Sponsor Booklet

Theatre for Everyone!

Vancouver’s home of independent theatre since 1985

Partner Brochure

V

ancouver International Fringe Festival

ancouver International Fringe Festival Founded in 1985, the has showcased thousands of different acts from countries around the world and is well established as a locus of creativity in Vancouver. As North America’s second oldest Fringe Festival and British Columbia’s largest theatre festival, it presents up to 100 provincial, national, and international performing groups in up to 600 performances annually. Granville Island, a world renowned cultural mecca and tourist hot spot, hosts the principal Festival venues and attracts over 350,000 visitors during Festival time.

The Fringe Festival showcases diverse and innovative acts chosen through a unique, equal opportunity selection process. Other artists enter the Festival through our “Bring Your Own Venue” category, where artists supply their own venue and technical needs.

This approach makes the Fringe a place of exciting artistic renewal and innovation.

The Fringe continues to grow, building new audiences and strategic partnerships each year. The Fringe also continues to develop the Granville Island site by including new venues and auxiliary Festival spaces.

The Fringe has strong relationships with mainstream media and is developing successful online media partnerships. The Fringe cultivates its fanbase through the Festival website and its email based newsletter distributed to a growing patron database of over 20,000.

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FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS

Opening Night

Our signature fundraiser launches the Fringe in style. Hundreds of Fringe artists, VIPs, and fans celebrate with silent and live auctions and sneak peek performances.

Fringe Bar

The social hub of the Festival attracts artists and Festival goers alike to mix and mingle. Continuous entertainment includes nightly live music, DJs, and other planned and spontaneous performances. This is where theatrical dreams and partnerships are born.

Fringe Awards and Awards Night

To celebrate the close of our 11-day marathon, we present the Pick of the Fringe and the Fringe Awards. The Awards celebrate and cultivate artistic merit. Many awards are independently adjudicated by awards partners. After the Awards Night, we party into the wee hours of the morning at the Fringe Bar.

Pick of the Fringe

The most popular Fringe shows are chosen through an audience rating system and are awarded hold over performances in the week following the regular Festival.

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Festival Partners The Vancouver International Fringe Festival values the important role corporate partners play in supporting the growth of the Fringe. Your company reaps the benefits of associating with a world class event while developing an meaningful relationship with our large and diverse audience.

Partnerships are individually tailored to ensure you maximize the value of your company’s participation.

Interact with up to 30,000 Festival goers throughout Greater Vancouver and 350,000 Granville Island visitors. See your brand exposed to millions.

Partner Levels

Presenting Partner Signature Partner Leading Partner Supporting Partner Sustaining Partner Community Partner

$35,000+ $20,000+ $15,000+ $10,000+ $2,500+ $1,500+

Most partner levels consist of a combination of cash and contra with a minimum cash component.

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Partner Benefits The following benefits are unique to each level of partnership and also include the benefits of lower levels. Additional details are available on request.

Presenting Partner

$35,000+

Signature Partner

$20,000+

Leading Partner

$15,000+

• Exclusive event naming rights and associated event marketing and publicity • Co-branding with the Fringe • Co-promotion of partnership especially through Fringe email marketing • High profile media promotion • Complimentary full page, full colour ad in Festival Program Guide

• • • •

Category exclusivity Venue naming rights Customized promotional opportunities Complimentary full page, full colour ad in Festival Program Guide

• Opening Night presence, podium recognition • Complimentary half page, full colour ad in Festival Program Guide

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Supporting Partner

$10,000+

Sustaining Partner

$2,500+

• Complimentary quarter page, full colour ad in Festival Program Guide • Logo placement in Festival Program Guide, and on Partner Recognition Boards, posters, advertising, and website

• Discounted advertising for Festival Program Guide • Partner listing on Partner Recognition Boards and website • Partner Festival package (tickets to Opening Night and Mainstage performances)

Community Partner

• Partner listing on Partner Recognition Boards and website • Tickets to Mainstage performances

$1,500+

Previous years’ partners include the following leading companies:

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Fringe Theatre

The concept of “Fringe Theatre” was first introduced in 1947 in Edinburgh, Scotland. When some performing groups were not invited to take part in the popular Edinburgh International Festival, they decided to perform in alternative venues on the fringe of the festival. From those humble beginnings the idea of an accessible festival encouraging innovative independent theatre became popular. Today, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe has grown into the world’s largest arts festival and has come to embody the creative ideals of independent theatre.

With the success of Edmonton’s 1982 Fringe, the first Fringe Festival in North America, the popularity of Fringe Theatre exploded. A network of Fringe Festivals sprang up across Canada and in the United States.

Founded in 1990 to support the network, the Canadian Association of Fringe Festivals formally promotes the Fringe Festival philosophy: performers explore new ideas by being able to choose any subject matter (uncensored), anyone can enter the performer lottery (unjuried), and performers receive the proceeds from reasonably priced ticket sales (accessible).

Fringe Festivals are now popular throughout the world. England, New Zealand, Australia, Scotland, Ireland, South Africa, Singapore, and Hong Kong now host established festivals, as do Prague, Seoul, and Tokyo.

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Fringe Statistics

Household Income Under $25,000 $26,000 - $39,000 $40,000 - $59,000 $60,000 - $89,000 $90,000+

Education 12.4% 11.8% 18.3% 24.9% 32.5%

Performing groups: Up to 100 Peformances: Up to 600 Attendance: Up to 30,000 Web visits: 134,000 Granville Island visitors: 350,000

Age: Under 20 20s 30s 40s 50s 60s

2.6% 15% 20.9% 15.7% 30.4% 15.7%

sponsorship@vancouverfringe.com 1398 Cartwright Street Vancouver, BC Canada V6H 3R8 t +1 604.257.0350 f +1 604.253.1924 vancouverfringe.com

College/University Graduates

78% Gender Female

66%

Male

34%

Marital Status Single

Partners

60%

40%