The FINANCIAL — In July 2009 Kakha Kandelaki, Marketing Director of Eastern Promotion, was complaining that sponsors were generally refusing to finance music festivals. But now it seems the big spenders are back.
“The Batumi jazz festival in summer 2009 showed that not only have we emerged from the global recession but are able to continue inviting such huge, world-famous artists as we hosted in the past,” Michael Giorgadze, Director of Eastern Promotion, told The FINANCIAL.
Eastern Promotion has in the past promoted such notable and highly acclaimed musicians as Ray Charles, James Brown, George Benson, Al Jarreau, Bobby McFerrin, Joe Zawinul, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Garry Barton, Jamiroquai, Shakira, Joe Cocker and others in the Caucasus.
Giorgadze remains optimistic that the number of sponsors will grow every year. “Actually last summer it was the Ministry of Culture of Georgia that saved the festival,” he says.
Over a period of four months Georgian audiences will be visited by various legendary jazz and rock performers.
American Express, exclusively offered by Bank of Georgia, is sponsoring live Jazz festivals in Tbilisi Event Hall. The Winter-Spring festival will be opened by the Frank McComb Trio on February 20. On March 22 Tbilisi will host Jojo Mayer and Nerve. A mix of jazz and rock will be represented by John McLaughlin and Fourth Dimension, on April 27. The festival will be concluded by the Dean Brown trio, featuring Dennis Chambers on May 23.
The total sum of expenses for the four series of performances is 200,000 GEL.
“All four jazz performances that will start on February 20 are getting sponsored by Bank of Georgia. As for the festival, Geocell and local Adjaran companies have become interested in cooperation with us. I also do not exclude the possibility of future partnership with Coca-Cola, Bank of Georgia and others. We are still negotiating with our partners,” Giorgadze states.
Giorgadze says that the total budget of the festivals is so large that sponsors are managing to cover only 35-40% of its expenses. “The rest is totally depending on ticket sales,” he reveals.
Tbilisi Event Hall provides over 400 seats. Eastern Promotion took on a lease of the Tbilisi Philharmonic Hall which was re-opened in October 2009. After the reconstruction of the Philharmonic Hall it became the most acoustically grandiose concert hall in Eastern Europe. For the cost of the restoration works the Philharmonic Palace company took out a 7 million USD credit line from the bank.
The average price per ticket for the jazz performances is 80 GEL and special price – 60 GEL – for owners of American Express cards.
According to Sophie Balavadze, PR and Corporate Communication Manager of Bank of Georgia, with the results of January 1, Bank of Georgia has already given out more than 3,000 American Express Cards.
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