Research Report Shows Economic Impact of Bach Festival Society Programming

As part of Orange County Arts and Cultural Affairs' Cultural Tourism Grant program, the Bach Festival Society (BFS) conducted a professionally administered audience research report measuring the economic impact of the Bach Festival Society's 75th Anniversary Celebration, which took place February-April 2010. The results show that the Bach Festival Society has both a strong artistic and economic impact in our community.

Although this report provides data about only a portion of the BFS's programming, the results highlight how quality arts organizations positively affect their communities.

Facts
· Economic impact estimate: Total audience spending by both local residents (residents of Orange, Seminole, Osceola, and Lake Counties) and out-of-town visitors was $785,706. Out-of-town visitors spent $655,907 in the Central Florida region, of which $352,324 was incremental revenue to the region-spending by out-of-town visitors who would not have been in Orange County if the Bach Festival programs were not taking place.

· Event satisfaction: 96% of all respondents said they were "very satisfied" with the 75th Anniversary Celebration event they attended. Dozens of positive comments were collected, including "What a wonderful event to offer the community" and "I am so impressed with the sophistication and incredible professionalism of this society!"

· Visitor origin: Local residents made up 58.7% of attendees, with the remaining 41.3% coming from out-of-town. Nearly 13% of visitors were "incremental," meaning that they were in Orange County specifically to attend a Bach Festival Society event AND they would not have been in Orange County if the event were not taking place.

· New attendees: Over one-quarter (26%) of all respondents were first-time attendees to a Bach Festival Society performance.

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