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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1. This report presents the findings from the evaluation of Tartan Week 2006 commissioned by the Scottish Executive and undertaken by Scotinform Ltd. The Evaluation used the Model for Evaluating Overseas Events which was developed by Scottish Executive - Analytical Services in 2004 and first piloted during the Scotland in Netherlands programme (September/October 2004).
The evaluation aimed to:
- establish whether the programme of events funded by the Scottish Executive met with objectives
- analyse the impact of media coverage during Tartan Week in the US and domestic media
- compare (where possible) the overall findings from the 2005 evaluation with those of the 2006 study. (The Scottish Executive's Analytical Services conducted an internal evaluation of Tartan Week 2005 - this was a full evaluation involving primary data gathering.)
- establish impacts in terms of the effectiveness of the marketing communications campaign and the collaborations/links established with US organisations
- provide feedback to the Tartan Week teams in Edinburgh and Washington DC to be fed into the preparation and planning for Tartan Week 2007
2. The evaluation consisted of:
- depth interviews with the Scottish Executive Tartan Week teams in Edinburgh and Washington DC
- depth interviews with event organisers who attended Tartan Week 2006
- analysis of media coverage in the US and UK during Tartan Week
- a survey of attendees at Tartan Week events
- an analysis of statistics for key websites which were promoted during Tartan Week
3. The US Senate designated 6 April as National Tartan Day in 1998 to "honour the outstanding contribution of millions of Scottish-Americans to our great nation". The House of Representatives passed a similar resolution in 2004. The significance of 6 April dates back to the 1320 signing of the Declaration of Arbroath, which was the model for the American Declaration of Independence. Tartan Day has been celebrated in New York since 1999 and since that time the volume of activities has increased to the extent that the event is now referred to as Tartan Week. The Scottish Executive first became involved in Tartan Week in 2000 and since that time its involvement and investment has increased year on year.
4. In 2006, the Scottish Executive funded 15 events totalling £558,500 plus £100,000 for marketing activity. In addition to the cultural events held in New York, Washington DC and Boston, the Ministerial Programme which ran alongside Tartan Week featured visits by the First Minister and Tom McCabe (Minister for Finance and Public Service Reform) in New York, Chicago and Washington DC.
5. In addition to supporting Tartan Week events the Ministerial Programme included a diverse programme of engagements linked to business issues as well as those covering domestic priorities. Key features of the First Minister's programme included the announcement of a world first collaboration between Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, four Scottish Universities and the NHS in Scotland on translational medicine; a visit to an employment project in Harlem entitled STRIVE whose unique model of employment rehabilitation is about to be launched in Scotland; and speaking at a lunch on Capitol Hill at which the Congressional Friends of Scotland Caucus was inaugurated.
6. The Tartan Week 2006 Programme aimed to tie in with the Scottish Executive's International Strategy under the general theme of "Promoting contemporary Scotland in the US". It was agreed that all activity relating to Tartan Week should fit into the following objectives: building political ties, attracting tourism to Scotland, economic growth and cementing cultural ties.
7. The analysis of US and domestic media highlighted an increase in press coverage for Tartan Week 2006 compared with 2005 in both the domestic and US press. Whilst the press items in the domestic press tended to be within news sections, coverage in the US was most likely to appear in event listings. The challenge remains for Tartan Week to achieve greater US press coverage in news sections as well as within event listings.
8. Although media coverage was dominated by press there was still a significant amount of coverage on television and radio in both the US and domestic media. This was an increase on the 2005 findings. There were 74 broadcasts (television and radio) noted in the 2006 evaluation compared with 22 in 2005. A Scottish Executive partnership with the New York radio station WPLJ reached over three million listeners and generated more than 40 minutes of on-air coverage. US broadcasts reached an estimated audience of 6.5 million people at an estimated publicity value of $296,890.
9. There was an increase in Internet items covering Tartan Week in 2006 compared with 2005, with the majority of coverage being event listings. The events which "topped and tailed" Tartan Week - the Scotland 10k Run and the Tartan Day Parade - were the events most likely to be mentioned on the Internet.
10. Media coverage in 2006 tended to be factual, detailing the programme of events and specific events associated with Tartan Week. The announcement of the collaboration between the US and Scotland in the life sciences sector, the STRIVE initiative and the inauguration of the Friends of Scotland Caucus in Washington DC featured in the media. The Scottish Youth Theatre also received positive media coverage highlighting the young people who performed in "Geordie" as part of the Tartan Week activities.
