendees by Residence Place of Residence St Kilda City of Port Phillip Melbourne Victoria Australia Overseas

2009 (%) 15 12 52 12 3 6

2008 (%) 20 8 47 11 7 7

2007 (%) 11 5 59 10 7 8

(e) Victoria University, St Kilda Festival Economic Assessment Report, 2009

To provide some context for these numbers, in 2009 Festival Sunday attracted some 250,000 people, swelling the CoPP’s population by more than two‐and‐a‐half times across the course of the day2. Using the above 2009 market research figures as a guide, a 27% attendance ratio (combining CoPP‐ and St Kilda‐identified residents) represents local population participation of 67,500 people. If a 30% error margin is factored in, these figures still suggest a local participation of some 47,250 people – over half the resident population. Statistically this would be considered a high success measure by any major event standard. Active resident participation beyond passive attendance is also achieved through a variety of programming and production support pathways. Through an open call for entries process, musicians with a local connection are offered the opportunity to perform as part of the Live N Local program or on the New Music Stage on Festival Sunday. Through the Live N Local program, the Festival also directly engages with a variety of local traders and community organisations to build a seven‐day program of activity that showcases St Kilda’s arts and cultural talent (see Section 3.5.4). Live N Local also supports community participation through the use of volunteers to help raise the event profile through marketing support. Young people from the local community are also offered an opportunity to directly participate in Festival Sunday. The Push Stage is a unique partnership between a number of local authorities, including the CoPP; it is an all ages drug, alcohol and smoke‐free stage, by and for young people. The Festival more generally, both through active and passive participation, is an important conduit that engages with young people who may otherwise show disinterest in participating in traditional local government programs. The open for Call for Events process is also another way for the host community to become involved in the Festival Sunday program (see Section 3.5.5). From 2007 to 2009 a significant proportion of applicants to the Call for Events process has been received from local groups (46%) within the CoPP. In 2009 this figure was 43%, representing a sizeable participation rate from the local community in ancillary event programming. The local community also has the opportunity to participate through the Festival’s annual design competition.

Based on population figures of 90,000 noted in the CoPP Council Plan.

The St Kilda Festival Review Report – Final | CONFIDENTIAL

3.3.4

RESIDENT AMENITY

A number of amenity issues are known to affect the host population during Festival Sunday. One of the most effective indicators of the nature of some of the issues is the Festival Hotline, which manages complaints and enquiries regarding Festival Sunday. The CoPP has extended the standard operating hours of the ASSIST service to ensure that residents have a single point of contact that is available the day prior to and on Festival Sunday. In 2009, the Festival Hotline was widely promoted and for the first time all calls were logged – not just those that reflected specific complaints. The enquiry log provided for analysis contains all queries related to the St Kilda Festival from 21 January to 6 August 2009, with the bulk of entries made on Festival Sunday. Of the 129 entries received during this period, fifty‐three can be considered complaints. A breakdown of the nature of those complaints is provided in Figure Six below: Figure Six: Complaints breakdown 2009

The complaints log indicated that the majority of issues were immediately responded to, with resolution achieved within a twenty‐four‐hour period. Unsurprisingly for a live outdoor music festival, noise‐related issues represented the most common complaint (36%). It should be noted, however, that a significant proportion of the noise complaints were not directly related to Festival sanctioned activities but ancillary noise predominantly associated with venues located within the precinct. This fact is noted in the sound report commissioned by the St Kilda Festival in 2009: ‘It is important to understand that not all sound sources within the festival precinct on the day are, in fact, arranged by and under the control of St Kilda Festival. Many of the more intrusive sources of sound were from events which are arranged by third parties…’3



It should be noted that due to privacy issues, it has not been possible to separate multiple complaints from the same individual so it is likely than less than 53 unique complaints were received. Auditoria, St Kilda Festival: Festival Sunday Sound Report, 2009, p.61

The St Kilda Festival Review Report – Final | CONFIDENTIAL

The issue of third party noise is one that emerged through the consultation process. A review of the complaints logged indicates two trader breaches of noise regulations on Festival Sunday that resulted in a small number of complaints by residents. One of the venues in question was noted to be a serial offender throughout the year. In addition to local traders, other anecdotal comments indicated a concern that Festival Sunday encouraged residents to believe they had a license to party. Based on existing data, it is currently not possible to understand the extent of the impact of third party noise on resident satisfaction with the Festival. The 2009 market research suggests that 72% of residents were satisfied with noise levels overall but it does not isolate the cause of the 28% dissatisfaction rate. The relatively low number of complaints suggests that while there is a noise issue that requires vigilance, it is not currently a pervasive one (see Section 3.8.4). Traffic management/parking represented 23% of complaints in 2009. They were relatively minor in nature and mainly related to the illegal parking concerns of residents. Anecdotal evidence during the consultation period identified some concern about the reduced level of resident amenity during Festival Sunday in relation to road closures. Though residents appeared to be well‐informed about the closures, there was some indication that there was a desire to see the number of road closures extended to further protect those living within the Festival precinct, as occurs with the Australian Grand Prix. Crowd behaviour or public nuisance represented 17% of total complaints, with calls mainly related to instances of urination in a public space or private garden. This issue was also supported by qualitative evidence during the consultation period that there was a general concern by some that the number of public toilets was inadequate. It is a common complaint levied at large scale festivals, often reflective of multiple factors including poor directional signage, alcohol consumption and lack of patience or willingness to queue. While it is not possible to make a direct causal link between a perceived lack of public toilets and incidences of public urination, the provision of adequate toilet facilities is an issue that requires closing monitoring by the Festival’s event managers. While the Festival must work towards continuous improvement to minimise the impacts to residents, there does need to be an acceptance that some residents may not be placated by these measures. There is a general dislike of the event among some residents and a small number of the complaints reflected comments of general resident dissatisfaction with Festival Sunday, with the Hotline being used as a means to express that dissatisfaction. Overall, the number of complaints received (fifty‐three) is considered to be low and well within management tolerances given the scale of Festival Sunday and the population of the host community (approximately 20,000 people in St Kilda alone). This does not mean that there is not room for improvement but, on balance, the statistics are indicative of a well‐ managed event that enjoys a reasonable level of support and tolerance from the local community. Some of the service improvements that have been identified as a direct result of complaints to date include: 

the recruitment of a specific accreditation officer to exclusively manage issues related to access to the Festival precinct (decreasing the volume of complaints related to this issue)

The St Kilda Festival Review Report – Final | CONFIDENTIAL

    

3.3.5

street cleaning is completed by 6.00 am following Festival Sunday, with spot cleaning undertaken as required over the proceeding days modification of sound amplification on The Push Stage, reducing the sound impact on local residents the institution of a no glass policy the introduction of more restrictive alcohol management policies and enforcement the development of a collaborative approach with all emergency services agencies and internal City services to ensure complaints can be effectively managed.

TRADER IMPACT

This sub‐section reviews the St Kilda Festival’s impact on the local trader community based on available data. INTRODUCTION There is little consistent research to date to understand the extent of the impact of the Festival on traders. The economic impact assessment of 2009 offers one lens from which to view this perspective (see Section 3.6) and supports the case that many traders benefit financially from the influx of visitors during Festival Sunday. The market research also suggests that traders are likely to benefit from repeat visitation beyond Festival Sunday with 80% of participants likely or very likely to return to St Kilda. What is less clear is the impact of Festival Sunday on non‐hospitality based traders and the value Live N Local contributes to the overall trader community. The CoPP Festival team works with local traders in the lead up to Festival Sunday by offering ad hoc meetings to provide logistical information and advice in relation to leasing additional equipment for the day. Generally, however, these meetings appear to be poorly attended for reasons that may be related to a lack of time and/or interest. Another factor to consider is that the longevity of the event means that many long‐term St Kilda traders will already have a good understanding of what to expect from Festival Sunday and are likely to have their own procedures in place. All traders within the main Festival precinct zone receive a Community Information Guide prior to the event and are able to contact the ASSIST support line to address any concerns on the day. MARKET RESEARCH The 2001 and 2009 market research suggests a sharp decline in support for Festival Sunday, from 80% to 58% respectively, although the absence of strong longitudinal data means that this reading is presented with a strong degree of caution. In 2009, 20% of respondents were found to be ambivalent about Festival Sunday. Of the 23% of traders who opposed or strongly opposed Festival Sunday, 83% of this group stated this was because of the negative impact on their businesses. An additional 52% of traders were opposed to Festival Sunday based on the disruptive and anti‐social behaviour of attendees. This is not considered robust evidence to support a trend in trader discontent. A number of factors could be influencing this result:



It is not clear from the research whether this figure includes existing St Kilda residents

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

lower attendance figures in 2009 (250,000 as opposed to 380,000 in 2001), contributing to lower sales  a disproportionate number of traders surveyed may not have been hospitality retailers, therefore unlikely to be as supportive of the Festival  the net gain from Festival Sunday revenue may be considered low in the face of additional costs such as casual staff hire, extended license fees, security, stock etc  timing of the survey which coincided with some dissatisfaction with the Festival’s decision not to move Festival Sunday 2010 which coincides with Valentines Day. The 2009 data suggests that 72% of traders interviewed were open for business on Festival Sunday. There is no Sunday trading baseline to compare this figure against nor was there a follow up question to understand why 28% of traders closed their doors. It is therefore not possible to infer a direct correlation between Festival Sunday and a trader’s decision not to open for business. Anecdotal evidence, however, does suggest that some non‐hospitality traders close on Festival Sunday for reasons ranging from security concerns to a belief that there is no increase (or, in fact, decrease) in trade. The 2009 data also indicates that 62% of precinct traders will be open for business, with 28% definitely unlikely and the remaining 10% undecided. Again, there is no indication of reasons for not opening. The most recent business impact evaluation of Festival Sunday was undertaken in 1998 and consisted of interviews with fifty owners/managers of businesses located in the Festival precinct. The number of Festival attendees in 1998 was estimated to be 350,000 people. The key findings of this paper included: 

70% indicated an increase in trading on Festival Sunday, 8% indicated a decrease, and 22% experienced no change  46% increased usual staffing levels (64% of these were hospitality traders)  93% rated the organisation of Festival Sunday positively  100% supported the event being held in the CoPP. The absence of consistent longitudinal data makes it challenging to form any definitive conclusions about traders’ perceptions of Festival Sunday. There still appears to be a majority of traders supporting the event – likely influenced by the sizeable economic returns – however, the data indicates that the seemingly unequivocal support of the previous decade may have waned (see Section 3.7.3). ALCOHOL RESTRICTIONS The restriction of alcohol sales has had a direct impact on the eight (approx) take‐away alcohol traders located within the Festival precinct. It is unclear whether the increased volume of customers on Festival Sunday nullifies the overall impact on restricted sales; however, in 2009 at least one major take‐away liquor retailer chose to close its doors in response to the restrictions. The promotion of Festival Sunday as an alcohol‐restricted event, also places a responsibility on licensed traders to ensure they adequately implement Responsible Serving of Alcohol 

Although anecdotal evidence has been offered to suggest that the influx of visitors increases incidences of shoplifting, there is no evidence from Victoria Police statistics to support this claim.

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policies as an effective means to control drinking at the point of consumption. An active Festival precinct, with large excitable crowds can create a heightened atmosphere for traders to manage. An analysis of the 2009 security activity log and of the Victoria Police debrief on Festival Sunday does not indicate any significant concerns in relation to this issue (see Section 3.4.3). LIVE N LOCAL In 2009, 50 venues participated in the Live N Local program which showcases local venues as well as local talent. Understanding the impact of Live N Local on traders is statistically fraught given the research that has been undertaken to date has been largely anecdotal (see Section 3.5.4). It is also unclear whether the Live N Local program increases the likelihood of repeat visitation to St Kilda and, in particular, to the hosting venues. Numbers of venues participating in Live N Local has increased year‐on‐year, which may, in part, reflect both growing trader enthusiasm and the Festival team’s determination to ensure the program has every chance of success. In terms of trader impact and with all statistical caveats aside, common sense would dictate that an increase in venue entertainment and associated publicity is likely to attract some degree of increased patronage. Participating venues do not incur any overheads to become part of the Live N Local program so any additional revenue is received directly by the trader. Although there are clear benefits to the trader, in order to better understand these benefits more research and evaluation of audience numbers is required. 3.3.6

HOST COMMUNITY PERCEPTIONS

During the consultations, some residents expressed views that indicated dissatisfaction with what they perceived to be the escalating ‘commercialisation’ of Festival Sunday, manifested predominantly through its major sponsorship relationship. While some in the local community are likely to view any degree of private sector support and partnership to be in conflict with the Festival’s civic mission, a diversified funding base is also critical if the Council’s financial investment is to remain at a palatable level to the local community. Alternatively, some within the community have recognised the value of these partnerships, both in monetary terms and in the diversity of programming that they have leveraged and facilitated. The increasing professionalisation of the event has also been a factor that has alienated some local residents. What some view as a necessity to deliver an event that has grown to an unparalleled size, others see as a failure of unchecked growth. A view has emerged from the consultations that the Festival Sunday operations and programming (including the professional staging, headline bands and associated promotion) no longer resemble the ‘look and feel’ of a local community council‐sponsored event. According to this view, these factors have helped create what was once a uniquely St Kilda‐ based event into a music festival that is indistinguishable from other major commercial music festivals such as Big Day Out or Falls Festival. While there has been a significant upgrade in some aspects of production levels, the Festival main stage infrastructure itself has remained unchanged for many years and most of the smaller stages are rudimentary in nature. There has been a considered effort by Festival organisers to resist an overtly commercial ‘look and feel’ on Festival Sunday. The development and growth of Festival Sunday has been a somewhat organic one in nature. The CoPP has not extensively marketed the Festival intra/interstate or The St Kilda Festival Review Report – Final | CONFIDENTIAL

internationally (the marketing budget is comparatively small for a festival of this scale and the St Kilda Festival brand has a very low resonance and profile outside of Melbourne). Tourism Victoria does not in any way support the event financially and the Festival is still viewed by many current and potential funding partners as a predominantly ‘community’‐ based event, despite its scale. The attraction of high profile bands has not been due to a commensurate increase in the Festival’s programming budget; it is more a testament to the appeal of the event to many performers who have a connection to St Kilda and enjoy performing to an appreciative audience in a non‐ticketed environment. There are, of course, merits to both sides of this perception and it is a debate that will undoubtedly continue as long as a major event like Festival Sunday continues to be supported by public funding. What is beyond dispute, however, is that if the St Kilda Festival is going to continue to evolve and reflect contemporary values, the support of the host community is vital and ways to involve local people must always be a priority and measure of success. Festival organisers must continue to engage and consult with the host community to ensure an ongoing constructive relationship.

KEY FINDINGS The following findings relate to the St Kilda Festival’s impacts on the host community: 



There are multiple factors influencing the host community’s perception of the Festival but there is currently insufficient and inconsistent data to extrapolate a conclusive trend in opinion. Current levels of complaints are within an acceptable threshold for an event of this scale, suggestive of relative support and/or tolerance of the St Kilda Festival, however, issues of host community amenity need to remain foremost in the mind of event organisers. The St Kilda Festival currently provides multiple entry points for participation by the local community and the statistical evidence suggests local attendances and active participation are at healthy levels. The Festival needs to continue to develop local engagement strategies that anchor and support the retention of local identity. Market research suggests that a statistically sizeable proportion of traders (28%) do not open for business on Festival Sunday, however, a direct correlation between reasons for closure and the event itself cannot currently be substantiated. There are divergent opinions co‐existing within the host community regarding the future of the St Kilda Festival, making the ongoing engagement of the host community a key factor in its continued success.

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3.4

COMMUNITY BEHAVIOUR

This sub‐section will discuss the impacts of the St Kilda Festival that relate specifically to issues of community behaviour in large crowds and how these are currently being addressed through event management strategies. Given attendance size and impact, the focus of this section is on Festival Sunday only. 3.4.1

INTRODUCTION

The logistics of an event the size of Festival Sunday requires very high levels of planning, coordination and skill. In 2009, the production budget for Festival Sunday represented over half the overall costs of producing the St Kilda Festival and included items such as security, fencing, waste management, road closures, sound, lighting and emergency services. Staging Festival Sunday requires high‐level coordination within Council and with external stakeholders such as authority groups, suppliers and performers. The overall aim is to ensure the event runs smoothly, issues can be responded to quickly, risks are proactively managed and public safety is high. 3.4.2

EVENT PLANNING

The production management team responsible for staging Festival Sunday is very highly regarded. Throughout the consultation, peers and stakeholders have consistently praised the Festival team’s professionalism and ability to retain what is a relatively low incident rate in proportion to attendee numbers. A culture of aspiring to continuous improvement has helped Festival Sunday become a benchmark in major event management delivery models. The Council has supported a significant increase in the production budget over recent years to ensure an event the size of the St Kilda Festival can be delivered professionally. The following provides a brief synopsis of some of the key innovations that have helped the event management keep pace with Festival Sunday’s growth: 

development of a state‐of‐the‐art CCTV system to cover up to 90% of the St Kilda Festival precinct, accessible to view from multiple locations  introduction of a RF (radio frequency) camera system that enables the deployment of a camera operator to capture real time footage of issues that may be out of range of fixed cameras (an Australian event first)  implementation of alcohol management strategies in collaboration with Victoria Police, Liquor Licensing Victoria and Local Laws (CoPP)  development of customised incident management reporting software (now being adopted by other event management organisations)  development of a low‐level noise PA system to minimise impact to residents  in‐house management control of all stage management activity  installation of a new tram shunt, through a collaborative approach with the Department of Transport, Victoria Police, Yarra Trams and the CoPP’s Traffic Department to improve pedestrian and traffic flows. The Festival’s event management team works with multiple partners pre, post and during Festival Sunday to ensure emergency, traffic and public safety services are able to respond promptly to any issues that may arise on the day. Key partners include Victoria Police, Metropolitan Fire Brigade, St John’s Ambulance, Metropolitan Ambulance Service, Metlink, security contractors and CoPP’s internal departments, including Traffic Management.

