“The Ontario Trillium Foundation funding helps our festivals in Ottawa grow by reinforcing their capacity to hire and engage young volunteers who are an essential resource for festivals,” said the Honourable Madeleine Meilleur, MPP for Ottawa-Vanier.  “Not only does this grant reinforce volunteer tradition among youth but it supports festivals which are important drivers of tourism and the economy in Ottawa.”

 John Brooman, President of Ottawa Festivals and Executive Director of the Tim Hortons Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival, accepted a plaque signifying the investment in the Ottawa community from OTF representative Bob Wilson. Michael Chan, Minister of Tourism and Culture, sent a congratulatory message that was read to the crowd of more than 300 festival organizers, volunteers and supporters.

“Without the number of incredible volunteers that step forward every year, most festivals would not happen. It’s as simple as that,” says Brooman. “We are extremely excited about the Ontario Trillium Foundation supporting this project so that, as an industry, we can help provide real meaningful experiences for those who want to commit their time to these community events. We are all better for it.”

Ottawa Festivals will undertake research to develop a better understanding of why people volunteer, and the expectations of those who do. The project will result in an online tool developed to match volunteers with opportunities; resources to help train volunteers; and best practices for engaging and retaining volunteers through improved communications strategies and more relevant opportunities.

“For the first time in Ottawa, people are able to go to one place, find out what’s going on and purchase tickets to every event that is happening,” says John Brooman, Ottawa Festivals president and Tim Hortons Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival executive director. “Having a centralized ticketing office has been talked about for a long time in Ottawa, and we are excited to finally see it come to fruition.”

The new office will serve as a ticket outlet for TicketMaster, Capital Tickets and TicketWeb. “In the future, we plan to add ticketing for other venues and attractions,” says Brooman.
This will allow people to purchase tickets to events, including tickets to Ottawa Senators games, events at the Scotiabank Place and the National Arts Centre.

“The Byward Market is convenient for Ottawa residents and is an ideal location to provide services to people visiting the city,” says Brooman. It averages 50,000 visitors per weekend during the summer months. “The new location will increase visibility,” he adds.

Tourists, festival patrons and event goers can learn about smaller events that may not have the same operating budget to reach a wider audience as some of the major events do. According to Ottawa Tourism and Convention Authority, local economic activity attributable for 21 of the festivals is almost $94-million.

“This is a great opportunity for visitors and residents to find out more information about Ottawa’s events,” says Ottawa Festivals Executive Director Barbara Stacey. “There are some very unique festivals and events going on in Ottawa that they may not be aware of, but with the new space, people will discover what Ottawa’s event industry has to offer.”

For more information about Ottawa Festivals, go to OttawaFestivals.ca.

Ottawa Festivals, a not-for-profit organization that represents more than 50 festivals, special events and fairs that take place in the National Capital Region, is pleased to announce the election of John Brooman, Executive Director of the Tim Hortons Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival, as their new President.

Mr. Brooman has served on the board of directors since 2004, and has helped shape the growth the organization has seen in recent years. “We are very excited about what is happening at Ottawa Festivals,” Mr. Brooman shares, “We have new office space right in the Byward Market that will soon be offering a number of services to local residents and to the many tourists visiting the area; in partnership with the City of Ottawa, we have a new investment fund to help festivals be more sustainable; we have just launched an industry wide research project; and we have a number of new programs for our member festivals, special events and fairs.

“I look forward to working with the other members of the Board of Directors as well as other Ottawa Festival members and staff to continue this growth,” continues Mr. Brooman, “We have a great group of people who are dedicated to building and strengthening our industry so that we can improve our offerings and better contribute to the community as a whole.”

Ottawa Festivals would also like to welcome two new directors to the board: Ann Brophy, Managing Director, Magnetic North Theatre Festival; and Joyce Trafford, General Manager, Carp Fair will join as Directors at Large.

During their “Launch of the Festival Season” event to be held on May 5th, Ottawa Festivals is set to make two announcements concerning funding they received for a project they will be undertaking in the volunteer sector and new services that they will be offering.

About Ottawa Festivals

Ottawa is a world-class destination for festivals, special events and fairs. Often referred to as “Canada’s Festival Capital”, it is home to many world-renowned events, as well as a breadth of cultural, arts, heritage, sporting and ethnic celebrations. Ottawa Festivals is a not-for-profit organization that represents more than 50 not-for-profit festivals, special events and fairs that take place in the National Capital Region. In partnership with the City of Ottawa, Employment Ontario and the Trillium Foundation, the organization manages a number of programs on behalf of the industry.

