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Ravinia Case Study

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Behind any successfully ran organization is a strong mission. The same goes for festival planning. Although festivals can differ in details and events, they all come together to celebrate one thing: the arts. It is commonly said that a festival is an opportunity to showcase one’s community, give the public the gift of art and culture, and promote cultural understanding, appreciation, and acceptance (“Live From Your Neighborhood” 22). Defining your festival’s mission is a critical element to the organizational structure of the event. This serves as an initial guide in the establishment of the festival’s objectives. The diverse goals eventually help develop the strategic and tactical plans necessary to achieve these objectives. For example, Chicago …show more content…

Marketing goes hand in hand with fundraising, essentially. The Ravinia case study explains how fundraising is similar to marketing yourself, you have to sell what you love. And if you love it enough, you are really just selling yourself. If you are passionate about the operations and know it well enough to talk about it with sincerity and confidence, you can raise the funds you need (“Ravinia” 74). Fundraising and donor relations are largely correlated to marketing and the development of new audiences. For instance, eighty-four percent of festivals in the national survey received in-kind donations, among this group, marketing and advertising was the most common donation (“Live From Your Neighborhood” 41). The festival’s executive director, supported by the board, must be the one to guide the marketing and fundraising teams into active collaboration. Although the two teams have specific responsibilities, they share similar priorities. It is important to build and strengthen relationships with donors, partners, etc. As well, it is equally as important to generate revenue. All of the above mentioned leads us to institutional branding. The stronger our brand and its relevance to the community, the more likely we are to receive support that is necessary to function. Case study Live from Your Neighborhood states, “According to festival administrators and volunteers such as board members, healthy, long-term partnerships between festivals and government are essential to sustaining festivals’ contributions to community life” (“Live From Your Neighborhood” 38). For example, the City of Lowell supports the Lowell Folk Festival by giving monetary aid to the festival and providing staff from the Departments within the city (“Live From Your Neighborhood” 39). Partnerships in general are a crucial component to generating a sustainable revenue and eliminating costs. A public-private partnership, the Chicago

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