Festival Of Aviation

[Ripsaw]

After what many considered to be a great event in 2004, the organisers of the Manx Festival of Aviation have put to the Department of Tourism a buisness plan to support their request of financial aid of £150,000 this year, £100,000 next year and £75,000 in 2007.

 

Last year the 2 day festival attracted 25,000 paying visitors and the plan is to increase awareness off Island to both exhibitors and potential tourists via marketing that would involve Government, local airlines and the IOMSPCo etc. the plan is to extend the duration and scope of the event. The sky's the limit so to speak.

 

In today's Tourism market place where Government are so happy to bend over backwards to acommdate and support niche markets etc. this seems to be an event that is deserving of a percentage of the money that is readily made available to many tinpot schemes.

 

This week's Examiner carries a feature of the event and the wishes and aims of the organisers in the E2 suppliment section.

 

As for the bid for public funding...the DoTL have turned down the request and offered £15,000 as per last year.

[slinkydevil]

I don't blame them. As a local event it is ok. But I don't think it has the scope to attract visitors from across, neither exhibitors. Not when there are such better events in the UK. I was talking to an ex of mine who lives in Southend and telling her about what I was up to and how TT etc was ace, and how it attracted 40,000 or so people, blah, blah.... She stole my thunder when she said:

 

"yeah this weekend we had the airshow, it was good 500,000 people turned out...."

 

and it's blinkin free...

 

At £10 a pop to enter I have always been dissapointed at the half-arsed effort of the stalls / food there. And NO I don't want to buy double glazing or lawn mowers, lol

 

The displays are ok, some good little planes - but we are never gonna get the sort of military hardware that the big shows can get, backed up by cool side shows etc.

 

I think as a local event it's a good day out. Maybe they should invest a bit of cash, but as a tourist attraction? Nope.

 

IMO

[rallybug]

At £10 a pop to enter I have always been dissapointed at the half-arsed effort of the stalls / food there. And NO I don't want to buy double glazing or lawn mowers, lol

 

The displays are ok, some good little planes - but we are never gonna get the sort of military hardware that the big shows can get, backed up by cool side shows etc.

 

I think as a local event it's a good day out. Maybe they should invest a bit of cash, but as a tourist attraction? Nope.

 

IMO

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Yeah, I found it a bit lacking too - sent an email to them when I got back praising them on having m/cycle parking near to the stands, and asking if they'd offer some sort of storage facility for helmets, leathers etc as they're heavy and awkward to carry around, especially if it's warm like last year. They said they'd look into it, so we'll see what happens this year.

[Billy One Mate]

My father was an organiser of the Jurby Airshow which attracted similar crowds and was well supported by the RAF with in one year many uptodate aircraft visiting including Harriers, Nimrod, Hercules etc. Also brought over was many privately owned display aircraft including the B52 and also I remember Gary Numan taking part in a zero. The tourist board did not provide any monies but did underwrite any loss due to inclement weather up to a maximum value of £7,500.

 

A £150,000 grant does seem a lot of money and would probably only be justified if it at least attracted another 1000 visitors to the Island.

[Ripsaw]

A £150,000 grant does seem a lot of money and would probably only be justified if it at least attracted another 1000 visitors to the Island.

I can only assume from reading the whole article that by putting together the year on year business plan and wishing to involve airlines, ferries and the DoTL (and thus the accomodation sector) that the intention is far more than 1,000 visitors.

 

I'm not an aviation fan, so my only interest in this story is from a commentry of my own thoughts and point of view.

 

The thing I see, is a group investing heavily in something that they themselves enjoy and making it available to the general public. This is the sort of investment that has been sadly lacking in the Island for the past X number of years as entrepeneurs have chosen to put their capital into the "Buy to Let" market.

 

They have made their dream happen and to attract the equivilent of 30 odd percent of the Island over the 2 days pretty much backs up their hopes. Those figures more or less enabled them to break even.

 

They are faced with choices for the future, do the same again and risk loosing a large proportion of attendees who will see "just the same as last year" or seek extra capital to improve the attractions and encourage more visitors to attend. They want to involve the transportation providers and the DoTL as they are paramount in the 'big plan' if the idea is to stand a chance of progressing.

 

How many mediocre and good ideas appear, then never receive further investment? How often is the opinion that 'It's the Isle of Man, be grateful for what we have' sounded? How rare is the 'speculate to accumulate' theory carried out? Just look around you next time you are enjoying your leisure time and ask yourself when the place you are in last had any money spent on it for your benefit! Some have, but not many...

 

When Government comes up with a idea that requires financial investment, money is practically thrown blindly into the scheme without the promise of any return for the tax payers.

 

The Government has a fund to invest in developing the tourism sector. £150,000 is quite a lot of money to the man in the street (well, most of us anyway) but it is peanuts to the relevent Government department.

 

I think that the idea whereby the requested investment is hoped to generate a return for the Island, income for the carriers, income for the service and accomodation providers, improved attractions for the Manx public, deserves support. I also think that the DoTL should be actively encouraging more entrepeneurs of this type to come forward and start investing in the Island and it's people.