The Klein Karoo National Arts Festival (KKNK) and the Aardklop National Arts Festival (Aardklop) are two of the largest and most popular arts festivals in South Africa. From a sustainability point of view, the primary aim of these festivals is to increase show ticket sales. However, show ticket sales have declined in recent years which, if this trend continues, will result in the discontinuation of these festivals. Market segmentation can assist the festivals' marketers/organisers to address this problem by identifying markets that buy show tickets, thereby supporting the festivals' shows/productions. With the latter in mind, the main purpose of this study was to critically evaluate different segmentation variables and approaches available to segment visitors who buy show tickets. Market segmentation is the process of dividing the festival market into smaller, more clearly defined groups that share similar needs, wants and characteristics. The more detailed the knowledge of the needs and motives of potential visitors, the closer the festivals can get to a customised festival programme creating greater satisfaction, long-term relationships, repeat visits and an increase in tickets supporting the shows/productions. Various variables/bases are used to segment a market to understand visitors' needs, motives and expectations. These variables/bases of segmentation include demographics;--expenditure, psychographies, decision behaviour, geographic, product specific, interests, travel motivations and communication channels. These variables give a complete visitors profile and are used to identify and compare different segments. Although these variables have been recommended as viable segmentation bases, there seems to be no single ideal base or variable that is the most effective segmentation criterion, since each variable serves a specific purpose. Therefore, the most appropriate variable or variables can only be selected if the objectives of the segmentation strategy are clearly defined. With the aim of the festivals in mind, it is therefore imperative to evaluate these segmentation variables and approaches critically to determine the most suitable variables to segment the festival market. To achieve the latter as well as the goal of this study, the study is divided into five articles. Research for all the articles was undertaken at the festivals and data obtained from 2008 were used for Aardklop, while data gathered in 2009 were used for the KKNK. Questionnaires were interview-administered and distributed randomly during the course of the festivals. In total, 495 questionnaires were completed in the visitor survey for Aardklop and 555 questionnaires for the KKNK. The variables travel motives, expenditure, visitor behaviour in terms of genre attendance and frequency of visitation were applied separately as well as in combination to address the goal of this study. Along with these variables, combination of statistical analysis or approaches including factor analysis, cluster analysis, regression analysis, AN OVA, as weI! as independent t-tests were applied to segment the festivals' markets. The best results were obtained when the variables and statistical analyses were used in combination rather than alone and provided valuable insights into the profile of the festivals' visitors. The contribution of this research therefore lies in the following: • Visitors at two similar Afrikaans festivals were, for the first time, analysed and compared using various methods of segmentation. • The methods used to segment the visitors were applied for the first time not only in this study, but also in the South African festival context. The following methods were applied for the first time in this study and can therefore be seen as a benchmark in South African festival research: Travel motives as a method of market segmentation; Distinguishing between genre attendees and non-genre attendees; Frequency of visitation and Segmenting and clustering festival visitors based on the genres attended. • The methods used in this study therefore add value to the tourism and festival industry and contribute to the body of knowledge about South African arts festival visitors and especially about the optimum approach to segment the festival market. • A combination of variables should be used to comprehensively segment the festival market with the aim of increasing show ticket sales.. • In addition, from a methodology point of view, this study has contributed to the following: Questionnaire design and development, selection of the sampling frame and size, as well as the type of statistical analysis used (separately and in combination). This study therefore greatly assists not only festival marketers/organisers but also future researchers. The information obtained from this study can be applied to comprehensively segment and profile the festival market and customise the festival programme based on visitor’s needs. This should lead to an increase in ticket sales, a greater economic impact and, ultimately, to the continuous sustainability of arts festivals in South Africa. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Tourism))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