OTTAWA – April 6, 2010 – Ottawa Festivals, an organization that represents more than 50 not-for-profit festivals, special events and fairs that take place in the National Capital Region, has embarked on an in-depth study of Ottawa’s festival industry. As it rolls out over the next five years, the research project will include three areas of concentration: social, economic and environmental impact studies.

“This kind of study is long overdue,” says Barbara Stacey, Ottawa Festivals’ Executive Director, “The majority of studies look solely at the economic impact of festivals, most of which don’t go too much farther than looking directly at tourist spending,” she explains, “These numbers are very important and we certainly are collecting this information, but to get a deeper understanding of the industry’s impact you also have to look at other factors such as: quality of life; the industry’s contribution to municipal branding; civic pride; volunteerism; and providing venues for local artists. Festivals are just as much about community building as they are about economic spin-off. We are very excited to see where this research takes us.”

A collaboration with Algonquin College, the project will provide real-world experience for students who will take part in various capacities. “Right from its inception, we knew we had to involve students in the project,” explains Dr. Tamer Mansy, Program Manager Research and Partnerships at Ottawa Festivals, “true to our industry, we looked at how we could leverage the project to extend benefit to others – with this partnership we are able to do that.”

The collaboration also includes an impressive list of industry leaders. An advisory committee has been established to shape the direction that the project will take. Representatives from the City of Ottawa, Ottawa Tourism, National Capital Commission, Council for the Arts in Ottawa, Algonquin College and Ottawa Festivals have already begun their work and the project is well under way.

The project will be carried out with the participation of Ottawa Festivals Members. “We have already begun an inclusive consultation process involving staff and volunteers that organize festivals, special events and fairs in the National Capital Region,” says Dr. Mansy, “we are gathering firsthand accounts and information to help us develop a clear snapshot of the industry – this will help us identify our strengths and areas that may require more focus going forward.”

“It has always been our intention to be as inclusive as possible. We are very pleased and honoured to have the involvement of the people on our advisory committee and the participation of our members,” says Stacey, “as key stakeholders and partners, their participation was essential.”

About Ottawa Festivals

Ottawa Festivals is a not-for-profit organization that represents 51 not-for-profit festivals, special events and fairs that take place in the National Capital Region. In partnership with the City of Ottawa, Employment Ontario and Trillium Foundation, the organization manages a number of programs to develop and sustain the industry to contribute to positive benefits that impact the community.

OTTAWA – The Province has announced the recipients of 2010 Celebrate Ontario funding grants, and more than $1.5-million is being invested in festivals and events taking place in Ottawa.

Twelve Ottawa Festival members that include Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest, Tim Horton’s Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival, Ottawa Folk Festival, Ottawa International Animation Festival, Ottawa International Children’s Festival, Ottawa International Writers Festival, Rideau Canal Festival, Summer Solstice Aboriginal Arts Summer Festival, TD Canada Trust Ottawa International Jazz Festival, WESTFEST, Festival Franco-Ontarien, and Canadian Tulip Festival received funding this year.

“This is very exciting news,” says Barb Stacey, Executive Director of Ottawa Festivals, a not-for-profit organization that represents more than 50 not-for-profit festivals, special events and fairs that take place in the National Capital Region, “this represents a substantial investment in our community, especially considering that these investments are leveraged many times over through private investment, sponsorship and funding available from other levels of government.

“This investment will improve our offering to visitors and further Ottawa’s reputation as being Canada’s Festival Capital. This will help attract new visitors to our internationally renowned premier events, and our supporting events will certainly enhance the city’s many tourism and cultural attractions,” Stacey continues, “These events animate the city. They add colour, life and excitement.”

Awarded by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Celebrate Ontario funding helps communities realize the potential benefits associated with increased tourism and visitor spending. “Festivals and events are important drivers of tourism in Ontario. This support will help enhance their offerings and bring more jobs, visitors and spending to communities throughout our province,” said Michael Chan, Minister of Tourism and Culture.

Jon Dore hosts Ottawa Festivals Launch. Photo by blurasis on Flickr

OTTAWA – As organizers, staff and supporters of Ottawa’s festival, special events and fair industry celebrate the Ottawa Festivals Launch of the Festival Season Wednesday, they will also reflect on a successful 2008 festival season.

