The power of the internet as a sales and marketing channel is undisputed – and has been for some time now. Even so, it’s still good to hear a success story where the web has played a major role in growing an organisation year on year.
And fitting this particular bill is next week’s Hebridean Celtic Festival in Stornoway – an event that is now one of the biggest music festivals in the UK. For thanks to the net, visitors from 70 countries are heading to the Isle of Lewis – not to mention a couple from the central belt who have arranged their wedding in order to spend part of their honeymoon at the festival!
The truly international audience expected for the four-day celebration of Celtic music and culture is no small part due to the festival organisers being a leading light in the use of the internet to attract global attention. Independent website traffic statistics show that people from all over Europe, the USA, Canada, Russia and Japan will be in Stornoway, attracted by the family friendly live Celtic music concerts, day sessions, and educational workshops.
Caroline MacLennan, the Festival Director said: “The internet is a key driver in our plans to attract a worldwide audience. Our website data also shows we are generating interest in unusual locations such as China, Thailand, Vietnam, Israel and the Lebanon. It’s exciting to see our traditional music and culture appealing to such diverse audiences through modern day technology. It’s a great credit to the festival workforce and in particular, our website team at Reefnet based here in Lewis.
“Our 300 early bird tickets were all sold online. And the rest of our tickets went on sale online on May 1st. We know our website system is capable of handling the massive demand for our shows and we’re looking to increase our website functions for future years in order to extend the enjoyment of the Hebridean Celtic Festival.”
Anne MacAulay of Reefnet added: “The website attracts 5,500 visits a month and rising. There are over 1,000 page views every day and each person visiting the site reads an average of five pages. It’s a great amount of traffic and we’re pleased to have built a website system that can handle the various functions essential to the festival, such as online ticket sales and news about the programme.”
Catriona MacKenzie, the bride to be at this year’s festival said: “My fiancé Clinton and I live in Dunfermline but I’m originally from Point on Lewis, as is my mother. We thought it would be a fantastic way to celebrate our wedding by timing it around this year’s festival. We’ve bought season tickets for our wedding party and at least ten of us will be there for the big blue marquee when the main gigs begin. It should be a wonderful start to married life together.”
Arriving from Hamilton, Ontario in Canada will be Brian Winer, accompanied by three others including his wife Jan. He said: “None of us have any direct relationship to the Outer Hebrides but my wife and I have had a keen interest in all things Scottish for many years. We have attended innumerable Highland Games in Canada and the USA and generally share a common love of Celtic music in all its forms. We have been following the news of the Hebridean Celtic Festival for three or four years on the website and finally decided to plan another trip to Scotland with the festival the focal point of the trip. It will mean a round trip of almost 10,000 miles and will cost thousands of dollars but it will be worth it to get to this year’s Hebridean Celtic Festival.”
The festival takes place in Stornoway and across local communities from July 16 – 19. Now in its thirteenth year, the festival generates substantial sums for the local economy. Last year’s festival attracted over 16,000 attendances, with visitors arriving from over 40 different countries, a giant leap from the inaugural year when audiences numbered 1500.
The headline acts include The Saw Doctors, Four Men and a Dog, Shooglenifty and top Scottish bagpipe stars, Red Hot Chilli Pipers. Also appearing are the award-winning star Seth Lakeman, Gaelic singer Julie Fowlis and swing and bluegrass from America’s Hunger Mountain Boys who hail from Massachusetts, as well as a UK debut for Belgian bagpipe outfit Griff.
Other leading Scottish talent will include Karine Polwart, Mairi Smith, the Battlefield Band’s renowned fiddler Alasdair White, and the acclaimed Mary Ann Kennedy & Na Seòid (The Heroes), a gathering of some of the finest Gaelic singers in a generation. Also appearing will be The Chair from Orkney and the famed Bodega, which was formed at the Musical Centre for Excellence in Plockton in 2005.