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3.4.3

CROWD BEHAVIOUR

The 2009 market research of the host community showed that of the 13% who opposed Festival Sunday, 76% attributed this opposition to perceptions of disruptive or anti‐social behaviour of attendees. The heightened excitement that a festival generates can contribute to anti‐social behaviour and it may create opportunities for some to exhibit behaviour that is already present in society. Some factors, such as weather, are beyond the organiser’s control but can impact on crowd behaviour and attendance levels. The major influences on crowd behaviour at major events include: crowd composition and size, the presence of alcohol (and drugs), site configuration and security controls, and programmatic content (Earl, 2006).The current impact of these factors on Festival Sunday and the existing management controls in place are discussed below. CROWD COMPOSITION AND SIZE Attendance figures suggest that on average 310,000 people attend Festival Sunday, with a high proportion of attendees (77%) drawn from outside the CoPP. During the consultation process, there was some concern expressed that the event has grown too large, making it unwieldy and unmanageable. The current statistical reality is that while the event is large, Festival Sunday attracts an evenly balanced gender distribution and a broad age demographic with approximately 80% evenly distributed in the 18–24, 25–34, and 35–49 age categories. Even gender distribution and a multi‐generational presence are key factors that generally have positive calming effects on crowds (Tatrai, 2001). While size is a contributing factor to crowd behaviour, it needs to be considered as only one of multiple factors at play on Festival Sunday. ALCOHOL MANAGEMENT The consultation process has revealed a degree of community concern specifically about the presence of alcohol on Festival Sunday and its relationship to undesirable behaviours. This is not an issue restricted to the Festival alone but is something that is being publically debated on a national scale. Current societal attitudes in Australia reflect both the heightened awareness of the destructive force of unchecked alcohol consumption and the cultural norms that inform our tolerance for drinking. The CoPP is in the process of winding back unrestricted alcohol consumption that has previously been associated with Festival Sunday. Since 1996, the Council has implemented a number of strategies to regulate alcohol consumption at the event and 2009 represented the most dramatic changes to date. The most recent market research indicates that there is high‐level awareness of the alcohol restrictions in place. In 2009, 83% of Festival Sunday attendees indicated that they were aware that precinct was an alcohol‐free zone. The Festival has also introduced a number of internal plans and policies in relation to alcohol management including: St Kilda Festival 2010 Alcohol Plan, Festival Policy for the Consumption of Alcohol and the Liquor Service Plan. A summary of the current alcohol restrictions in place for Festival Sunday is shown below: 

implementation of local laws creating the St Kilda Festival precinct as an ‘Alcohol Free Zone’ from 9.00 am to midnight on Festival Sunday, with the exception of licensed premises (including four Council‐managed bars) 

Median figure of estimated attendance numbers and resident profiles taken from CoPP’s 2007–2009 data.

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

 

restriction on take‐away liquor outlets sales including prohibition on the sale of glass products or beverages with an alcohol content of more than 5%; limiting sales of alcohol to no more than two containers per person; and the requirement to place signage at the point of sale, advising people that they cannot consume alcohol on the street (implemented by Liquor Licensing Victoria) restrictions on alcohol sales to beer, wine and ready‐to‐drink mixed alcoholic beverages in all Council‐managed bars (all beverages must not exceed an alcohol content of 5%) no glass products sold or dispensed throughout the Festival precinct – this extends to traders who are not allowed to sell glass products or serve drinks in glass in any footpath trading area authorisation by Victoria Police to issue on the spot fines to people walking around in the streets with open containers of alcohol a decision to bring the control of four bars serving alcohol in the Festival precinct under direct Council management in order to better manage risk.

ALCOHOL MANAGEMENT – CURRENT EVIDENCE BASE To better understand the current impact of alcohol and drugs on attendees of Festival Sunday, a review of the emergency management meeting debrief documents* was undertaken in conjunction with interviews with relevant authorities. The debrief meetings occur between the key emergency management services authorities and CoPP and are used as a mechanism to capture relevant statistical and anecdotal information that assist in ensuring a cycle of event management service improvement. The research findings conclude that: 



The extensive alcohol management strategies implemented in 2009 were viewed as a success in terms of having a direct impact on reducing the number of arrests for drunkenness and the visible presence of alcohol on the street. Of the low number of incidents recorded in 2009, drunk and disorderly incidents represented the largest proportion, followed by robberies (occurring post event) and assault (the only recorded event taking place inside a venue). The number of incidents means Festival Sunday is considered to be a low risk event with police resources largely dedicated to managing perceptions of public safety levels and crowd control. Based on anecdotal evidence provided by Victoria Police, the numbers of recorded incidents on Festival Sunday are low by major event standards – major sporting events such as those held at Melbourne’s major arenas attract a stronger police presence, record a much higher rate of drunk and disorderly arrests and incidents with less than a third of the crowd numbers of St Kilda Festival. Changes in alcohol management strategies have aimed to realign Festival Sunday to family and community values, having a positive effect on its image and the overall festival experience. Unlike other major large scale music events, Festival Sunday does not have a reputation as a major ‘drug’‐related event.

The debriefs are confidential in nature and any statistical information contained in this document is expressed in general or percentage terms to help provide an overall view of the event.

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There are numerous limitations with the existing statistical information, making it difficult to compare year‐on‐year figures due to the inconsistent manner in which information is reported. There is also no baseline data available to compare a regular summer Friday/Saturday night activity in St Kilda with Festival Sunday, so it is not possible to conclude whether the event represents any sizeable increase in alcohol‐related activity than that of a hot, weekend night during summer. Finally, while the statistics for 2009 reflect a reduction in overall incidents from the previous year, this needs to be considered within the context of significantly lower attendance numbers, making it likely that the impact of the new strategies will only be fully understood over time. While there has clearly been an improvement in the control of alcohol consumption there are a number of issues that have not been resolved. For instance, it is still possible to purchase alcohol (albeit at restricted levels) from take‐away liquor outlets operating within the Festival precinct. Once the alcohol has been purchased, there is no legal way to consume it within the precinct. This creates a fraught environment for law enforcers who will only have limited ability to police consumption in a crowd of 300,000 people. The consultation did reveal some public support for a total alcohol ban for the Festival precinct; however, a counter view suggested that this strategy was not enforceable, as the point of consumption could never be controlled. SITE CONFIGURATION AND SECURITY The festival footprint is large, stretching from Fitzroy Street to Acland Street and encompassing Catani Gardens, the Esplanade, South Beach Reserve, O’Donnell Gardens and Belford Street. As a predominantly non‐gated event there are very few options for restricting pedestrian access and resultant flows, which can create challenges in terms of policing crowd behaviour and overall logistics. As an outdoor event that snakes through public land, residential and trader precincts, the Festival event managers have had to develop risk management strategies to effectively manage worst‐case scenarios. At times this has had programmatic implications such as the closure of the Acland Street stage in 2003 to improve emergency vehicle access and egress. To a Festival Sunday attendee (or trader), the reasons for these decisions may not be widely understood and can be a cause for disappointment. Attempting to reduce attendance numbers through increased fencing and/or ticketing is both costly and (consultation has indicated) at odds with the open‐access spirit of the St Kilda Festival. The preference has been to manage the large footprint through the implementation of state‐of‐the‐art technology, high security and emergency services presence, diverse event programming and extensive pre‐event planning (see Section 3.4.2). A review of the emergency management debriefing notes suggests that, although the footprint is large, continuously improving practices and coordination between the emergency control centre and other site operations has enabled effective crowd management. The security activities log suggests that alcohol related anti‐social behaviour, although minor, was evident throughout the Festival precinct and not isolated to particular sites. However, because of the limited detail available from police records it is not possible to confirm whether arrests reflect this pattern also or whether there are, in fact, particular hotspot areas. In 2009, the decision to bring the management of four bars inside the Festival Sunday precinct under the direct control of Council was specifically made to better manage crowd The St Kilda Festival Review Report – Final | CONFIDENTIAL

behaviour in relation to alcohol consumption. Although there has been some public criticism of this decision due to what outwardly may be viewed as a conflict of interest, it in fact appears to have been an effective alcohol management strategy. The debriefing notes suggest that there were only minor issues within the bars themselves, mainly relating to perimeter fencing breaches and some overcrowding. The continuation of this strategy will require closer attention over time to better understand its impact on crowd behaviour. There is also an opportunity here to explore the expansion of the smaller Council‐run bars and develop them as broader ‘cultural experience zones’ that lessen their emphasis as areas that exist solely for alcohol consumption. In tandem, a feasibility assessment that reviews the closure of all take‐away liquor outlets within the precinct on Festival Sunday could be considered as part of a revised alcohol management strategy. PROGRAMMATIC CONTENT The way in which an event is programmed can have an impact on influencing crowd behaviour. Festival Sunday is programmed as a family‐friendly event, however, the majority of children’s oriented programming ends at 5:00pm. Part of the rationale for this is to ensure time‐based crowd management strategies that control the flow of pedestrians throughout the day. As the day progresses and the crowd builds, families are more likely to return home as a new type of crowd heads for the major stages to enjoy the live music on offer. There is a responsibility placed on Festival Sunday’s programmers to understand the potential implications of the type and timing of artists and acts they program. Different acts will attract different crowds, and depending on style and popularity, each act may represent a different risk in terms of crowd behaviour, particularly when alcohol consumption is involved. The 2007 event management debrief observes that there can be issues when high energy ‘hardcore’ rock bands are programmed back‐to‐back, as the crowd may not have sufficient time to calm itself down. This contributes to the rationale for incorporating a half hour break between performances on the main stages, when other festivals limit it to 15 minutes to keep the crowd atmosphere heightened. With crowd control issues in mind, Festival Sunday is currently programmed to appeal to a broad audience. An emphasis is placed on creating high quality live music experiences for attendees. This is part of the reason for the emphasis on programming artists with multi‐ generational appeal who have experience performing live and a strong stage presence, as opposed to some other music genres which may be associated with the display of extreme behaviours including explicit language, drug and alcohol abuse. The broader cultural events that the Festival programs, such as BMX demonstrations, salsa etc, are part of the overall crowd management strategy. When high crowd numbers are present, it is not possible for all people to be watching the live music at once and these ancillary cultural events offer an entertainment alternative that creates conducive atmospheres that promote constructive engagement and the directed release of built up energy for attendees. It was noted during the consultation phase that such events were particularly suited to both managing the high energy needs of teenagers and young people throughout the duration of attendance and welcomed by family members accompanying young participants.

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3.4.4

ALCOHOL MANAGEMENT CONTROL LIMITATIONS

The Festival has developed a working relationship Liquor Licensing Victoria (LLV) to ensure that there is a strategic approach to management of alcohol consumption on Festival Sunday. The Festival works with traders each year to coordinate the applications for all extended licenses to make sure they are in place before Festival Sunday. As the CoPP also manages bars within the Festival precinct it seeks proactive engagement with LLV on this matter, however, it has no control over the timing in which LLV issues licenses or the conditions that may be imposed within those licenses. This presents some impediments to effective alcohol management on the day of the event. The primary concern is that the late issuing of a liquor license (usually less than a week prior to the event) means that there is little opportunity to forward plan, particularly if new conditions are applied to that license. For instance, in 2009 there were a number of conditions placed on licensees regarding the type of liquor that could be made available for sale on Festival Sunday. If a liquor license is not issued until just prior to the event date and after stock has already been purchased, it is possible that traders and the Council will have inadvertently purchased unsellable stock. This is major concern, particularly for traders who significantly adjust their stock purchasing in line with preparation for Festival Sunday. This and other alcohol management requirements imposed by LLV can place a strain on the effective working relationships between the Council and traders, as traders do not necessarily recognise that these decisions are beyond the Council’s control. This situation requires constant management and communication to ensure that the Council can continue to have constructive working relationships with both LLV and the affected traders.

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KEY FINDINGS The following key findings relate to community behaviour at Festival Sunday: 



 

A number of factors influence the behaviour of people in crowds and over time the St Kilda Festival management has implemented a variety of strategies to improve, monitor and respond to poor community behaviour on Festival Sunday. The Festival works closely with emergency services partners who acknowledge that Festival Sunday is a well‐managed event with low incident rates when compared with other events of this type and scale. Current evidence suggests that the extensive alcohol management strategies implemented by the Council to control alcohol‐fuelled behaviour are having a positive impact, however, a stronger evidence base and more analysis over time is required to substantiate this claim. There are some anomalies in the way that alcohol restrictions currently operate that confuse the overall ‘alcohol‐free event’ message of the Festival and require further consideration. There are inconstancies in the way data is reported from emergency services organisations each year, making year‐to‐year comparison difficult. The Festival event management team is highly regarded and has helped Festival Sunday become a benchmark in major event management delivery models.

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3.5

CULTURAL PROGRAMMING IMPACTS

This sub‐section considers the impacts related to the Festival’s programming from a range of perspectives. 3.5.1

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The vision of the St Kilda Festival is: ’To promote Australian music and emerging Australian musicians, through a premier event that provides high profile opportunities for musicians to reach new audiences’; and ‘To celebrate Australian music, and provide a large scale outdoor celebration that encourages people to participate in and gain access to a broad variety of music and activity’. The St Kilda Festival’s programming model has continuously evolved since its inception as a community celebration in 1980 with a focus on celebrating the local area. Music has always been a strong element of the program but it was not until 1986 that music became a central programmatic driver with the incorporation of a live rock concert. The Festival has had a number of significant moments in its programmatic evolution, most recently following its 2006 cancellation. This was a turning point in the Festival’s history, taking the opportunity to extend the program offer from 2007 and address concerns regarding the impact of Festival Sunday on host community amenity. In 2009, 270,000 people attended Festival week. The program included seventy‐six free performances and events, fourteen umbrella events, two ticketed events, eleven exhibitions and two workshops. Of those performances and events forty‐nine were staged outdoors. Over 320 artists participated, forty of whom were Indigenous artists, forty‐eight bands performed on Festival Sunday with a further seventy performing across Festival week, in some fifty venues. The Festival leveraged thirty‐eight strategic partnerships to bring the program to life. The Festival Sunday program represents the largest growth component of the St Kilda Festival overall, from 5,000 people in 1980 to a peak of 400,000 people in recent years (see Figure Seven below). Figure Seven: Festival Sunday attendance numbers

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Festival Sunday’s programming now includes three main music stages, a new music stage, The Push and Songwriters’ Stages, Kidzones, Foxtel Village and over twenty cultural events with diverse offerings including: swing, hip hop, Latin and Bollywood dancing, BMX and street art demonstrations, volleyball and kite‐boarding. The introduction of the Live N Local initiative in 2007 has provided additional opportunities for emerging bands and performers from any music genre to find new audiences. The initiative has also helped to diversify the Festival’s offer by incorporating a program over the week that includes the performing arts (comedy, dance, theatre), writing, film and the visual arts. It also includes cultural tours, night markets, music industry sessions, forums and a comedy convention. Although outside the scope of this review, in 2007 the St Kilda Festival also launched Yalukit Wilam Ngargee – a stand‐alone cultural festival that celebrates Indigenous Bay culture over Festival week. Its main focus, the music day, is the popular opening celebration of Festival week that includes performance, visual arts, market stalls, children’s activities and workshops. 3.5.2 PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT Whilst the Festival has continued to build a successful programming model, there is currently no formalised artistic or programming policy in place. As the Festival is not a corporate or non profit entity, there is no like governing group or artistic committee structure as may be typical of other comparable major festivals to inform and guide artistic policy. In addition, no peer or industry advisory body is in place to provide advice and input to support the Festival Producer to establish long‐term arts and cultural programming strategy. Program approval processes are currently dependent on Council’s annual budget cycle processes. Overarching curatorial and programming decisions are based on the respected expertise and shared knowledge of the Festival’s Producer and contracted Music Programmer. In the instance either were to leave the Festival it would present a significant risk to Council in regards to the smooth continuation of the program and the continuation of related knowledge, networks and expertise. The non‐curated component of the Festival’s program is conducted through public call for application, with respondents addressing set selection criteria. All applications are assessed for suitability by the relevant Festival officer and endorsed by management. A programming debrief is conducted to review performances annually. This debrief incorporates the music program, ancillary cultural activities, Live N Local and Yalukit Wilam Ngargee. Having no documented programming guidelines or policy in place for the St Kilda Festival presents a number of risks to Council including:    

the absence of a longer‐term programming strategy that documents the programmatic intent and delivers public benefits aligned to Council priorities documented minimum levels of services and support for artists participating in the Festival limited external and internal clarity about the participant and cultural focus of the Festival a limited ability for the Festival Producer and programming staff to deliver longer term program planning, reducing the capacity to innovate and develop projects, particularly community based initiatives over time

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

reduced clarity regarding the dual role of the Festival Producer (combining General Manager and Artistic Director responsibilities), in terms of allocating the division of time dedicated to program creation and development activities, and administrative responsibilities lack of long‐term succession planning.

