LOL You have heard of Spring Fest? Your plan differs? How?
Troy Moon reported the death of Springfest in the daily newspaper today. This comes as no surprise considering the 2006 event was cancelled and no word has been mentioned about it in the past six months.
Why? The event lost money four years straight – under three different managers -Emerald Coast Classic group, SMG/Pensacola Civic Center and Captn Fun’s. The 2005 crowds were decent – 46K, and the PNJ was its major medium sponsoer – but it still lost over $100K.
The truth is events like Springfest need to be underwritten by major sponsors. Our larger employers are city and county government- followed by the school systems, universities and hospitals. Our once large employers are mere shells of what they once were – Solutia, International Paper, GE, Armstrong, BellSouth. The banks are branches of larger systems.
The lack of sponsors is why we lost the Blue Angel Classic golf tournament, too.
Our two-trick pony economy of military and tourism is killing our chances for big events like Springfest and Blue Angel Classic. Instead, we get the Pensacola Interstate Fair….teeth and shoes optional............................................................................................................................SPRINGFEST TIPS FOR DUMMIES
What: SpringFest 2005
When: Friday, May 20 to Sunday, May 22.
Where: Downtown Pensacola on original Spring Street festival site.
Cost: To be announced
Details: 565-0164 or www.pensacolaspringfest.net.
We want to make it easier this year. Instead of bitching about the whole three-day music festival later, the snarky crew at the Independent News chose to chew and spew the fat before the new organizers of SpringFest take over what has become a money-sucking monstrosity.
For those not in the know, the small team who throws the successful Bushwacker Music Festival on Pensacola Beach will manage SpringFest '05 and is redirecting the event back to where it belongs—the streets of downtown. And, they plan to make a few additional changes this year. Expect a leaner, meaner and, well, cleaner SpringFest from the folks at Quietwater Entertainment Inc.
"There's definitely going to be diversity in this event," promises producer Tom Carmichael, when asked if the festival is going to be whitewashed. "We're going to keep the same top-tier acts SpringFest attracted in the past."
However, Carmichael continues, he plans to avoid the rambunctious, hardcore element.
"Part of our job is to make this event fun, exciting and safe," he says. "So, we're probably not going to book a pistol-wielding, hip-hop artist that's known for foul language or bands known for riotous behavior."
Umm, OK. So, we should expect more Hootie and the Blowfish and less cutting-edge new acts, like, say The Killers?
"Not exactly," Carmichael claims. "We're going to run the gamut from Top 40 to rock 'n' roll."
Before you get the wrong idea, we want SpringFest to succeed. In fact, we backed the celebration wholeheartedly last year because we believe the festival has the potential to be great. But, there are many factors to consider when taking on such an enormous task.
So far, the new event producer seems to be right on track. He promises to dramatically cut ticket and administrative costs. Yeah! Carmichael also says he's going to go for the big names, but will be realistic before throwing money at acts who were hot 10 years ago. Woo hoo.
Our main concern, of course, is the local music community. Carmichael insists he'll hit the streets and clubs—holding monthly pre-festival parties to scout talent—and rely on homegrown performers to kick off the main event. We successfully did that with the IN Music Awards. Sounds like a winner.
Now that we have the next six months to brainstorm ideas to help our struggling community musical celebration, here are few preliminary tips to make SpringFest a downtown hit.
Are you listening?
DO: Reconstruct the brand. The outdoor festival has suffered from the missteps and ghosts of SpringFest's past. Work on the lineup. Bring in bands and talent that will generate buzz. Don't turn this festival into "Bushwacker Downtown" because, guess what, you don't have a beach on Spring Street to draw in the needed slew of out-of-state tourists. And, unlike Bushwacker, SpringFest ain't free.
DON'T: Announce a big-name act then rescind. Trust us, we weren't Achin' for Aiken. But, the whole on-again, off-again Clay Aiken fiasco with last year's SpringFest left a sour taste in our mouths. Phooey.
DO: Rely on non-traditional media. Internet and e-mail updates should be a priority in disseminating information and generating buzz. People want to know, and care about, the bands featured on the SpringFest stages. Utilize alternative outlets geared toward music— like this alt-weekly, the Independent News—to build the hype machine and not sugarcoat the truth. Like us or not, we tell it like it is.
DON'T: Whitewash the lineup. Yes, Bushwacker has been a success with a rather lame talent list; however, we're talking about a whole different monster with SpringFest. The wise women at SMG offered us some advice: "Cool bands don't always equal ticket sales." True. However, you need to have at least one stage featuring up-and-coming bands to attract, and educate, the kids. Think more New Orleans' VooDoo Festival and less Mobile's BayFest.
DO: Talk to the experts. Sure, music critique is subjective. However, we recommend consulting with the pros when discussing the lineup and not relying on the bean counters that make up the SpringFest's Executive Board to rule over music content decisions. And, get out on the streets. Talk to the college kids and ask them what's in their MP3 player.
DON'T: Count on the local acts to carry SpringFest. We're huge supporters of the local music scene. However, you can't count on local bands to generate enough interest—or buzz—as stage headliners. One of the larger mistakes with last year's SpringFest was relying too heavily on locals to headline the main stages. And, while you're at it, book a killer Friday evening show because first impressions count. Create a memorable opening night and people will flock downtown the entire weekend. Build it and they will come.
DO: Trim the fat. We applaud Carmichael's move to cut down the afternoon hours from SpringFest's usual all-day schedule. Open gates at 4 p.m. and put the first act on stage at 5 p.m. More effort should be put into band selection and less on making all the folks of SpringFest's past happy. Each stage should have an autonomous identity and brand. Hire experts in scheduling and producing and assign them to create a unique experience for each stage.
DON'T: Expect a miracle. Like it or not, it may rain. The weather played a huge role in the lackluster SpringFest '04 turnout. However, there were a slew of other mistakes. SpringFest needs to build momentum, starting today, and the public needs to know why they should pay the bling-bling for a weekend pass. Carmichael says he'll hold monthly pre-parties starting in January to get the ball rolling. Trust us, we'll be there every step of the way.
sam@inweekly.net