More tickets sold to the Fira Mediterrània, in spite of the rain

The root factory has become firmly established as an international market with an increase of 12.39% of overseas professionals compared to 2010

The number of registered professionals has grown from 1,116 to 1,251

14 performances were cancelled owing to weather conditions or for technical reasons

Neither the current economic situation nor the heavy rainfall in the capital of Bages from Thursday 3 November disheartened the audiences of the Fira Mediterrània of Manresa. This is shown by the 24.45% increase in the sale of tickets registered up to yesterday evening, over the figures reached last year.  Neither did the bad weather dismay the cultural industry professionals, which this year increased by 10.79% over 2010 (from 1,116 to 1,251), with a significant rise in international presence. However, the rain and technical causes forced the organization of the Fira to cancel 14 programmed performances, and audiences were left without outdoor and itinerant events.

Professional figures

A total of 1251 professionals participated in this year’s edition of the Fira Mediterrània, meaning 10.79 % more than last year. 79.1% of professionals were Catalan, 11.1% were from the rest of Spain, and 9.6% were from abroad.  The increase in foreign professionals has risen from 106 in 2010 to 121 in 2011. This means a 12.39% increase in international presence of the Fira Mediterrània. The professionals participating in the Fira represented a total of 712 entities from 28 different countries (compared to 693 entities from 24 countries in 2010)

This year the Manresa market decided to go for activities targeted at professionals, programming a total of 39 events under the framework of the Mediterrània Professional Meeting. The good response to this initiative can be seen, for example, in the high level of participation in the seminar “Culture and the new economic situation. Good practices”, which ran out of places; the informative Session for municipal technicians on festivals using pyrotechnics and safety during events, and the training Session for acknowledged expert leaders of consumer groups involving fire, which filled the Chamber of Commerce and the conference room of the FUB respectively. The number of people registered in the sessions this year totalled 201, compared to 113 last year.

A random, voluntary survey carried out on 32 purchasing entities which attended the Fira last year and who have returned this year, shows that the average number of contracted performances for each entity is 3.5. This is higher than the estimated figure last year of 2.42 performances per purchasing entity. Also, bearing in mind that out of the 693 entities attending last year, 449 had contracting capacity -the rest were sellers or from the media-, 1,571 contracts resulted from the last Fira Mediterrània.

Performances sold out

All tickets were sold out in 14 of the 98 payment events. The sale of tickets has also improved over last year. Yesterday evening, a total of 16,206 tickets to paid performances had been sold, already discounting the tickets to three events called off because of cancellations of reservations by Firaescoles as a result of the rain. This means an increase of 24.45% over figures of the previous edition. Therefore, it can be seen that the current economic situation has not affected attendance to the artistic activities of this Fira.

Cancellations

The 208 litres per square metre of rain falling on the area of Bages between Wednesday 2 and Friday 4 November did not put off either the public or professionals, but the atmosphere on the street was watered down during the first two days of the Fair forcing the organization to cancel a total of 13 events. An event was also cancelled for technical reasons, meaning 14 events altogether.

Indicators

14th Fira Mediterrània of Manresa

These are the most significant indicators of the 14th edition of the Fira Mediterrània of Manresa:

• Total litres per square metre of rainfall in Bages between 2 and 4 November: 208

• Total number of professionals: 1,251 (of which 174 were journalists)
  • Catalans: 990 (79.1%)
  • From the rest of Spain: 140 (11.1%)
  • International: 121 (9.6%)

• Professional entities: 712 (from 28 countries)

• Allocated tickets: 16,206 of sales up to Saturday evening

• 14 events sold out of the 98 paid performances.

• 201 registrations to professional sessions

• 180 registrations to the training course for groups involved with fire

• 14 events cancelled owing to the weather or for technical reasons

Other indicators of the 14th FIRA MEDITERRÀNIA OF MANRESA

• Number CDs with music compilations of the Fira produced: 8,000
• Number of visits to the Professional Association: 2,344 (up to Saturday evening)
• Hotel accommodation arranged from the Fira: 1,048

• Internal and external transfers: 310
• Visits to myspace of the Fira: 13,617
• Reproduction of music in myspace: 2,669
• Friends through myspace: 1,007
• Facebook fans: 1,777
• Number of hotels from the area to accommodate professionals and artists: 8
• Number of meals served to artists during the Fira: 1,042
• Number of visits to the Fira webpage over the last month: 16,093
• Countries from where the Fira webpage has been surfed: 58