Growing Your Business
Through Community Celebration
Riverfest 2009
The 38th Annual Wichita River Festival®
Dates:
May 8 to 16, 2009
Location:
Riverfest is held primarily in the core area of downtown Wichita.
Presented by:
Wichita Festivals, Inc., a non-profit corporation with the purpose of creating diverse community celebrations for Wichita and the surrounding area.
Features:
Riverfest is both the largest event, and the largest continuous running festival in the state of Kansas. Riverfest features musical and theatrical entertainment, cultural and historical events, kid’s activities and family entertainment, food courts, river events, sporting events, fireworks, a parade and much more!
Attendance:
In 2008, Riverfest attracted more than 310,000 visitors at more than 60 events.
Cost to Attend: A $5 button is admission to most events. The button is seen as a representation of support for the Festival and the community.
Demographics:
Riverfest offers a very wide demographic that varies with each event and each day. On the whole, 20% are age 21 to 30, 36% are age 31 to 45, 24% are 46 to 55, and 21% are age 56+.
Research tells us 55% are married and 60% have children under 18 years of age living in their home. 76% of Riverfest attendees are White, 13% African American, 5% are Asian and 6% consider themselves “other cultures.”
Forty percent have an income of under $50,000 per household; 38% have income of $50,000 to $100,000 per household and 12% have income greater than $100,000 per year. Ten percent of the respondents chose not to respond.
Economic Impact:
Bi-annually Wichita Festivals, Inc. hires an independent research company to conduct an economic impact study related to the Wichita River Festival. The study utilizes information provided by WFI regarding expenditures to create Riverfest, both cash and in-kind, as well as intercept interviews conducted on-site at the event to determine spending habits. Results over the last five years indicate the Festival generates an economic impact of $22-$25 million annually.
Promotional Campaign:
| Total Print Impressions: | 23,672,444 |
| Total Outdoor Impressions: | 11,350,000 |
| Total Television Impressions: | 72,135,337 |
| Total Radio Impressions: | 90,161,880 |
| Web site hits (2008 to-date): | 5,102,632 |
| *Value of Promotional Campaign: | $2,000,000 |
*Note: advertising campaign (local / regional), Festival promotions, distribution of button package, posters, group button program, event collateral, speaking engagements, press conferences, photography contest and public relations efforts.
Testimonials
“At Spirit, we believe in the power of partnerships, and we support organizations like Wichita Festivals, that bring the community together. We want to enhance the quality of life in the cities where our employees live and work.” —
Brian Black, Spirit AeroSystems
“Our primary reason for involvement is to display our products, which are manufactured in Wichita and sold around the world. However, employees volunteerism and participation with their families is the reason for our success.” —
Julie Roberts, Case New Holland
“Team Kansas Toyota Dealers continue to benefit from their sponsorship of the Century II Food Court Stage. Over the years we have improved our presence with signage and vehicle presentations. Thousands of consumers have experienced Toyota trucks first-hand and learned about vehicle features from Toyota’s on-site staff. A highlight of the 2008 event was a man pulling up in his new Toyota Tundra a few days after visiting or display!” —
Katy Hagan, Saatchi & Saatchi
Celia Cayless, Director of Sales,
Susan Burchill, Director of Marketing,
or call 316-267-2817, 1-877-WFI-FEST
Why Companies choose to sponsor Riverfest?
Riverfest provides your business the opportunity to interact and communicate face-to-face with your target audience and will help to meet your company marketing and community affairs initiatives. No other regional event offers the reach or audience diversity like the Riverfest!
The three most common reasons companies participate are:
- Company Awareness and Community Support
- Employee Involvement and Pride
- Sample Product and Increase Brand Loyalty
“These sponsorships represent a sampling of what we have to offer, however: we can craft sponsorships to meet your budget and marketing goals.” Celia Cayless, Director of Sales, Wichita Festivals Inc.
Company Awareness and Community Support
- I don’t sell to the general public but would like the community to know about my business and product.
- I want my company to be deemed a good corporate citizen and will support the events and are important to our community.
Employee Involvement and Pride
- Being recognized as a sponsor will help to build pride in our company and reinforce our image as a good corporate citizen.
- Helping to organize our event will be great team-building for our employees.
Sample Product and Increase Brand Loyalty
- I want to drive traffic into my retail location by offering a bounce-back coupon or redeemable promotion.
- Sponsoring a Riverfest event that appeal to our specific demographic would allow my company a venue to showcase our product to the most qualified prospects.
