If Festivals and Events Ontario were to
spearhead this program, they could use it as a membership recruitment tool and
it would give them the opportunity to educate and upgrade their existing
festival and event members. The standards should be detailed, but not be too
complicated. The program could start out by standardizing simple amenities,
ones that every attendee would appreciate knowing about. Amenities such as
washroom facilities and their placement, seniors and disabled facilities,
children’s facilities, first aid, shuttle services and “green” programs could be
the first ones standardized, others could follow later. With gas and food
prices drastically increasing, people are becoming more and more discerning
about where and how they spend their money. They want value for money spent.
They don’t want to drive long distance to events that have no appeal. They are
using the internet more to select the festivals and events they are going to
attend. Our Ontario Visited websites attest to that, as does the Ontario
Travels site. The traffic on our site attracts over ½ million visitors
per year. Other festival and event websites attract 1000’s of event goers per
weekend. It is important that festivals understand the changing dynamics and
take advantage of them as new opportunities. Those that don’t will ultimately
fail. Standard guideline, I believe, will help festivals achieve their
potential.
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