Center of Gravity Kelowna
cultural events in Western Canada , Wet Ape is known for founding CoG , the Keloha Music and Arts Festival , as well as Harvest Haus . Additionally , Wet Ape produces one-off shows with electronic dance superstars like Deadmau5 and Tiesto .
While CoG is typically EDM and hip-hop heavy , Bentley says that “ it ’ s a multi-genre thing – electronic focused , but it ’ s anything high-energy , including urban and indie music , and with all the sports activations , there ’ s going to be three stages . Plus , we have a water slide being built into the beach , we ’ re building a whole wakeboard competition into the beach ...” Essentially , there are a lot of different facets to CoG beyond music , and they all combine to create an event – and a draw – that ’ s greater than the sum of its parts . “ Because of that , we like to think we ’ re bringing something unique to the market .”
Additionally , their expansion into Ontario highlights the appetite for this kind of hybrid event across the country . “ We ’ ve actually been trying to come out to Wasaga Beach for a few years now . It just seemed like an ideal location and it just happened that , this year , it worked out . The Kelowna festival has always been a beach party and we ’ ve always wanted to expand the brand and Wasaga Beach as a beach party destination fit very well .”
Again , it ’ s about having a broad appeal , catering to everyone from music and sports fans to families looking for a good hang at a stunning location to soak up sun and check out some extreme sports . And partnerships like CoG ’ s longtime association with Monster Energy and other partners only help expand the festival and Wet Ape ’ s ability to grow their brand nationwide , Bentley says .
“ Frankly ,” he continues , “ what CoG offers is a festival that provides equal weight to music and sports .” That , in and of itself , is relatively unique in the market . “ CoG actually started as a sports festival , not a music festival – as Volley Fest , the beach volleyball competition in Kelowna .” Music , however , has helped propel CoG to become a larger festival , but the sports side of it has always been at the core of the event .
Bentley also points to CoG ’ s new partnership with Live Nation as benefitting the festival . “ They came onboard in early 2016 and that ’ s made a huge impact and expanded our reach .” In all , he estimates the potential attendance over the three-day festival in Kelowna at roughly 8,000 people per day and , in Wasaga , at roughly 10,000 to 12,000 per day .
The impact on the local economy is substantial , he sums up , estimating that , during CoG , some local businesses in and around Kelowna experience a bump in sales similar to New Year ’ s Eve celebrations .
One of the challenges , of course , inherent in programming festivals , particularly when it comes to headliners , is the relative strength of the Canadian dollar versus the value of its U . S . counterpart . That said , this is by no means an issue that suddenly came out of nowhere . While the Canadian dollar did surpass the U . S . dollar in value in 2007 , that was the first time it had done so since the 1970s , and since , it ’ s fallen back to a more modest valuation .
Still , it can present challenges , as it did fairly significantly this year . “ It makes an impact ,” Bentley acknowledges , “ so we have to be more creative . I think for all Canadian festivals there was a pushback from international artists about fees , but most artists were understanding and we were able to negotiate .”
The factors that play into those negotiations include what the artist ’ s actual worth is in Canada , and in specific markets depending on their size and location .
On the up side , inevitably , the dollar makes Canadian artists more attractive to talent buyers . Having said that , the three festivals have traditionally always featured a large contingent of Canadian acts – an initiative that Squires says is a “ guiding principle ” for CBMF .
Photo : Matt Szymkow
Also , Bentley adds , “ With the dollar right now , we ’ re seeing a lot more people from the States buying tickets , because it makes a lot more sense for them to travel to Canada .”
In every case , there are strategies each festival employs to deal with the fluctuating value of the Loonie . One of those is the increase in sponsorships and brand partnerships , which can help offset the dollar differential and , potentially , lower ticket sales , considering the Canadian dollar ’ s value affects consumers in much the same way it does businesses .
Speaking to whether the dollar has been an issue for CBMF , Squires says : “ Yes , but no . It wouldn ’ t be prudent not to address that , but what we do year in and year out , is to plan for a rainy day . We know we ’ re going to be here every year . We have an established event and venue … We ’ ve also become more efficient in the ways we do things , so we can find additional dollars that can be reallocated to offset what you ’ re going to lose in exchange .”
In doing so , Bellavance says , buying U . S . dollars on a regular basis helps weather the fluctuations . “ We ’ re doing that on a constant basis . When I ’ m buying the talent , I know what my cost is and how much USD we need to make this work , so I ’ m not gambling .” “ In any business over a long period of time ,” Squires adds , “ I think you have to realize that there are blips on the radar , but the reality is that our dollar hasn ’ t traditionally been on par . We were fortunate for a couple of years , but that was more the exception than the rule . You have to figure that into your business plan if you ’ re going to be doing U . S . business year to year .”
Like Bentley , both Squires and Bellavance are seeing more interest from long haul visitors , who make their respective festivals a destination for their holidays . In each case , too , it ’ s not just about the event itself ; it ’ s about the setting – an attractive destination in all three cases .
“ The date [ of CBMF ] is is the weekend following Canada Day . People put it in their calendars and when they leave here after 2016 , they already have their spot booked for the next year without even knowing who the talent is .”
That ’ s success .
Kevin Young is a Toronto-based musician and freelance writer .
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