Hede, Anne-Marie and Higgs, Bronwyn (2003) Critical Success Factors for Festivals: Exploratory Research on the 2003 Melbourne International Arts Festival. In: Sixth Annual Services Research Workshop, Dunedin, New Zealand.

Abstract

Festivals are public themed celebrations, usually developed by their host communities (Jago and Shaw 1999) and they are generally underwritten by public monies, either directly or indirectly (Walle, 2003). It is well-recognised that festivals play a number of roles in contemporary societies, including contributing to the cohesion of the society in which they are placed; providing the impetus for tourism within destinations and spotlighting the creative output of host destinations. The number of festivals staged around the globe appears to have increased, but Getz (2002) noted that not all these have succeeded. He investigated reasons for festival failure, but it would be useful to focus on aspects of festival management that are likely to contribute to their success. This study, albeit exploratory, aimed to make a contribution to the literature by elucidating on such aspects of festival management that can influence their success. In this paper, these are referred to as Critical Success Factors (CSFs). Using a case study approach, this study focused on the Melbourne International Arts Festival and explored those factors for its success. A range of secondary sources was also used to compare the focal event with other festivals in an effort to isolate distinctive features. The case study was located into a theoretical context by consulting both the tourism literature and the strategic marketing literature, especially that concerning CSFs. This approach makes a contribution to the literature by applying the concept of CSFs within the context of festivals and special events.

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