OBJ Mayor’s Breakfast with Mark Monahan
A few Ottawa Festivals staff attended the OBJ Mayor’s Breakfast series this morning which featured Mark Monahan, Executive and Artistic Director of Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest.
Mark gave the crowd an inside view of some of the milestones that have shaped Bluesfest and the reasoning behind some of the decisions and changes that have been made over the years that have seen Bluesfest grow from a four day festival where 5000 fans watched Bruce Springsteen’s saxophonist, Clarence Clemons, play on a stage at Major Hills Park to an eleven day festival that attracts 350,000 spectators and some of the world’s top performers. This year, Bluesfest has added a second location featuring free concerts in Ottawa’s Byward Market.
Interesting points made during the talk:
- the pivotal moment that set the course for the tremendous growth Bluesfest has seen is when they booked Ray Charles in 1998. The positive reaction from ticket buyers validated the idea that people would be attracted to the bigger artists, and they would be willing to pay more to support the festival for the opportunity to see higher calibre artists;
- the participation of upwards of 4000 volunteers each year is both an indication and reason for the festival’s success;
- 20% of Bluesfest attendance is comprised of out-of-town guests, contributing $30-million dollars to Ottawa’s economy; and
- people are looking for a complete “festival experience” rather than just attending a festival to see the artists. Such factors as food, wait times, demeanor of staff and volunteers, availability of transportation, among others are critical to creating and shaping an overall experience. A person can see their favourite artist, yet still have a bad overall experience.
Tags: bluesfest, Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest, festival marketing, Mark
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Indeed, the Bluesfest is a major attraction. For me and my family it is eeagerly anticipated. The variety is excellent, and I feel thate xpanding the venue to include many genres was perfect. See you there
Mike P