Cape Town International Jazz Festival pumps up GDP volume in 2011

From the beginning, attracting a mere 6 000 music lovers in the year 2000, the Cape Town International Jazz Festival (CTIJZ) has grown to become the defining music event on the continent. And with an audience now 33 500 strong, the festival’s impact goes way beyond the performance arenas.

With a consistent offering of stellar global acts over the past 12 years, it is no surprise that audience loyalty has followed suit.

The steady surge in attendance figures prompted the CTIJF to move from the Good Hope Centre to the much larger Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) in 2004.

espAfrika chief executive officer and festival director Rashid Lombard says: “The event has been sold out in advance for several years now and we are immensely thankful for the support our audiences have shown. Our only regret is that we‘ve reached the audience capacity ceiling in the venue for the moment. But we’re very pleased to announce that plans are well under way for expanding the venue’s capacity.

This will allow many more ‘festinos’ to become part of Africa’s grandest gathering.”

Minister of Arts and Culture Paul Mashatile says: “We note that the Cape Town International Jazz Festival makes a significant contribution to the economy of the City of Cape Town and the Western Cape in general. The festival is one of our country’s major tourist attractions and contributes to job creation.

“It is because of such reasons that, as the Department of Arts and Culture, we continue to make the point that the cultural and creative industries, of which festivals are an important part, are a major driver of economic growth and job creation.’’

Economic spin-offs

In the chilly economic climate of recent years, many countries have begun to measure cultural impact in more dispassionate financial terms, and South Africa is no exception.

Following research into the economic impact of large events in the country, it is apparent that the CTIJF holds quantifiable benefits not only for Cape Town, but also for South Africa as a whole.

According to the latest research results from the Institute for Tourism & Leisure Studies at the North-West University, the Western Cape economy enjoyed benefits to the value of R498.6 million in 2011. This amount is up by 4.9% from last year’s (2010) figure.

Nationally, as a result of CTIJF, South Africa’s gross domestic product benefited to the tune of R761m – an increase of 7% from 2010.

Councillor Grant Pascoe from the City of Cape Town’s Mayoral Committee for Social Development says: “The festival has become an integral part of the Cape Town events calendar and brings thousands of tourists to our city. Through supporting our local tourism industry in this way, it sustains jobs and, ultimately, puts bread on the tables of families who otherwise might have had to go without.

“That’s why we’d like to see the strong growth that the festival has experienced over the past several years continue.”

Understandably, espAfrika is highly pleased with the festival’s impact although, as Lombard adds, “the fact that audience capacity is currently limited to 33 500 people does place a limit on the event’s ability to grow further – for the moment.”

According to the research, many of the festinos who attend the festival return year after year. And as a direct result of the festival, jobs were created for 2 700 staff and numerous service providers.

Dr Ivan Meyer, Western Cape MEC for Cultural Affairs and Sport, says: “What makes the Cape Town Jazz Festival so special is that not only does it bring a major economic injection into the Western Cape’s economy and provide many jobs in our tourism and related industries, but it also provides opportunities for growing new talent with a number of programmes focused on developing our youth.

“I look forward to seeing these future stars, who have been given the opportunity to grow their talent and musical skills, becoming main attractions at this festival.”

Media role

Along with these economic positives, wide media coverage of the event is a vital part of the festival phenomenon. With nine radio stations, 11 television channels and 139 accredited journalists from 14 countries covering the festival, awareness of CTIJF is global. The event attracts audience members from 19 countries around the world – excluding South Africa.

And, with the massive investment in marketing and publicity from espAfrika and its numerous partners, media coverage has increased to R406m in 2011.

“The Cape Town International Jazz Festival is as vibrant, multicultural and global as ever and it has become a major event on the international music calendar,” says Thandiwe January-McLean, CEO of South African Tourism. “SA Tourism takes great pride in supporting a proudly South African event that continues to position our country as a leading international player on the jazz scene, along with the likes of New Orleans, Montreux and North Sea Jazz.

“We hosted over 100 journalists at the festival this year, from all over Africa and from as far afield as China and the United States; and the festival has contributed to helping us position South Africa as a unique lifestyle, fashion, design, leisure and musical destination.

“We’re delighted to see that it continues to contribute strongly to our country’s economy and tourism offering,” she adds.

On the question of benefits within the festival halls, Lombard says: “As a marketing opportunity, the festival brings brands and consumers together within the perfect space where hearts can be touched and genuine loyalty can be forged.”

According to Calvyn Gilfellan, CEO of Cape Town Routes Unlimited, the destination marketing organisation for Cape Town and the Western Cape, the CTIJF is one of the iconic events hosted in the city: “It serves as catalyst in drawing visitors from Africa and has to date given rise to two continental jazz festivals – one in Mozambique, another in Angola.

“Developing markets in Africa is one of our strategic focal points and, therefore, the strategic importance of a mega-event like this cannot be overstated.

“The successful hosting of the 2011 Cape Town International Jazz Festival also showcases the event-organising ability of our beautiful destination,” he adds.

“The CTIJF is now approaching its 13th year, and all the experience we’ve built up over the years has definitely helped us achieve some of our longer term goals,” says espAfrika director Billy Domingo, who adds: “To say that the beginning was tough would be putting it very politely. But right at the outset, our key objective was to put on a show where the excellent quality of the performers would be matched by production.

“And even though costs were sky-high, we knew that compromising on quality would sink us.”

Sideshows

Besides the impressive results of espAfrika’s focus on quality, it appears that much thought and effort has gone into boosting the music business and associated industries beyond the three-day festival. The event’s highly structured skills transfer programme comprises a range of courses in musicianship, arts journalism and business skills.

Organised workshops and master classes are a major attraction for a new generation of musicians hungry for knowledge  and techniques.

One of the most exciting new developments at CTIJF is the music audition hosted by the prestigious Berklee College of Music in the United States, where five students were accorded scholarships. Courses designed to build skills in music event production and in the hard-edged business side of music have proven very popular as well.

On the outlook for the future, Lombard observes: “Worldwide, creative industries have proven to be viable and highly sustainable.

“We must do everything we can to learn from these examples and be prepared to innovate at home.”

Western Cape MEC for Tourism Alan Winde said: “The Cape Town International Jazz Festival has become an integral part of the Western Cape mega-events calendar and of our strategy to grow both domestic and international tourism to this destination. Each year, it brings thousands of tourists to our province, creating and sustaining jobs across this vital sector of our economy.”

With these latest results, the powerful impact of the CTIJF offers proof of what is possible.

And with more space to house the festival in the near future, further growth seems a welcome certainty.

Lombard observes: “In these times, and especially on our continent, a healthy creative industry has become a necessity.

“The festival is proof that the arts can be a powerful tool to alleviate socio-economic ills such as poverty and unemployment.”

www.espafrika.com