Festivals and celebrations have been a way of life almost since the time of Adam and Eve. The changing of the seasons, planting time, harvest time, successful hunts, birthdays, weddings and religious rites have all been reasons for a festival. They still are. Additionally, anniversaries are occasions for rejoicing. Most events occur annually, attracting people from all parts of the world. These visitors stay, spend money and help the local economy. Festivals also mean jobs and big advertising for sponsors. This is especially true when the festival is keyed to the visual and performing arts, as many are. Such events also give an area a cultural heritage that it previously did not have. Many festivals are well organized, handled by non- profit associations or helped by government subsidy. However, other festivals are supported by sponsors which in the same time try to promote their image through art events. Preparation is usually done with volunteer help. Each event includes information on its origin, history, purpose, special features, successes and future plans, plus a description of each festival or event, consisting of one or more paragraphs. In this paper I discuss the “Attendee Perceptions of Sponsorship Contributions to A Regional Art Festival” case study and try to figure out some ways in which sponsorship may be affected for sponsors.
Sponsorship as a promotional activity has grown remarkably in recent years: estimated sponsorship expenditures reached billions of dollars worldwide. However, available statistics on sponsorship expenditures account only for fees paid for sponsorship rights, and therefore do not measure the impact of sponsorship in overall marketing strategies. Supporting advertising, promotion expenditures, and client entertainment are some of the costs not incorporated in current figures. The leveraging of sponsorship investments through the use of sponsorship -linked marketing programs that include everything from magazine, television, and newspaper advertising to licensing, in-store displays, sampling, and incentives makes sponsorship a significant contributor to many communication programs. Sponsorship activities have attracted interest of many people who were not interesting in arts however were attracted by exclusive commercial presentations. Some events are well developed and have accumulated a substantial body of knowledge, whereas others consist of only a few studies.
The article report is the practice or economic importance of sponsorship without any attempt to generalize or explain results beyond observation. The “Attendee Perceptions of Sponsorship Contributions to A Regional Art Festival” article examine sponsorship as a new communication medium by describing the development of sponsorships in a given market segment. Such studies may have been necessary to establish sponsorship as a worthwhile practice and topic of research. However, they merely show an increase in sponsorship activity without providing any explanation for it. Because corporate investıments in sponsorships have grown significantly around the world and scholars are developing an interest in the subject, the value of such descriptive analyses in understanding sponsorship is limited.
Nevertheless, approach adopted in the article to legitimize sponsorship has been to define it as a phenomenon that compared to other established promotional activities. One of the definitions most commonly used in research was proposed by Shaw says that sponsorship is ” a payment by a business firm to an arts organization for the purpose of promoting its name, products or services. It is a commercial deal.. not a philanthropic gift”. The goal of sponsorship according to Shaw remains unclear, as his definition does not specify the communication objectives and does not allow for noncommercial sponsorships. Though Sponsorship in Art Festivals may be defined as investments in causes or events to support corporate objectives; for example, by enhancing corporate image or marketing objectives (such as increasing brand awareness).