The Klein Karoo National Arts Festival (KKNK) and the Aardklop National Arts Festival (Aardklop) are two of the largest and most popular arts festivals in South Africa. From a sustainability point of view, the primary aim of these festivals is to increase show ticket sales. However, show ticket sales have declined in recent years which, if this trend continues, will result in the discontinuation of these festivals. Market segmentation can assist the festivals' marketers/organisers to address this problem by identifying markets that buy show tickets, thereby supporting the festivals' shows/productions. With the latter in mind, the main purpose of this study was to critically evaluate different segmentation variables and approaches available to segment visitors who buy show tickets. Market segmentation is the process of dividing the festival market into smaller, more clearly defined groups that share similar needs, wants and characteristics. The more detailed the knowledge of the needs and motives of potential visitors, the closer the festivals can get to a customised festival programme creating greater satisfaction, long-term relationships, repeat visits and an increase in tickets supporting the shows/productions. Various variables/bases are used to segment a market to understand visitors' needs, motives and expectations. These variables/bases of segmentation include demographics;--expenditure, psychographies, decision behaviour, geographic, product specific, interests, travel motivations and communication channels. These variables give a complete visitors profile and are used to identify and compare different segments. Although these variables have been recommended as viable segmentation bases, there seems to be no single ideal base or variable that is the most effective segmentation criterion, since each variable serves a specific purpose. Therefore, the most appropriate variable or variables can only be selected if the objectives of the segmentation strategy are clearly defined. With the aim of the festivals in mind, it is therefore imperative to evaluate these segmentation variables and approaches critically to determine the most suitable variables to segment the festival market. To achieve the latter as well as the goal of this study, the study is divided into five articles. Research for all the articles was undertaken at the festivals and data obtained from 2008 were used for Aardklop, while data gathered in 2009 were used for the KKNK. Questionnaires were interview-administered and distributed randomly during the course of the festivals. In total, 495 questionnaires were completed in the visitor survey for Aardklop and 555 questionnaires for the KKNK. The variables travel motives, expenditure, visitor behaviour in terms of genre attendance and frequency of visitation were applied separately as well as in combination to address the goal of this study. Along with these variables, combination of statistical analysis or approaches including factor analysis, cluster analysis, regression analysis, AN OVA, as weI! as independent t-tests were applied to segment the festivals' markets. The best results were obtained when the variables and statistical analyses were used in combination rather than alone and provided valuable insights into the profile of the festivals' visitors. The contribution of this research therefore lies in the following: • Visitors at two similar Afrikaans festivals were, for the first time, analysed and compared using various methods of segmentation. • The methods used to segment the visitors were applied for the first time not only in this study, but also in the South African festival context. The following methods were applied for the first time in this study and can therefore be seen as a benchmark in South African festival research: Travel motives as a method of market segmentation; Distinguishing between genre attendees and non-genre attendees; Frequency of visitation and Segmenting and clustering festival visitors based on the genres attended. • The methods used in this study therefore add value to the tourism and festival industry and contribute to the body of knowledge about South African arts festival visitors and especially about the optimum approach to segment the festival market. • A combination of variables should be used to comprehensively segment the festival market with the aim of increasing show ticket sales.. • In addition, from a methodology point of view, this study has contributed to the following: Questionnaire design and development, selection of the sampling frame and size, as well as the type of statistical analysis used (separately and in combination). This study therefore greatly assists not only festival marketers/organisers but also future researchers. The information obtained from this study can be applied to comprehensively segment and profile the festival market and customise the festival programme based on visitor’s needs. This should lead to an increase in ticket sales, a greater economic impact and, ultimately, to the continuous sustainability of arts festivals in South Africa. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Tourism))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

Thesis (M.A. (Tourism))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

Entrepreneurs are found globally in all industries. In the tourism industry, entrepreneurs feature strongly in the events sector. The purpose of this study is to determine the entrepreneurs' role at festivals and in this case a national arts festival. The literature revealed that this type of study has not previously been conducted in South Africa. The literature review indicates that arts festivals as income generating events can be seen as an entrepreneurial opportunity to maximise economic activity. Entrepreneurs play a vital role in the success of an event such as arts festival. Entrepreneurs initiate transformation and serve as catalysts of innovation. Entrepreneurs are important role players since they attract and retain visitors and contribute to forming cultural identity of the arts festival. In order to achieve the objective, a survey of all small businesses that were trading at one of South Africa's largest arts festivals, namely the Aardklop National Arts Festival held annually in the city of Potchefstroom, was conducted. Two hundred and twenty two useable questionnaires were captured on Excel and the data analysis included a factor analysis and descriptive results. The questionnaire consisted of three sections: section A - demographical information - 7 questions; section B - information on the business - 8 questions; and section C - festival information - 6 questions. The main results reveal that the most important characteristics contributing to entrepreneurship are: a need for achievement, being successful, having the necessary organising skills, self-edification, being explorative, and commitment. The entrepreneurs indicated that they perceive their role at the arts festival to deliver unique, quality products and services and to market their businesses. The findings from this study contributes to the limited academic research on entrepreneurs at arts festivals and will be beneficial for arts festival organising committees to determine future strategies on including entrepreneurs at arts festivals. / Thesis (M.Com. (Tourism))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

