Rich BT Posted September 14, 2012 Report Share Posted September 14, 2012 (edited) Do you think that's likely? You sold out last year, everyone who went I spoke to enjoyed it and said they would be back next year, (I expect) you have the Levellers headlining this year - I wouldn't have thought your ticket sales would dip next year. I'm surprised you're that worried. Edited September 14, 2012 by Rich BT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eFestivals Posted September 14, 2012 Report Share Posted September 14, 2012 My original point stands. The rules when they started AIF were deliberately contrived to ensure that Glastonbury couldn't be a member if it wanted to join. If those founding members are straight with Rich, they'll confirm that to him. PS: .... if I wasn't 100% sure about my facts with this (and more than that, as it happens), then I would not be posting words like this on a public forum where I could end up getting myself into an awful lot of legal trouble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eFestivals Posted September 14, 2012 Report Share Posted September 14, 2012 I think every organiser is worried considering the current climate and anything to help sales is a winner. We spend a small fortune on marketing every year to ensure we sell out in the way of flyers, posters, mail shots via you and your competitors, local newspaper adverts, magazine adverts etc. So any free publicity in the right circumstance and without selling your soul surely isn’t a bad thing? We won the award last year and it did help us sell tickets. if it's true that winning helps you sell tickets, then it's surely also true that not winning has the opposite effect. Just a thought, like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5co77ie Posted September 14, 2012 Report Share Posted September 14, 2012 (edited) ISo any free publicity in the right circumstance and without selling your soul surely isn’t a bad thing? We won the award last year and it did help us sell tickets. Edited September 14, 2012 by 5co77ie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich BT Posted September 14, 2012 Report Share Posted September 14, 2012 Scott but you might change your mind if you had a half a million pound show based upon selling tickets? I am being very honest here and one of very few that does spout the real reasons in why we do things. You can moan about the awards be it AIM or the Festival Awards but the majority of festivals that use your website as official forums and more respected events than us i.e. Glastonbury have registered/nominated, won or been shortlisted for some of the awards at some time or another. Maybe they have all lost their souls a little or saw the positive impact of a bit of free pr or as something to engage the fans close season? Whatever the motivation a lot of organisers from the biggest to the smallest still go with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flounder Posted September 14, 2012 Report Share Posted September 14, 2012 (edited) Selling your soul? I'm not sure I'd be able to do what you are doing. You are giving your audience the impression you have been voted the best Independent festival in the Uk - of which there are close on a 1000 - that sound really impressive, and would be one hell of an achievement. However the accolade is actually you are the best of a dozen (much like those survey stas that they have to publish on adverts for hair care - I think it woul;d be more honest to say this.... something like "Of twelve festivals people were asked to vote on we came 1st", rather than "the best independent festival in the UK") do you not see any soul selling going on there? Or even deliberate misleading of your audience? Incidentally that's not the worst, there's another set of awards which a certain festival won and sent out mailers for which should have read "We were voted the best in a choice of three" rather than "The best in Scotland" Edited September 14, 2012 by Flounder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eFestivals Posted September 14, 2012 Report Share Posted September 14, 2012 The festivals are presumably voted for by people who have been to them, or who at least feel strongly enough to make a few mouse clicks. The festivals are not voted for just by people who have been to them. They are voted for by people who feel strongly enough to make a few mouse clicks. The reasonings behind those mouse clicks vary wildly, and in the majority of cases of people who have been to the festival they're voting for those people clicking haven't attended another festivals to have any basis to rate one over another (aside from the reason which attracted them to that festival in the first place) - which gets to mean that you might as well award the 'best' of everything to the one that sold the most tickets. Some of the more practical awards - such as best bogs - have been so wildly wrong in all factual senses on occasions that it proves the awards meaningless. And none of that takes into account those festivals who employ people to vote for their fest - which I know has happened in the past even if it's not happening still. As Neil posted many moons ago when this argument last raised its head, there can never be an all considered "best of", as you'd have to have been to all of them, which is an impossibility. actually, it's not impossible. I've sussed a method that's equitable to all; what I can't find is an independent-of-festivals organisation to pick up that idea and run those awards (and I have tried). Surely this applies to many many competitions to many, but not all. Those who understand that many are flawed treat them as flawed. Unfortunately some people put more faith in them than that. So there we have it - BT's Soul is intact and not flogged off to lead astray the righteous public I'll just make clear that I've not said the same thing. I fully understand why the likes of Rich goes along with awards that he knows are flawed. But it DOES mislead the public, and any award don't mean shit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flounder Posted September 14, 2012 Report Share Posted September 14, 2012 If festivals are indeed still paying people to vote, then of course no matter what is stated in relation to voting is flawed. Would be intrigued to hear how you've sussed out a way to do awards that's completely equitable to all - can't get my head around it with some events being on the same day and varying hugely in style etc etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5co77ie Posted September 14, 2012 Report Share Posted September 14, 2012 i.e. Glastonbury have registered/nominated, won or been shortlisted for some of the awards at some time or another. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
si_t Posted September 14, 2012 Report Share Posted September 14, 2012 Do you organise a festival yourself scottie? by this I mean in the same way as Rich does with BT - ie the buck stops with him. genuine question. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich BT Posted September 14, 2012 Report Share Posted September 14, 2012 And how many of those awards have they ever used in marketing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich BT Posted September 14, 2012 Report Share Posted September 14, 2012 (edited) The bigger ones not many but small to medium a lot do use it in marketing be it on it their websites or otherwise Edited September 14, 2012 by Rich BT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5co77ie Posted September 14, 2012 Report Share Posted September 14, 2012 Also interesting to note that the festivals you listed as selling out this year a lot of those won an award last year and advertised the fact on websites etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich BT Posted September 14, 2012 Report Share Posted September 14, 2012 (edited) I hadn't realised that - although all of those that did had already sold out the year before too, and some of those who sold out didn't win anything. I understand the need to market your event, and they're a good marketing tool. si t - nope Edited September 14, 2012 by Rich BT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eFestivals Posted September 14, 2012 Report Share Posted September 14, 2012 Would be intrigued to hear how you've sussed out a way to do awards that's completely equitable to all - can't get my head around it with some events being on the same day and varying hugely in style etc etc I'm more than happy to pass my idea onto any organisation that's fully independent of all festivals so that they can pick it up and do it. There's no point it being done by anyone else, else many of the same problems will exist within that idea as exist within the awards that exist already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuwilky Posted September 16, 2012 Report Share Posted September 16, 2012 and Dreadzone [Dec 15th] looking like an early sell-out!!! ]...best news tho, committee agreed shiny new PA!!! yay!!!] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Flip Posted September 18, 2012 Report Share Posted September 18, 2012 Ill be at Dreadzone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
just7 Posted September 18, 2012 Report Share Posted September 18, 2012 (edited) Flip -are you able to say yet when S7 willl be on @ Trades? if not exact, month would be good, as i fancy a trip up North! thanks Edited September 18, 2012 by just7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuwilky Posted September 18, 2012 Report Share Posted September 18, 2012 Nice on!! Under 50 tickets left for this and its 3 months away!! The intimate feel of the club together with a first-floor sprung dancefloor makes DZ at the Trades unlike any other DZ gig!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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