MUSIC‐LED PROGRAM The 2009 market research suggests that music is still the main reason people attend the St Kilda Festival (24%), albeit only marginally higher than to socialise (22%) which is likely to be influenced by the atmosphere the music provides. The configuration of the Festival Sunday music stages for 2009 included: 

South Beach Reserve – the major headline acts and large crowds are testament to the drawcard nature of the performers  World Music an, Blues/Roots Stage – established and emerging artists in Alfred Square and O’Donnell Gardens  New Music Stage – ten unsigned bands perform to large audiences off Acland Street, with one band voted by the public to perform on the Main Stage in the following year  The Push Stage – an all ages drug, alcohol and smoke‐free stage by, and for, young people presented by FReeZA Push Start and the Cities of Port Phillip, Stonnington, Kingston and Bayside  Songwriters Collective – performances by up‐and‐coming songwriters, with the stage sited on the foreshore. Genre‐specific stages have been part of the St Kilda Festival since the mid 1980s. An analysis of research indicates that although the World Music and Blues/Roots stages attract good audiences on Festival Sunday, the genres themselves are restrictive programmatically. As the blurring and mixing of genres occurs and the creation of new ones becomes more prevalent, many artists consider it irrelevant to be programmed or ‘pigeon‐holed’ into any one genre. The inclusion of stages identified in this way is increasingly losing relevance to performers and does not reflect their current practice or current market programming practice. The inclusion of genre specific stages is currently being reviewed by the Festival and is likely to change in 2010. Throughout the consultation period, the South Beach Reserve stage drew both praise and criticism from people. It is perceived by some to be emblematic of all that is not working with Festival Sunday (loud, brash, overproduced, programmatically narrow, overly commercial, generic, tourist centric,) and everything that Festival Sunday should embody (fun, free, unifying, spirited, scenic, diverse and contemporary music oriented). Festival programming, or any cultural programming, should and when successful, draw public feedback due to the nature of difference in individual tastes, values and opinion. The consultation revealed a high level of interest in the future program and an appetite for even more diversification within the musical program. Suggested genres include more hip‐ hop and electronic music and the introduction of classical music, choral and opera performances. Showcasing music from specific cultures was also suggested. This indicates a sustained interest in the music program from the broader public and an interest in its development and growth looking forward. The St Kilda Festival Review Report – Final | CONFIDENTIAL

There are also differing views of St Kilda’s current place in the broader Melbourne music scene, with some viewing gentrification as an issue affecting the area’s cultural vitality and affordability for artists and others viewing the area as still supporting new musical talent. No cultural mapping work has been undertaken in the CoPP to test these theories but in terms of opportunities for emerging musicians, the St Kilda Festival does offer a broad program that is unrivalled when considered with potential audience exposure in a festival environment. The New Music stage, in particular, represents an opportunity for emerging artists to gain access to large audiences that would not ordinarily be possible. Through an open call for entries process, ten bands are chosen to perform new content in a high exposure environment that helps build profile and experience. A public vote decides the most popular act of the day, the winner collecting a $5,000 prize and the opportunity to open the program by performing on the main stage in the following year. The current programming also supports emerging artists by showcasing them with more prominent and experience artists on the other main stages. It is an aspiration of the Festival to develop a more formalised mentoring program to assist emerging artists to develop their business skills in areas including risk management, marketing and sponsorship. This currently occurs in an informal, ad hoc capacity, however, the Festival team sees this an opportunity to use their extensive knowledge to support young artists in a more structured capacity through mentoring, information sessions and workshops. Similarly Live N Local offers a unique opportunity for emerging artists with a local connection to play in venues across St Kilda and hone their craft as they build new audiences (see Section 3.5.4). 3.5.3

PERFORMANCE CONSTRAINTS

The research and consultation has also brought to light the fact that established musicians playing on Festival Sunday receive a proportion of what would be considered an industry ‐ standard performance fee. This situation is typical for many not for profit Festivals that find it challenging to match commercial rates. In 2009 an additional $30,000 was injected into the Festival’s programming budget as it became clear that the some musicians were declining the offer to participate in Festival Sunday based on performance fee issues. The calibre of the artists that the Festival continues to attract illustrates the quality of the Festival team’s networks, the high level of goodwill that surrounds the St Kilda Festival and the genuine desire of artists to play to large audiences in both an event and an iconic area that is rich in musical history. A number of artists are attracted to the Festival by the notion of performing for public benefit, rather than commercial interests. The demographic of the audience also holds particular appeal. The negative impact is that in an increasingly competitive Festival calendar this goodwill is being tested. There is a constrained ability for Festival programmers to attract a consistently strong line‐up that can meet public and sponsor expectations whilst competing for acts with other festival programs. The increased competition in the event calendar has seen the introduction of ‘exclusivity’ clauses in artist contracts, mostly for ticketed events, which places restrictions on artist appearances around specified timelines. These conditions limit St Kilda’s capacity to attract headline acts at the very peak of public appeal. However, the Festival is able to successfully respond in this highly competitive environment by supporting and ‘breaking’ new and emerging acts prior to their highest level of public appeal or programming well established acts with a loyal fan base. This is a The St Kilda Festival Review Report – Final | CONFIDENTIAL

significant point of programming differentiation between the St Kilda Festival and other music festivals. 3.5.4

LIVE N LOCAL

Introduced in 2007, Live N Local offers a broad programming mix over the seven days between Yalukit Wilam Ngargee and Festival Sunday. In 2009, 228 entries were received, resulting in forty‐three bands being selected to perform, and fifty venues hosting events that ranged across the performing, written and visual arts. The program also included cultural tours, night markets, music industry sessions and forums. The event is managed by the Festival’s Live N Local coordinator who presides over a total budget of $25,000 (approx) of which $14,500 supports programming and the remainder is allocated to marketing. A diverse and high level of programmatic offer is delivered over this period of time within very tight budget constraints. The origins of the Live N Local initiative stem from host community concern about the growth of Festival Sunday which some residents considered was not only impacting on local amenity but had also lost sight of its community origins. A programming refresh brought forward Live N Local as an opportunity for the host community to re‐engage with the St Kilda Festival in a way that showcased local talent in local venues. How successful Live N Local has been in facilitating this repositioning cannot yet be established. It is estimated that 10,000 people attended Live N Local in 2009. This attendance number is derived from anecdotal advice gathered by the Live N Local team in consultation with local venues. It is currently not possible to differentiate between the numbers of people specifically attending these venues to participate in Live N Local activity and those who may have attended the venue on that day regardless of any Festival programmed activity. From the market research undertaken in 2009 the following was concluded: 

47% of residents were aware of Live N Local overall, with the highest level of awareness shown in the immediate Festival precinct (67%).  CoPP residents located beyond the immediate Festival precinct showed a 37% awareness of Live N Local and traders showed a 53% awareness of Live N Local.  Those respondents who were aware of Live N Local were more likely to live in St Kilda (60%) and had previously attended Live N Local (100%) or Festival Sunday (54%).  The highest proportion of respondents who had attended Live N Local in the past were from the St Kilda ward (66%).  Although respondents aged 50–59 showed the highest level of awareness of Live N Local (57%), respondents aged 15–24 were more likely to attend (23%). As the only statistical research on Live N Local to date, no firm conclusions can be drawn from this information. However, the figures do indicate a fair level of awareness considering the program’s relative newness and lack of market penetration throughout the City of Port Phillip more broadly. It compares favourably to Yalukit Wilam Ngargee, which was launched in the same year but showed an overall awareness of only 20%. The highest level of awareness and attendees was from the St Kilda area, a significant proportion of who were repeat participants. Although an older demographic showed the greatest awareness, the youngest demographic demonstrated the highest likelihood to attend.

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From this information, it is not possible to extrapolate whether there has been an acceptance of Live N Local as an alternative offering to the host community. Anecdotal evidence through consultation suggests that the program is not yet drawing a critical mass of local participation. It was suggested that many of those who disapprove of the direction of Festival Sunday were more likely to attend Yakulit Wilam Ngargee than Live N Local. This was primarily thought to be because it was a daytime, family‐friendly and small‐scale event that more closely resembled the St Kilda Festival in its early period. In 2009, the profile of Live N Local was increased, predominantly through the presence of an information booth in Acland Street, which is believed by the Festival to have had a positive increase in attendance numbers. Anecdotally, the comedy component is thought to be the most successful in terms of audience appeal and size, with the music component drawing less consistent crowds. Comedy is recognised within the sector as being a highly accessible artform, with a broad appeal to Australian audiences. In terms of artist development, it is not known what impact Live N Local is having for musicians as no research has currently been undertaken to track musicians’ career progression following appearances at the Festival. What is known is that since 2007, ten artists who performed in the Live N Local program have subsequently gone on to perform on main stages as part of Festival Sunday. There are also a significant number of artists who reapply to be part of Live N Local each year, indicating that musicians are finding the experience a valuable one. Consultations also revealed anecdotal support for the Festival’s programming of emerging musicians and a high degree of respect for the administration of the Live N Local call for entries process. The interest in participating in Live N Local through the call for entries process is strong. While some musicians also perform on main stages on Festival Sunday, overall, Live N Local’s linkage to the Festival program in an ongoing way needs to be established. If the initiative is to be made part of the mainstream program, it needs to be funded to a level that supports its success. Its role in the Festival calendar could be made clearer as can its target audience. The initiative is unlikely to be attracting its original target market ‐ local residents who were unsupportive of the direction of Festival Sunday and seeking a return to a smaller, daytime, community‐oriented festival program. The existing evidence suggests that it is now more likely to attract a younger demographic who are likely to be Festival Sunday supporters. 3.5.5

ANCILLARY CULTURAL EVENTS

The historically low levels of programming funding has placed pressure on the Festival team to look to alternative sources to develop program content, particularly for Festival Sunday. The Call for Events process, established in its current format in 2007, enables community groups to participate in Festival Sunday by showcasing their event in front of sizeable and new audiences. In 2009, the Festival received forty applications from groups wishing to be programmed as part of Festival Sunday. Of those applications twenty‐two were successful and a further four were programmed through other Festival opportunities. The groups were diverse and included activities such as kiteboarding, volleyball, Latin dance, swing and Bollywood dancing, BMX and street art demonstrations, cultural tours and the Jewish Museum heritage walk. The benefit of participation for groups became evident during the consultation process as a number of participants acknowledged clear business

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development opportunities. The comment below was received from one Festival Sunday presenter: ‘We love the festival and for the past few years…have used the event to 'sell' our sponsors and potential sponsors on the following season. It has been a very important vehicle for us to show our sponsors a great event’. Another presenter noted the importance of participation in Festival Sunday by acknowledging that it is an opportunity to develop new audiences and that it successfully attracts new clientele to its business year‐on‐year. Although all individuals and groups can apply as part of the Call for Events process, a significant number of applicants are deterred once they become aware of the overhead costs related to participation. The CoPP is not able to offer infrastructure, financial or organisational support to help bring the event to fruition on Festival Sunday. For a small community group, the costs can be prohibitive unless a sponsor can be brought on board and this can then create issues with the Festival’s existing sponsors, so it needs to be managed sensitively. In 2009, a number of events reluctantly withdrew from the process citing a lack of capacity to meet overhead costs. For Festival 2010, the Festival team is attempting to ameliorate this issue by offering a small community grants fund to applicants from the CoPP to assist with overhead costs. The Festival would also like to develop a structured mentoring program that offers advice and support to applicants and helps build event management capability in the community. The Festival’s website states that, 'the St Kilda Festival values open and accessible entertainment, so preference will be given to events that do not charge admission’. While ticketing events may be against the Festival’s ethos, the Festival does enter into contractual arrangements with ancillary entertainment providers that do charge user fees. The consultation revealed a strong resistance to programming that was generic by nature and that charged user fees, such as carnival rides. In 2009 two events that charged for audience participation received very low patronage during Festival Sunday, supporting the contention that a user‐pays model is unlikely to be successful in a predominantly free entertainment environment. 3.5.6

PROGRAMMING BUDGET

The St Kilda Festival delivers exceptional programming content and quality under very constrained budget conditions. Largely due to budget limitations, the Festival has restricted capacity to address shortfalls in artist performance fees, develop existing programs and connections, support creative developments, commission new works, engage professional artistic advice or broker new creative partnerships.

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Figure Eight compares the programming budget to the production budget from 2003‐2009. Figure Eight: Programming and Production budget comparison

Although there has been a comparable percentage growth annually, the programming budget commenced at a very low baseline – a funding ‘gap’ for programming was already in existence. In 2003, the difference between the programming and production budget was $288,099; in 2009 it stands at $762,709. These figures do not reflect an ‘overblown’ production budget; in fact, this budget line is also under a number of financial constraints and faces year‐on year challenges meeting service needs. Event production costs have increased through necessity and demand to minimise resident impact and create a safe, secure environment of Festival Sunday. Making the case for programming budget increases has been challenging for the Festival and it has resulted in some compromised choices in ancillary programming. Managing public safety, improving event quality and mitigating risks often take precedence in annual budget cycles. Conveying the importance and public value of programmatic content can be more challenging than explaining the need for greater security. However the quality of participant experience is equally important as their safety at the Festival. However, it is not possible to develop a sustainable program and vision without reasonable levels of investment. Developing and maintaining a sustainable programming model that is supported by artistic policy is pivotal to the future success of the Festival’s business model. Supporting increased levels of programming investment, concurrent with the development of an artistic policy is considered a positive step in securing the St Kilda Festival’s continued longevity, relevance to the community and broad appeal. The Council needs to remain aware of the risk of normalising a culture of purchasing artistic services for lower‐than‐market‐accepted prices and in turn devaluing content while over‐ capitalising on the goodwill surrounding the programming of the Festival. 

The programming budget excludes the program manager fees of $10,000 p.a. There are no 2006 figures due to the Festival’s cancellation.

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3.5.7

PROGRAMMING CONSIDERATIONS

Before implementing any programmatic changes it is important that the Festival considers the overall St Kilda Festival program from a holistic perspective. For instance, although Yalukit Wilam Ngargee was outside the scope of this review, there may be significant gains from reviewing its potential to deliver outcomes to the community that Festival Sunday cannot. Similarly, any changes to the Live N Local program should be made with an understanding of what it is currently delivering, who its market is, and how it can deliver maximum public benefit within the context of the overall Festival program. The Festival needs to negotiate a balance between delivering on the broad goals of Council policy and ensuring the programming intent does not become diluted to the point where the target market is unclear. This is particularly pertinent to Festival Sunday which, as the high profile day, needs to set a clear programming direction that anchors the remaining Festival celebrations. Given the average visit to a festival is typically between one to three hours, it is conceivable that the Festival’s program can maintain a position of ‘something for everyone’ and afford to become more programmatically targeted (in terms of offering specific participant experiences) throughout the week and on Festival Sunday. This may include specific activities developed for families, children or young people under 30 in the program. Many arts and cultural festivals operate through a split CEO arrangement, a General Manager and an Artistic Director, with both reporting to a Chair of a Board of Directors. The St Kilda Festival combines these roles in the Festival Producer position. In this instance administrative and operational concerns often outbalance artistic policy or programmatic development. While a reappraisal of this arrangement may be appropriate in the longer term, in the interim it is advisable that the Festival seeks independent artistic advice to support the curatorial team prior to making any major programmatic changes. The benefit of a sustained commitment to programmatic development through additional artistic oversight will assist the Festival to recognise its intrinsic strengths and to plan creative risks in programmatic areas.

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KEY FINDINGS The following findings relate to the current status of cultural programming for the St Kilda Festival: 



The current Festival programmatic focus is on live Australian music, particularly the development of emerging musicians for whom it provides a unique opportunity for exposure and development. There is currently no overarching artistic policy or guideline for the Festival which, given the high level of public interest in the program, represents a number of risks for Council in terms of accountability and sustainability. The Live N Local initiative delivers a broad programmatic offering at low cost but it is not currently possible to understand its impact artistically, or its patronage by the local population. While the ancillary cultural program fulfils multiple roles in terms of delivering programmatic content, increasing revenue streams, and offering active participation and exposure to community groups, its long‐term purpose and benefit requires further consideration. The Festival delivers an impressive diversity and depth of programmatic content under very restrictive budgetary constraints. This has strongly impacted on its capacity to innovate within the current programmatic model and address industry level performance fees for artists. The target audience for the Festival’s programs requires clarity. The program is robust enough to maintain a position of ‘something for everyone’ whilst becoming more programmatically targeted throughout the week and on Festival Sunday.

