Just in case you are not in touch with what is going on in Cleveland, we have a film festival here! This year was the 33rd annual Cleveland International Film Festival. I spent much of the festival at the hospitality suite, laying out cheese cubes and veggie trays for festival goers. While I spent the better portion of the last two weeks at Tower City, I managed to sneak in a few films. I think the final count was 14-plus several shorts programs. , and I discovered the nicest and hardest working bunch of people that I have ever had the privilege to work with. Moreover, the festival has a huge impact on the city and we NEED it here.
First off, I will start with the obvious. The Cleveland International Film Festival brings money and tourism to the area. The economic impact is in the millions. The Cleveland Film Society estimates are 3.1 million in economic activity in downtown Cleveland. We know our region is hurting, and adding money to our economy is crucial to future development. Anyone who has been downtown on a weekday evening in March, also knows that there is not a lot going on. Tower City, while a great mall, continues to struggle in the same manner that all malls are struggling these days. Take 66,500 film goers and put them in downtown Cleveland and money WILL be spent. That money doesn’t just come from our own citizens either. The CIFF brings in dollars from around the world!
Secondly, the film festival brings tourism marketing to NE Ohio. While working the festival, I met film makers, directors, producers and film enthusiasts from around the globe. Everyone that I spoke with commented on how great Cleveland was to visit. I often wondered if any of these folks would have ever come here, if there were no film festival. I also know that many of them will be telling their friends and colleagues about their experience here and encouraging them to make the trek in the future. I can’t tell you how positive these folks were about our city and how our enthusiastic film going crowd surprised them. Many early morning screenings had large crowds, and film makers were shocked to see a couple of hundred theater goers at a showing at 11:30 am on a weekday! This only encourages more film makers to be involved and more people to attend.
That leads to the next point-talent and marketing. Cleveland as a city could never get the kind of positive marketing that the film festival generates, no matter what the budget. There were film makers that will honestly try to make a trip again, even without a film in the festival. Furthermore, film makers know each other and right now they are telling their colleagues how great their trip was, and why they should enter or attend next year’s festival. That is the kind of buzz that we need in this town. Add to that, the talent that is tapped to putting on this festival. Truly outstanding people like Marcie Goodman are needed in this town. Artistic vision abounds with people like Bill Guentzler and Patrick Shepherd. I can’t help but wonder where these talented and strong people would have gone if there were no Cleveland International Film Festival to capture their imagination and tap into their strengths. Cleveland would surely have lost these talented individuals to places like Austin. The CIFF is an integral piece of the pie when it comes to attracting and retaining talent to the region.
With an annual festival, with documented attendance and economic impact, Cleveland is uniquely positioned to take advantage of new technologies. This year’s incredible rise in attendance and increase in charitable contributions is due in no small part to the aggressive social media campaign that was launched. With interviews on You Tube, updates on Twitter, pictures on Flicker and links on Facebook, the festival marketed itself very aggressively and it worked. They were able to see records smashed day after day at the box office. In this gloomy economic environment, that is no small feat. The festival has proven that these marketing techniques work, and makes me wonder what will they try next year? This can only help show both the city and its major companies how to best market and position themselves in the coming year. If this type of marketing campaign can work for the festival, then it can work for other types of businesses as well. It only proves what can be done and may lead the way in showing others how Cleveland companies can add dollars to their bottom lines by adding new marketing positions to their payrolls.
How can the festival improve?
Just some of the paper waste that ended up left behind...
Whenever there is big economic impact on the region, I worry about the carbon footprint left behind. While most of the people involved in the festival worked hard at reducing their own waste, using reusable cups and bottles and recycling their plastics, Tower City still has no program in place for recycling. With the amount of people coming through that mall every year, a better partnership with the city could be forged to include more recycling and less landfill waste. The sheer volume of paper involved in putting on an event of this size is unfathomable. Add to that daily updates, added screenings, surprise guests and film maker participation, and the the volume goes up exponentially. That doesn’t even include those would tried to take advantage of the extra patrons downtown and put out their own fliers and coupons. Next year, I would encourage the use of email and electronic media for updates. Streaming video and flash messages to cell phones would reduce the amount of paper waste considerably. Adding a few more video screens for news and updates instead of handouts would help a lot as well. We all know that many Clevelanders are behind the curve when it comes to new media. Most still want to pick up a piece of paper and read it, then toss it, rather than get email updates. I think that The CIFF is uniquely positioned to bring more people into the fold for new media and show everyone how they can reduce paper and waste. Besides, it would save them money! And in a town where the entire festival pretty much takes place in one place, it is easier to do than say Toronto, where films are spread around the city.
In short, Cleveland NEEDS its festival, so we should all support it. Take the time to drop a line to the folks at the Cleveland International Film Festival and thank them for all their hard work!
5. Cash in your change: The US Treasury spends a lot of money and resources every year on making new coins. Do the government and yourself a favor by cashing in your coins. The more coins in circulation, the less needed to be minted and fewer resources mined and spent in the mining process. Over 10 billion coins were minted in 2008. How many are in a jar in your bedroom?
8. Get your next book from the library: With the current economy, libraries are becoming cool again. Why spend $15 or more on a book that you will likely read once, when it could be free from the local library? Libraries are getting modern and easy to use now as well. At many, you can check the availability of a book on line, reserve it, even recheck it out if you aren’t done with it yet. If you live in Cleveland, there is likely a branch within walking distance. While you are there, check out the other programs that they offer-some branches have child programs, some offer classes, some have internet or wi-fi. Make use of the public service that you are paying for, rather than spending money on a book and having to recycle or resell it. If you fall in love with a book that you check out, you can always buy it later-or check it out again.
