Dunedin City Council festival and events funding should not place too much emphasis on events which will make money for the city and attract tourists, the council has been told.
Submitters to the council's draft Dunedin festivals and events strategy 2009-2019 gave the strong message that the strategy was too focused on economic development and increasing visitor numbers and not enough on social, cultural and economic benefits.
Under the strategy, premier events of national or international importance would attract the highest funding at more than $50,000 a year for one event.
Major events would be funded at up to $50,000 a year and events classed as local could receive up to $5000. Funding could be allocated for up to three years.
Spending on local events will be limited to the $55,000 to the Community Grants Scheme, which will rise to $85,000 in the 2011-12 year.
The council supports more than 50 festivals and events, spending about $12.30 a resident annually.
This financial year, spending is expected to be about $1.49 million when the Community Grants Scheme spending is included.
A report issued this week summarising the 45 submissions, with the revised strategy which will go before the council's economic development committee on Tuesday, said there was a strong level of support for the strategy and a consensus that it was needed.
However, it was thought that emphasis should be placed on creating and developing events and festivals that were for Dunedin residents, that celebrated life in Dunedin and were locally relevant.
"Economic benefits would accrue from such a bottom-up approach rather than a contrived top-down emphasis on running events to generate economic growth," the report on the submissions stated.
At a media briefing on the revised strategy, committee chairman John Bezett said the strategy would allow for events funding to be allocated fairly because events organisers would know what criteria they had to meet.
If they failed to get funding, then they would be told why that was.
There would also be encouragement of events which had the potential to grow.
Mr Bezett said it was possible there would be a relationship between the yet-to-be established events steering group and the council's venues management company, which is being set up to oversee the Forsyth Barr Stadium and University Plaza, and later the Dunedin Centre and Edgar Sports Centre.
However, it was too soon to say what this might involve.
In the revised strategy, the steering group, which will make decisions on funding twice-yearly, has changed from the original proposal.
It is now proposed it comprises the chairman or deputy chairman of both the economic development committee and the community development committee, the chairman of the community assistance subcommittee, the manager of the marketing and communications agency and one person from the events sector.
Some submissions were critical of the inclusion of representation from the University of Otago and the Community Trust of Otago in the original proposal, saying there was a conflict of interest.
Also, it was felt the group as a whole was too slanted towards tourism, marketing and council representation (Tourism Dunedin was on the original list).
Nicholas McBryde, who has about 20 years of experience in events organisation, welcomed the new strategy.
In the past, " the biggest slice of the cake" had gone to those who shouted the loudest or who had the most political savvy.
The strategy should take the politics and personality out of the decision-making process, he said.
Council marketing and communications agency manager Debra Simes said it was important changes to funding were carefully managed.
Events organisers this financial year would not get any shocks because the new processes would not come in until the following year.
Targets include:
> Dunedin will host at least one premier arts/cultural event every year.
> One premier sporting fixture a yea.r
> It will have a well-spread calendar of events over 24 months covering the themes of heritage and history, architecture, natural environment and wildlife, education and innovation in research and science, arts and music and sport.
> At least 75% of residents and visitors who have attended council funded events should be satisfied with their experience.
> All council funded events are shown to contribute to the social wellbeing of Dunedin communities.
> The number of people attending an event should grow each year.
> All major and premier events should adopt waste minimisation/recycling plans.
> The annual events calendar includes at least three major or premier events taking place in Dunedin's hinterland by 2015.
Strategy categories:
> Premier events
Attract at least 5000 visitor nights and/or generate $1 million or more through direct visitor spending.
Expected to contribute to an overall return of at least $20 in direct visitor spending.
Media coverage should be 20% of the total event budget.
Will be marketed by Tourism New Zealand internationally.
> Major events
Attract an audience of at least 5000 people, including a reasonable number of visitors, mostly from the southern region.
> Local events
An event staged for local people as a celebration of an occasion or for a reason significant to wider community.
Audience participation will vary and admission will usually be free.