It was announced in April 2009, that Ottawa Festivals will receive $90,000 over two years from The Ontario Trillium Foundation to increase volunteer and employment opportunities at the numerous festivals and events held in the National Capital Region each year.

“This is very exciting for us,” says Barbara Stacey, Executive Director of Ottawa Festivals, “The story about the not-for-profit festival and event industry that is often overlooked is our commitment to community outreach programs. As an industry, we are very cognisant that we have the ability to make a positive impact on the broader community, and the funding provided by The Trillium Foundation will help us put programs in place to create more opportunities for community members while also strengthening the capacity of the festival industry. It’s a true win-win.”

In addition to the significant positive economic impact on the community and business, festivals also provide access to programs for unemployed people seeking work experience and well over 15,000 people volunteer with festivals every year. Through this type of community engagement and by providing access to world-class events, Ottawa’s festivals, events and fairs are certainly key contributors to the quality of life we enjoy in Ottawa and are also a reason Ottawa is consistently looked at as one of the top places to visit and to live.

In December of 2008, this was recognized as a reason that Council passed an omni-bus motion that maintained funding levels for festivals as outlined under the City’s Arts Investment Strategy.
In 2008, Ottawa Festivals welcomed five new members. Maple Sugar Festival, Ottawa Raggae Festival, Rideau Canal Festival, Orchestras in the Park and Metcalfe Fair have joined to increase Ottawa Festivals to 48 member festivals, special events and fairs.

Seven Ottawa Festival members were recognized by Festivals and Events Ontario (FEO) at their annual conference. Canadian Tulip Festival, TD Canada Trust Ottawa International Jazz Festival, Canada Day, Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest and Winterlude received awards of distinction; while Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival and Rideau Canal Festival were named to the list of Ontario’s Top 100 Festivals. Ottawa Rideau Canal Festival was also honoured as the Best New Festival or Event. It was also announced by FEO that the 2010 conference will be held here in Ottawa.

In April 2009, Monique Smith, Minister of Tourism, was in Ottawa to announce that fifteen Ottawa festivals, special events and fairs will receive more than $1.4-million as part of Celebrate Ontario’s $11-million investment throughout the province.

Julian Armour, President of Ottawa Festivals and Executive Director of Canadian Tulip Festival addresses the crowd of more than 500 people. Photo by blurasis on Flickr.

“This announcement from the Government of Ontario is great news for area festivals,” states Julian Armour, President of Ottawa Festivals, “This announcement and the recent announcement from the Federal Government both show a strong recognition of the tremendous economic and community impact generated by festivals.” The federal government announced that, through the Marquee Tourism Events Program, $100-million is being invested over the next two years to help promote existing marquee events.

A recent Travel Intentions Survey conducted by TNS Canadian Facts revealed that Canadians are planning to travel closer to home while seeking shorter term, high value experiences. “We are looking at this as having the potential to increase participation at Ottawa’s festivals and events”, says Lee Dunbar, Director of Communications and Community Development at Ottawa Festivals, “As people decide to travel closer to home and take ‘staycations’, Ottawa is positioned very well. Having so many great events that are either free or very reasonably priced, I would think that people throughout the Ottawa Valley and Eastern Ontario will be looking towards Ottawa as a destination for daytrips and some overnight stays.”

Indications are that it will be a great festival season in 2009. The Canadian Tulip Festival has had huge interest in their expanded activity and Bluesfest has reported strong initial pre-sales for their event that opens with Jeff Beck headlining on July 8.

Ottawa Festivals is a not-for-profit organization that represents 48 not-for-profit festivals, special events and fairs in the Ottawa area. In addition to a visibility and public awareness campaign, Ottawa Festivals develops and administers a number of programs on behalf of the industry.

OTTAWA – Hailed as one of Canada’s top “rising stars of the future,” host and comedian Jon Dore will make a return to his hometown of Ottawa, Canada to host the Ottawa Festivals Launch of the Festival Season at Ottawa City Hall on April 29, 2009.

“Jon is a local guy who has done well for himself,” says Barb Stacey, Executive Director at Ottawa Festivals, “One reason we have invited him to host our event is because, as an industry, we enjoy celebrating the success of our own performers and artists. The other being that he is an extremely talented and entertaining performer.”

