Where Can I Host a Community Event Near Me
What does Minnesota celebrate? Watermelon and walleye; land music and hip hop; Cinco de Mayo and Syttende Mai—but to name a few themes for festivals held annually throughout the country.
All these goings on are function of what makes Minnesota a great place to live. Likewise being fun, well-managed festivals and events offer a host of economic and social benefits to communities.
The benefits are similar to those for tourism, in full general, according to Ingrid Schneider, Director of the University of Minnesota Tourism Centre. "Tourism has the opportunity to bring communities together and instill a sense of community pride and knowledge of their history," she says.
The economical benefits of festivals are easiest to encounter and most often cited–festivals concenter visitors, which stimulates the growth of tourism and other businesses in a town or region.
The social benefits of festivals are less visible, but they are just as important. Building on Schneider'due south observation, it'southward fair to say that festivals foster community pride, teach people new things, and strengthen relationships.
But hosting festivals also poses challenges. There are risks and costs related to the endeavor. A star performer might not show up, or the phase might collapse. Insurance can comprehend financial adventure, merely reputational damage is harder to address.
Substitute "festivals" for "tourism," and Schneider nicely frames the challenge to communities: "We need to be very careful about the product we have for Minnesota'due south tourism and make sure it'southward sustainable."
Boosting the economy
By definition, festivals attract visitors. And visitors spend coin, which boosts the local economy both on and off the festival site. On-site spending includes admission fees, parking fees, nutrient, beverage and souvenir sales—and more. Attendees at the 2011 Irish Fair of Minnesota, for example, spent an average of $l at the festival site.
But off-site spending related to festivals generates revenue for communities, as well. For case, visitors stop at local gas stations, souvenir shops, and restaurants–the listing goes on.
Overnight visitors provide another source of off-site revenue to communities that host festivals. For instance, overnight visitors to the 2011 Irish Fair spent an average of $170 on lodging and $38 on food and beverages during the time they attended the festival.
Festivals as well provide complimentary marketing and advertising for local businesses as visitors talk about their fun experiences when they go back dwelling house. If visitors mail service comments and photos about their experiences on Facebook or other social media, so much the improve. The economic benefits of successful festivals ripple throughout a local economy–affecting tourism and non-tourism- related businesses akin.
Planning and conducting festivals involves many members of the community, which yields a number of social benefits.
"The all-time affair about being involved with festivals and events is the opportunity to assist build a community, foster a sense of pride within a customs, and appoint a customs," says Chris Romano, a business organization consultant with Thrivent Fiscal Services. "Honestly, in my professional career, I've never found something outside a community festival that tin practice that to the aforementioned degree."
Experts concord that hometown pride is a critical factor in the evolution and comeback of any community. Residents with community pride are more likely to speak positively almost their town to others and to volunteer with organizations and activities that back up the common skilful.
Festivals promote community pride past jubilant things that make a town special and evoke good feelings. Those things tin can be equally "big" as ethnic heritage, or as "small" every bit a slice of pastry. Two examples from Minnesota illustrate the bespeak.
Each year, the community of Lindstrom hosts Karl Oskar Days to celebrate its Swedish heritage. That heritage is on brandish throughout the yr in the class of statues, museums, historic sites, and shops selling Swedish-inspired products and foods. However, during Karl Oskar Days, Lindstrom'due south hometown and cultural pride is on full display.
The festival features log rolling, live Swedish music, a street dance, parades through the town, and more. The Karl Oskar Days event attracts visitors from as close every bit nearby St. Paul and equally far as Sweden itself.
The town of Montgomery in southern Minnesota as well celebrates its heritage, simply with a dissimilar twist. Independent Contractor Randy Gutzmann is a fan. "I beloved a celebration that revolves around a Czechoslovakian pastry," he says.
The pastry is kolacky (also spelled kolache), a concoction consisting of sweetness staff of life and different fillings, especially fruit–such equally prune, apricot, and poppy seed. The pastries grow during Montgomery's almanac Kolacky Days celebration. Like Karl Oskar Days, Kolacky Days draws visitors from near and far.
Instruction new things
Whatever a festival'southward theme, it's leap to be instructional and visitors are spring to learn from it. Of form, education (including greater awareness and new noesis) is another social benefit of festivals. Simply this isn't learning from a volume or in a classroom—this is easily-on, experiential learning offered in the fun context of celebration.
Learning is a large byproduct of the almanac Lady Slipper Celebration in the northwestern Minnesota customs of Blackduck, which lies at the head of the 28-mile long Lady Slipper Scenic Byway. The customs launched the commemoration, named after the Minnesota state blossom, to showcase and promote understanding of the expanse's natural resources and Native American civilization, likewise equally concenter visitors to the byway. (The small customs of Kabetogama and Voyageurs National Park in northeastern Minnesota likewise honor the lady'south slipper with an almanac Lady SlipperFestival.)
The University of Minnesota Tourism Center measured whether Lady Slipper Celebration sponsors had achieved their educational goals through a visitor profile conducted in 2011. In response to a questionnaire, 87 percent of celebration attendees indicated they had learned new information well-nigh lady slippers, while 47 per centum said they were more than knowledgeable nearly Native American culture subsequently attending the event.
This educational experience helped visitors connect to the area. According to the Tourism Center study, 83 percent of beginning-fourth dimension visitors said they were satisfied with their experience and planned to return to the area.
Strengthening relationships
A 3rd social benefit of festival sponsorship is stronger relationships within a community. Virtually of the human relationship-building occurs in the festival planning stage. This is where the bonds among public and private organizations, government, and neighborhood groups are forged and where connections amid elected officials, staff, volunteers and interested residents are made.
Assuming everything else goes well, the payoff to this human relationship-building is a successful festival. Only the benefits last well beyond the result, as people bring their connections and collective cognition and skills to improve the community.
Connections are the "glue" that concord communities together; without them, a community stagnates and the quality of life declines. Experts call this mucilage social capital, so viewed through this lens — festival sponsorship increases the social capital that makes for healthy communities.
Value of training
Every bit noted, hosting a festival is not without risks and costs. While a successful upshot enhances a community'south reputation, a less-than-successful endeavour (or outright failure) does just the reverse.
In the terminate, festival management means minimizing damage and maximizing opportunity. To aid community leaders accomplish this rest, the Academy of Minnesota Tourism Center offers training in the essentials of festival and outcome direction.
The Festival and Event Direction program covers strategic planning, site management, budgeting and fiscal planning, marketing and sponsorship, human being resource management and volunteer recruitment, and outcome evaluation. "I highly recommend it to anyone looking to expand their base of noesis, creative thinking, and to implement fantastic festivals and events," says Shari Kunza of the City of Shoreview, a past participant.
Register and learn more
- Register for Extension'southward Festival and Event Direction online course.
- Sympathise why you lot should start seeing visitors in your community — even if they're not there for a festival.
- Talk to your local Extension Educator almost customs growth through festivals and events.
Ingrid Schneider and others
Reviewed in 2012
Source: https://extension.umn.edu/vital-connections/community-festivals-big-benefits-risks-too
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