3.6

ECONOMIC IMPACTS

This sub‐section of the report is concerned with the economic impact of the Festival on the City, attributable only and exclusively to the Festival as an event. It also addresses the current financial impacts of the Festival through an analysis of existing revenue sources. 3.6.1

ECONOMIC IMPACT ASSESSMENTS

The City has undertaken two significant economic impact studies over the course of the Festival’s history. The first, a combined attendee profile and economic impact evaluation was undertaken in 2003 by Victoria University, Centre for Hospitality and Tourism Research. The second, also undertaken by Victoria University in 2009, was an economic assessment report. Both reports focus exclusively on Festival Sunday. BACKGROUND – FESTIVAL AND EVENT EVALUATION There are a variety of evaluation approaches that are commonly used to provide insight into event performance, these include: economic, social and environmental impact, business leveraging, branding, media and participant satisfaction.

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Victoria University’s Centre for Tourism and Services Research, formerly the Centre for Hospitality and Tourism Research led a standardisation process for the economic evaluation of events that resulted in the development of a festival and event evaluation tool known as ‘Encore’. Encore has been used to assess the economic performance of festivals and major events locally, nationally and internationally. Currently, the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) in partnership with CRC for Sustainable Tourism (Cooperative Research Centre for Sustainable Tourism) is updating Encore; the project, Encore Festival and Event Evaluation Tool: Review and Redevelopment, is due for completion in 2010.4 Note: There is an opportunity for the City to take into consideration the results of this research project as it is completed in 2010 and adopt any improvements to the Encore tool as they are released. ECONOMIC IMPACT FINDINGS It is commendable that the City has allocated a portion of resources towards the review and evaluation of the Festival to help understand its market, assess performance, improve service delivery, build on benefits and manage costs. However, commissioned reports must be comprehensive and consistent to be of best value and to ensure a considered analysis has taken place. Comparison between the 2003 and 2009 reports is not possible as each had different research objectives and approaches. With this type of quantitative evaluation approach validity, consistency and subsequent comparability are more reliant than other evaluation approaches, due to the precision with which the key variables are collected. In economic terms, the outcomes of each of the evaluations are included below based on a common estimated attendance ‘population’ of 250,000. In‐scope expenditure represents the amount of money that would not have been spent in the region had the event not been held. It is determined by extrapolating the survey results to the estimated population and incorporating the organiser’s expenditure.

UTS: http://datasearch.uts.edu.au/business/grants/detail.cfm?ProjectId=2009000631

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ECONOMIC ASSESSMENT FINDINGS (2003 REPORT) Table Five: 2003 In‐scope expenditure and economic impact of the St Kilda Festival for Metropolitan Melbourne ($M)

Economic Contribution $M

In‐scope expenditure

International visitors

0.7

Interstate visitors

0.8

Regional Victoria visitors

1.7

TOTAL

3.2

Economic impact

Indirect

1.2

Direct

1.6

TOTAL

2.8

The following observations have been made regarding the 2003 report: 

 

  

Data used to determine the economic impact included attendee expenditure figures collected via face‐to‐face interviews with 350 people, and income and expenditure related to staging the Festival, with estimates of the percentage of expenditures that were made in metropolitan Melbourne provided by the Council. The direct in‐scope expenditure for the region (St Kilda) was not included as part of the evaluation. There were a very small number of non‐metropolitan Melbourne residents in the sample (<15%) and a high likelihood that many visitors to metropolitan Melbourne were not doing so specifically to attend the St Kilda Festival. The 2003 Festival Sunday induced high levels of economic activity in metropolitan Melbourne. For every 50,000 people, the economic impact increase was estimated to represent an additional contribution of $500,000. Based on an estimated attendance of 250,000 people, the economic impact of the 2003 St Kilda Festival Sunday for metropolitan Melbourne was estimated to be $2.8 million.

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ECONOMIC ASSESSMENT FINDINGS (2009 REPORT) Table Six: 2009 Direct in‐scope expenditure and total in‐scope expenditure of the St Kilda Festival for the Region and State ($M)

Economic Contribution Region (St Kilda) $M

Direct in‐scope expenditure

State (Victoria) $M

International visitors

3.0

8.3

Interstate visitors

1.7

4.1

Capital City visitors

7.8

‐

Other Intrastate visitors

1.9

‐

TOTAL

14.6

12.5

Attendees

14.6

12.5

Organiser

0.07

0.12

TOTAL

14.7

12.7

Total in‐scope expenditure

The following observations have been made regarding the 2009 report: 

Data used to determine the direct economic contribution included attendee expenditure figures, face‐to‐face interviews with 378 people and income and expenditure related to staging the Festival, with estimates of the percentage of the expenditures that were made in the St Kilda region provided by the Council.  The direct economic contribution of Festival Sunday 2009 is shown for the St Kilda region and Victoria.  Attendance of those living within postcode 3182 (St Kilda) was estimated at 15%.  The overwhelming majority of attendees and visitor expenditure came from metropolitan Melbourne (Capital City visitors).  Based on a sample size of 618 and an estimated total attendee population of 250,000 people, the direct in‐scope expenditure of the 2009 Festival Sunday for St Kilda is estimated to be $14.6 million.  Based on an estimated attendance of 250,000 people the total economic contribution of Festival Sunday 2009 to St Kilda is estimated to be $14.7 million.  Based on an estimated attendance of 250,000 people the total economic contribution of the 2009 St Kilda Festival Sunday to Victoria is estimated to be $12.7 million (see note below). Note(s): The St Kilda Festival 2009 Economic Assessment Report cautions that the in‐scope expenditure figure for Victoria is dependent on the expenditure made by interstate and international visitors. This cautionary note is based on the indication by those surveyed that their attendance at the Festival was the driver of their trip to Victoria or Australia. It is likely The St Kilda Festival Review Report – Final | CONFIDENTIAL

that this question may have been misinterpreted to some degree, resulting in an over‐ emphasis in the overall figure for economic contribution to Victoria. The following three techniques are most frequently used in economic impact analysis within the public sector:  Input–Output analysis (I‐O)  Input–Output Econometric modelling (IOE)  Computable General Equilibrium modelling (CGE). In helping to understand the broader benefits of cultural programs, these models and techniques can be complemented by analysis that demonstrates the merit value of an initiative. The current evaluation methods for the St Kilda Festival do not measure the longer‐term public good and the positive externalities of the Festival, nor do they provide detail on the technique or model used to undertake the economic evaluation. This would be helpful in future to enable a clearer understanding of the factors influencing the final outcome. 3.6.2 OTHER FINANCIAL IMPACTS The following section outlines additional financial impacts related to existing funding arrangements currently in place to support the delivery of the St Kilda Festival. FUNDING MIX Since the Festival’s inception, Council has been the primary funder and underwriter of the event. The Festival itself has no assets or liabilities that can be isolated from the City’s budget. The last three years of financial records indicate that the Council’s contribution to the Festival represents between 30 to 40% of its annual income. In 2009, Council’s contribution was augmented by additional State Government funding (8%) and revenue from earned income sources (20%). See Table 12 below. A significant proportion of the Festival’s funding is derived from private sources (30%), the vast proportion of which is from its partnership with principal sponsor FOXTEL. In addition the ratio between financial and in‐kind support in 2009 is 0.18. In short, the funding base for the Festival is diverse with risk shared between a number of sources. Table Seven: Festival Funding Sources 2009

INCOME Council Contribution (budgeted) Private Funding – Sponsorship Earned Income State Government Funding Council Cost Recovery

PERCENTAGE 34% 30% 23% 8% 5%

CURRENT EXPENDITURE The most significant Festival expense is the production budget, which has increased some 269% since 2003 levels and represented 62% of overall expenditure in 2009 (see Table Eight). This increase has been necessary to effectively manage costs associated with growing 

Earned income includes itinerant trading fees, permanent trader fees, catering income, call for entries fees and program advertising sales

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Festival audiences and public expectation around security and the reduction in impacts to the host community. Administration, which includes five FTE staff members, represents the second largest expense (20%). Table Eight: Festival Expenditure 2009 EXPENDITURE



Production Administration Programming Marketing and Communications Other

PERCENTAGE 62% 20% 7% 7% 4%

MULTI‐YEAR FUNDING The overall financial results of the Festival for the last three years have shown operating deficits that have been underwritten by the Council. This places the Festival in a unique position in comparison with some of its competitors in terms of managing financial risks as well as an ability to carry operating deficits (at both an accounting and cashflow level). Council currently considers its level of funding commitment to the St Kilda Festival on an annual basis, meaning there is effectively no guaranteed funding for the Festival from year to year. This is an issue that seriously hampers the Festival’s ability to leverage additional sources of income from other government and non‐government partners who are less inclined to invest without ongoing support from the principal funder. Limiting the flow of resources to an annual cycle also restricts the Festival’s capacity to undertake planning and development activities and negotiate best quality programming year to year. The risk this funding strategy presents was most evident in 2006 when the Festival was cancelled, with Council citing the Commonwealth Games and lack of financial support as causal factors. A significant level of public support for the continuation of the Festival was received and lobbying for its continuation saw the return of an enhanced Festival in 2007. This was made possible with increased financial support by the Council combined with a significant contribution from State Government and FOXTEL as principal sponsor. The Festival’s current business plan suggests that Council’s ideal annual contribution to the Festival should represent approximately one third of the income required (in kind sponsorship excluded) to stage the Festival. The financial goal is to increase other revenue sources to reduce Council’s total contribution to 33% by 2012–2013. The forecast budget anticipates a sizeable increase in the Festival’s recurrent grant from Arts Victoria and from its sponsorship deal with FOXTEL. This Review coincided with negotiations for the continuation of support from both FOXTEL and Arts Victoria from 2011 onwards, with the results yet to be determined. Should additional funding not be forthcoming from these sources, the current Business Plan will require significant adjustment.†  Production expenditure includes infrastructure which comprises: signage, traffic management, marquees, fencing 34%; safety, security and emergency services 10%; waste, land management and toilets 9%; staging, audio‐visual and lighting 9%. † At the time of writing, Arts Victoria funding was secured for a further three years, however, only a marginal increase in investment was forthcoming leaving a $100,000 p.a. shortfall in the Festival’s projected budget. The St Kilda Festival Review Report – Final | CONFIDENTIAL

As the primary funder and underwriter, the Council is in a position to provide some funding certainty to the Festival by determining a minimum funding level for a set period of time through a multi‐year commitment. This would support the Festival to introduce planning in the medium term and assist the development of mitigation strategies to avoid operating deficits in future years. It would also represent a public commitment to the St Kilda Festival and assist the Festival team in continuing to develop its relationships with other potential funders. OTHER FUNDING SOURCES Given the Festival’s strong desire to remain an unticketed event, funding from other government and private sources represents a critical element in the future sustainability of the Festival. These partnerships also ensure Council’s capacity to maintain a level of shared risk through a diversified funding base. State and Federal funding can be accessed for community celebrations, however, there is a lack of clarity on funding entry points for this category, with festivals having to seek funding from a number of possible programs. Access to funding for the Festival for artistic outcomes through bodies such as Arts Victoria and the Australia Council are readily accessible with set guidelines. The Festival has a well‐ established funding relationship with Arts Victoria that could continue to be nurtured to explore additional project funding for specific artistic activity. Similarly, the Australia Council has indicated that it is open to a discussion regarding the strategic fit of the Festival within its funding guidelines. Securing funding from private sources has been increasingly difficult for Australian arts and cultural organisations in the face of the recent economic downturn. Trends indicate monies from this source of funding are being concentrated among fewer organisations and private funders are shifting away from cash funding to in‐kind, or a mix of both. Servicing the expectations and requirements of private sources of funding is also a hidden cost in terms of Festival staff resources and time. It is unlikely that the Festival team has the capacity to source, develop and maintain relationships with any new major sponsors. If the Council is seeking to reduce or stabilise its investment over time, it will need to boost this capacity.

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KEY FINDINGS The following key findings relate to the economic impact of the St Kilda Festival: 



The St Kilda Festival Sunday represents a very high level of economic contribution to the local region ($14.7 million), however, the complete picture is not clear as the evaluation has been limited to Festival Sunday only. There has not been consistent funding for economic impact evaluations of Festival Sunday to support decision‐making, impacting on the Festival’s ability to better meet service demands and public expectation. The Festival Business Plan indicates Council’s funding contribution toward its total operating budget will be one‐third by 2012/2013, with the remainder of income to be drawn from a mixture of other government, private and earned sources. The Festival attracts a diversified funding base, however, Council funding does not currently extend beyond an annual commitment. This factor, combined with limited resources within the Festival team, restricts opportunities to further leverage financial resources from other government and non‐ government supporters.

3.7

INDIRECT COST IMPACTS

This section provides an overview of potential indirect costs related to the St Kilda Festival that may impact on the community. 3.7.1

DEFINITION

Indirect costs can generally be identified as secondary costs that are not considered immediately attributable to the main outcomes of the Festival. This can include items like road closures, security, land preparation and repair etc. These costs are all identified in the St Kilda Festival’s budget but are technically indirect as they are not the direct costs of Festival delivery outcomes. For the purposes of this report, these items have not been included in the discussion that follows as they are costs that have already been quantified and are not pertinent to a discussion regarding indirect impacts to the community. A number of indirect costs are outlined that are not easily quantifiable but may impact on the community. A broad definition of community is used that extends beyond the host community. 3.7.2 REPULSION EFFECT In the Victorian Auditor General’s 2007 report, State Investment in Major Events, there was an attempt to quantify the economic impact of Victorians leaving Melbourne as a direct response to the Australian Grand Prix – known as at the Repulsion Effect. The report estimated that in 2005, $900,000 was diverted from the State based on evidence in community surveys. There has been no attempt to date to establish whether there is an active Repulsion Effect as a result of Festival Sunday. The St Kilda Festival Review Report – Final | CONFIDENTIAL

The only statistical data available that could be used for modelling purposes is the identification that 8% of the population was not home on Festival Sunday in 2009, as observed in the NWC Opinion Research (2009). However, there was no follow‐up question to understand whether there was any causal link between people not being at home and Festival Sunday itself. Anecdotal evidence did not suggest at any stage that this was a concern with any significant merit. While some residents expressed dissatisfaction, very few volunteered that they actually left their home as a direct result. The Repulsion Effect cannot be considered to be active in St Kilda based on the evidence available and is unlikely to represent a sizeable indirect cost to the local economy. 3.7.3

TRADER CLOSING

Market research data (NWC Opinion Research, 2009) suggests that there are a statistically significant number of traders closing their doors on Festival Sunday (see Section 3.3.5). This statistic may be an anomaly, however, there is a potential risk here for Council if a direct link to trader closing and Festival Sunday can be established in that traders may at some stage seek compensation for business impacts. This represents an indirect and currently unquantified cost to Council. 3.7.4

HEALTH SERVICES

There has been isolated commentary through the consultation that there may be a significant cost to the community related the anti‐social behaviour present on Festival Sunday. In particular, there has been a reference to a perceived spike in hospital emergency admissions at one inner Melbourne hospital. As previously noted in, Festival Sunday is currently perceived to be a ‘low risk’ event by emergency services and the statistics made available for this review support this contention. While there were a number of transportations from Festival Sunday to hospitals in 2009, the number is considered well within tolerances for a public event of this scale. Only a proportion of cases can be attributed to alcohol/drug consumption and/or resultant anti‐ social behaviour. The cases noted were diverse and included symptoms such as chest pain, falls and convulsions. Patients were dispatched to multiple hospitals, unlikely to result in a spike of any significance in emergency admissions at any one hospital. To further interrogate this in terms of indirect costs to the community, it would be necessary to compare these statistics to a baseline of regular Friday or Saturday night activity in St Kilda. Based on current evidence, however, it is not possible to conclude that anti‐social behaviour on Festival Sunday represents a significant indirect cost to the community. There may be more localised indirect costs resulting from anti‐social behaviour, such as the impact on local community strengthening but this is difficult to measure and to attribute costs. 3.7.5

GOODWILL

There is a significant amount of goodwill that enables the St Kilda Festival to be produced each year, including: 

Festival Staff – the Festival team within CoPP is a small, dedicated group that consistently goes above and beyond the requirements of their roles to ensure the Festival is of the best quality and runs smoothly each year. This is a typical pattern in festival and event management business models. In addition to the St Kilda Festival, this team is also responsible for producing the St Kilda Film Festival, managing a grants program and attending to usual Council business. To produce the St Kilda Festival, the team regularly works extended hours and

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

under conditions that would not be expected of other CoPP staff receiving equivalent remuneration. This is particularly acute in the build up to the delivery of the Festival and while the Festival is running. There is little budget capacity for overtime costs to be paid, so time in lieu is offered as an alternative. The hardworking nature of the Festival team was consistently acknowledged by peers, colleagues within Council and by external stakeholders. There is a real risk of experienced staff ‘burn‐out’ resulting in loss of corporate memory, which is a risk factor acknowledged within the broader festivals and events sector. There is an unquantified indirect cost that has been identified here in terms of unpaid officer time. CoPP staff – supporting the Festival team are a number of CoPP staff that operate across numerous departments within Council. Their contribution in terms of time spent working on the Festival has not been established, representing an indirect and unquantified cost to Council. Suppliers – each year the production team engages a number of suppliers to undertake event management operations. Some suppliers provide services at a reduced cost because of the community nature of the Festival and the relationships that have been built over time. This has created somewhat of a ‘false economy’ as the true market value of services is not currently being carried within the Festival’s production budgets. As the years have progressed, this has placed pressure on the relationships between the suppliers and festival producers that mean the current prices are not likely to be sustainable in the longer term. This indicates an indirect cost requiring the consideration of Council regarding the ‘future‐proofing’ of delivery budgets. Artists/Performers – despite an increase in 2009, performance fees are still significantly below an industry‐accepted standard. Concessions are made by some acts due to the community nature of the Festival and the benefits they receive from playing an outdoor event in St Kilda, in front of large appreciative audiences. However, it is not sustainable practice to continue to effectively undervalue this contribution in an event positioned as a celebration of arts and culture. It also places significant tension on the ability of the Festival’s programmers to negotiate competitively, and in good faith, with artists and agents, straining the development of important artistic relationships.

