Orillia’s annual Beatles celebration hopes to get by with a little help from its friends.
Determined to avoid a repeat of the consecutive deficits of the festival’s first two years, organizers have cut expenses dramatically for the 2009 event.
However, the celebration cannot happen without an infusion of cash to pay for costly marketing that is crucial to the event’s success, organizers said.
Without the city’s assistance, “we would be hard pressed to move forward with the Beatles celebration,” event co-chair Ellen Cohen told council this week.
Of the more than 17,000 people who attended the festival in 2008, some 6,800 came from outside the area, she said.
Visitors spent $1.4 million on meals, hotels, bed and breakfasts, and purchases at local businesses, according to a presentation by Cohen and fellow co-chair Pete Bowen.
Luring out-of-town audiences requires significant investments in advertising in markets outside Orillia, with payment expected in advance, Cohen said.
“We have no cash,” she added.
The festival is asking that the city underwrite its upfront expenses and liability insurance, while continuing to provide staff assistance through the culture and heritage department.
Organizers are additionally asking that the city cover any shortfall, should expenses exceed revenues.
“We need to attract new visitors and create a festival that is accessible to the community at large, and it is very costly to do so,” Cohen added.
Mayor Ron Stevens and others were uncomfortable with the “open-ended” nature of the proposal, and pressed organizers for a hard figure.
“Council has to deal with realities in terms of dollars,” said Stevens. “We are protecting our ratepayers’ money here.”
Cohen and Bowen said they would return with a budget outlining the dollar amount associated with the proposed city commitment.
Cohen is further recommending the municipality be named the primary creditor.
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