Festival of Discovery's Revenue Generation Neared Quarter-Million Dollar Mark in '05

July 7, 2006

By VIC MacDONALD
Index-Journal Regional Editor

About a quarter million dollars of revenues came to City of Greenwood businesses and state and local governments as a result of the 2005 Festival of Discovery, a city-commissioned study has found.

The study estimated an attendance of 10,000 at last year's festival, with the estimated total revenue generated directly or indirectly from the three-day festival at $224,062. This year's Festival of Discovery is July 13-15 in Uptown Greenwood.

The festival's aim is to encourage Greenwood County residents and visitors to "discover" a weekend of food, fun and music, and experience and learn about the history, traditions, forklore, arts and crafts, music and dance, and vernacular culture of Greenwood and South Carolina," said the "festival mission" portion of the study.

A festival focus is on the "rich tradition" of Carolina barbeque and hash in a cookoff sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbeque Society. Also, "the unique musical sound of the Blues" is celebrated through performances by musical artists at venues throughout Uptown Greenwood.

"I am a big fan of the event. It is extremely well organized. It offers something for everyone, and I feel it is becoming a signature event for the city, attracting regional attention," said Louis Smith, owner of the Inn on the Square. "I'm always interested to meet people who are enjoying their first trip to Greenwood. For the most part, they are charmed with the hospitality and liveliness of a vibrant small town, a rare find in South Carolin," Smith said.

Smith said the Festival of Discovery has "evolved into a wonderful opportunity to introduce not only Uptown, but all of Greenwood and the surrounding areas to a growing base of newcomers who appreciate what they find. That's a winning combination."

The 2005 event had a "major impact" on the Inn's hotel rooms and business in the restaurant and lounge, Smith said. A performance by Wanda Johnson and Shrimp City Slim at the Fox and Hound Pub on the Friday of the Festival was the lounge's biggest night of 2005.

He also was pleased with the cross-section of guests at the Inn, attracted by the festival. "It was a great opportunity to show off the improvements we had made at the hotel to a slew of new visitors," Smith said. "We noticed an increase in business in the lounge and restaurant over the months following."

Greenwood attorney Rauch Wise scheduled a legal conference at the Inn during the festival weekend, and Smith said the event was "a great success." The conference is scheduled again this year, he said.

The benefit to individual businesses compounds into an overall shot in the arm for the local economy.

A breakdown of the total revenue cited in the study is:
Projection of visitor expenditures, $139,344; Sales tax generated, $6,967.20; Expenditures from festival budget, $24,207; Festival revenue generated, $17,420; Additional restaurant revenue generated, $12,000; Sales tax generated from restaurants, $600; Hotel room revenue generated, $21,385; Sales tax from hotel rooms, $1,069.25; State accommodations tax generated, $427.70; Local accommodations tax generated, $641.55; Total, $224,062.

The study shows that hotel room nights purchased by 2005 festival participants and visitors were 52 on July 14, 122 on July 15, and 155 on July 16. The average room rate of 65 dollars was multiplied by 329 total room nights for the $21,385 total revenue figure.

The study estimates that 68 percent of the 2005 festival attendees were from Greenwood County. Adjoining counties produced another 8 percent of the total turnout, and an estimated 9 percent of festival attendees came from outside South Carolina.

Since an estimated 6 percent of attendance came from Pickens, Oconee, and Anderson counties, "an effort should be made to increase advertising in these South Carolina counties and those surrounding Greenwood in 2006," the study said.

Newspaper advertising and word of mouth were the two main ways that word about the 2005 Festival of Discovery spread, the study said. "Although a significant amount of money from the advertising budget was invested in radio commercials airing both in the local Greenwood market and the larger Upstate market," the study said, "radio commercials were not cited as being a major source of information about the festival. Next year's marketing budget should be focused upon more print advertising, especially in the publications surrounding Greenwood since those areas made up a large percentage of the festival attendees that came from outside of Greenwood County. Additionally, creating promotional material to be sent via direct mail should also be considered."

Overall, the study said, festival participants surveyed about the 2005 event were "very positive about the festival and the growth it has achieved over the past five years."

More traditional crafters and artisans were sought by some festival participants, the study said, and some wanted a larger lineup of bluegrass musicians, gospel choirs, and beach/shag music.

"Another common request was the addition of a beer and wine garden at the festival," the study said. "As the SC Festival of Discovery is a family oriented event, further consideration of this issue is needed."

This will be the first year of the five-year festival in which Uptown restaurants with outdoor tables will be able to serve beer and wine to seated patrons. Greenwood City Council amended its outdoor dining ordinance to allow beer and wine outdoor consumption at cafes effective July 1.

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For more information, contact uptown@cityofgreenwoodsc.com.

Uptown Greenwood Development Corporation
P.O.Box 202
Greenwood, SC 29648
(864) 942-8448