KEY FINDINGS The key findings below relate directly to potential indirect costs to the St Kilda Festival and their impact on the community: 



There is currently little evidence to support the attribution of indirect costs in relation to the Repulsion Effect (people leaving St Kilda because of Festival Sunday) or on health and emergency services. There are a number of issues surrounding unquantified indirect costs that relate to ‘goodwill’ factors that contribute to the staging of the event, including hours worked by Festival staff and remuneration rates for artists and suppliers.

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3.8

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS ‘St Kilda has (a) significant opportunity to demonstrate leadership in this area by aiming for 100% sustainable transport by all attendees…’5

The public’s expectation of the environmental management of events such as the St Kilda Festival is changing and there is now a growing need for event managers to demonstrate awareness of, and strategies to manage environmental impacts. This section discusses the present‐known environmental impacts of the Festival Sunday. 3.8.1 INTRODUCTION In 2008 the St Kilda Festival initiated a three year partnership with Sustainability Infrastructure Victoria (SIA) to better understand the current environmental impact of Festival Sunday. The longer term goal is to establish the St Kilda Festival as a genuinely carbon neutral event by developing best practice in environmentally sustainable event management. In 2009, a report was released by SIA which focused on the Festival’s energy consumption, waste and water management, transport and vendor resource use. This section focuses exclusively on the environmental impact of Festival Sunday. 3.8.2

SIA REPORT DETAIL

The SIA’s 2009 report identified a clear approach to understanding the Festival’s current environmental footprint including: 

assessing existing environmental impact data – specifically greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, water consumption and waste generation)  benchmarking current performance against existing industry standards and best practice  investigating appropriate sources of funding to support activities required to achieve the Festival’s environmental goals  ensuring alignment with the Council’s environmental policy, Toward Zero SES 2007. The report found that the St Kilda Festival had already implemented a number of positive initiatives which could be promoted more strongly including water reduction strategies, high levels of recycling and the requirement of vendors to sell only items that are recyclable. More specifically, SIA found: 



  

The current environmental footprint demonstrated minimal water use with the primary usage attributed to temporary toilets, pre‐event lawn watering and water barriers. An extensive public place recyclables collection program is already in place and an annual recycling education program is currently undertaken assisting Festival Sunday to achieve Bronze Waste Wise status. Key energy use and most GHG emissions were attributable to attendee commuting behaviour, with 33.6% of attendees driving to the Festival. The majority of energy usage was provided by diesel generators with only an estimated 5% sourced from mains electricity. Key waste and resource use impacts were attributed to food vending/stalls and staff catering.

Sustainable Infrastructure Australia, St Kilda Festival: Sustainability Assessment and Recommendations Report, 2009, p.12

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In benchmarking Festival Sunday, the report found that there were no genuine carbon neutral festivals in the marketplace. The most common approach to carbon neutrality was to purchase carbon offsets (Big Day Out, V Festival) rather than addressing direct energy usage. The Meredith Music Festival and East Coast Blues and Roots Festival had shown leadership in terms of waste management through initiating practices such as onsite sorting of recycling and only allowing recyclable packing and plastic on site. Meredith has also introduced compostable toilets on site. The report made a number of recommendations moving forward including: 

a staged implementation for carbon offsetting to reduce financial impost and to allow time to understand the implications of a national emissions trading scheme  a more detailed mapping of current energy usage and increased sophistication of data systems  ensuring all materials sold by vendors has minimal packaging and can be recycled through on‐site facilities  ensuring all food stalls use only compostable plates and utensils and trial the recycling of organic waste produced by staff catering tents  sort waste onsite, post‐event to ensure maximum recycling  detail specific recycling targets to assist achieving Gold Waste Wise accreditation  incorporating metering and consumption data reporting requirements in toilet facilities contracting arrangements  expanding facilities for bike users  developing a clear communication strategy to discourage attendees from using vehicles as the preferred mode of transport to the event. The report outlines a three‐year action plan to move toward the achievement of these recommendations and identifies key funding sources that may be leveraged. The cost of achieving carbon neutrality is not detailed in the report but is understood to be significant. Developing a partnership approach with key sponsors is the only way Festival Sunday can make substantial inroads in achieving its environmental aims. At the time the report was issued a three year partnership with SIA had been envisaged, however, Council funding to support the‐partnership in its second year was rejected. There is some uncertainty as to the current status of this relationship and the ambition to achieve carbon neutrality remains one without financial support. In 2010, the Festival will aim to implement as many environmental recommendations as possible within budget constraints but there will be no ongoing monitoring of Festival Sunday. This represents a lost opportunity for the Festival and Council to support its environmental objectives as defined in their respective business and council plans. Without the development of a substantial partnership arrangement the Festival is not in a position to leverage additional funding from environmental funders, as there is not capacity within the existing team to seek, develop and maintain these relationships. Revenue derived by the City from parking infringement notices issued on Festival Sunday is one mechanism to boost existing funding for initiatives that support the Festival’s environmental objectives. The number of parking infringement notices issued on Festival Sunday increases by approximately 400% from an average Sunday in St Kilda. As the leading

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cause of GHG emissions, it seems appropriate to redirect infringement notice revenue to initiatives that are aimed at the reduction of environmental impact. 3.8.3

PUBLIC PARKS AND GARDENS

There are a number of green spaces including within the Festival Sunday precinct – Catani Gardens, Alfred Square, O’Donnell Gardens and South Beach Reserve. The SIA did not consider the impact on these spaces in any detail in its 2009 report, however, consultation was undertaken with the CoPP’s Parks and Open Space services as part of the review. The City has acknowledged that high patronage, in times of drought, can have an impact on both turf that is stressed or dry and tree roots, which may suffer from compaction. To minimise this impact on public parks and gardens, the Council currently undertakes a number of proactive measures prior to Festival Sunday, including: 

implementation of increased irrigation cycles when appropriate (one month prior)  inspection of trees throughout the site and removal of any defective branches or dead trees (one month prior)  pruning of palm trees within the area (one month prior)  audit of all relevant irrigation systems so that they are in working order (one week prior)  highlighting irrigation lines to minimise occurrences of damage (one week prior);  defined root protection zones around trees and the use of bollards  ensuring that, when required, turf is replaced with warm season grasses which are more drought tolerant. Overall, Festival Sunday is believed to have no long‐term impact on public parks and gardens because of sound preparation prior to the event. While there may be some perception of environmental degradation, there is no evidence to support this. There is existing damage to some trees in Catani Gardens and South Beach Reserve does have less turf coverage than other green spaces, but this is not as a result of Festival Sunday. There are additional measures that the Council would like to put in place but these need to be managed annually according to funding constraints. 3.8.4 SOUND ATTENUATION As a music festival, there is an expectation that Festival Sunday will be noisy. This is an issue of concern for some residents, particularly those living within the Festival precinct (see Section 5.3.4). In 2009, the Festival commissioned a sound report to better understand the current impact of noise and how the Festival could improve its performance through the development of a Noise Abatement Plan. The report was undertaken by Auditoria, a specialist acoustic company, who measured acoustics from 10.00 am to 11.00 pm on Festival Sunday 2009. There was a thorough review of the multiple sound systems, mechanical noise sources such as power generators and identification of other noise sources including events not engaged by St Kilda Festival, such as private parties, street performers and crowd noise. The report acknowledged that as a temporary outdoor event on public land, there are currently no EPA guidelines with regards to noise. The report did, however, make a number of recommendations to address noise level issues and reduce impacts on the host community, including: The St Kilda Festival Review Report – Final | CONFIDENTIAL



  

adoption of correct sound system design practices that take into account the design of sound systems with appropriate audience coverage and sound level. These practices minimise the spill of energy towards unwanted areas and, at the same time, provide Festival attendees with a pleasant experience establishment of permanent monitoring stations on Festival Sunday at the front of house position of the biggest stages and continuous monitoring of the different zones establishment of proper record‐keeping practices of the different monitoring positions to ensure that the data can be used as a future reference ensuring that companies hired to provide mechanical services (such as generators) use appropriate noise isolation on their equipment provision of written notification by St Kilda Festival management regarding Festival Sunday at least fourteen days prior to the event to those residents inside the ‘notification boundary’ designated in the report.

The report acknowledged that a number of noise impacts are beyond the control of St Kilda Festival management (such as private parties and unruly crowd noise) and encouraged the event managers to work with authorities to identify issues so they could be dealt with promptly. Currently, the Festival works closely with the Council’s Local Laws officers in the lead up to Festival Sunday to pre‐emptively manage any illegal or potentially non‐compliant activities. On Festival Sunday itself, Local Laws and Planning Enforcement officers are present to continually monitor issues that may arise which breach noise regulations. Officers are supported by an onsite acoustic consultant who can be dispatched to accurately measure offending noise levels and assist with the enforcement of laws. The Festival has accepted all recommendations in the report apart from two concerning the repositioning of the World and New Music Stages. After careful consideration the former was rejected on the basis of multiple factors including minimal sound attenuation gains and increased noise bleed to other stages, while the latter was rejected due to the need to provide sufficient emergency vehicle access. The Festival has adopted the recommended Noise Abatement Plan without exception and has established a benchmark in relation to sound levels. This reflects good practice.

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KEY FINDINGS The following findings relate to the St Kilda Festival’s environmental impacts: 



The 2009 report by Sustainability Infrastructure Victoria has identified existing examples of good environmental practice and made recommendations for continued improvement, however, funding to continue this partnership was not supported by Council in the last budget round. The primary source of Greenhouse Gas emissions was related to private vehicle travel to Festival Sunday and represented the most significant opportunity for improvement to achieve carbon neutral status. The Festival is not deemed to have any long‐term impact on the City’s parks and gardens, however, there are additional measures that could be implemented to further minimise impact. The Festival has adopted the majority of recommendations from the 2009 Sound Report and is implementing the Noise Abatement Plan, including the establishment of a benchmark to address sound attenuation. Monitoring of Festival Sunday has shown that there are noise impacts not generated by the Festival that are more difficult to measure and affect some members of the host community negatively.

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Section 4 SUSTAINABILITY Is the St Kilda Festival sustainable when measured in terms of cultural, social, economic and environmental outcomes?

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4. SUSTAINABILITY This section addresses the sustainability of the St Kilda Festival from socio‐cultural, economic and environmental perspectives.

4.1

DEFINITION

The working definitions of sustainability that have been used to guide the development of this section are: The concept of 'sustainability' provides an integrated approach to meeting our social, economic and environmental goals in a way that is equitable within and between generations. For local government it is about planning and providing for the needs of individuals and communities, protecting ecosystems and their services and creating prosperity. Australian Local Government Association Development seeking to meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The World Commission on Environment and Development, Our Common Future, 1987

4.2

INTRODUCTION

The St Kilda Festival’s longevity has demonstrated its ability to survive and thrive through numerous internal and external evolutions. 2006 represented a significant turning point for the Festival, when multiple factors combined to see it cancelled for the first time in its history. In 2007 it presented a new face to the public, a revamped and extended program offer and a commitment to recast the Festival into a format that supported an appreciation of Australian music in an environment that respected community values. In 2010, the Festival will celebrate its thirtieth birthday, a significant milestone for this well‐loved cultural icon. It faces a number of challenges if it is to continue to balance the expectations of its funding partners, presenters, audiences and the host community.

4.3

SUSTAINABILITY ASSESSMENT

The following tables provide an overview assessment of the key sustainability challenges the St Kilda Festival faces. The information has been drawn from consultation and the evidence base that has formed the basis of the previous sections of the report. 4.3.1

SOCIO‐CULTURAL SUSTAINABILITY

Impact Area

Sustainability Challenge

Community Strengthening



Festival’s continued ability to attract an audience that represents a broad demographic without negatively impacting on programmatic focus



Balancing the Festival’s free, open‐access philosophy in the face of financial pressure and host community concern regarding attendance growth

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Effectively articulating and demonstrating the public value benefit of the Festival in the face of sustained criticism



Collation of consistent and targeted data to effectively evaluate the impact of the Festival on the host community

Host Community

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Community Behaviour

Cultural Programming

St Kilda’s Image

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Maintaining high levels of host community engagement in the Festival as both passive audience members and active participants

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Maintaining a culture of continuous improvement in addressing host community impact issues

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Effectively managing concerns of the host community by identifying issues that are specific to the St Kilda Festival, and within its control, as opposed to those that relate to broader local area concerns

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Effectively capturing data to understand the impact of the Festival on local traders

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Development of consistent and effective strategies by the Festival and Council to respond to host community dissent

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Financing capacity for continuous improvement in planning, implementation, monitoring and effective management of community behaviour on Festival Sunday

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Continued development of relationships with key emergency services partners and improved statistical data reporting

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Capacity for development and review of alcohol management strategies, including resolution of current impediments to effective incorporation of State Government regulation into annual strategies

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Ability to develop communication strategies to deliver consistent, clear expectations of public behaviour on Festival Sunday

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Strengthening artistic policy for the Festival

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Enhancement of programmatic model

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Establishment of recurrent funding by Council to enable the Festival’s capability to strategically plan a culturally rich program that supports public expectations

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Clarity of the role of ancillary programming and provision of adequate resource support to ancillary programming presenters

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Support for adequate evaluative resources to understand the current value of Live N Local to the host community and establish a clear direction moving forward

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Adequate remuneration of musicians/performers

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The capacity to view programming holistically, incorporating an overarching clarity of vision for Yalukit Wilam Ngargee, Live N Local and Festival Sunday

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Tension between the continued development of the Festival brand and the broader cultural aspirations of the CoPP

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Ongoing management of Festival public relations with the media



Recognition that many individuals not currently residing in the area have a strong connection to St Kilda and are key influencers in future decision‐ making regarding the Festival

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4.3.2

ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY

Impact Area

Sustainability Challenge

Economic Assessment



Resource constraints impacting on ability to commission comparable and regular monitoring of the Festival’s economic impacts



Ability to commission economic assessments that use robust economic methodologies that reflect best practice in the evaluation of cultural events

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Critical application of data as an effective leveraging tool for additional resources and improved public relations

Financial Assessment 

Indirect Costs

Policy Alignment

Festival’s capacity to attract a diverse funding mix including government, private and earned revenue



Funding uncertainty created by Council’s annual reappraisal of financial commitment to the Festival



Risks associated with current business plan expectations of additional revenue from government grants and private sponsorship

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False economy created by the ‘goodwill’ that currently supports the annual staging of the Festival



Capacity of Festival to identify emerging trends in indirect costs to the community



Consistency of Festivals Framework and current Council funding practice

4.3.3

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

Impact Area

Sustainability Challenge

Partnerships



Provision of financial resources to sustain existing partnership with Sustainability Infrastructure Victoria



Provision of human resources to actively seek environmental sponsors or grants to contribute to Festival goals



Provision of financial resources to implement recommendations from SIA report



Financial constraints impacting on implementation of more extensive pre‐ event preparation of public parks and gardens

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Continued allocation of resources to improve management of sound attenuation on Festival Sunday

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Restricted ability to control sound attenuation from unsanctioned activity



Clarity and consistency of the Festival’s environmental positioning in the public domain

Environmental Activity

Public Perception

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Section 5 ST KILDA’S IMAGE & THE FESTIVAL Consider the Festival’s impact on the image of St Kilda.

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5. ST KILDA’S IMAGE & THE FESTIVAL The section discusses the relationship between the St Kilda Festival and its impact on the image of St Kilda more broadly.

5.1

INTRODUCTION

In 1980 when the Festival was first produced, St Kilda had a very different image to that of today. Widely recognised as being a ‘seedy’ suburb of Melbourne that attracted society’s ‘undesirable’ people and activities, the Festival was introduced as a mechanism to begin to change public perception of the area. While the experience of that image may linger in some pockets of community memory, the overriding reality is that St Kilda today is a highly desirable place to visit, live and work. ‘Edginess’ may be present in some areas but its gradual gentrification has meant that this is no more visible and active than in many other inner urban areas of medium density in Melbourne. Concern regarding the direction of St Kilda’s development is an issue in the local community but it is not isolated to St Kilda alone. It reflects a broader societal debate highlighting fears that rapid economic growth and individual wealth creation may have negative longer‐term impacts on community values and local identity. The Festival is seen by some as reflecting this issue and, as a highly visible event, is squarely positioned to attract criticisms directly related to this tension.

