The Yuin Folk Club has organized and promoted the Cobargo Folk Festival on the south coast of New South Wales for 20 years.   For the past five years Aptitude & Insight has provided research and strategic support to the festival by monitoring all aspects of the festival experience – audiences, volunteers and performers.   In 2015 a remarkable 71% of visitors rated the festival 9 or 10 (10 maximum) with an amazing Net Promoter Score of +68.   

 

The Festival now has an ongoing base of feedback from festival visitors, volunteers and participants covering:

 

• Attitudes to the Festival and areas for improvement.

 

• How the Festival compares to other festivals.

 

• Where Festival visitors have come from and demographics.

 

• Where vistors stayed.

 

• What differentiates the Cobargo Festival.

 

• Visitor spend and estimated local area economic impact.

 

• Perceptions of venues.

 

• Perceptions of production.

 

• Sources of Festival awareness by media type.

 

• Word of mouth generated.

 

• Festival endorsement and recommendation.

 

• Likelihood of return visits.

 

• Suggestions for future festivals.

 

• Volunteer and performer feedback as participants. 

 

 

What we did...

 

Working closely with the festival Organizing Committee, Aptitude & Insight clarified the objectives of the research and determined the audiences (Visitors, Volunteers and Performers) to be addressed.  

 

The most cost effective approach was agreed and resource needs identified.  Following the design of a succinct questionnaire addressing the research objectives, we coordinated field work, coded and analyzed the data collected.  

 

Full presentation of findings and implications is made at each post-festival de-brief.   Click here to see sample charts.

 

The Benefits of Research to the Festival

 

The Festival now has five years' of clear evidence revealing the impact of the festival and its return.  

 

Aptitude & Insight's work with the Fesitval has been used to:

 

• Help stucture the Festival's Strategic Plan to grow ticket sales and achieve sustainable growth.

 

• Identify practical improvements needed to facilities for key target audiences.

 

• Pinpoint new market segments and opportunities.

 

• Provide supporting evidence for presentations to stakeholders (e.g.Local Governement) regarding community impact and the need for ongoing support for infrastructure.

 

• Debrief existing sponsors on outcomes and pitch for new sponsors.

 

• Ensure that the end-to-end festival visitor experience is as good it can be.

 

• Update all stakeholders, volunteers and supporters on how they have contributed to the festival's success.