Cherry Creek Arts Festival
July 6, 7 & 8, 2012
Cherry Creek North
Denver, Colorado
America’s Most Honored Arts Event
No other Festival in North America as been as lauded as the Cherry Creek Arts Festival. It has received an unprecedented four times, the Gold Grand Pinnacle from the International Festivals & Events Association (IFEA), distinguishing it as the top Festival in its budget class worldwide. Furthermore, the Festival was singled out the last two years by the artists themselves as the top arts festival in the United States by the National Association of Independent Artists. Each year, managers from festivals across the U.S. come to experience the Cherry Creek Arts Festival to learn their best practices that have produced such a reputation.
Recognized as “Colorado’s Signature Cultural Event,” each July fourth weekend for the past eighteen years, many of the most accomplished and cutting edge artists from across the United States and around the world make a pilgrimage to Denver’s North Cherry Creek district to share their amazing works with the people of Colorado.
Working in a variety of mediums including paint, drawing, photography, fiber, ceramics, glass, wood, sculpture, metal works, jewelry, graphics/printmaking and mixed media, some 230 artists are jury selected from more than 2,300 entrants by a nationally assembled panel of art specialists. The result is a three-day exhibition and sale, which annual exceeds $2.5 million, of some of the finest artistic work found anywhere.
That’s just the beginning. For the 370,000 attendees of the Cherry Creek Arts Festival, viewing and buying art is just one of the activities from a colorful pallet of things to see and do. Music and dance emanate from three performance stages. Demonstrations can be found at two other presentation stages. For those who want to get their hands messy, self-expression is alive and well in the Festival’s “Artivity Avenue. There are also special exhibitions of emerging student artisans, special collections and an art auction. For those who want to satisfy their senses of taste and smell, the Festival’s food and beverage areas features top area restaurants which sample some of the region’s finest gastronomic offerings.
Key Elements
- A Quick Sketch of the Whole Picture
- Top-Rated Arts Festival in the United States
- With 370,000 attendees, ranked as #1 in attendance for non-venue attraction by the Denver Business Journal
- Highly sought-after upper tier attendee demographics (See addendum)
- $790,000+ promotional advertising campaign provided by media partners including the Rocky Mountain News, KMGH Denver’s7, Entercom Denver radio stations KOSI, KEZW, Alice and The Mountain, plus Colorado Homes & Lifestyles and Mountain Living magazines
- 32-page special section in Rocky Mountain News distributed to 750,000 people
- Numerous assets create proprietary naming opportunities for sponsors
- Extensive opportunities for sponsor cross-promotions, extensions and activation
Event Demographic Profile
For the savvy marketer, the Cherry Creek Arts Festival provides an attractive audience representing highly desirable demographic and lifestyle traits.
-Festival attendees are evenly represented with women comprising 58% and males comprising 42% of visitors.
-Of those attending the Festival 48% are married, 44% are single and 7% report they have partners or significant others.
-63% of the visitors to the Cherry Creek Arts Festival are between the ages of 25 and 54. A closer look at this sought after group reveals that 9% of attendees are 24 or younger; 17% are 25-34; 18% are 35-44; 28% age 45-54; 22% are 55-64 and 6% are 65 and older.
-Household income levels of the Festival attendees are significantly higher than the average household income in the Denver Metro area. The largest percentage of attendees (26%) reports an annual household income of $110,000 or greater. In addition to this desirable group, 15% of attendees have an annual income in the range $90,000- $104,000; 22% earn between $60,000 to $89,999 annually; 21% earn $35,000 – $59,999 and 16% earn less than $less than $35,000.
-Festival attendees are much more likely to have a Bachelor’s Degree, Master’s Degree or PhD/Professional Degree than the Denver Metro area’s average population. 67% of the people surveyed earned at least a bachelor degree. Of that group, 28% have a masters or other graduate degree. An additional 5% indicated that they have a PhD or Professional degree.
-Attendees to the Festival are professionals or management at a level 60% higher than the occupations of the Denver Metro area population.
-In the next 12 months 46% plan to purchase air travel; 27% plan to purchase a new car; 30% are planning to make home improvements; 11% will purchase homes; and 32% are considering vacation homes.
-The 2006 sales survey of exhibiting artists found an average of $10,700 in sales. Multiplied by the 230 artists indicates a total of $2,461,000 in art sales.
Event Sponsorship Opportunities
Presenting Sponsor This single, exclusive, top-level sponsor of the Cherry Creek Arts Festival will receive universal event-wide exclusive rights including complete above-the-name Presenting recognition, (e.g. “Janus presents the Cherry Creek Arts Festival”) in all event promotional advertising and collateral materials, extensive event signage and hospitality benefits, plus name integration of one of the Festival’s top assets and presentation recognition for the annual Festival Feature.
Associate Sponsor These program or venue level sponsors will receive Associate recognition (“Janus presents the Cherry Creek Arts Festival sponsored by Bank of the West in association with Volvo”) in selected event promotional advertising and collateral materials, some event signage, on site sampling and hospitality benefits, plus name integration of one of the Festival’s secondary assets. Assets from which they may choose include:
- “ArtZone” Adult creative activity area
- Volunteer Program
- Festival Nights after hours adult entertainment
- Festival Beer Garden
- Creation Station children’s art project tents
- Festival VIP Center hospitality area
- Preview Celebration VIP opening night party & private art-buying experience
- “Art of the Menu” Culinary Area & Demonstration Stage
- Mobile Art Gallery
Supporting Sponsor These lower-level program or venue level sponsors will receive Supporting recognition (“Janus presents the Cherry Creek Arts Festival sponsored by Bank of the West in association with Volvo supported by Whole Foods”) in limited event promotional advertising and collateral materials, some event signage, on site sampling and hospitality benefits, plus name integration of one of the Festival’s tertiary assets. Assets from which they may choose include:
- Opening Night Gala & VIP Pre-Buying Experience
- “Art of the Menu” Culinary Area
- Online Art Auction
- Artists Awards Reception
- Bike Corral
- Family Stage
- Artist Demonstration Stage
- Festival Information Centers
Commercial Exhibitor These companies would benefit from the official association with the Festival. They will likely provide specific products or services to CCAF and their events. These Commercial Exhibitors will typically include businesses such as cellular service, air travel, hotels, etc. These Suppliers will be required to provide a specific level of cash or in kind service or deeply discounted support. In exchange they will receive a on-site rights and benefits within the Festival most specifically sampling rights.
For information on sponsoring the Cherry Creek Arts Festival, please contact Bruce Erley.