5.2

MEDIA PERCEPTION AND PUBLICITY

The Festival has attracted a mixed response in terms of media attention at various stages of the Festival’s history. Some coverage has been keen to exploit what it has perceived as a divisive community issue, with other media equally positive in acknowledging the value that the Festival brings to the broader community. In 2009, the media response to the Festival was overwhelmingly positive. While coverage on the day was low (due to Black Saturday), the Festival itself achieved a broad and extensive media coverage that included: seventy‐ seven print media articles/listings, nineteen radio interviews, twelve online and three television stories (St Kilda Festival, Evaluation Report, 2009). Festival Sunday is very strongly marketed as a music event with a variety of entertainment on offer for the entire family. Its acceptance as a family and community event is notable by the range of press it achieves. In 2009, Festival Sunday received extensive support from ABC 774 and Triple R, radio stations that attract a broad audience demographic. Local coverage was also strong, with the Festival positively reported on a regular basis in January and February by the Emerald Hill Weekly and Port Phillip Leader. The media coverage also captured the younger market predominantly through the penetration of principal sponsor FOXTEL, in addition to Nova FM and local street press. There is little doubt that the media has responded positively to the Festival programming and production changes over the last five years. The introduction of more broadly accessible programming, improved marketing strategies and a proactive approach to addressing issues of poor community behaviour have helped make St Kilda Festival a newsworthy event capable of attracting positive coverage for St Kilda.

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5.3

GENERAL PERCEPTIONS

General perceptions among the broader community of the St Kilda Festival, particularly of Festival Sunday, vary wildly. One of the recurring themes of the consultation was that some residents no longer identified Festival Sunday as an event that reflected a unique St Kilda quality that had previously been present. Although many people have differing perceptions of what this quality may be, words such as artistic, local, unique, community, non‐ mainstream and non‐commercial were offered by way of explanation. Some view the current incarnation of the St Kilda Festival, in particular Festival Sunday, to be the antithesis of this atmosphere. Ironically, the Festival was often perceived as quintessentially St Kilda by others – live music, diverse people, open access, lots of activity, great venues and a picturesque location supporting beach culture. While there may be a general consensus that urban gentrification and demographic change have significantly altered St Kilda over the last thirty years, there are divergent opinions about whether this change has been to the detriment or benefit of the local area. This is the one of the key tensions that is never far from the surface in the debate around the future of the St Kilda Festival. It is one of the challenges that the Festival faces – ensuring it strikes an appropriate balance between reflecting the values of St Kilda’s heritage and those of current residents. The views below represent the extremes of each side of the continuum; they are views held by both residents and non‐residents of St Kilda. During the consultation phase the online forum established for the review asked the questions: Has the Festival changed the way you think about St Kilda? If it's more than just another beachside suburb what else is it? Some of the diverse array of commentary received on this issue is captured below: ‘…St.Kilda's image has changed, but it’s always been a great place for music, art, culture, festivities...and it will hopefully always be. The festival has definitely helped with its positive image.’ ‘How does the final day of the festival enhance St. Kilda's image? What's the message? Come here and go on some crappy rides, buy crappy food from vendors that set up shop for the day, drop as much rubbish as you can, get drunk and be crushed listening to some famous band who have nothing to do with St. Kilda.’ ‘…For me St Kilda grew out of seediness and poverty. But there was a real community…The festival captures nothing of this community…The festival doesn't represent what is best about St Kilda, and has changed how others see us.’ ‘The Festival is one of the very best tools the council could ever hope for in not only showcasing what St Kilda has to offer on the other 364 days a year but for demonstrating to Australia and the world what a progressive and culturally active this council is.’ ‘St Kilda isn't as 'cool' (for want of a better word) as it used to be these days, but the festival as a whole certainly makes me remember why I live just down the road.’

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‘The council's hosting of the St Kilda Festival is especially important because it provides a platform to celebrate Australian music that is free and accessible to everyone. It also provides a reason for people to visit St Kilda who otherwise may not come. ‘St Kilda is an iconic suburb whose residents are anything but uniform…The changing of the direction of the festival in the early 2000's has alienated many residents...I find this ironic as one of the reasons that visitors attend is to get a "slice of St Kilda life”.’ While a possible point of tension, as a celebration of culture the St Kilda Festival presents an opportunity to simultaneously acknowledge this convergence of views and to act as a catalyst for increased harmonisation between them. An event of this nature has the capacity to bring diverse people together to share experiences that break down traditional societal barriers. A common negative perception of Festival Sunday that emerged was its association with anti‐social behaviour and a concern about how this reflected back on St Kilda’s image to the broader populace. This is an issue that could be equally levied at St Kilda on any evening on a summer’s weekend, or in fact on the Melbourne CBD or a number of other inner Melbourne entertainment precincts. The statistical evidence suggests that incidences of anti‐social behaviour on Festival Sunday are well within the acceptable management tolerances for an event of this scale. While there is a need to manage poor behaviour on Festival Sunday, it is not a factor that can be easily isolated as having a major impact on a declining perception of St Kilda’s overall image. Another common opinion was that the perception of an overwhelming presence of anti‐ social behaviour on Festival Sunday was somewhat disingenuous and was a view more likely to be held by people who generally disliked the Festival or had not attended in recent years. The latter part of this comment reflects an opinion that a number of programmatic and event management changes have been implemented to create an environment that is well managed and has a broad multi‐generational appeal. Within the context of Festival Sunday’s impact on the image of St Kilda, these views may demonstrate the longer‐term affect of what is perceived to be anti‐social behaviour by some Festival attendees and the host community. Market research in 2009, however, indicates a high proportion of likely repeat visitation to St Kilda (80%), suggesting an overwhelmingly positive impact on individual’s perceptions of St Kilda following attendance at Festival Sunday. Despite the criticisms, the St Kilda Festival does remain a unique celebration in Melbourne’s cultural landscape that raises the profile of the local area and attracts a very strong local and non‐local patronage. Festival Sunday is a highly accessible and very social event that encourages people from diverse walks of life to interact and enjoy the experiences on offer, in an environment that is distinctly ‘Melbourne’.

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KEY FINDINGS The following findings relate to the impact of the St Kilda Festival on the image of St Kilda: 



The Festival has a high local profile and attracts large attendances from outside the immediate community to an already well‐established tourist destination. Some host community criticism of its impact on the local area may also reflect existing local concerns related to amenity. The current general media perception of the Festival is a positive one, likely influenced by strategic changes in programmatic and event management practices in recent years. The Festival is a popular event attracting high repeat visitation to the area, indicating that the St Kilda Festival has more of a positive than negative impact on the image of St Kilda.

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Section 6 RECOMMENDATIONS

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6. RECOMMENDATIONS The following recommendations build on the key findings and take into consideration all of the information received during the review process (a matrix that illustrates the linkages between the key findings and the recommendations is at Appendix 1). The recommendations detail specific actions that will assist the Council to deliver on its strategic objectives and support the sustainability of the St Kilda Festival beyond 2010. To ensure a strategic implementation process is undertaken, the Council is encouraged to work closely with the Festival team to determine a priority level and the timeline for action it assigns each recommendation. 1.

Establish a long‐term commitment to the St Kilda Festival by introducing a multi‐ year funding arrangement that will enable the Festival to plan strategically, improve its ability to leverage diversified income sources and to deliver against Council’s broader objectives.

Review the purpose and applicability of the Council’s Festivals Framework (2003) to the St Kilda Festival moving forward.

Develop a new (or amend the existing) Events Policy to ensure that there is improved transparency regarding the St Kilda Festival to the local community and other stakeholders.

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Undertake a feasibility analysis regarding the Council’s overall alcohol management strategies for the St Kilda Festival to: a. establish the viability and effectiveness of closing take‐away liquor outlets within the precinct on Festival Sunday, in consultation with Liquor Licensing Victoria and other key partners b. expand the number and area of the existing Council‐operated bars in the Festival precinct as an effective community behaviour control measure c. assess the opportunity to develop partnerships to reposition existing Council‐operated bars as ‘cultural experience’ zones that provide broad entertainment and cultural offerings including comedy, live music, video art etc.

Consider the feasibility and benefit of extending road closures on Festival Sunday from 2011 to reduce impact on local residents and promote public transport usage.

10.

11.

Assess the Festival team’s existing capacity to undertake the following activities and prioritise investment of additional resources where needed to ensure the sustainability and relevance of the Festival in the years ahead: a. source, develop and service relationships with major sponsors b. build, recruit and manage a volunteer program in the mid to long term c. develop mentoring programs to support participants through the Call for Events and call for entries programs d. share event management expertise, through the development of case studies, training or mentoring initiatives with other Local Government Authorities, festival associations and event organisers.

12.

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equivalent partner), improved marketing of sustainable transport options to Festival Sunday, increased pre‐event maintenance of green spaces and sound attenuation. 13.

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REFERENCES Australian Local Government Association URL: http://alga.asn.au Allen, J. Harris, R. Huyskens, M. 2001 ‘Event Management: An Australian Bibliography’ Australian Centre for Event Management, University of Technology, Sydney British Arts Festivals Association, March 2008 ’A Survey of Arts Festivals in the UK’ Festivals Mean Business 3 produced by sam, University of Brighton supported by the Arts Council of Wales Bureau of Tourism Research, ’Occasional Paper No.16 Evaluating the Tourism Impact of Hallmark Events’ City of Port Phillip, ‘Annual Report 2008‐2009’ City of Port Phillip, ‘Council Plan 2009‐2013’ City of Port Phillip, ‘Community Plan 2007‐2017’ City of Port Phillip, ‘Community Summit Participation Discussion Guide’ City of Port Phillip, ’Creative Futures Strategy 2008’ City of Port Phillip,’ Open Space Implementation Plan Framework’ City of Port Phillip, ‘Open Space Strategy 2009’ City of Port Phillip, ‘Port Phillip Health and Wellbeing Plan 2007‐2011’ City of Port Phillip, ‘Tourism Strategy Plan 2007‐2010’ City of Port Phillip, ‘Waste Wise Strategy 2006‐2009’ City of Port Phillip,’ Population and Household Forecasts’, prepared by forecast.id Earl, C. 2006 ‘Public Health Management at Outdoor Music Festivals’ Masters Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane Fredline,L. Deery, M. Jago, L. 2004 ‘Host Community Perceptions of the Impacts of the Australian Formula One Grand Prix in Melbourne: a comparison of resident reactions in 1999 with 2002’ CRC Sustainable Tourism, Melbourne Getz, D. 2008 ‘Event Tourism: definition, evolution and research’ Tourism Management 29 403‐428 Getz,D. ‘Policy for sustainable and responsible festivals and events: Institutionalization of a new paradigm’ Journal of Policy Research in Tourism, Leisure and Events, online publication date 1 March 2009 Janeczko, B. Mules, T. and Ritchie, B. 2002 ‘Estimating the Economic Impacts of Festivals and Events: A Research Guide’ CRC Sustainable Tourism Mackellar, J. ‘An integrated view of innovation emerging from a regional festival’ International Journal of Event Management Research, Volume 2, Number 1, 2006, Southern Cross University, Australia Malkovic, T. ‘Doing the sums on big events’ URL: http://www.charteredaccountants.com.au/A121952458 Manchester International Festival, ’Sustainable Events Management Case Study’ The St Kilda Festival Review Report – Final | CONFIDENTIAL

Maughan, C. ‘The Life Cycle of a Festival: preliminary thoughts’ IFEA, Athens, Greece O’Sullivan, D. ‘Public sector evaluation of festivals and special events’ Journal of Policy Research in Tourism, Leisure and Events, online publication date 1 March 2009 Roberston, M. ‘Mixed research methodologies in evaluating perceptions of social and cultural impacts of festivals’ the Ideas Exchange, Victoria University, School of Hospitality, Tourism and Marketing Victoria University, Centre for Tourism and Services Research, May 2009, ‘St Kilda Festival, Economic Assessment Report’ Impacts 08 – Langen & Garcia, May 2009 ‘Measuring the Impacts of Large Scale Cultural Events: Literature Review’ Raj, R. 16 Dec 2003,‘The Impact of Festival on Cultural Tourism’ the 2nd DeHaan Tourism Management Conference, Nottingham Small, K. Edwards, D. Sheridan, L. 2005 ‘A Flexible Framework for Evaluation the Socio‐ Cultural Impacts of a (Small) Festival’, International Journal of Event Management Research, Volume 1, Number 1, 2005, University of Western Sydney, Australia The Higher Education Academy, May 2007 ‘Resource Guide: The Impact of Events’ Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and Tourism Network, The World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987 ‘Our Common Future’ URL: http://un.org Victoria University, Centre for Hospitality and Tourism Research, March 2003, ‘The St Kilda Festival 2003 Attendee Profile and Economic Impact Evaluation’ Victorian Auditor‐General’s Office, May 2007 ‘State Investment in Major Events’ UTS: URL http://datasearch.uts.edu.au/business/grants/detail.cfm?ProjectId=2009000631 UTS, ’Events and Place Making’ Event Research Conference 15‐16 July 2002, Australian Centre for Event Management UTS, ‘The Impacts of Events’ Event Research Conference 13‐14 July 2005, Australian Centre for Event Management CITY OF PORT PHILLIP INFORMATION AND DOCUMENTS Ambulance Victoria ‘Health Data’ 2009 ‘ASSIST Complaints data’ Auditoria, March 2009 ‘St Kilda Festival 2009 Festival Sunday Sound Report’ ‘Budget/Financial Data’ 2009, 2008, 2007 ‘Community Celebrations Fund material’ ’Draft Events Calendar 2009‐2010’ ‘Emergency Management Committee Debrief Minutes’ 2009, 2008, 2007 ‘Metropolitan Ambulance Service Brief 2008’ ‘Events Policy 2009 (draft)’ ‘Event Policy 2003’ ‘Event Strategy 2008’, The St Kilda Festival Review Report – Final | CONFIDENTIAL

‘Festivals Framework 2003’ Limelight, ‘Publicity Activity and Results Report’ 2009, 2008, 2007 ‘McCall Security Incident Register 2009’ NWC Opinion Research, 2009, ‘St Kilda Festival Research Report’ ‘Security Activities Log’ 2008, 2009 SIA Sustainability Report, ‘Sound Report 2009’ ‘St John Ambulance Case Statistics 2009’ ‘St Kilda Festival Alcohol Plan 2010’ “St Kilda Festival 2009 Community Guide’ ‘St Kilda Community Festival Summary Review – Quantitative Research’ ‘St Kilda Festival, Evaluation Report 2009’ ‘St Kilda Festival Review Reference Group, ‘Terms of Reference’ ‘St Kilda Festival Business Plan 2011‐2013’ St Kilda Residents Group, ‘St Kilda Festival Sunday 2009 – Residents’ Group feedback and observations’ ‘St Kilda Festival 2009 Sustainability Assessment & Recommendations Report’ ‘St Kilda Festival program’ ‘St Kilda Festival marketing material’ ‘Strategy and Policy Review Committee, Policy and Planning, Minutes, 7 July 2008, 1 September 2008’ Market Research/Host Community: 2009, 2001, 1998 (traders only) Visitor Surveys/Economic Impact Assessments: 2009, 2008, 2007, 2003, 1998, 1997, 1996 PRIMARY INFORMATION SOURCES Reference Group input Functional Benchmarking of festivals and event organisations 13 x One to One Interviews 4 x Group Workshops Open Online Forum comments Written submissions from reference group and online forum participants

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APPENDICES

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APPENDIX ONE: KEY FINDINGS LINKS TO THE RECOMMENDATIONS The following table shows the linkages between the key findings in the report and the review Recommendations. The recommendations can be read in full in Section 6 of the report. POLICY Key Finding

Recommendation

1, 13a

There are elements in the Festivals Framework, Events Policy, and St Kilda Festival Business Plan that represent inconsistencies with the current strategic goals of Council. (Policy Alignment)

2, 3

There is an opportunity/gap to optimise strategic decision‐making between the Festival and Council through the introduction of a Development Strategy to inform high‐level program and delivery planning. (Policy Alignment)

The Festival Business Plan 2011‐2013 indicates Council’s funding contribution will be lowered to 33% by 2012/13, with the remainder of income to be drawn from a mixture of other government, private, and earned sources. (Economic)

1, 11a

The Festival attracts a diversified funding base, however, Council funding does not currently extend beyond an annual commitment. This factor, combined with limited resources within the Festival team, restricts opportunities to further leverage financial resources from other government and non‐government supporters. (Economic)

1, 11a

COMMUNITY IMPACTS Key Finding

Recommendation

Current levels of complaints are within an acceptable threshold for an event of this scale, suggestive of relative support and/or tolerance of the St Kilda Festival, however, issues of host community amenity need to remain foremost in the mind of event organisers. (Host Community)