11. Negative domestic media items featured items reporting on the cost of Tartan Week and the length of time the First Minister had spent outside Scotland in the first six months of 2006.
12. One of the recommendations from the 2005 evaluation was that a marketing programme needed to be developed for Tartan Week 2006. The response to this for 2006 was the creation of a marque incorporating the Saltire and tartan which featured on all relevant marketing material/literature and the development of www.tartanweekny.com (in collaboration with VisitScotland) to provide up-to-date information on all Tartan Week events and the development of an events programme. The findings from the evaluation indicate that this marketing activity as well as the marketing around Grand Central Station, which was funded by VisitScotland, created a "buzz" around Tartan Week 2006 and was welcomed by event organisers.
13. An analysis of website statistics highlighted that there was an increase in activity on each of the monitored sites - www.scotlandistheplace.com, www.scotlandinusa.com, www.tartanweekny.com and www.scottish.parliament.uk - during Tartan Week. The findings highlight the significant role of the joint venture between VisitScotland and the Scottish Executive - www.tartanweekny.com - in promoting Tartan Week.
14. The pre-planning stage of Tartan Week events was heavily criticised by event organisers, as they were not formally informed about funding from the Scottish Executive until January 2006. For many event organisers this proved insufficient time to arrange events, organise venues, attract key speakers and target appropriate marketing. Event organisers felt that a minimum of six months was required to organise an event for Tartan Week and that the Scottish Executive should provide formal, written approval of funding by early October 2006 for Tartan Week 2007.
15. There does not appear to be a clear application process for seeking funding to attend Tartan Week to which event organisers should respond. At present the system appears ad hoc and unstructured. It is recommended that a formal process is put in place to ensure that event organisers are clear regarding Tartan Week's objectives and submit formal proposals detailing how their events will meet with these objectives, the audience to be targeted and how funding will be sourced. A clear, structured approach to the application process will mean that there is no ambiguity regarding agreement of funds and that event organisers are given sufficient time to prepare a professional event which presents Scotland in a way that meets with the Tartan Week objectives.
16. Tartan Week 2006 featured a mixture of events which were primarily of a cultural nature. Those involved with the 2006 activities felt that the events targeted a range of age groups but there was a general agreement that the events should clearly target a younger audience. The 2006 activities did this to some extent but it is essential that this younger audience is clearly and effectively targeted in the future.
17. The online survey element of the evaluation suffered from lack of information available regarding attendees at Tartan Week events. Contact information for event attendees was provided via www.tartanweekny.com and from the Scottish Book Trust. As a result, the sample for the online survey was poor and the statistics, therefore, not robust. It should be clearly communicated to event organisers in the future that one of the criteria for selection for Tartan Week will be that they can demonstrate how information about attendees will be captured and that they would share this information with the Scottish Executive for the purposes of an online survey during an evaluation of Tartan Week. Event organisers will ensure that the Data Protection Act is not breached when gathering this information.
18. The online findings from 2006 suggest that respondents' main reasons for attending Tartan Week was because they had a general interest in Scotland and wanted to find out more about the country. The Scotland Village and Tartan Day Parade had the highest awareness amongst respondents and were the events they were most likely to attend. There was low awareness of the cultural events which were taking place during Tartan Week and low attendance at these events. The challenge remains to ensure that the marketing in place for 2007 effectively targets the New York audience to ensure they are aware of all events and are encouraged to attend.
19. The majority of those who had attended Tartan Week events stated that they would return to Tartan Week 2007 and recommend it to family/friends. The findings suggest that respondents had a positive experience whilst at Tartan Week and would be willing to return and recommend the experience to others.
20. The majority of organisers of events funded by the Scottish Executive were able to demonstrate the links they had made with organisations in the US during Tartan Week and how these links could be built upon in the future. The challenge for event organisers is to ensure that these relations are sustained and that mutually beneficial outcomes are reached. It is interesting to note that many of the links between young people in the US and their Scottish counterparts were made through contacts the Scottish Youth Theatre, the City of Edinburgh Council and the Scottish National Photographic Centre had had with academic institutions from primary schools to universities.
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