Thesis (M.A. (Tourism))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

Entrepreneurs are found globally in all industries. In the tourism industry, entrepreneurs feature strongly in the events sector. The purpose of this study is to determine the entrepreneurs' role at festivals and in this case a national arts festival. The literature revealed that this type of study has not previously been conducted in South Africa. The literature review indicates that arts festivals as income generating events can be seen as an entrepreneurial opportunity to maximise economic activity. Entrepreneurs play a vital role in the success of an event such as arts festival. Entrepreneurs initiate transformation and serve as catalysts of innovation. Entrepreneurs are important role players since they attract and retain visitors and contribute to forming cultural identity of the arts festival. In order to achieve the objective, a survey of all small businesses that were trading at one of South Africa's largest arts festivals, namely the Aardklop National Arts Festival held annually in the city of Potchefstroom, was conducted. Two hundred and twenty two useable questionnaires were captured on Excel and the data analysis included a factor analysis and descriptive results. The questionnaire consisted of three sections: section A - demographical information - 7 questions; section B - information on the business - 8 questions; and section C - festival information - 6 questions. The main results reveal that the most important characteristics contributing to entrepreneurship are: a need for achievement, being successful, having the necessary organising skills, self-edification, being explorative, and commitment. The entrepreneurs indicated that they perceive their role at the arts festival to deliver unique, quality products and services and to market their businesses. The findings from this study contributes to the limited academic research on entrepreneurs at arts festivals and will be beneficial for arts festival organising committees to determine future strategies on including entrepreneurs at arts festivals. / Thesis (M.Com. (Tourism))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

Little empirical research has been done on the opportunities presented to the event management profession by the significant growth in the size, scope, length and visibility of the tourism industry, as indicated by hallmark events such as numerous world fairs, festivals and sport events. The aim of this research was to determine the motivational factors that push and pull the local residents of Potchefstroom, South Africa, to attend and participate in the Aardklop National Arts Festival (Aardklop Festival), as well as the situational inhibitors that discourage them from participating in the festival. The specific festival activities they enjoyed most were also identified. The research for this dissertation was undertaken in Potchefstroom where the Aardklop Festival has been held annually since 1998. This is one of the largest arts festivals in South Africa and highly popular on the annual events calendar. The findings of the research are significant as they may promote the sustainability of the Aardklop Festival in South Africa's growing and competitive festival and events market by assisting the festival management to gain greater insight into strategies for profitable marketing and future communication. The research findings may assist event organisers not only to understand the importance of research, but also to consider and understand the needs of the local residents in the host community, since various authors have indicated that these residents play a pivotal role in the sustainability of a festival. Copyright / Dissertation (MPhil)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / Tourism Management / unrestricted

Festivals have become a global phenomenon and now serve as a platform to promote the leisure and tourism industry within a nation. These events have an undisputed economic effect – not only on the hosting community – but also on the global community. Despite the encouraging community support and the socio-economic impact and spin-offs that are generated by means of such events, the financing of art festivals remains an intricate issue. The fact remains that not all festivals are financially self-sustainable and so require extensive sponsorship in order to ensure the continuation of the event. Limited government funding available due to budget constraints curbs the financial support forthcoming from municipalities and so forces event organisers to seek alternative funding to ensure the survival and feasibility of events. This responsibility places an additional burden on event organisers and so necessitates the use of assessment tools in order to convince private and public institutions or individuals to invest in such events through sponsorships. During an extensive literature study, it became apparent that the need exists to re-assess fully the economic impact analysis of events. The literature revealed that varying models are used to conduct economic impact analyses. In order to establish a concise framework within which to conduct an economic assessment, it was decided to select only the most-used models – Computable General Equilibrium (CGE), Input-Output (I-O) and Social Accounting Matrix (SAM). The dilemma facing tourism economists is to determine which economic assessment approach is most effective as every methodology has its own advantages and disadvantages. In addition, the type and size of an event also plays a fundamental role when selecting an appropriate measuring tool. This research was further motivated because of the existing gap that exists in the South African context for no study has yet been conducted where the various models that assess economic impact have been applied to the collated data of the same event. This study thus aims to provide an overview and a comparison of competing and supplementing methodologies for modelling the regional economic dynamics and the impacts of events. It further investigates the manner in which regional CGE, I-O and SAM based (multiplier) models operate towards capturing the region-specific, inter-regional and multi-regional production, consumption and factor market patterns as result of expenditures incurred during events. An analysis of the virtues and the limitations of these economic assessment methodologies suggests that it may be the considerations such as the data collection/compilation, expected output, research objectives and costs involved that ultimately determine the choice of a specific modelling framework. While addressing the problem stated above, this study produced the following three articles that are now embodied in the work: * Article 1 - “Critical assessment of economic impact analyses of the ABSA Klein Karoo National Arts Festival”, and * Article 2 - “Critical assessment of economic impact analyses of the Aardklop National Arts Festival”. Article 2 investigated and compared the economic assessment results when applying specific constructed models, being the Social Accounting Matrix (SAM) and Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) for the appropriate provinces, to the available data obtained from previous surveys conducted at the 2010 ABSA Klein Karoo National Arts Festival and from the Aardklop National Arts Festival. The two articles indicated that when different models of assessment are applied to the same data set of an event, the economic impact results might differ significantly. This may serve as a warning to economic assessors, academics and researchers that economic impact results can be misleading and therefore the application thereof should be handled with the utmost care in order to avoid misinterpretations and misconceptions. * Article 3, “Assessing the economic impact of the Aardklop National Arts Festival: a feast of models to opt for – or not?” In this article, data from a visitor and business survey conducted at the 2010 Aardklop National Arts Festival was used in the analyses made by applying SAM, CGE and I-O regional models constructed for South Africa’s Northwest Province. Results from these analyses were then compared in order to give researchers and practitioners a better insight and clarity regarding which approach works best for the economic assessment of an arts festival. This article highlighted the fact that the measured economic impact results differ when various models that are applied to the same event. It also became evident that the most conservative economic impact was measured by an I-O model, followed with a higher SAM measurement, while CGE revealed the highest economic assessment. The most significant contribution of this study is embedded in the fact that within the South African context – and even globally – it is the first study of its kind that aimed to determine the economic impact by means of applying more than one assessment model to the data set of a single event. Further, this study provides guidelines for event organisers, academics and economic advisors to follow in conjunction with the existing body of knowledge and practical implementation structures when assessing the economic impact of events. / Thesis (PhD (Tourism Management))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012

