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The Scottish Executive funded 13 event organisers to host events at Tartan Week 2007 in New York. This year's programme of events supported the Scottish Executive's International Strategy and the Strategy for Stronger Engagement with the USA. In 2007 the Scottish Executive adopted a specific theme for Tartan Week - "Modern Scotland in 2007". As Tartan Week 2007 took place in an election year and just prior to the election date, there was no Ministerial Programme running alongside the Tartan Week activities.

The evaluation of the Programme was carried out by Scotinform Ltd, an independent market research company, using the Model for Evaluating Overseas Events which was developed by Scottish Executive - Analytical Services in 2004. The overall aim of the study was to evaluate the processes and impacts of the events at Tartan Week 2007 which were funded by the Scottish Executive in order to assist in developing policy and practice for Tartan Week 2008.

Main Findings

• The Scottish Executive invested £344,000 in funding Scottish organisations to stage events at Tartan Week 2007. An additional £70,000 was invested in marketing activity. The Tartan Week 2007 programme included a diverse range of events targeted at the general public and individuals and organisations in the business and tourism sectors.
• The 2007 evaluation included, for the first time, research with attendees at events funded by the Scottish Executive. The findings indicate that event attendees had very high levels of satisfaction with their visit and were very likely to return to Tartan Week 2008. The research also highlighted that attendees were likely to want to find out more about Scotland as a result of their visit.
• The media evaluation undertaken by Scotinform Ltd concluded that a significant number of Americans had the opportunity to see and hear information or advertising relating to Tartan Week, thereby raising awareness of Scotland and its culture. News coverage of Tartan Week in the US press increased significantly in 2007 compared with 2006. Domestic press was also more positive in 2007 compared with 2006.
• Evaluations from event organisers who attended Tartan Week 2007 indicate that they have established relationships with key individuals and organisations within the United States. The study concluded that, in some instances, these will provide longer-term economic and cultural impacts. Event organisers have had firm offers and contracts from US organisations leading to significant opportunities for Scottish authors, musicians, organisations and companies.

Introduction

This evaluation report sets out the key findings of the evaluation of the Scottish Executive-led programme during Tartan Week 2007.

The US Senate designated 6 April as Tartan Day in 1998 "to honour the outstanding contribution of millions of Scottish-Americans to our great nation". Tartan Day has been celebrated in New York since 1998 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 funded 13 event organisers to host event in New York during Tartan Week 2007. An additional £70,000 was spent on marketing the programme of events.

The Tartan Week events ran from 31 March 2007 to 14 April 2007. The decision for Tartan Week to cover two weeks was due to the decision made by the National Tartan Day New York Committee to hold the Tartan Day Parade on Saturday 14 April rather than 7 April so that it did not conflict with Easter celebrations taking place during that weekend in New York.

The programme for Tartan Week 2007 was managed and implemented by key personnel in the International Division at the Scottish Executive's offices in Edinburgh and the Scottish Executive's Scottish Affairs Office in Washington DC. The communications strategy element of the Programme was managed and implemented by the Scottish Executive's Communications Office whilst the marketing and PR activity was managed by the International Marketing Division.

It should be noted that since the evaluation was commissioned a new Scottish government has formed, which means that the report reflects commitments and strategic objectives conceived under the previous administration. The strategies, objectives and commitments referred to in this report should not therefore be treated as current Scottish Government policy.

Programme Objectives

The programme of events at Tartan Week 2007 supported the Scottish Executive's International Strategy and the Strategy for Stronger Engagement with the USA. The specific objectives associated with Tartan Week 2007 reflected those of the Executive's engagement with the US and were to:

• raise the profile and understanding of modern Scotland in the USA
• promote Scotland as a great place to live, work and study
• attract increased US tourism to Scotland

Evaluation Approach

The evaluation was conducted with the support of Analytical Services at the Scottish Executive. It used the Model of Evaluating Overseas Events which was developed by Analytical Services in 2004 and was conducted across the key phases: pre-event, event and post-event.

The evaluation included the following key components:

• depth interviews with Scottish Executive officials (pre- and post-event)
• depth interviews with event organisers and partner organisations (pre- and post-event)
• review of applications for funding and evaluation of events from event organisers
• quantitative and qualitative research with attendees at selected Tartan Week events (event and post-event)
• observation of Tartan Week events funded by the Scottish Executive (event)
• media analysis of press transcripts, television and radio broadcasts and internet media covering Tartan Week activities (post-event)

The majority of these tasks were undertaken by Scotinform Ltd. However, Devonhall Associates, economic consultants, provided insight into the processes and procedures associated with Tartan Week by reviewing the applications for funding and evaluations from event organisers pre and post Tartan Week.