8,9

The St Kilda Festival currently provides multiple entry points for participation by the local community and the statistical evidence suggests local attendances and active participation are at healthy levels. The Festival needs to continue to develop local engagement strategies that anchor and support the retention of local identity. (Host Community)

A number of factors influence the behaviour of people in crowds and over 5(iii), 7 time the St Kilda Festival management has implemented a variety of strategies to improve, monitor, and respond to poor community behaviour on Festival Sunday. (Community Behaviour) Current evidence suggests that the extensive alcohol management 5(iii), 7 strategies implemented by the Council to control alcohol fuelled behaviour are having an impact, however, a stronger evidence base and more analysis over time is required to substantiate this claim. (Community Behaviour) The St Kilda Festival Review Report – Final | CONFIDENTIAL

There are some anomalies in the way that alcohol restrictions currently operate that confuse the overall ‘alcohol free event’ message of the Festival and require further consideration. (Community Behaviour)

The Live N Local initiative delivers a broad programmatic offering at low cost but it is not currently possible to understand its impact artistically, or its patronage by the local population. (Cultural Programming)

5(i), 10a

While the ancillary cultural program fulfills multiple roles in terms of 6 delivering programmatic content, increasing revenue streams, and offering active participation and exposure to community groups, its long‐term purpose and benefit requires further consideration. (Cultural Programming) There are multiple factors influencing the host community’s perception of the Festival but there is currently insufficient and inconsistent data to extrapolate a conclusive trend in opinion. (Host Community)

5(i)

Market research suggests that a statistically sizeable proportion of traders (28%) do not open for business on Festival Sunday, however, a direction correlation between reasons for closure and the event itself cannot currently be substantiated. (Host Community)

5(ii)

There are divergent opinions co‐existing within the host community regarding the future of the St Kilda Festival, making the ongoing engagement of the host community a key factor in its continued success. (Host Community)

5(i), 3

A number of factors influence the behaviour of people in crowds and over 5(iii), 7c time the St Kilda Festival management has implemented a variety of strategies to improve, monitor, and respond to poor community behaviour on Festival Sunday. (Community Behaviour) The Festival works closely with emergency services partners who acknowledge that Festival Sunday is a well‐managed event with low incident rates when compared to other events of this type and scale. (Community Behaviour)

5(iii)

Current evidence suggests that the extensive alcohol management 5(iii), 7 strategies implemented by the Council to control alcohol fuelled behaviour are having an impact, however, a stronger evidence base and more analysis over time is required to substantiate this claim. (Community Behaviour) There are inconstancies in the way data is reported from emergency 5(iii) services organisations each year, making year‐to‐year comparison difficult. (Community Behaviour) The St Kilda Festival Sunday represents a very high level of economic contribution to the local region ($14.7M), however, the complete picture is not clear as the evaluation has been limited to Festival Sunday only. (Economic)

5(i)

There has not been consistent funding for economic impact evaluations of Festival Sunday to support decision‐making, impacting on the Festival’s ability to better meet service demands and public expectation. (Economic)

5(i)

There is currently little evidence to support the attribution of indirect costs 5(ii) in relation to the Repulsion Effect (people leaving St Kilda because of Festival Sunday) or on health and emergency services. (Indirect Costs)

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SUSTAINABILITY There are a number of issues surrounding un‐quantified indirect costs that relate to ‘goodwill’ factors that contribute to the staging of the event, including hours worked by Festival staff and remuneration rate of artists and suppliers. (Indirect Costs)

10a

The Festival’s open access philosophy delivers significant public value to the community. It contributes to the civic identity and cultural life of St Kilda and Melbourne and the social and cultural wellbeing of its host community and visitors attracted to the area. (Community Strengthening)

11b, 11c, 13

There is currently no overarching artistic policy or guideline for the Festival 10 which, given the high level of public interest in the program, represents a number of risks for Council in terms of accountability and sustainability. (Cultural Programming) The Live N Local initiative delivers a broad programmatic offering at low cost but it is not currently possible to understand its impact artistically, or its patronage by the local population. (Cultural Programming)

10a, 5(i)

The Festival delivers an impressive diversity and depth of programmatic content under very restrictive budgetary constraints. This has strongly impacted on its capacity to innovate within the current programmatic model and address industry level performance fees for artists. (Cultural Programming)

10a, 6

There are a number of issues surrounding un‐quantified indirect costs that relate to ‘goodwill’ factors that contribute to the staging of the event, including hours worked by Festival staff and remuneration rate of artists and suppliers. (Indirect Costs)

10a

The primary source of Greenhouse Gas emissions was related to private vehicle travel to Festival Sunday and represented the most significant opportunity for improvement to achieve carbon neutral status. (Environmental)

The Festival is not deemed to have any long term‐impact on the City’s parks and gardens, however, there are additional measures that could be implemented to further minimise impact. (Environmental)

Monitoring of Festival Sunday has shown that there are noise impacts not generated by the Festival that are more difficult to measure and affect some members of the host community negatively. (Environmental)

The Festival has adopted the majority of recommendations from the 2009 Sound Report and is implementing the Noise Abatement Plan. (Environmental)

The Festival currently attracts a low level of volunteerism when compared with other festivals. (Community Strengthening)

11b

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The Festival event management team is highly regarded and has helped Festival Sunday become a benchmark in major event management delivery models. (Community Behaviour)

11d

St Kilda’s target audience for its programs lacks clarity. The program is robust enough to maintain a position of ‘something for everyone’ and afford to become more programmatically targeted throughout the week and on Festival Sunday. (Cultural Programming)

10a

IMAGE Key Finding

Recommendation

The current general media perception of the Festival is a positive one, likely influenced by strategic changes in programmatic and event management practices in recent years. (Image)

The Festival is a popular event attracting high repeat visitation to the area, indicating that the St Kilda Festival has more of a positive than negative impact on the image of St Kilda. (Image)

13a, 1

Festival Sunday currently attracts people that reflect a broad demography, are generally well educated but represent lower income groups when compared to the host community. (Community Strengthening)

13b

Festival Sunday attracts a significantly higher participation rate from a younger demographic, than that represented within the host community. The high youth demographic is a point of competitive advantage for the Festival as it is a highly desirable market and anecdotally a difficult one for other like festivals to attract. (Community Strengthening)

13a, 13c

13, 11b, 11c,

13, 8, 9

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APPENDIX TWO: STAKEHOLDERS CONSULTED The following individuals and organisations were consulted during the project. Cultural Value extends thanks to all who made time to participate in the review process. Consultation Method

Group

Name

Community Reference Group

Amenity/Resident representatives

Krystyna Kynst David Brand

Trader representatives

Martin Perry Roger Wyndham

Musicians/artists representatives

Correne Wilkie Bob Starkie

Audience/participants representatives

Andrew Browning Stephanie Crolla

Young people representatives

Andrew Picker Bianca White

Councillor representatives

Cr Frank O’Connor Cr Serge Thomann

Consultation Method Small Group Workshop 1

Group St Kilda Festival Organising team

Small Group Workshop 2

City of Port Phillip Group

Small Group Workshop 3

Programming/Presenters

Small Group Workshop 4

CoPP Councillors

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Attended SKF Business Development Manager SKF Audience Development Manager Live N Local Coordinator Yalukit Wilam Ngargee Director Festival Administrator Coordinator Traffic, Transport & Parking Coordinator Waste Management Operations Coordinator Sustainable Environment Coordinator Online Communications Coordinator Tourism & Visitor Services Coordinator Local Laws Coordinator Health Services Manager Parks and Open Spaces Youth Project Officer Manager Customer Service Melbourne Salsa Music Managers Forum Musician/Performer Band Manager Musician/ Performer Gallery Owner Cr Frank O’Connor Cr Judith Klepner Cr Janet Bolitho Cr Jane Touzeau Cr Rachel Powning Cr John Middelton Cr Serge Thomann 92

Consultation Method One to One Interviews

Group

Name

City of Port Phillip GM Cultural and Community Development Manager Culture & Recreation, Coordinator Arts & Festivals, Festival Producer Community Cultural Development SKF Music Programmer SKF Production Manager Arts Victoria Australia Council Tourism Victoria Boon Wurrung Foundation Sustainable Infrastructure Australia Victoria Police St John Ambulance Festival Publicists

Vanda Iaconese Ian Hicks, Deidre Pelizzer Adele Denison Cathy Horsely Richard Moffat Shannon Gobell Caroline Farmer Jonathon Williamson Andy Rantzen Brendan Downey Stuart Toplis Carolyn Briggs Beth McLachlan John Mennan Andrew Foran Asha Holmes Louise Heseltine

Consultation Method

Group

Name

Website Forum

Open to the community

N/A

Written Submissions

Community Reference Group Website Forum – open to the community

N/A

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APPENDIX THREE: ST KILDA FESTIVAL – AN OVERVIEW This section provides a brief overview of the history of the Festival and its operating context. LOCAL ENVIRONMENT St Kilda is recognised as one of the suburbs that epitomises Australians’ deep connection to ‘beach culture’, defined as a fluid appreciation for culture, sport, recreation and socialisation within a seaside context. A combination of St Kilda’s centrality and close proximity to water, its historical tolerance of alternative lifestyles and its positioning as an entertainment district, have all contributed to its suburban uniqueness. Visitors flock to the area year round to restore, spend leisure time with family and friends and enjoy what this destination has to offer. As an event focused on the iconic foreshore of Melbourne’s Port Phillip Bay, the St Kilda Festival is a long running cultural event that has encapsulated many of the intrinsic values of St Kilda’s outdoor culture. The Festival is an example of community expectation regarding the activation of public space that has low barriers to access and promotes inclusive social activity. The emphasis being that public spaces should be cost free, with no requirements of users other than a desire to participate and enjoy the local environment. OPERATING ENVIRONMENT The St Kilda Festival is wholly supported, managed and produced by the CoPP who is the primary funder and underwriter of the event. The governance arrangements in place mean that the CoPP Councillors operate as the equivalent to the Festival’s ‘Board of Management’, with associated responsibilities for the financial and policy environment. The Festival’s assets and liabilities are recorded as part of the City’s total budget. Located within the Culture and Recreation department, the Council’s Arts and Festivals team administer and produce the event. The Arts and Festivals team responsibilities include the production of two major annual events, the St Kilda Festival and the St Kilda Film Festival. They also coordinate the St Kilda Film Festival National Tour, have partial responsibility for Yalukit Wilam Ngargee and administer the Community Celebrations Fund, a small community grants fund that is open for applications year round. The team also produces other special events as required by Council. EVENT HISTORY There is currently no publicly documented history of the St Kilda Festival. A review of archival material held by the CoPP is currently being undertaken by Festival staff with the aim of publication prior to the Festival’s thirtieth birthday in February 2010. Only limited information has been available regarding the history of the Festival for the purposes of the review. The first St Kilda Festival was held in 1980, a time when the local area was strongly associated with Melbourne bohemian culture and the ‘seedier’ side of inner city living. The original intent of the Festival was to bring together a show of local culture and celebration that demonstrated another side of the area, one that represented an alternative vision to that often reported in the media. Then Councillor King is quoted as saying: ‘The Festival is intended to show that there are some beautiful and very positive aspects to community life in St Kilda’.

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In the early 1980s, the Festival evoked a grassroots community arts feel. The first Festival was a two‐day event featuring the Historical Society, local venue displays and music in Alfred Square. Over half the budget was allocated towards a fireworks display. The Festival immediately drew criticism from some of the host community and media, the latter was critical of what it viewed to be a disingenuous attempt to transform public perceptions of the area. There were also complaints about what was perceived to be poor local level involvement in staging the Festival. In the mid 1980s, music began to become a more central component of the Festival. In 1985 the Victorian Tourism Commission granted $6,000 towards a review ‘to pursue the theme of music as a path to develop the Festival’. Subsequently, a music coordinator was appointed and the era of high profile concerts at the Festival began, and in 1986 the Festival held its first rock concert. Following a Council‐driven review of the Festival in 1992, a number of objectives were agreed moving forward including: 

to contribute to the positive affirmation of St Kilda and its community through celebration and community participation  to provide opportunities for exhibiting local cultural, artistic and heritage resources and talents  to provide broad opportunities for community involvement and participation across St Kilda  to contribute to the promotion and stimulation of the local economy by attracting participation and visitors and provision of local employment opportunities in arts/entertainment. The Festival changed significantly in the 1990s as music became the predominant cultural theme. Crowd attendances began to increase steadily and dance music entered the picture, inspiring rave parties from the mid‐nineties. As attendances grew, so did community concern about the impact on local amenity. In 1996 the Festival precinct was declared an alcohol free zone as part of an alcohol restriction trial, this was made permanent Festival policy in 1998. With the fireworks now gone and the community arts origins of the Festival becoming less visible, the Festival characteristics had altered significantly since its inception. In 2006 the CoPP cancelled the Festival due to funding concerns and the impending Commonwealth Games. In 2007, the Festival returned with a new major sponsor and support from the Victorian State Government, through Arts Victoria. A new programmatic focus saw the Festival rebrand itself as a family‐friendly event with Australian live music at its core. There was a re‐emphasis on local participation with the introduction of the Live N Local program and Yalukit Wilam Ngargee, a one‐day event that opens the Festival’s now week‐long program. ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE The team expands and contracts as required in the build up to the delivery of the St Kilda Festival. There are five full time equivalent positions that represent the base resources to ensure the annual delivery of the St Kilda Festival: Festival Producer, Business Development Manager, Audience Development Manager, Festival Administrator and Live N Local Coordinator. The Music Programmer is contracted on an annual basis. The critical position of Production Manager is contracted on a triennial basis and extends over a four month engagement period in the lead up to the Festival.

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All other related production and site crew positions are recruited on an annual basis via casual contracts. Figure One outlines the organisational structure for the St Kilda Festival. Figure One: St Kilda Festival Staffing Structure

Relationship to CoPP Arts & Culture Unit St Kilda Festival Team St Kilda Festival Team – Contract Positions

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APPENDIX FOUR: ST KILDA FESTIVAL – PRECINCT AREAS MAP

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APPENDIX FIVE: BENCHMARKING ‐ FESTIVALS AND EVENTS This appendix outlines the approach and results of the benchmarking component of the St Kilda Festival Review. INTRODUCTION The benchmarking review considered twenty‐six local, state, national and international festivals with some degree of comparability to the St Kilda Festival. The approach used was a functional benchmarking process, which looks at benchmarking against other festivals in the same industry/sector or against those that offer similar products and services but are not direct competitors in the same market. FESTIVAL TYPOLOGIES Each of the festivals or events included in the benchmarking has been allocated by type of activity broadly recognised within the sector and then ranked by local, state, national and international significance accordingly. The festival typologies and rankings are also informed by summary information from the PWC: Whole of Government Arts and Cultural Festivals Review, commissioned by Arts Victoria which was based on broad consultation and common terms in use by the sector. The St Kilda Festival participated in the review and its related industry briefings. The characteristics that are typically associated with each festival type is outlined in Table One below. Table One: Festival Typologies Festival Type

Characteristics

Arts Festival



Includes all artform areas – visual arts, music, performing arts, film, writing, comedic arts and cross‐artform collaborations



Focuses on the artform, artistic content, creative development and programming



Seeks to improve appreciation of the arts for audiences and participants



Supports the creative practice of artists and creators, and the presentation and touring of the arts

Cultural Festival



Seeks to improve awareness and appreciation of cultural diversity and/or a specific cultural group



Encourages the participation of the community in celebrating cultural diversity



Can align to significant dates or events of meaning for a specific cultural group

Community Celebration



Includes and reflects the diverse elements of the local community



Promotes increased understanding of community cultural groups



Typically includes festivals created and owned by government

Special event



Designed to attract industry/sector exposure



Objectives are primarily economic development



Includes popular culture, food and wine, fashion and ‘trade’ fairs and festivals

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FESTIVAL RANKING Varying levels of differentiation does occur within each typology in terms of level of uniqueness and significance – be that local, state, national or international – as outlined in Table Two below: Table Two: Festival Ranking Festival Ranking

Description

Flagship and Hallmark Festival



Has a distinctive profile and significance nationally and internationally

Major Festival



Has a strong local/state significance and attract visitors from outside the local community

Local community‐anchored Festival



Local significance and community based, held for local communities

New and Emerging



New and emerging festivals (in early years of development)

BENCHMARKING PARTICIPANTS The benchmarking process included a review of twenty‐six festivals and events (thirteen Victorian, seven national and six international). Festivals, events and community celebrations were included that were relevant in terms of their type, rank, primary funding sources or production/programming model. VICTORIAN FESTIVALS The following Victorian festivals were interviewed by telephone or provided an opportunity to submit a written response: 

Australia Day Celebrations/  High Vibes Australia Day Live (Melbourne)  Melbourne Fringe Festival  Big West Festival  Mildura Wentworth Arts Festival  Brunswick Music Festival  Moomba Waterfest  Chill Island *  Port Fairy Folk Festival  Chinese New Year (Melbourne  Pyramid Rock* Chinatown)  Wangaratta Jazz Festival*  Falls Festival * These Victorian festivals declined to participate and research was limited to desktop analysis. NATIONAL Due to project constraints benchmarking for these festivals was conducted by desktop analysis only. Tamworth Country Music Festival was interviewed given its high level of relevance.     