After successfully sharpening his teeth for three years hosting a local daytime variety show and appearing at live venues, Dore was thrust into the national spotlight while appearing as a correspondent on Canadian Idol. He is now in the second season of The Jon Dore Television Show which appears on The Comedy Network.

Ottawa’s festivals, special events and fairs will be the focus of this event that will feature buskers, magicians, musicians and a spoken word performer in a fun, carnival-like atmosphere. “We represent fun, vibrant people who are passionate about their events and their community,” says Stacey, “The launch was designed to reflect this.”

Enveloped by performances by the entertainers, Mayor Larry O’Brien, Julian Armour, President of Ottawa Festivals and Barb Stacey will address the more than 400 expected guests. In attendance will be representatives of Ottawa’s festival and tourism industries, dignitaries and 150 finalists of the Ottawa Festivals Launch of the Festival Season Contest.

At the climax of the event, one qualified contestant will be picked through a live draw to win a prize pack that includes passes to most Ottawa Festivals Member events. “People are excited about this contest,” says Afonso da Silva, Director of Marketing at Ottawa Festivals, “We’ve received more entrants than anticipated and we are on our way to setting a record. We have a number of other great prizes to win through draws and our ever popular balloon drop,” continues da Silva, “Local businesses have really stepped up in support of the event.”

Ottawa Festivals is a not-for-profit organization that represents 48 not-for-profit festivals, special events and fairs in the Ottawa area. In addition to a visibility and public awareness campaign, Ottawa Festivals develops and administers a number of programs on behalf of the industry.

OTTAWA  – Monique Smith, Minister of Tourism, was in Ottawa Wednesday to announce that fifteen Ottawa festivals, special events and fairs will receive more than $1.4-million as part of Ontario’s $11-million investment throughout the province.

In front of a full house of representatives from the festival, tourism and business community, Smith stated that the Province was investing $11-million for 2009, a $2-million increase over its commitment in 2008, because, “Our government recognizes the economic impact that festivals and events have on local communities throughout the province. By enabling community events to improve their product, we are helping them reach new audiences, create more jobs and generate more economic activity.”

“This announcement from the Government of Ontario is great news for area festivals,” states Julian Armour, President of Ottawa Festivals, “This announcement and the recent announcement from the Federal Government both show a strong recognition of the tremendous economic and community impact generated by festivals.”

“Festivals are important economic engines and we need people to know how important they are to the economy,” Smith said. During his opening remarks, Noel Buckley, President of Ottawa Tourism echoed these sentiments stating that, “Festivals are key demand generators for the Ottawa tourism industry.”

“Celebrate Ontario funding helps us to improve our programming and keep a competitive edge in the tourism marketplace,” says Hitomi Suzuta, President of Ottawa Folk Festival, “It’s not only an investment in our festival, it’s an investment in the many local businesses that rely on the visitors we draw.”

In fact, the numbers can be staggering. The Ottawa Festival Visitor Impact Study found that the total economic activity in Ottawa attributable to just 21 of the region’s more than a hundred events was almost $94-million, supporting over 1,100 full-year jobs and returning more than $5.5-million to the local municipal tax base, $14-million to federal coffers and $12-million to the province.

While referring to the area as “Canada’s Festival Capital,” Smith said that the announcement was being made in Ottawa, “Because it is a place of festivals,” mentioning that no matter the season, “There is always something going on.” She went on to praise the diversity of events that range from cultural and ethnic celebrations to sporting events and major international festivals, “Everyone is covered in Ottawa.”

This diversity is reflected in the list of funding recipients of Celebrate Ontario funding from Ottawa that includes The Canadian Tulip Festival, Ottawa Dragon Boat Race Festival, TD Canada Trust Ottawa International Jazz festival, Rideau Canal Festival, Ottawa Folk Festival, Festival franco-ontarien 2009, Ottawa International Writers Festival, Festival des Sucres 2009, Ottawa International Animation Festival, Ottawa International Children’s Festival and Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest.

Canadian Tulip Festival, TD Canada Trust Ottawa International Jazz Festival, Canada Day, Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest and Winterlude received awards of distinction; while Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival and Rideau Canal Festival were named to the list of Ontario’s Top 100 Festivals.

“The residents of our city take great pride in hosting and participating in these wonderful events which make an enormous contribution to the vibrancy and spirit of Ottawa,” declares Delores MacAdam, Manager of Licensing Programs and Special Events for the City of Ottawa.

