The AV Festival is the UK’s largest international festival of electronic arts and features visual art, music, film and moving image. A biennial event, the festival takes place in Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland and Middlesbrough between 28 February and 8 March 2008. The festival consists of concerts, performances, exhibitions, film screenings, outdoor events, seminars, symposia, workshops and other special events at many cultural events across these urban centres.
Audiences North East was commissioned to develop and deliver and evaluation strategy, based on the objectives of the festival.
Research Methods
- Devising an audience questionnaire/survey which assesses the demographic of the festival and tests qualitative responses to the festival
- Distributing the audience questionnaire/survey to no less than 1,000 members of the public at a variety of festival events across the four cities where the festival takes place
- Devising a participants’ questionnaire/survey, in consultation with the festival director, which assesses the demographic of participants and their qualitative response to the festival
- Distributing the participants’ questionnaire/survey to no less than 50 artists and collaborators taking part in the festival
- Interviewing at least ten artists participating in the festival
- Undertaking a detailed analysis of the audience figures, which will be collected by the festival and participating venues
- Interviews with at least four members of the production team and/or trustees
- Short interviews with audience members attending events
- Interviews with local artists and cultural practitioners about their expectations of the festival prior to it taking place and their opinions on the festival after it happens
- Observational data collected throughout the festival
- Analysis of additional data collected from participating venues