Festivals have become a global phenomenon and now serve as a platform to promote the leisure and tourism industry within a nation. These events have an undisputed economic effect – not only on the hosting community – but also on the global community. Despite the encouraging community support and the socio-economic impact and spin-offs that are generated by means of such events, the financing of art festivals remains an intricate issue. The fact remains that not all festivals are financially self-sustainable and so require extensive sponsorship in order to ensure the continuation of the event. Limited government funding available due to budget constraints curbs the financial support forthcoming from municipalities and so forces event organisers to seek alternative funding to ensure the survival and feasibility of events. This responsibility places an additional burden on event organisers and so necessitates the use of assessment tools in order to convince private and public institutions or individuals to invest in such events through sponsorships. During an extensive literature study, it became apparent that the need exists to re-assess fully the economic impact analysis of events. The literature revealed that varying models are used to conduct economic impact analyses. In order to establish a concise framework within which to conduct an economic assessment, it was decided to select only the most-used models – Computable General Equilibrium (CGE), Input-Output (I-O) and Social Accounting Matrix (SAM). The dilemma facing tourism economists is to determine which economic assessment approach is most effective as every methodology has its own advantages and disadvantages. In addition, the type and size of an event also plays a fundamental role when selecting an appropriate measuring tool. This research was further motivated because of the existing gap that exists in the South African context for no study has yet been conducted where the various models that assess economic impact have been applied to the collated data of the same event. This study thus aims to provide an overview and a comparison of competing and supplementing methodologies for modelling the regional economic dynamics and the impacts of events. It further investigates the manner in which regional CGE, I-O and SAM based (multiplier) models operate towards capturing the region-specific, inter-regional and multi-regional production, consumption and factor market patterns as result of expenditures incurred during events. An analysis of the virtues and the limitations of these economic assessment methodologies suggests that it may be the considerations such as the data collection/compilation, expected output, research objectives and costs involved that ultimately determine the choice of a specific modelling framework. While addressing the problem stated above, this study produced the following three articles that are now embodied in the work: * Article 1 - “Critical assessment of economic impact analyses of the ABSA Klein Karoo National Arts Festival”, and * Article 2 - “Critical assessment of economic impact analyses of the Aardklop National Arts Festival”. Article 2 investigated and compared the economic assessment results when applying specific constructed models, being the Social Accounting Matrix (SAM) and Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) for the appropriate provinces, to the available data obtained from previous surveys conducted at the 2010 ABSA Klein Karoo National Arts Festival and from the Aardklop National Arts Festival. The two articles indicated that when different models of assessment are applied to the same data set of an event, the economic impact results might differ significantly. This may serve as a warning to economic assessors, academics and researchers that economic impact results can be misleading and therefore the application thereof should be handled with the utmost care in order to avoid misinterpretations and misconceptions. * Article 3, “Assessing the economic impact of the Aardklop National Arts Festival: a feast of models to opt for – or not?” In this article, data from a visitor and business survey conducted at the 2010 Aardklop National Arts Festival was used in the analyses made by applying SAM, CGE and I-O regional models constructed for South Africa’s Northwest Province. Results from these analyses were then compared in order to give researchers and practitioners a better insight and clarity regarding which approach works best for the economic assessment of an arts festival. This article highlighted the fact that the measured economic impact results differ when various models that are applied to the same event. It also became evident that the most conservative economic impact was measured by an I-O model, followed with a higher SAM measurement, while CGE revealed the highest economic assessment. The most significant contribution of this study is embedded in the fact that within the South African context – and even globally – it is the first study of its kind that aimed to determine the economic impact by means of applying more than one assessment model to the data set of a single event. Further, this study provides guidelines for event organisers, academics and economic advisors to follow in conjunction with the existing body of knowledge and practical implementation structures when assessing the economic impact of events. / Thesis (PhD (Tourism Management))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012