WAKEFIELD PIGGYBACK FRINGE FESTIVAL

PIGGYBACK FRINGE FESTIVAL

Key Messages

Wakefield, Quebec
June 28, 29 & 30, 2009

The Piggyback Fringe Festival is unique among the members of the World Association of International Fringe Festivals because it is set in Wakefield, the jewel of the Gatineau Hills. In this, our third season, the festival will continue to present its slate of international productions at Molos, The Church and The Black Sheep Inn. The Workshop Series will continue to ensure the high standard of operation the festival is known for. This year the Steam Train Dinner Theatre package will be available from the HCW Steam Train Website and from Reservations Outaouais. Each train will bring up to 150 visitors from Ottawa/Hull to attend one of three productions available during each performance slot. Theatre Wakefield partners with the Ottawa Fringe Festival to create our own unique Piggyback Fringe Festival of predominantly international productions. Tickets, links and more information on the plays are available on-line at the Theatre website: www.piggybackfringe.ca

Strategy
We have built a stable local audience of approximately 650 in our first two seasons of Piggyfest. Given the size of the village there is a need to reach out and draw patrons from further afield. We are developing a special strategy for reaching tourists and cottagers in the region surrounding Wakefield. Tourism: 1. Working in partnership with the Steam Train we will market the dinner and a night of theatre package through the Capital Tourism forums and websites including the Steam Train, Reservations Outaouais and the NCC listing. 2. Through our partnership with the Ottawa Fringe we will continue to distribute flyers and sell passes at their box office. 3. We will work with area B&Bs to offer overnight packages for the weekend.

Cottagers: 1. We will contact the Cottager Associations in our region and discuss special party packages for cottager groups who want to attend. 2. We ask Cottager Associations to publicize our festival on their websites, blogs and in their emails. 3. We will offer free tickets as prises in their events. 4. We will print signs that can be put up on posts on regional roads in the week before. Community Service: 1. We will work with area restaurants to set up packages featuring special on the run meals in re-usable baskets which patrons catching two shows can take with them to their seats. Main Campaign: 1. We will continue the central campaign using the websitem, Wakefield News, The Low Down 4 page insert, village flyers and posters, the street banner etc. to promote the Piggyback Fringe Festival within our existing audience.

Tools

The Low Down Insert

3.

1. 4 page full colour insert in 3,500 copies of The Low Down plus an overrun programs, advertising and brochures. 2. Inserted 10 days before the festival. Designed by Zoe Lindsay.

of 2,000 copies for use as

Flyers and Posters

Content to include: information on all productions; information on the bring your own venue (byov) spots stilt walkers, break dancers, etc.; the performance schedule; ticket prices and a map of venues; sponsor and partner acknowledgement; not more than 3 sponsor ads at $250 each; 300 words on the history of the theatre and fringe festival; story about the Steam Train gala and other parties; workshop information

There will be one flyer printed 3 up or 4 up on a page and one poster printed 1 up on an 8.5 x 14 sheet. Print run of flyers 300 pages (900) and 100 posters. The flyer front will have our logo, information on the plays and the website URLs. The schedule and ticket information will be on the back side. Flyers will be distributed through the box offices of the Ottawa Fringe Festival, the Steam Train offices and on counters in shops in the villages of Wakefield, Rupert, Low, and Chelsea. They will also be available at box office nights at the Kaffe 1870.

NEW! Reusable Coroplast Posters on ground stakes (much like those used by the Artists Tour) will be designed to announce the Wakefield Piggyback Fringe and draw attention to the dates, websites and location. They will be posted in the village, on regional roads where cottagers will see them and in surrounding villages of Rupert, Masham, Chelsea, Low.

Banner

Flyers and posters will be ready June 1st and refreshed around June 17th.

NEW! Decorations
Merchandising

We have begun to develop a banner which will soon be enlarged to approximately 30 feet.

This year we plan to put up large white boards on which audience members can post reviews. We will provide a small honorarium to 5 local artists to decorate the frames to reflect the spirit of the festival.

Food local caterers will be encouraged to offer slow food for theatre boar burgers, treats, etc. which can be eaten between shows. A concern here is accessibility and speed as theatre patrons move from one venue to another. All restaurants will be notified of the hours and encouraged to stay open to serve patrons. T shirts of a different colour from those for sale will be available for volunteer crew and FOH to identify them.
2

A series of press releases will be sent out to the media, posted on the website, distributed to the Wakefield News and Theatre Wakefield email lists. The first will go out May 14th and they will follow at least one every 10 days in the lead up to the Festival. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Announcing the dates and calling for volunteers. May 14 Announcing the plays, the websites and ticket sales date. Announcing the Steam Train package. Announcing the workshops. Up-dating on ticket sales and giving latest news.

Press Releases

Event Listings

There will be three event listings sent out. They will also be posted on the websites of The Ottawa Citizen, CBC, and other outlets. They will be sent to partners and the Wakefield News as well. 1. Generic festival event listing. 2. Workshops events listing.

3. Steam Train trip event listing.

Emails and Wakefield News

Short announcements, reminders and encouragements will be sent out on a regular basis to our various email lists. We will also ask the Community Centre committee to send out something to their list. Event listings will be useful for these outlets.

NEW! Visuals and Video

Website

We will produce a video short using footage from our second season to promote the festival on Ottawa television stations, on the Low Down Website, our website and for up-loading on YouTube.

We post stills photos, the schedule, the descriptions, the tickets and sales on Pay Pal on the site. We will again run the live blog with commentary and stills photos happening throughout the event. This was a very successful buzz builder.

Budget NOTES You should have a marketing budget here for posters, flyers etc.
Items added to the 2009 budget: The materials and honouraria for the 4 or 5 boards artists will design. Coroplast signage (50?) and stakes for the regional roads. Ask Eric to price these as NDP did them all the timeor Claude. Edit time to produce a promo piece (this may be someone other than Robert like Geoff Aucoin) $750 Summer Student salary (like we did with Geoff) put it in revenue and in expenses so it balances but do include it because if we get turned down and can afford to we can hire someone.