Edinburgh Napier University

Festival Sustainability Symposium

Edinburgh Napier University, Thursday 29 June 2023

Craiglockhart Campus

Parallel session abstracts: morning

• Session 1A: Festivals and austerity
• Session 1B: Festivals and community
• Session 1C: Festivals and the environment

 Session 1A: Festivals and austerity

Chair: Prof. Jane Ali-Knight

New models for festival activity and engagement

• Morvern Cunningham, freelance creative and ex-producer
• Tiki Muir, WHALE community development worker and co-lead on Creative Community Hubs project
• Vikki Jones, University of Edinburgh and Creative Informatics Research Associate
• Presenting findings from the following documents:

• Working Better Together: Creative Community Hubs Project Report (Muir & Cunningham, 2022)
• Mapping Cultural Dispersal Report (Jones & Currie, 2022)

One of the major sustainability challenges that Edinburgh’s festivals currently face is one of capacity - specifically capacity at a city-centre scale. Edinburgh’s current festival draw is far too big for activity to be solely located in its city centre. We see increased pressure on infrastructure and accommodation each August (and in the run up to August) as a result of the summer festivals. Artists and performers are being priced out of the Fringe and out of the city year-round. Edinburgh’s city-centre based residents based are feeling increasing frustrated with the disruptive impact of the festival locally, whereas residents in non-city centre locations are feeling increasingly distant from the festivals with a sense it’s ‘not for them’. Lessons don’t seem to have been learned from the pandemic, with many cultural institutions returning to a ‘business as usual’ growth agenda mindset, which doesn’t bode well for the future.

In this session, we will focus on new models for festival activity and engagement, which include:

• More equitable spreading of festival activity across wider Edinburgh
• Increased equitable partnership working between festivals and other cultural institutions in the city and creative community hubs working locally
• Greater opportunities for Edinburgh residents to engage meaningfully with the city’s festivals and year-round cultural institutions in their place

We believe that implementing new models and new ways of thinking about cultural engagement would be for the benefit of both residents and festivals alike, and help to contribute to the future sustainability of the ‘festival city’.

Envisioning sustainable digital festival futures: FestForward Magazine

• Vikki Jones, Edinburgh College of Art

   

  This paper will explore how participatory futuring (Kozubaev et al., 2020) and speculative design methods (Mitrović et al., 2009) can be used to comprehend, reimagine, and map the challenges of imagining and implementing equitable and sustainable approaches to digital technologies and data in festivals and culture for artists, freelancers, organisations, and audiences.

   

  It will describe the making of, and the festivals sector’s engagement with, FestForward magazine (https://www.festforward.org). FestForward is a fictional, speculative cultural magazine, written in 2022 and set in 2030, that aims to stimulate conversations in the cultural and festivals sector about how digital technologies and data-driven innovation might support equitable and sustainable futures for festivals.

   

  All the content the magazine contains was developed through interviews, conversations and workshops with individuals and organisations working in the Edinburgh and South East Scotland region’s festivals and cultural sector. As such, both the magazine itself and the methods employed in its development act as lenses through which to consider festivals’ and festival workers’ interoperating definitions of sustainability; the perceived opportunities, challenges and hopes for preferable futures; and ideas for how festivals themselves can act as platforms for promotion of sustainable goals and values (Mair & Smith, 2021).

   

  Imaginaries developed in the publication explore possible futures for perceptions of cultural value that include social, cultural, environmental, and economic definitions of sustainability for festivals. These include a local festivals currency, Fe$toons; hybrid and digital performance; an open festivals data cooperative and equitable models for fairer cultural work.

   

  The magazine was produced by researchers from the AHRC-funded Creative Informatics project at the University of Edinburgh and Edinburgh Napier University, which is part of the UK-wide Creative Industries Clusters Programme, in partnership with Glasgow-based futures design researchers Andthen.

   

  References

  Sandjar Kozubaev, Chris Elsden, Noura Howell, Marie Louise Juul Søndergaard, Nick Merrill, Britta Schulte, and Richmond Y. Wong. 2020. Expanding Modes of Reflection in Design Futuring. Proceedings of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, 1– 15. https://doi.org/10.1145/3313831.3376526

   

  Judith Mair & Andrew Smith (2021) Events and sustainability: why making events more sustainable is not enough, Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 29:11-12, 1739-1755. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2021.1942480

  Ivica Mitrovic,́ James Auger, Julian Hanna & Ingi Helgason. (Eds.). (2009). Beyond Speculative Design: Past–Present–Future. Foresight, 10(1), 4-21.