Ottawa Rideau Canal Festival was honoured as the Best New Festival or Event. Held in August 2008, the festival was produced to celebrate the historic waterway, which was recently named a UNESCO world heritage site.

“It was a great event and their timing was perfect,” says Barbara Stacey, Executive Director at Ottawa Festivals, “Michelle Gauthier and his staff really delivered a first class event that, while celebrating our heritage, also incorporated innovative new ideas such as using technology to help visitors offset carbons used to travel to the festival. The recognition was well deserved.”

“We really have an embarrassment of riches here,” says Julian Armour, President of Ottawa Festivals and Executive Director of Canadian Tulip Festival, “We have so many world-class and internationally recognized events that take place in Ottawa. These events contribute to the Ottawa brand as being a thriving, fun capital city that is rooted deep in cultural and artistic activities.

“There has been a lot of talk of the economic climate we are in,” continues Armour, “Festivals in Ottawa offer tremendous value and continue to attract tourists to our city and give local residents exciting activities throughout the summer.”

The economic impact is great as well. The 2003 Ottawa Festival Visitor Impact Study found that total economic activity in Ottawa attributable to just 21 of the region’s more than 45 festivals was almost $94-million. The resulting spending supports over 1,100 full-year jobs.

OTTAWA, ON - Ottawa Festivals launched the beginning of the FESTIVAL SEASON this afternoon at City Hall. The array of the region’s festivals, events and fairs showcased, truly allows residents and visitors to discover a rich tapestry of experiences. From block-buster line-ups to rural ramblings, from ethnic celebrations to the rigours of sports, all 43 Ottawa Festival members cooperate to provide the city with quality events, economic spin-offs, and tourism enhancement – all designed to add to the quality of life in Ottawa. The impressive arts and entertainment line-up that residents can look forward to this year is spectacular.

The launch was hosted by CBC Air Farce star, Luba Goy, who recounted her fond memories about events. She also introduced speakers Mayor Larry O’Brien and Ottawa Festivals President Julian Amour. The presentation was enhanced with music, entertainment and many festivals pass prize giveaways. “Festivals in Ottawa benefit the City tremendously” says Armour. “It’s not just the diverse array of activities our members provide, it is also the economic impact festivals have on the local economy. By working together, local festivals have helped each other succeed and give back to their community.”

This year’s new initiative is the launch of a 26-week public awareness campaign about upcoming festivals, events and fairs. Afonso da Silva, Director of Marketing & Programs from Ottawa Festivals noted “a major frustration for the public is missing out on member events because they didn’t hear about them in time.” To help solve this problem, the organization has launched ” ottawafestivals.ca – Find events the easy way!”. ”This web site and the City of Ottawa ’s Spotlight website now provide a great one-stop source for entertainment listings” says da Silva.

Also announced at the launch was the $1,873,677 support that local events have received from the Celebrate Ontario fund, created to enhance events and draw leisure market travellers to the city. This additional funding will position Ottawa as a not to be missed destination, thereby providing significant economic spin-off. Other Ottawa Festival Services Ottawa Festivals continues to offer its members a number of services including a newly established Group Benefits Program, Sustainability & Emergency Fund, and administering Employment Ontario’s Job Creation Program which has helped hundreds of participants get the training and experience they need to find a job in their field. Barbara Stacey, Ottawa Festivals Executive Director explains: “There have been so many participant success stories coming out of this program and for our members – it’s an incredible resource.”

This year’s festival season is planned and ready to go with the Canadian Tulip Festival, the Awesome Indies Film Festival for Children and Youth, the Victoria Day Festival and the Ottawa Race Weekend set to run in the next few weeks. With an event packed summer and fall, it will be a great year for entertainment and for the Tourism industry in the City. Don’t forget the non-spring/summer events Ottawa Festivals members operate in the fall and winter seasons such as the Ottawa Storytelling Festival, the One World Film Festival, and the Ottawa International Hockey Festival, to name just a few. These help make Ottawa a year-round destination.

Ottawa Festivals was also the winner of Ottawa Tourism’s Small Business of the Year.

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For more information about Ottawa Festivals or the Launch of the Festival Season, contact Barbara Stacey at executive@ottawafestivals.ca or call 613.233.1085
300-436 MacLaren Street Ottawa, ON K2P 0M8
Phone: 613.233.1085 Fax: 613.233.3134 Cell: 613.795.8245