Connecticut festival achieved attendance of 143,637 and generated economic impact of $25 million; Arts & Ideas also recognized with international awards for tourism marketing and web design.
Click here to see an infographic showing highlights of the Festival's economic impact data
The International Festival of Arts & Ideas today announced the results of its resoundingly successful 2012 Festival: The Festival this year recorded attendance of 143,637—an increase of 28% over Festival 2011—and an economic impact of $25,114,478. The Festival also recorded significant numbers of visitors from outside the state and around the region. Artists and speakers presented at the Festival came from around the world, generating considerable investment from outside the State.
“In June, you felt the excitement in the air at the Festival—there were great shows and great crowds,” said Festival Executive Director Mary Lou Aleskie. “Now we know that the excitement also generates tangible financial impact. Of course, what is not measurable are the personal experiences and smiles, which are worth just as much in many ways.”
Continued Aleskie: “So much of our international work is now supported by international partners. This is good news for the arts and good news for the State as an attractor of international resources and talent. We were fortunate to welcome Taiwan and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center, who invested in bringing artists from Taiwan to the Festival for the first time. This is all new money to our State, not merely a recycling of resources.”
Gordon Geballe, Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Festival, added, “These numbers show that investment in this Festival pays back in the visitors, spending, and excitement generated in our community. We’re excited to be able to demonstrate the effectiveness of investing in culture and tourism, and are grateful to have had the support of the State and its newly launched tourism efforts in achieving our results.”
Economic impact was determined by analyzing attendance figures and reported visitor behavior at the Festival, and by compiling the numbers of performers, speakers, and from around the state and around the world who helped to put the Festival together. This release includes a breakdown of facts and figures from the Economic Impact Study (see below). The data to create this report was compiled and analyzed by Quinnipiac University.
See a summary of the Economic Impact results here
International Recognition
For this year’s Festival, Arts & Ideas was also recognized with two international awards:
In travel and tourism, the Festival was honored with Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI)’s 2012 Adrian Award, honoring outstanding achievements in advertising, digital marketing, and public relations in the travel industry. Founded in the United States in 1927, HSMAI is an individual membership organization comprised of nearly 7,000 members from 35 countries and chapters worldwide. The Festival’s tourism efforts, in partnership with travel and tourism PR firm Lou Hammond and Associates, were honored at the Gold level, the highest of three categories.
On the digital stage, for the redesign of the Festival website, the Festival was honored with a Best in Class Award in the Arts & Culture category, from the Interactive Media Awards (IMA). The Festival’s 2012 redesign was completed in partnership with the design firm Flyleaf Creative in New York City, and web developer Mark Burgess. The Interactive Media Awards™ recognize the highest standards of excellence in website design and development and honor individuals and organizations for their outstanding achievement. Other honorees in the field of 105 included the Brighton Festival (United Kingdom), the Goodman Theatre (Chicago), and Wave Hill (Bronx, New York City).
About the International Festival of Arts & Ideas
The International Festival of Arts & Ideas is a 15-day festival of performing arts, lectures, and conversations that celebrates the greatest artists and thinkers from around the world. Each June, the Festival takes over the theaters, open spaces, and courtyards of New Haven, Connecticut with performances and dialogues that tickle the senses, engage the mind, and inspire the soul.
More than 80% of Festival programs are completely free to the public, including events that feature some of the most prestigious jazz, classical, dance, and theater artists in the world. The Festival’s programs have an impact throughout the year, including engagement and educational programming such as the Festival Fellowship Program for underserved youth, and the Visionary Leadership Award held in autumn of each year.
The International Festival of Arts & Ideas was established in 1996 by Anne Calabresi, Jean Handley and Roslyn Meyer. The founders envisioned an annual celebration in New Haven - a small city rich with diversity and steeped in strong cultural and educational traditions - distinguished from established arts festivals by its fusion of ideas events. Their aim was to gather world-class artists and pre-eminent thinkers from around the globe, showcasing the city and the state as a major arts destination.
The Festival was presented with major support from the State of Connecticut, as well as marquee sponsors Yale University, The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, First Niagara Bank, the National Endowment for the Arts, and AT&T.
This year’s Festival featured headliners such as Rosanne Cash, Dianne Reeves, Mark Morris Dance Group, and the National Theatre of Scotland (with an American premiere production) among its arts programs. Ideas programs included famed wire-walker Philippe Petit and literary icons Ha Jin and playwright David Henry Hwang. A complete list of Festival 2012 events is available at http://artidea.org/festival.
The Festival’s Economic Impact Study was collected and analyzed by Dr. Mark Paul Gius, Professor of Economics at Quinnipiac University’s School of Business. Dr. Gius and Quinnipiac University have collected and analyzed the Festival’s economic impact since the Festival’s inception in 1996. For Festival 2012, the survey collection team included William Craven, a senior at Quinnipiac University, and Katharine Seggerman, a senior at Yale University and Yale Presidential Public Service Fellow.