   

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  Can festivals truly contribute to sustainable development? Events as prototyping opportunities for sustainability

   

• Chiara Orefice, Senior Lecturer in Events University of Westminster, London

   

  The proposed workshop aims to contribute to a new piece of research on the role that events play in fostering innovation in a sustainable way. The study does not focus on how event themselves can be sustainable, but on how they can become places and spaces for identifying and experimenting with new forms of sustainable living and doing business. A multi-disciplinary approach is adopted, which combines key concepts around prototyping derived from institutional theory and Service Design research, with a process-based view of sustainability. A multi-stakeholder perspective is at the core of the research, and in this instance the focus will be on the local community where festivals operate. The input of industry practitioners will be required.

   

  The starting point to understand how events can become prototyping opportunities for innovation is to consider them as platforms creating a temporary ecosystem of stakeholders. These stakeholders jointly define and co-create sustainable innovation opportunities, which are specific to them and materialise over me and beyond the event itself (Orefice & Nyarko, 2023). When viewed as an ongoing process of value cocreation, sustainability not only transcends organisational boundaries to situate itself in an ecosystem of stakeholders, but it is constantly developing through complex interactions (Vargo & Akaka, 2012). This implies that it is not solely the responsibility of event organisers or hosts, but it is influenced by multiple actors, which in turn are shaped by their social belongings (Edvardsson et al., 2011). Therefore, to understand how events can contribute to sustainable development, we need to consider the role they play in the ecosystem that provides the context where stakeholders negotiate values and agree on a common agenda.

   

  According to Service Design literature, a prototype is not only the template resulting from an innovative product/service design process, but rather an evolving object that binds different stakeholders together supporting participation and communication (Sanders & Stappers, 2014). Schrage (2013, p. 23) sees prototypes as a ‘space, place and medium where value is negotiated and exchanged’ and the driving force of the innovation process. Several features of events as prototypes, derived from institutional structuring literature (Schüßler & Sydow, 2013) will be proposed in the workshop with the aim to explore them with the help of industry practitioners.

   

  UNSDG targeted: 11 and 12
  Time required: 5 minutes for introduction + 15 minutes for audience consultation.

   

  A short co-creation workshop is planned where several characteristics of events as prototypes for sustainable innovation will be proposed to participants. They will be asked to identify one practical example of how their festival delivers/includes one or more of these characteristics. If time allows, barriers and facilitators to the prototyping features will be discussed. The workshop itself is planned in such a way to include some of the prototyping features under consideration. Examples provided by participants will be posted online in a public co-created resource so that the conversation can continue after the event.

   

  Reference list

  Edvardsson, B., Tronvoll, B., & Gruber, T. (2011). Expanding understanding of service exchange and value co-creation: A social construction approach. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 39(2), 327–339. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-010-0200-y

   

  Orefice, C. & Nyarko, N. (2023). Sustainable value creation in event ecosystems – a business models perspective. In Smith, A. & Mair, J. (Eds). Events and sustainability : can events make places more inclusive, resilient and sustainable? Routledge

   

  Sanders, E. B.-N., & Stappers, P. J. (2014). Probes, toolkits and prototypes: three approaches to making in codesigning. CoDesign, 10(1), 5–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/15710882.2014.888183

   

  Schrage, M. (2013). Crafting Interactions: the Purpose and Practice of Serious Play. In L. Valentine (Eds.), Prototype. Design and Craft in the 21st Century (pp. 19–28). Bloomsbury

   

  Schüßler, E., & Sydow, J. (2013). Organizing events for configuring and maintaining creative fields. In C. Jones, M. Lorenzen, & J. Sapsed (Eds.), Oxford Handbook of Creative Industries (pp. 284–300). Oxford: OUP

   

  Vargo, S. L., & Akaka, M. A. (2012). Value Cocreation and Service Systems (Re)Formation: A Service Ecosystems View. Service Science, 4(3), 207–217. https://doi.org/10.1287/serv.1120.0019

  
  

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  Session 1B: Festivals and community

  Chair: Dr Louise Todd

   
  

  The potential of festivals for sustainable cultural & tourism development in the North Aegean islands

   

• Vasiliki Georgoula, Assistant Professor, University of the Aegean, Greece

   