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

A Day on the Green Big Day Out Mardi Gras Sydney, NSW Sydney Festival, NSW Perth International Arts Festival, WA



Sydney New Year’s Eve events, NSW Tamworth Country Music Festival, NSW

INTERNATIONAL   

  

Monterey Jazz Festival, California, US Rock Al Parque, Bogota, Colombia Second Avenue Street Fair and Third Avenue Street Fair, New York, US

Summerfest Milwaukee, US WOMAD – Abu Dhabi, UAE WOMAD – Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain

BENCHMARKING FINDINGS The following information provides relevant high‐level findings and observations. FESTIVAL TYPOLOGY AND RANKING The key objectives of festivals and events and the outcomes they aspire to deliver are incredibly varied. A number of festivals identified themselves as hybrid typologies, predominantly having an arts festival focus with strong community outcomes or conversely, focused as a community celebration with strong arts outcomes. Typology and rank can shift for festivals and events over the course of time as objectives and the outcomes sought evolve and develop. A number of community celebrations also nominated other typologies as important secondary outcomes. The results from the benchmarking are outlined at Table Three: Benchmarking Findings (Types and Ranking). The St Kilda Festival has a unique point of differentiation in the festival market, largely due to its free, open access model, attendance scale and that it is wholly managed, operated and produced by local government. As such, it is a contributor to the diversity of festival types that positions Melbourne and Victoria as Australia’s cultural capital. It has no near equivalents in Australia. The benchmarking found the closest models are the City of Melbourne’s Moomba Waterfest and the State Government supported Australia Day Celebrations/Australia Day Live. The Festival, having music as a core program driver supported functional comparison with commercial and other music festival models. The benchmarking found that the St Kilda Festival model is aligned with a community celebration typology with a secondary level typology as an arts festival. The attendance levels of the Festival are firmly on par with other major festivals and at its height is keeping pace with some national and international flagship/hallmark events. However, the Festival’s level of significance on a national and international level is not on par with other major festivals. The Festival’s significance level may be increased to a Flagship/Hallmark event in the future through a growth strategy based on achieving attendance growth or the development of a distinctive programmatic profile through its live Australian music focus.

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Table Three: Benchmarking Findings (Types and Ranking)

Flagship/Hallmark

RANKING

Major Festival/Event

TYPOLOGIES Arts Festival 

         

Community Celebration

WOMAD Abu Dhabi, Las Palmas

Falls Festival Port Fairy Folk Festival Pyramid Rock Melbourne International Arts Festival (Music program) Sydney Festival (Music program) Perth International Arts Festival (Music program) Next Wave Festival Wangaratta Jazz Festival Melbourne Fringe Festival Mildura Wentworth Arts Festival (+ community celebration)

Local Community based

 

High Vibes Chill Island

New/Emerging Festival



St Jerome’s Laneway Festival

  



Special Event    

Summerfest Milwaukee Rock Al Parque Monterey Jazz Festival Tamworth Country Music Festival A Day on the Green Sydney New Years Eve V Festival

St. Kilda Festival (+arts festival) Brunswick Music Festival (+arts festival) Big West (+ arts festival/cultural festival)

Second and Third Avenue Street Fair, NY

Australia Day celebrations (+ special event) Moomba Waterfest Mardis Gras Sydney ( + special event)

  

+ a number of festivals identifying with the community celebration typology also identified with a secondary objective.



Chinese New Year/Melbourne

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Cultural Festival

101

SOURCES OF INCOME All the festivals and events benchmarked relied heavily on achieving a diversified funding base, with a mix between government and non government sources and earned income. The majority had undertaken some form of economic impact assessment on a regular basis. A table representing festival turnover is below: Table Four: Benchmarking Findings, Indicative Income Level Festival

Income Level ($) 0 –200,000

200,001‐ 500,000

500,000 – 1,000,000

> 1,000,000

>2,000,000

Victorian

National

International

St Kilda

(a) A number of festivals declined to provide specific dollar details regarding income, with some opting to provide income related information as a level of contribution.

Specific breakdowns of income were not made available by the festivals benchmarked. Sources of income included earned income, Government funding and private support through cash sponsorship, in‐kind sponsorship, donations and philanthropic trusts. Other forms of in‐kind support are also typical in this sector. A number of festivals and events do not accept alcohol or tobacco sponsorship due to negative public benefits and perception. The majority of ticketed festivals and events rely heavily on income derived from box office, merchandise and food and beverage, making earned income the largest source of income in most cases, particularly with the commercial music festivals. As a free event, the St Kilda Festival differs significantly in this regard as it does not rely on earned income as a primary funding source; its emphasis is on government sources and sponsorship. The Festival’s proportion of income derived from merchandise and food and beverage is lower than ticketed festivals. Those festivals with a predominantly free or low cost program model, such as Moomba Waterfest and Australia Day Celebrations/ Australia Day Live (Melbourne) tend to rely heavily on government sources of funding or had a government body as its primary funder. Such festivals considered their success measures in terms of community benefits such as social cohesion and wellbeing, rather than economic benefits. As such, economic impact assessments were not seen to be as relevant as ongoing benefits analysis to these festivals. All benchmarked festivals requested that the specific detail regarding the level of contributions from a primary funding source remain confidential. Levels of income contribution from the primary funder ranged enormously, from as low as 10% to as high as 90%. Of significance was the consensus need to secure a multi‐year agreement or level of commitment beyond a year to year arrangement to attract diverse income sources and strengthen programmatic content. The aspiration for the majority of festivals was to work towards establishing the primary funder base at one third (around 30%) of the total income required in any one year, adjusted up or down. This is reflective of the St Kilda Festival’s own The St Kilda Festival Review Report – FINAL | CONFIDENTIAL

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aspirations regarding its level of funding contribution year to year from Council and a desire to develop a sustainable future through a multi‐year funding arrangement. The benchmarking revealed there is no ideal level of government investment in free or low cost festival program models. That undertaking a long term benefits analysis is likely to complement the Festival’s economic impact assessments. Multi‐year funding arrangements with primary funders can provide a solid foundation for diversification of income sources and the enrichment of programmatic content to enhance participant experiences. EXPENDITURE The benchmarking found that the primary sources of expenditure for festivals and events are production and programming costs, followed by administration and marketing costs. The level of expenditure allocated to production and programming activity vary considerably, however, they are directly linked to a festival’s desire to support creative risk or achieve a level of quality in both production values and presented acts. Production and programming costs are inextricably related to the quality of participant experience and the importance of their interconnectedness cannot be underestimated. Examples such as the notable WOMAD model exemplify this concept in the creation of an internationally recognised high quality arts festival anchored in local community values with a focus on achieving memorable participant experiences. To further support the benchmarking, a recent statistical snapshot of the fourteen Victorian festivals recurrently funded by Arts Victoria (including the St Kilda Festival) provides some additional insight into the typical allocation of areas of expenditure. Of those fourteen festivals:  56% of sector expenditure went towards production/programming costs  26% on marketing costs  16% on administration costs and 2% on Other. The St Kilda Festival mirrors the industry as its primary area of expenditure is towards its production and programming costs, however, the balance between these interconnected areas of expense has not been maintained during its growth years with an increasing shortfall in the programming budget year to year. CONTRACT STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS Festivals are typically cash‐based operations, holding few, if any assets. This sector is reliant on a workforce that is predominantly made up of people employed on a contract basis, casual, temporary or part‐time. For a number of festivals volunteers are also a vital source of service hours to ensure delivery. The majority of festivals that were benchmarked rely on volunteer labour and also offer internships to support the next generation of professional event management students. Like many other festivals, the St Kilda Festival receives requests for work experience or internships but there is only limited capacity to support skills development within the current resource framework. There was general acknowledgement that the training and servicing of volunteers can be resource intensive. The Port Fairy Folk Festival directly sources 400 volunteers and enlists the support of another thirty local organisations that work with the festival and have their own volunteer bases. It is estimated that almost 1000 volunteers are connected with the delivery of this event. In 2009, Melbourne Fringe engaged and trained 330 volunteers and supported ten The St Kilda Festival Review Report – FINAL | CONFIDENTIAL

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internships. Commercial music festivals advertise for volunteers who exchange labour/hours for free entry to the event. Counter to this practice is the Brunswick Music Festival which prefers to advocate a position of supporting the employment of local people, rather than high levels of volunteerism. Events with government bodies as primary funders, such as the Australia Day Celebrations and Moomba Waterfest, have no volunteers. The City of Melbourne organisers Moomba Waterfest do, however, aspire to establish a volunteer program. In terms of the benchmarking findings the St Kilda Festival also has low levels of volunteerism, with 15 volunteers in 2009. ATTENDANCE Attendance trends in Australia indicate that the public appetite for outdoor festivals, events and celebrations will continue to grow. This is evident in the record level attendances at the Commonwealth Games Cultural Festival in 2006. Attendees enjoy the ability to move readily from one cultural experience to another. Festivals and events depend on maintaining strong attendance levels which is often a main source of competitive advantage (see Table Five below). All festivals aim to reach a diverse audience base comprising local, metropolitan, regional, interstate and international attendees and people of all ages, ability, cultural background and socio‐economic standing. Table Five: Benchmarking Findings, Attendance Levels

Attendance Level (no of people)

Festival

0 – 50,000

50,001‐ 100,000

100,000‐ 300,000

300,001 – 600,000

> 600,001

Victorian

National

International

St Kilda

(b) Two festivals did not disclose attendance data.

Based on the 2009 St Kilda Festival attendance figures, the funding contribution from the Council was equivalent to $1.80 per attendance. Other festivals receiving a government contribution were in the range of $1.60 per attendance to $4.00 per attendance. The larger the audience base, the lower the level of contribution per attendance. FESTIVALS & COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION Offering a number of entry points for community participation was a high priority for all the benchmarked festivals and events. This was represented across a range of areas, in governance structures, ticketing strategies and programming frameworks or volunteerism. Whilst this does indicate on a base level that resources are stretched in this sector, this should not be overemphasised as the motivating factor for festivals to encourage the community to participate in festival operations and delivery. The St Kilda Festival Review Report – FINAL | CONFIDENTIAL

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The benchmarked festivals highly valued the perceived benefits that exposure to arts and cultural experiences both ‘front of house’ and ‘back of house’ could offer. Lowering the barriers to participation are high priorities within the festivals and events sector, be that through operations, cost or content. All festivals recognised the social importance of offering a cultural gateway that supported openness, diversity and tolerance. Civic engagement, particularly at a local level, is used by the festivals and events to contribute to a sense of community and it is also a way to extend existing levels of participation. This was represented in mentoring and volunteering programs, the involvement of local companies, community organisations, artists, suppliers, and strategies to employ local people. One such example is industry leader, WOMAD Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in Spain, a free open access arts festival with a music base that has a family and children focused daytime program. It offers activities such as puppetry and dance workshops for 400 children and a family procession that then shifts strongly to a focus on young people at night. The program remains open and inclusive, however, the programmatic focus is targeted and people can readily identify when and how they would most like to participate. Another example is Falls Festival who partnered with the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) to develop the People’s Stage. This is an open access initiative that sees successful applicants offered 15 minutes on stage in between the headline acts. The participation strategies employed by festivals and events are all unique to their local settings and contexts, however, the emphasis on the importance of lowering the barriers to participation was unanimous. PROGRAMMING Festivals are gateways to accessible arts and cultural experiences as they can often be people’s first arts experiences. Festival programming is commonly made up of a mixed palette of presentations and productions, films, exhibitions, workshops, lectures, seminars and conferences. The focus of the majority of festivals and events is to:  

offer programming for emerging artists support the creation and presentation of artistic and cultural works and acts, with a focus on the inclusion of new work  support some type of creative development projects  offer education opportunities and youth participation programs. Artistic staff, be they directors, creative producers or programmers, all cited their frustration with striking a balance between time spent on creation and development of their festival programs and administration activities. The St Kilda Festival is no exception. Whilst the scale and diversity of offer in St Kilda Festival’s programming model is comparable with other major festivals, the level of curatorial oversight is currently stretched and limited in its application across the full program. Within their models a number of festivals and events also offered targeted programming across the following key areas for:    

children (up to 12 years) youth (12 to 25 years) families Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

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   

people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities people with a disability senior citizens women.

The benchmarking found that St Kilda Festival’s programming model is inclusive and open access and, while seeking to cater to the programming needs of all of the groups outlined above, may benefit from developing a more targeted programming approach that develops specific program content for groups such as families, children or young people under 30, offered throughout the program. St Kilda Festival does contribute to the civic identity and cultural life of St Kilda and Melbourne and the social and artistic wellbeing of its host community. St Kilda Festival holds a point of competitive advantage in that it readily attracts a younger demographic. Young people are a highly sought after consumer target group and, anecdotally in the consultation and benchmarking, are a difficult demographic for other like festivals to attract. For example, Moomba Waterfest, Australia’s largest free open access community festival is seeking to use its programming model both to attract people for longer periods of time and to attract different demographics such as young people (aged 16–25 years.) TOURS A number of festivals present inbound tours (coming into the State or Australia) and generate outbound tours in Victoria, interstate and overseas. One example of leveraging inbound tours is the Brunswick Music Festival who presents approximately 50% international acts. The ability to attract quality acts and share risks and costs are due to its connections within a broader six‐week festival circuit (Port Fairy Folk Festival, Blue Mountains Music Festival, Byron Bay Blues Fest, National Folk Festival, East Coast Roots and Blues). The St Kilda Festival presents no inbound tours within its program nor does it generate outbound tours in Victoria, interstate or overseas; this is indicative of a localised community celebration model. There may be opportunities for the Festival to identify ways to share costs/risks and leverage acts within existing festival circuits. POSITION IN THE EVENT CALENDAR Melbourne is recognised as Australia’s festival capital, with Victoria hosting more than 500 festivals, events and celebrations annually. The event calendar is highly competitive and compressed throughout the year with the most active period from February to April and September to November. Many festivals are required to negotiate venues and sites with multiple parties, which can be difficult to secure and are costly. The St Kilda Festival has a point of advantage in that it is securely positioned within a highly competitive festival and event calendar during the busy summer period. BENCHMARKING SUMMARY 

The St Kilda Festival has a unique point of differentiation in the festival market, largely due to its free, open access model, attendance scale and that it is wholly managed, operated and produced by local government. As such, it is a contributor to the diversity of festival types that positions Melbourne and Victoria as Australia’s cultural capital. It has no near equivalents in Australia.

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

 



The benchmarking found that the St Kilda Festival model is aligned with a community celebration typology with a secondary level typology as an arts festival. The attendance levels of the Festival are firmly on par with other major festivals and at its height is keeping pace with some national and international flagship/hallmark events. However, the Festival’s level of significance on a national and international level is not on par with other major festivals. The Festival’s significance level may be increased to a Flagship/Hallmark event in the future through a growth strategy based on achieving attendance growth or the development of a distinctive programmatic profile through its live Australian music focus. The benchmarking found that St Kilda Festival’s programming model is inclusive and open access. St Kilda Festival holds a point of competitive advantage in that it readily attracts a younger demographic. Young people are a highly sought after consumer target group and, anecdotally in the consultation and benchmarking, are a difficult demographic for other like festivals to attract. The scale of the production/programming model is comparable with other notable major festivals, however, resource constraints mean the level of curatorial oversight is often stretched and limited in its application across the full program. The St Kilda Festival is securely positioned within a highly competitive festival and event calendar during the busy summer period. Those festivals with a predominantly free or low cost program model tend to rely heavily on government sources of funding or had a government body as its primary funder. Such festivals considered their success measures in terms of community benefits such as social cohesion and wellbeing, rather than economic benefits. As such, economic impact assessments were not seen to be as relevant as ongoing benefits analysis to these festivals. The benchmarking revealed there is no ideal level of government investment in free or low cost festival program models. Levels of income contribution from the primary funder ranged enormously, from as low as 10% to as high as 90% (the St Kilda Festival is positioned at 34%). Multi‐year funding arrangements with primary funders can provide a solid foundation for diversification of income sources and the enrichment of programmatic content to enhance participant experiences. Attendance trends in Australia indicate that the public appetite for outdoor festivals, events and celebrations will continue to grow. Based on the 2009 Festival, Council’s funding contribution was equivalent to $1.80 per attendance which the benchmarking suggests represents high public value relative to investment. The benchmarking found that the primary sources of expenditure for festivals and events are production and programming costs, followed by administration and marketing costs. The level of expenditure allocated to production and programming activity vary considerably, however, they are directly linked to a festival’s desire to support creative risk or achieve a level of quality in both production values and presented acts. Festivals are gateways to accessible arts and cultural experiences as they can often be people’s first arts experiences. The focus of the majority of festivals and events is to: o offer programming for emerging artists o support the creation and presentation of artistic and cultural works and acts, with a focus on the inclusion of new work o support some type of creative development projects o offer education opportunities and participation programs.