Who we are Independent Educational charity, Edinburgh Science Foundation, founded in 1988 by the City of Edinburgh Council.

Who we are

• Independent Educational charity, Edinburgh Science Foundation, founded in 1988 by the City of Edinburgh Council

What we do

• Two trading companies

– Edinburgh International Science Festival Ltd• The annual Festival• Our education programme (Generation Science)

– Edinburgh Science Festival Ventures Ltd• Abu Dhabi Science Festival• OttoBock paralymic exhibition• Misc workshops internationally, inc Beijing Festival of

Science and Technology• Others, pending…

Our mission• To inspire, encourage and challenge people of

all ages and backgrounds to explore and understand the world around them – and to communicate the educational, social and economic benefits of science and technology.

Festival 2013• 2 weeks• +90,000 visitors• +200 events• +125 speakers,

storytellers, chefs and comedians

• +50 partner organisations• +25 varied venues• + 200 temporary staff

and volunteers• + 180 delegates from 12

countries

Education • Generation Science

– 600 primary schools– 1400 shows and workshops– 55,000 children

• Live for It– Diabetes UK– P6/7 S1/2– 3 workshops and challenge

• Going forward ID the opportunities– More transition work, CPD and

healthcare

(New) Ventures

• Abu Dhabi Science Festival*– Wrote business plan– Sourced international

events– Shipped 4 x 40ft containers

with 26 events– Trained 500 local

undergraduates– 50 science communicators

as team leaders*2011 figures

Organisational structure

Workstreams

Things are

taking off!

Estimate of the number of science festivals in 2013

Science Festivals – a global phenomena

Key to success

• Customers (ie, visitors): You probably want lots of the right sort to achieve your goal

• Business model: You need the right business model (and a good team!) to run a great festival

• Product: Quality of events; You must be great!

Markets / Social need(Customers)

Income / funds(Sales 1/4, Subsidy 3/4)

Events / products(Festival, Gen Sci, Ventures )

The 3 legs on the (stable) stool

CUSTOMERS: Markets/social

need

• We became a ‘customer focused’ organisation early on.

• Many science festivals are ‘science focused’ – we think this is less effective.

The customer is (nearly!) always right

‘If you want to be really good at what you do, work in the most competitive markets you can find.’Michael Porter, company strategist

Edinburgh has a special competitive place in the world of events and festivals:•Festivals and events compete intensively for audiences, funding, sponsorship.•New festivals set their standards by the more established ones and develop quickly.•The supply of specialist people and services is so good that you are not held back.

Edinburgh – Festival city!

To survive in Edinburgh you have to be good!

Know your audiences: What motivates your visitors to come?• Family fun• Existing interest eg, a hobby• Concern about an issue eg, health, ethics• Self improvement – joy of discovering new things• Novelty eg, walking on fire• To see and hear a famous person• Their teacher told them to come!• A night out with a difference!

+ Programme to match their motivations

And what they want…New markets for science events

High

LowLots of people

Few peopleLevel of interest in ‘science’

Psychology, wildlife, space etc = popular

‘Science for the sociable’

Specialist subjects = niche

Cinema, stadium football match, concert Science festival talks

Science festival family events, extreme sports for kids, day at the beach

Watching TV, reading a book

Swing park, routine sports and games Low impact

High impact

Low(er) participation High participation

EISF aims to be mostly high participation, high impact

When a potential visitor gets up in the morning they have a lot of choice……

Know your competitors: and make them your friends

• Work with competitors such as shopping malls or commercial visitor attractions – they help you rather than compete with you

Festival visitors Competitors

Families with children aged 3-12 years. Individuals aged 17 years upwards.

Local and day trip market

• Retail, especially retail with ‘entertainment’ for children aged 3-12

• Home entertainment e.g. TV, computers, books

• Other visitor attractions in Edinburgh and within a days travel

• Outdoor activities and sports

• Visiting friends and family

• Cinemas, theatres, bowling alleys

• Clubs and hobbies

• Eating out

Tourists staying over night• Other cities and holiday

destinations in the UK

EVENTS/PRODUCTS

Aim to be GREAT!Quality•Don’t be afraid to say no! Exclusive not inclusive - to ensure our visitors get ONLY good quality events.•Hire science communicators to help improve content – being very good is linked to achieving our goals.•Quality over quantity: Evolve and improve the festival and grow organically

Variety•Multiple products for multiple audiences and stakeholders.•We want to be No.1 in the world for innovation. •Create bespoke content.

Creative collaboration/ Partnership •From collaboration comes innovation!•ID the opps – £s, networks, knowledge etc…

Recognise the need for specific skills

1. Professional science communication

2. Science & scientists

Great science festival events live here

• This is not a well established cultural area, there are few adopted professional standards and so the supply of good events is poor.

• Many contributors are scientists and technologists first, communicators second.

• We need to guarantee high quality.

• How do we respond to this issue, in the absence of functioning markets?

Quality of events – ‘the supply-side problem’

INCOME/FUNDS

Stakeholder PUSH providing ‘investment’

Our funding• Festival Ltd turnover

£1.6m• Group turnover est. +

£3.5m• ‘Profit’ from Ventures

used for investment in delivery of the Festival and Education programme

• Trusts and foundations: 20%• Private sponsorship through companies/corporations: 20%• National and Local government grants 20% (Edinburgh City

Council 10%, Scottish Government 10%)• Other public bodies (eg, research councils; RCUK): 10%• Festival and Schools income: 25%• Ventures investment: 5% = NEW

Year-round fundraising for all activities

Major stakeholders: financial

Our funding partners

Major stakeholders: non financial

Edinburgh International Science Festival

 Saturday 3 - Saturday 17 April 2010

Stakeholders that are partners and do not give us money

Benefits – why do they take part?

Venues/Cultural institutions: Museums, Zoos, Parks, Galleries etc

• Additional visitors• Programming stimulus/content• Improve their ‘science status’• Meet their own missions• +ve brand association with us•

Events: Universities, professional bodies, businesses

• Young people into science• Self promotion• Meet their own missions• Recruitment

Media sponsorship

• Brand association• Content – Access to stories and

people•

Sustainability of success

1. Define your purpose clearly and accept your festival may have many purposes

2. Understand your visitors very well by talking to them

3. Have a business model that gives you the skills and the authority to be great

4. Set out to run spectacular events by investing in the skills needed

National / regional government

City Schools

Universities

Scientists

Cultural bodies eg, museums, zoos, art galleries

Professional bodies

Private companies

Funding agencies

VISITORS

MEDIA

MoneyEvents

Visitors Venues

Map your festival ecosystem