  During the last decade organizing cultural festivals and events to boost culture and tourism, has significantly grown in popularity and attendance in many locations. Cultural festivals and tourism are irrevocably linked together and co-constitutive, in a variety of ways. This study explores this reciprocal relationship considering changing circumstances and parameters, in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and in the context of a series of evolving crises (migrant, economic, energy etc.). The study engages in a critical discussion of the prospects, pitfalls and potential of festivals in regard to equally achieving cultural and economic regeneration for the Northern Aegean Islands (Chios, Samos, Lesvos & Limnos).  The purpose of the study is to assess the perceptions of local authorities and stakeholders, about the importance of festivals for sustainable local development. The research methodology is based on qualitative social scientific research with the aid of in-depth interviews with key stakeholders (i.e., festival organizers, local authorities, cultural and tourism stakeholders). The aim of the research focuses on how festivals can act as regional development stimulants that encourage local revitalization and to investigate the terms festivals can be incorporated into regional sustainable policies, through the opinions of local stakeholders. Conclusions can contribute to the organization of more successful and sustainable events, taking under consideration the sustainability themes and goals and regarding the particularities, the connectivity and the remoteness of the North Aegean islands. The study, thus, aims at unveiling and elaborating on current and emerging trends that refer to and reinforce the relationship of festivals, tourists and the host communities.

   

  KEYWORDS- festivals & events, local sustainability, tourism sustainability, cultural tourism, North Aegean islands.

   

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  Festivals and Critical Pedagogy - Educating Future Responsible Festival Managers

   

• Joanna Goodey, Senior Lecturer in Events and Entertainment Management and Associate Head of Division for Marketing, Tourism, Events and Hospitality at London South Bank University

   

  Events and festivals often act as spaces for grassroots empowerment, and campaigning for equality, inclusion, and social justice. They also provide a platform for nonformal learning opportunities, for the event organisers, its participants and communities. Critical pedagogy provides an approach for educators which advocates for the development of students’ own self-awareness of social injustices and emancipation. Within the wider sphere of higher education, a focus on Responsible Management Education has emerged, with initiatives like the UN’s Principles for Responsible Management Education encouraging business schools to embed ethical, equitable and sustainable approaches within management subjects and curriculums. In parallel a focus on research for Critical Events Studies has equally gained traction, widening the understanding of the complex impacts that events and festivals have on the environment and the communities in which they take place.

   

  Drawing on the above themes, this session will be exploring the early stages of research for a professional education doctorate. Considering how viewing events management education through the lens of critical pedagogy can give us a greater understanding of students experience of social justice, equality and inclusion when participating in active learning as part of creating events and festivals in, with or for communities. In addition, the session will explore how nonformal and informal learning processes and experiences which take place within the sphere of festivals can further contribute to improving inclusive and ethical pedological practices. The session will ask the question: Where can this lead the education of future responsible festival managers and their understanding of community relationships?

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Are festivals for the community or tourists?

• Gökçe Özdemir, Associate Professor at Yasar University

   

  Tourism, as stated by WTO and UNEP (2005:9-10), raises both visitors’ and hosts’ awareness of environmental issues as well as differences between nations and cultures. Thereby, tourism has the potential to influence people's attitudes and concerns about sustainability issues not only when they are travelling, but throughout their lives. Nevertheless, tourism is built on people seeking to experience authentic historic and cultural traditions and a destination’s competitiveness relies on these traits remaining present and sustainable.

   

  Festivals, with a variety of themes and concepts, provide unique experiences as short-term attractions owing to the scope and length of the event. Today, festivals are utilized as facilitators to boost a place's competitiveness in the market and to promote a destination (Dickinson, Jones, and Leask, 2007). Aside from the benefits to the tourism industry, a festival’s target market includes locals, and it contributes to the well-being of the community. In pursuit of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 11, festivals can be considered one of the strategic tools for establishing sustainable cities and communities.

   

  This study provides a case analysis of two selected destinations; Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. From a practical standpoint, the study contributes that destinations with rich cultures and histories do not need to look far for a festival concept. Furthermore, these festivals ensure that cultural values are conserved by the community and sustained for future generations. However, the study also addresses whether or not focusing on local culture as a theme secures worldwide attention.

   

  Dickinson, J., Jones, I., Leask, A. (2007) Event tourism: Enhancing destinations and the visitor economy. International Journal of Tourism Research, 9, 301–302.

   

  Making Tourism More Sustainable: A Guide for Policy Makers (2005) World Tourism Organization & United Nations Environment Programme.

