$3mil ticket target in first week.
THE AGE, 16 OCTOBER 2015
”
Executive Statement
“Bumper Melbourne Festival surpasses
FROM THE CHIEF
EXECUTIVE OFFICER
FOXTEL FESTIVAL HUB // PHOTO David Harris
I am extremely proud of our team’s achievements
in 2015. The Melbourne Festival staff, board and
many collaborators could not have been more
committed and this year, in particular, Melbourne’s
international arts festival resonated deeply with its
diverse audiences and artists, making for one of
our most successful festivals on record.
The 30th anniversary Melbourne Festival
achieved a box office result of around $3.3mil,
the strongest result in over a decade.
the current success and high reputation that
we have locally, within Australia and around
the world.
Innovation in ticketing inventory management
and website functionality and aesthetics
made profound improvements in the ways
that the Festival can communicate with its
audience.
I would also like to thank the many corporate,
media and other Government partners of
the 2015 Melbourne Festival, in particular
China Southern Airlines, Foxtel, KIRIN, Yarra
Trams and the City of Melbourne. Without
the continued support of our partners, the
Festival would simply not be possible.
Close to 80 events were presented in 2015,
almost half of which were free. The average
ticket price was a low $46, which reflects
the Festival’s desire to be as inclusive as
possible. Our programming was deliberately
diverse, drawing on the many culturally and
linguistically diverse communities in and
around Melbourne. Indeed, accessibility and
high levels of engagement and participation
are fundamental to both the Festival and our
Principal Public Partner, Creative Victoria,
and we will continue this commitment into
the future.
I would like to take this opportunity to
especially thank the State Government of
Victoria for its loyal support of Melbourne
Festival since our inception 30 years ago.
Without continuous funding and a bi-partisan
belief in the power of the Arts to enhance the
society in which we live, we would not enjoy
Thank you also to UnionPay International
who joined the Festival community as the
Official Payment Partner in 2015 for their
first sponsorship within Australia. The
partnership was a fantastic example of how
Melbourne Festival can work with corporate
partners to achieve their organisational
objectives through collaboration.
As the city’s largest and boldest multi-art
form festival, Melbourne Festival embodies
Melbourne as a premier cultural destination.
Our challenge now is to maintain and
enhance that positioning to 2020 and beyond.
My very best wishes to everyone involved in
that tremendously exciting journey.
KATIE McLEISH
Chief Executive Officer
7