Getting the food message across

FOOD FESTIVALS – WHAT ARE THEY FOR?
BBC GOOD FOOD SHOW
ABERGAVENNY FOOD FESTIVAL
LUDLOW FOOD FESTIVAL
TASTE OF BIRMINGHAM (CHANNEL 4)
COMMERCIAL, SOCIAL, EDUCATIVE?
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There is no one common denominator that defines food festivals
(other than an opportunity to buy produce!)
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Some are purely commercial (eg BBC Good Food Show – run by
commerical events company and driven by profit)
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Some have a social/educative purpose, but also of necessity have a
commercial element.
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The Abergavenny Food Festival is an example of the latter.
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It continues to thrive because it has stayed true to its original aims:
SOCIAL PURPOSE
“ The Abergavenny Food Festival seeks:
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to raise national awareness about food, the way it is produced and
the costs (health, environmental etc) of how it is produced,
distributed, sold and eaten.
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to promote the production of quality, locally produced foods, to
encourage healthy eating and community health.
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to involve the wider community (schools, local businesses,
hospitals, community groups etc) in raising this awareness.
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to celebrate good food and conviviality and make them once again
an important part of people’s lives”.
GETTING THE
MESSAGE ACROSS
THE EVENT
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Four days in mid-September
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A unique gathering of:
– Quality Food Producers/Stalls
– Celebrity Chefs/Chef Dems
– Masterclasses and Tutored
Tastings
– Street Theatre/Entertainment
– Food Conference and Debates
– Walks and Talks
– Food Fringe
– Eating, Drinking and Dancing
COMPOSITION OF EVENT
DIVERSE PRODUCT MIX
COMPOSITION OF FESTIVAL
MARKET STALLS
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Over 160 market stalls across five sites selling a vast array of
quality produce.
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Stalls run by knowledgeable people (many of whom are small-scale
artisan producers) who are prepared to share knowledge and
enthusiasm with the customer.
COMPOSITION OF FESTIVAL
MASTERCLASSES & TUTORED TASTINGS
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A programme of masterclasses and tutored tastings where people
can see established and up-and-coming stars of the food world in
action in an intimate and participatory way.
A TUTORED TASTING OF CHINA’S SPRING
TEA HARVEST WITH EDWARD EISLER
ITALIAN STYLE – MASTERCLASS WITH
GEORGIO LOCATELLI
COMPOSITION OF FESTIVAL
TALKS & DEBATES
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Diverse and challenging topics such as dietary disease, gm crops (for or
against) and the role of supermarkets are tackled in debating sessions with
leading food writers, broadcasters and producers.
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Talks are both entertaining and educative – Clarissa Dickson Wright,
Anthony Bordain & Keith Floyd have all conveyed their knowledge and
passion to audiences of over 300 in the Borough Theatre.
THE RSA CYMRU FESTIVAL DEBATE
ANTHONY BOURDAIN WITH A A GILL
COMPOSTION OF FESTIVAL
CHILDREN’S EVENTS
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Children’s Food Academy
offers a full weekend
programme of informative &
entertaining activites for
young people.
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Learning about food at this
early age is the key to making
informed choices about what
we eat throughout life
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All activities are free (as part
of general entry ticket)
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All sited at in the grounds of
The Castle and promoted as
‘the family venue’
Apples Galore Workshop – Dragon Orchard Cropsharers
CHILDREN’S EVENTS
FOOD FESTIVAL CHALLENGE
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Monmouth Rugby Club v
Monmouth Comprehensive
School Rowing Club.
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Teams race around
collecting ingredients from
stallholders.
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Then dash back and cook
them – under the watchful
eye of MasterChef’s Gregg
Wallace and Blue Peter
Chef 2007, Jake Sawyers.
CHILDREN’S EVENTS
PRIMARY SCHOOLS’ COOKERY COMPETITION
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300 children from 9 local
schools participated across
the year.
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Finals performed in Market
Hall to a live audience with
celebrity judges.
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Sponsored by The
Chartered Institute of
Environmental Health.
Libby Smith of Ysgol Gymraeg y Fenni – winner Primary Schools’ Cookery Competition 2007
COMPOSITION OF FESTIVAL
CHEF DEMS
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A core feature of the festival is the rolling programme of chef dems
in the market hall, featuring the region’s finest.
These dems are free to anyone on a general entry ticket.
As well as being informative and fun they also help to promote local
talent and produce.
ARE WE PREACHING TO THE
CONVERTED?
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There is no easy answer to this!
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Some people come year-on-year and book early to ensure they get
to see individually ticketed events. They are well-informed and ‘food
savvy’. They contribute a lot to the local economy and help spread
the word.
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Over the years the festival has built relationships with community
groups. This year additional funding is to be used to bring targeted
groups into the event – low-income families who might not otherwise
get the opportunity to attend.
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Market research gives us a demographic breakdown.
WHERE PEOPLE COME FROM
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30,000 attended in 2007
65.8% from Wales
24.7% from Monmouthshire
7.8% from Cardiff
34.2% from outside Wales
5.7% from London
5.9% from Herefordshire
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Average age is going down
16 – 25 6%
26 – 44 47%
44 – 65 42%
Over 65 4%
OVERALL SPEND PER HEAD
Event contributes between £1.5 & £2 million to local economy
REASONS FOR COMING
THE UK’S PREMIER FOOD FESTIVAL
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Abergavenny Food Festival is
the UK’s Premier Food Festival
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Exciting, Innovative and
Imaginative
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Attracts UK’s Top Chefs
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Agenda Setting, Award-Winning
Event
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Large, Diverse, Growing UK
Audience
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Open, Inclusive, Democratic
PROFILE AND MEDIA COVERAGE
National Press
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Observer Food Monthly
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Independent
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The Times
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Guardian
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Daily Telegraph
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Mail
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Sunday Times
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Metro
AWARDS AND ACCOLADES
Sunday Times
One of 52 best weekends to spend in the world
The Independent
One of 50 best Summer Festivals
Wales Tourist Board
Best Event in Wales
Adventa
Digital Marketing Award 2007
PROFILE AND MEDIA COVERAGE
National TV, Radio & Photographic:
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Rick Stein’s “Local Food Heroes”
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Radio 4 Food Programme:
Food Festival Conference and Debate
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Martin Parr/Magnum – “ Real Food”
Record & Exhibition
Specialist Press:
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Food and Travel Magazine
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Olive Magazine
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Country Walking Magazine
“If food is the new rock’n’roll and chefs are its gods,
the Abergavenny Food Festival has to be the new Glastonbury”
(Carole Cadwalladr, Observer Food Monthly)
“The most democratic of festivals, the most easygoing,
the most celebratory”
(Mathew Fort, The Guardian)
“Its distinctive edge and alternative feel continues to
attract the biggest names in food”
(Chloe Scott, Metro, 2007)