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   Session 1C: Festivals and the environment

  Chair: Dr Afiya Holder

The Boomtown Fair Chapter 11 Alternate Reality Game: a micro level response to the climate crisis

• Clare Mackay, University of the West of England
• Ed Little, University of the West of England

   

  For Boomtown Fair: Chapter 11, the festival organisers sought to communicate the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's 2018 warning that there is limited time to mitigate climate change (United Nations, n.d.) to festivalgoers engaging in the festival's alternate reality game (ARG).  

   

  Having gained insight into the strategic design of the alternate reality game via an unstructured interview with the festival's Creative Director and Sustainability Officer, participant observation was conducted to understand how the festival was communicating their call to action to festivalgoers via the ARG, and if - and how - this core message was being received.

   

  The insight gained from the qualitative research was used to develop a post-festival questionnaire which was sent to all festivalgoers who attended Boomtown Fair Chapter 11.

   

  The quantitative findings reveal that ARG players received the core message that Boomtown Fair sought to communicate.  This call to action was impactful as players report that their environmental awareness increased because of attending the festival and agree that they want to adopt more pro-environmental behaviours since attending.

   

  Our findings highlight the potential and effectiveness of creative forms of communicating for educating festivalgoers on the need for climate action to encourage pro-environmental behaviours.

   

  Boomtown Fair: The Gathering and Festivalgoers’ Environmentally Responsible Behaviours

  • Clare Mackay, University of the West of England
  • Ed Little, University of the West of England

     

    Given the attitude-behaviour gap, our current research seeks to build on our 2019 research by attempting to address the attitude-behaviour gap through a three-phase study allowing us to compare Boomtown Fair: The Gathering festivalgoers' pre-festival, post-festival, and six-months post-festival pro-environmental behaviours to determine whether the festival's social marketing was effective in influencing festivalgoers to adopt more pro-environmental behaviours.

     

    As van der Werff, Steg and Keiser (2013) found that environmental self-identity influences environmentally responsible behaviours via the mediation of obligation-based motivation, we also examined self-identity and obligation-based motivation in relation to the environmentally responsible behaviours of the festivalgoers.

     

    Though there is no significant change between festivalgoers' pre- and post-festival behaviours, this can perhaps be attributed to the festival's limited resources at the time of The Gathering which was staged during the sector's post-Covid recovery.

     

    The findings do however reveal that there is a strong and significant relationship between festivalgoers' environmental self-identity and their pro-environmental behaviours.  Though, in contrast to van der Werff, Steg and Keiser's (2013) findings, obligation-based motivation acts as a moderator rather than a mediator of the relationship between festivalgoers' environmental self-identity and their pro-environmental behaviours.  Boomtown Fair's social marketing is weakly but significantly correlated with festivalgoers' environmental self-identity, obligation-based motivation, and pro-environmental behaviours and each of these relationships are similar in strength.

     

    Given the strong relationship that exists between environmental self-identity and pro-environmental behaviours, environmental self-identity was examined in relation to different pro-environmental behaviours.  The analysis reveals that there is a strong relationship between Boomtown Fair: The Gathering festivalgoers' environmental self-identity and their purchasing behaviours.  The relationship between their environmental self-identity and pro-environmental behaviours becomes weaker and increasingly so in relation to recycling, energy use, and their eating habits.  Despite the relationship between festivalgoers' environmental self-identity and their pro-environmental behaviours, no relationship exists between festivalgoers' environmental self-identity and their transport choices.  Instead, festivalgoers' choice of transport is influenced by their finances and the distance they need to travel.  These findings are valuable for festivals seeking to influence festivalgoers’ behaviour to contribute to environmental sustainability.

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• Oulu 2026: Framing, planning, and delivering a cultural event in the Nordics

   

• Alberto Amore, University of Oulu, Finland

In 2026, the city of Oulu, Finland, will be hosting the European Capital of Culture. The latter represents a hallmark event that has been regarded over the years as a driver to launch and support the transition of former industrial cities into clusters of culture and creativity across the continent. While the economic and social rationale behind the bidding processes are well researched and widely acknowledged, there is still a lot to learn with regards to the role of these events as flywheels towards ecological resilience and environmental sustainability. Moreover, there is potential from mutual learning of best practices in sustainability-driven festivals, ties with tradition and emerging urban subcultures and new community-driven urban identities that put quality of life and wellbeing at the heart of urban discourse. The aim of this pitch is to introduce the context of Oulu to the diverse academic and industry audience of the symposium and discuss research opportunities in a currently overlooked geographical context (i.e., cities in the Nordics).

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