Successful Festivals

Festivals are crucial to a city’s economic and social health, according to Steve Heap, Secretary of the Association of Festival Organizers . Heap says, “Festivals draw tourists to a city, but what the city does with the population makes or breaks it. There is no doubt at all that festivals contribute massively to the economic and social content including tourism, cultural mix, quality of life and there is plenty of research evidence available that can demonstrate that...” Heap says that successful festivals require specific advertising and meticulous planning. He says the Traverse City Film Festival clearly exhibits all of these qualities and remains a successful festival.