An Appalachian Summer Festival: Keys to Success

The success of events such as An Appalachian Summer Festival involves meeting and exceeding goals on several important fronts: artistic, marketing, and financial, and thanks to the efforts of so many groups who came together to make the festival possible, it achieved success on each of those fronts.

In today's economic climate, arts organizations everywhere are struggling to maintain the high quality of their programming, and operate with a balanced budget. While An Appalachian Summer Festival is primarily supported through revenues it raises either through ticket sales or fundraising, its connection with Appalachian State University - and the support it receives from the university - has also been critically important.

Being a university-based arts program informs and influences everything the festival does, from the nature of its programming to its philosophy of audience-building to its commitment to affordable ticket prices - a benefit which is made possible in large part by strong private support from generous donors and corporate sponsors.

In upcoming planning retreats, An Appalachian Summer Festival's Advisory Board, as well as the Arts & Cultural Programs staff, will be conducting an in-depth evaluation of the 2005 season, while looking to future goals for the festival as it enters its third decade. We welcome and invite your comments and your ideas. Contact us at 828.262.6084, or email us.