JOIN US!
The 24th International Gilbert & Sullivan Festival
4th - 20th August 2017, Harrogate THE HAPPY FESTIVAL!
Background
The International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival is now in its 24th year. Founded and administered from its family base in Yorkshire, Ian, Janet and Neil Smith, were concerned that following the demise of the old D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, Gilbert and Sullivan were in danger of facing oblivion unless someone did something. They did! They created the International Gilbert & Sullivan Festival which has become the “Greatest Gilbert and Sullivan Show on Earth.” The thousands of visitors who travel to the Harrogate-based Festival from around the world generate more than £3 million of income to the local economy each summer. But for the Smiths it is a different story. They get no public funding and are reliant on ticket sales, support of the members of their charity which funds a range of Festival youth initiatives – and sponsorship and support from businesses, foundations and trusts who care about the arts and the local community – and who appreciate the massive contribution Gilbert and Sullivan have made to the development of musical theatre around the world over the last 150 years.
The National Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company headline the Royal Hall performances
Full house every night in the magniďŹ cent restored Royal Hall
The XYZ 24th International Gilbert & Sullivan Festival
BE THE EXCLUSIVE SPONSOR OF THE FESTIVAL You are named throughout the year in all our media activity which includes national press and magazines; radio and television and social media; you receive 10 complimentary tickets to any of the shows in either the Royal Hall or the Savoy Theatre which is specially created in the building adjoining the Royal Hall, including a champagne reception, canapĂŠs and wine at the end of the show and an opportunity for you
and your guests to have a VIP table in our nightly Festival Club which includes bar, food, good company and some excellent cabarets. You also receive acknowledgement of your support from the stage prior to each performance; ten pull up promotional banners strategically positioned around the Royal Hall and Savoy Theatre for the duration of the Festival; full page advertisement in the Festival souvenir programme.
Support our students
The ABC UNIFest competition For this you are named throughout the year in all our UNIFest media activity and promotion to University G&S Performing groups around the world; you receive ten complimentary tickets to each of the University productions in the Savoy Theatre including champagne reception, canapĂŠs and wine at the end of the show; acknowledgement of your support from the stage prior to each performance; four pull up promotional banners strategically positioned around the Savoy Theatre for the duration of the Festival; full page advertisement in a special UNIFest souvenir programme.
Sponsor the Professionals
Sponsor our National Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company for its entire summer season. This covers more than 50 individual performances of either The Mikado, HMS Pinafore, Pirates of Penzance, or Princess Ida presented by Britain's leading professional G&S specialists. You are named throughout the year in all our media activities as the exclusive sponsor for the performances already confirmed in major theatres in Windsor, Buxton, Harrogate, Malvern, Bath, Chichester, Norwich, and Newcastle. Other theatres will be added to this list. You will have your own pull-up banners displayed in each of the theatres. A full page colour advertisement in each of the four opera company souvenir programmes and in the Festival souvenir programme. In Harrogate you will be offered eight pairs of tickets to each of the four new Opera Company productions; a champagne reception; a buffet supper after the performance and an opportunity to meet some of the stars from the cast. Your support will be acknowledged from the stage in advance of each of the Harrogate Opera Company performances.
Alternatively you may wish to sponsor just one performance of our professional National Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company. The cost for this would be £5000 and include acknowledgement from the stage; ten pull-up banners strategically positioned around the Royal Hall; a welcome champagne reception for your guests before the show and a buffet supper after the performance with an opportunity to meet members of the cast. Your guests would be our guests in the Utopia pavilion for the late-night Festival Club. It is a great evening out for important clients or staff – and never fails to impress.
Sponsor the International Competition The Festival is recognised around the world for its International Competition. It attracts between seven and twelve of the world's leading performing groups who sometimes travel thousands of miles for a single performance. We would love to have a sponsor of this key element of the Festival. This includes six pairs of tickets to each of the competition performances. You are promoted through pull-up banners prominently positioned around the Royal Hall and Utopia Pavilion; your support is acknowledged from the stage in advance of each of the competitive performances; you get a full page, full colour advertisement in the souvenir programme; a champagne reception for your guests and complimentary tickets to the Festival Club which follows each of the performances.
From West Wickham
from Cape Town
from New York
from Tokyo
from Houston
Sponsor the Over 60s
Bus Pass Opera. Although Gilbert and Sullivan is increasing its appeal to younger audiences and performers there is no doubt that its major support comes from audiences who are 50+ and who were brought up very much on the original D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. Three years ago Bus Pass Opera was launched exclusively for performers who were 60+. It has proved enormously popular with audiences, and performers travel from as far afield as Australia and North America for an opportunity
to rub shoulders with a highly experienced cast which comes together for a week's rehearsal led by a professional director and conductor. Sponsorship for Bus Pass Opera is only £5000 for one year – or £10,000 for three years. It includes six pairs of grand circle tickets; champagne reception; buffet supper and an opportunity to meet members of the cast; acknowledgement from the stage and 10 pull-up banners strategically positioned around the Royal Hall and Utopia Pavilion.
Sponsor the Youngsters
Another major Festival highlight is our annual youth production. This is for young people aged between 9 and 19 who come together for a week's rehearsal led by a professional director and conductor. Sponsorship is only £4000 for one year – or £8,000 for three years. It includes 12 tickets for the performance in the Savoy Theatre; pre show champagne reception; acknowledgement from the stage and pull up banners strategically positioned around the Savoy Theatre and Utopia Pavilion.
These are just a few suggestions. There are many more. Our National Gilbert and Sullivan Festival Orchestra costs us around ÂŁ100,000 a year; the cost of building and equipping the Savoy Theatre is in excess of ÂŁ30,000. These are some of the bigger cost items and give an indication of the risk that the Smiths have to take each year. We would love your support for any of the items - or alternatively you could help by supporting our charity; or by advertising in our souvenir programme, on our website which receives hundreds of thousands of visits over the summer months; or in the four special National Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company souvenir programmes. We look forward to hearing from you. For more information and/or a face-to-face meeting. You can contact us on the details below.
The International Gilbert and Sullivan Festivals The Old Vicarage, All Souls Road, Halifax, HX3 6DR 01422 323 252 ian@gsfestivals.org www.gsfestivals.org
Mobile Ticket Office
To be successful we have to promote our Festival around the whole of North Yorkshire and beyond. It would be fantastic if we could have our own mobile ticket office which could travel round many of the market towns on market day handing out Festival literature and actually booking tickets online. This requires a mobile “ice-cream” type van specially equipped for the purpose. We estimate that the cost of purchasing a suitable second-hand vehicle; equipping it and decorating it with your logo as its sponsor and appropriate Gilbert and Sullivan images would be around £15,000.
Thank you for considering supporting us. Here are some ideas of how we can support you:
1.
Exclusive sponsor/supporter champagne reception
2.
Ticket discounts to any Festival events for your staff or volunteers
3.
Acknowledgement of your support in our What’s On Guide (20,000 distribution) and Festival programmes (4,000 distribution)
4.
Acknowledgement of your support on our website with appropriate promotional message
5.
Half-page advertisement in our Souvenir Programme
6.
Acknowledgement of your support from the stage
7.
Pull up promotional banners acknowledging your support in the theatre
8.
Promotion of your activities in our regular global e-newsletters
9.
Two guest tickets for our annual Chairman’s Lunch
10.
Backstage tour of the Royal Hall and opportunity to meet some of our stars.
11.
Promotional space throughout the Festival in our Utopia Pavilion