Programme of events

The Tartan Week 2007 Programme included a diverse range of events targeted at the general public and individuals or organisations in the business and tourism sectors. The events (and organisations) funded by the Scottish Executive are listed below:

• "The Isle of Jura Festival of Scottish Writing" (Scottish Book Trust)
• "Festival Showcase and Workshop (City of Edinburgh Council and Edinburgh Festival Fringe)
• "Journeys from Scotland to America" (Scottish Museum Council and Scottish Screen)
• "Scotland Run" (New York Road Runners Club)
• "Did you used to be RD Laing?" (Mike Maran Productions
• "Scotland Rocks New York" (Stranger Music)
• "New Scotland New York" (Phil Fearns)
• "Tartan Week Luncheon" (British Memorial Garden Trust Inc)
• "We-entrepreneurs" (Richard O'Connor)
• "Dressed to Kilt" (Friends of Scotland US)
• "Silver of the Stars" (Incorporation of Goldsmiths of the City of Edinburgh)

Outcomes

• Events: The majority of Scottish Executive events were well attended with a mix of audiences relevant to the events taking place. For instance, a total of 7,092 people registered for the Scotland Run whilst approximately 700 people attended Scotland Rocks New York at the Bowery Ballroom.
  
  Post-event evaluations from event organisers indicated that the support they received from the Executive had had a positive impact in terms of establishing new relationships, sustaining existing relationships and creating opportunities for those involved in Tartan Week in the US.
• Media/ PR/Communications: The main channels used by the Scottish Executive's marketing/ PR team to communicate its key messages for Tartan Week 2007 were PR, online activity and direct marketing.
  
  The evaluation findings indicate that a significant number of Americans had the opportunity to see and hear information or advertising relating to Tartan Week thereby raising awareness of Scotland and its culture.
  
  The analysis of US and domestic media highlighted an increase in print coverage for Tartan Week 2007 compared with 2006 and the tone of articles tended to be classified as either beneficial or factual rather than negative. There was an increase in broadcast coverage for Tartan Week in 2007 with one television broadcast lasting 8 minutes 10 seconds.
• Event attendees: The majority of attendees who took part in qualitative and quantitative research at the event and post-event stages indicated high levels of visitor satisfaction with the events they had attended. The qualitative research also found that some visitors had learned specific facts or increased their knowledge of Scotland as a result of attending a Tartan Week event. There were also high levels of interest in attending Tartan Week 2008.
  
  Qualitative research with attendees at the event and post-event stages suggest that the "Tartan Week" brand may not be the most effective way of communicating Scotland. There was some confusion amongst participants about the meaning of "tartan" indicating that it does not necessarily have a strong association with Scotland. The findings suggest that this may not be the most appropriate term to brand an event to promote Scotland in the USA.
• Operational systems: Whilst it was acknowledged amongst Scottish Executive officials and event organisers previously involved with Tartan Week that the pre-tender process for 2007 was much improved in comparison with 2006, further refinement of guidance notes is required. Event organisers require clearer guidance regarding the level of information required at both the application and evaluation stages.
  
  The lines of communication between event organisers and Scottish Executive officials were much improved upon in comparison to 2006. Meetings prior to Tartan Week were particularly beneficial to those attending Tartan Week for the first time.

Sustained Outcomes

For many event organisers there are tangible outcomes from their attendance at Tartan Week 2007 which will lead to long-term relations with organisations and individuals based in the United States. New contracts and increased coverage for musicians and authors means that the cultural aspects of Scotland are being promoted as a direct result of their attendance at Tartan Week.

The findings from the research undertaken with attendees at events and post-event suggest high levels of interest in visiting Scotland and an increase in their knowledge of the country.

However, a further development of the evaluation to incorporate an element of economic impact assessment could help better understand the effects of Tartan Week in promoting Scotland abroad.

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The report, "An Evaluation of the Scottish Executive-led Programme During Tartan Week 2007," and "Appendix: Report on Survey of Attendees," which is summarised in this research findings are web only documents and are available on the publications pages of the Scottish Government website at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/Recent

This document (and other Research Findings and Reports) and information about social research in the Scottish Government may be viewed on the Internet at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/socialresearch

The site carries up-to-date information about social and policy research commissioned and published on behalf of the Scottish Government. Subjects covered include transport, housing, social inclusion, rural affairs, children and young people, education, social work, community care, local government, civil justice, crime and criminal justice, regeneration, planning and women's issues. The site also allows access to information about the Scottish Household Survey.

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