Subject:
Title
Marketing Sponsorship Agreement with the St. Petersburg Clearwater Film Society Inc. for the 2019 Sunscreen Film Festival.
label
Recommended Action:
Recommended Action
Approval and execution by the County Administrator of the Marketing Sponsorship Agreement with the St. Petersburg Clearwater Film Society Inc. (Film Society) for the 2019 Sunscreen Film Festival.
• Agreement for $45,000 supports the Sunscreen Film Festival on April 25-28, 2019.
• The Film Commission has been the Headline Marketing Sponsor since 2015.
• Filmmakers attending Sunscreen between 2008 and 2018 have impacted the County with over $1.3M in direct expenditures and over $6.5M in economic impact from productions filmed in the area.
Body
Strategic Plan:
Foster Continual Economic Growth and Vitality
4.6 Support a vibrant community with recreation, arts, and culture to attract residents and visitors
Summary:
This Agreement will provide the opportunity for the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Film Commission (Film Commission) to be the Headline Marketing Sponsor of the 2018 Sunscreen Film Festival. This festival is scheduled to take place on April 25 - 28, 2019, in St. Petersburg.
Background/Explanation:
The Film Commission, a department of the Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB), is tasked with promoting the County as a filmmaking destination. The production of commercials, film, TV programs and other media contributes to the County’s economy, through dollars spent in hotels, local crew wages, retail purchases, and equipment rentals. These activities also generate publicity and public relations for the destination. Attendance at film festivals is one approach the Film Commission uses to increase brand exposure and take advantage of networking opportunities with filmmakers, producers, distribution companies, agents, and production companies.
The CVB has been the Headline Marketing Sponsor for this internationally recognized film festival for the past four (4) consecutive years. In exchange for this monetary support, the CVB will receive tourism promotional benefits, which are detailed in the Agreement.
In 2015, Research Data Services completed an economic impact study on the festival and reported a total economic impact of $1,283,900 from the event, which took place over a 4-day period. Since 2015, attendance at this Festival has grown on average by approximately 12.6%. This growth corresponds to a more recent report derived from the Destinations International Event Impact Calculator. According to the report, this Festival had a total economic impact of $1,442,437 to the County in 2018, a growth of approximately 12.3% since 2015.
Additionally, as a direct result of filmmakers attending the Sunscreen Film Festival between 2008 and 2018, the area has seen five (5) feature films, three (3) web series and numerous short films, all filmed within the County. These productions resulted in a total direct expenditure of over $1.3M and an economic impact of over $6.5M to the County.
Tony Armer, Director of the Film Commission, is currently a non-voting board member of the Film Society.
Fiscal Impact:
$45,000 Marketing Sponsorship Agreement
Funding to support the Marketing Sponsorship Agreement in the amount of $45,000.00 is provided through the CVB’s Annual Operating Budget. The source of funding is the Tourist Development Tax.
Delegated Authority:
Authority for the County Administrator to sign this Marketing Sponsorship Agreement is granted under Code Section 2-62 (a)(1).
Staff Member Responsible:
Jim Dean, Interim Director, Convention and Visitors Bureau
Partners:
Tourist Development Council
Attachments:
Marketing Sponsorship Agreement
Destinations International Event Impact Calculator Report
2015 Sunscreen Film Festival Visitor and Economic Impact Study