Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Do We Get Our Money Back?

Taxpayers gave the organizers $100,000.00 to deliver 10,000 people from out of Province and now the organizers say they had 5,000 but most people I've talked to say 2,500. In any event the organizers didn't deliver what they pitched to the Province so are they going to come clean and return back some of taxpayers’ money? The other outstanding question is who are the organizers and what credentials did they have that our Government turned over $100,000.00 to them without some guarantees on attendance? I'm all for tourism promotion but why $100,000.00 to a private promoter????
Small crowd at P.E.I.'s Alanis concert
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
CBC News
About half as many concertgoers as expected turned out for the Alanis Morissette concert in P.E.I. Saturday, but both fans and organizers were still happy with the event.
Organizers were hoping for 10,000 at the event, but say there was only 5,000. They are blaming short notice for the low ticket sales, but said it was a good test of the new concert site at Vista Bay in Alexandra, east of Charlottetown.
"It's the first year, it's a big site and you know you're selling tickets right up to showtime really," said organizer Mark Carr-Rollitt.
"We've seen that the Vista Bay site is a fabulous site for a concert."
Carr-Rollit said the site could hold up to 50,000 people.
Saturday's show featured Metric, Joel Plaskett Emergency, Good Charlotte and Haywire along with headliner Alanis Morissette. The site was originally proposed for the Black Eyed Peas concert in 2006, but it was moved to Charlottetown when local residents complained about the disruption. Locals were given free tickets as a goodwill gesture this time around.
Eighty-two-year-old Wanda MacLennan said she enjoyed having a concert down the road.
"We enjoyed every minute of it and I hope it happens again next year," said MacLennan.
Fan Patrick Flanagan also enjoyed having some space to move around.
"I went to the Stones a few years ago in Halifax, there was like 57,000 people there. I couldn't even move then, so this is a little more freedom," he said.
The organizers would like to stage a regular fall festival on the site and the province likes the potential. It provided $100,000 to support Saturday's show. Tourism PEI said it's looking for a fall festival to build on because it brings in visitors at a slow time.
"I think there's a ton to build on," said Carr-Rollitt. "We've proven that it can be done."
Organizers don't expect to make any money this year.

No comments: