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Getting Local Support for your Adventure Festival
Down in Long Ashton, just outside Bristol, Kathryn organised a film event last LMFF, and when she reached out to the local community she found there was a lot more support for the idea than she had bargained for!
Your event could be more than just a film night, with prizes, add-on events and more - listen to the full Long Ashton Community Podcast here, or read on...
From what Kathryn told us we can see four clear steps that she followed to turn her event into something with bells and whistles. Take a look, and maybe you can expand your LMFF community film night into something which supports local businesses, gets people out and about and raises funds for your community!
"I really wanted to raise the profile of the local businesses."
Step 1: Knowing the value of what you have
Before talking to anyone about sponsoring or giving prizes, Kathryn had her story straight. Two hours of great films is the headline, but also she could tell people she had sorted out catering, bar and also the raffle. She was ready to go and her passion for the project was evident.
"We had two hours of great films!"
Step 2: Start small
Kathryn went in to see her friendly local bike shop about putting a poster in the window, and the conversation just went from there. The shop immediately got the concept and were up for providing prizes and even some cash sponsorship. Starting small helps you build your confidence and makes you realise how cool your idea is when the feedback is positive.
"I was like, can I put a poster in your window?"
Step 3: Spreading the passion
With the realisation growing that she was on to a good thing, Kathryn got talking to more businesses, and the more businesses were involved, the more businesses wanted to support her adventure festival. This snowball effect was adding to Kathryn's confidence and story, and as excitement for the project grew so did the results!
"OK, so people are getting excited about this..."
Step 4: What else is possible?
Long Ashton is a pretty adventurous place by the sound of it, with lots of people into running, mountain biking, climbing and more. In one conversation, the idea popped up to link a bike ride to the event and before you knew it, the village hall became a sports hub for the day as well as a film hub.
"Why don't we run a ride ending at the film festival?"
Courage and collaboration is the key to adventure festival support!
LMFF does the hard work for you by working all year to create a film collection that you can be confident in. Getting out and talking to local businesses takes a bit of courage at first but you will be amazed how quickly confidence builds with some positive feedback. Collaborating with local businesses is good for the community and good for your event because those businesses will help bring the crowds!
#communityfilmnight #adventurefestival #adventurefilmfestival #festivalfunding #festivalsponsorship
