36 sites ... and growing

Four months ahead of the 2012 Festival of Glass, exhibitors have already booked 36 sites and applications continue to arrive.

The sites booked so far reflect the multi-faceted world of glass. They include mosaics, jewellery, glass beads and bead-making, stained glass, sculptures, glazing, slumped glass platters, ceramics, leadlighting, glass etching and sandblasting. At the inaugural Festival of Glass in February 2011, 29 exhibitors attracted more than 6,000 visitors. The 2012 Festival looks likely to be even bigger, taking another small step towards the Festival Committee's vision of the Festival of Glass becoming Australia's primary showcase for glass-related art, craft and industry.

The Festival's move from Drysdale's Potato Shed to the nearby - much bigger - Bellarine Basketball Stadium is certainly looking justified in terms of the number of exhibitors. The next step, of course, is to attract the crowds and the Festival marketing plan is about to start, funded partly by the $6,000 investment by the City of Greater Geelong. (See 'Festival experts give tick of approval' on this blog. 29 September 2011) Over the next few months, mention of the 2012 Festival of Glass should start to appear in a variety of local and regional print and electronic media.

Festival experts give tick of approval

The City of Greater Geelong has shown its confidence in the 2012 Festival of Glass by investing $6,000 in it. The money will help to pay for the costs of the Festival's infrastructure, marketing and promotion.

The $6,000 is the result of an independent assessment of the 2012 Festival of Glass by the council's local experts in festival organisation. Their support reaffirms the vision behind the Festival and gives a tremendous boost to the artists, craftspeople and business who have expressed their confidence in the Festival already by agreeing to participate in it.

This 'tick of approval' by experts in festival organisation shows current and potential exhibitors that the 2012 Festival of Glass will be run in a professional manner by a Committee in whom they can have confidence. The 'tick of approval' also shows potential sponsors that this innovative event is already gaining a positive reputation from which they can benefit. The Festival Committee is seeking funds from other sources and the Festival's Business Plan aims to make the event self-supporting in five years.

The council invested a similar amount in the inaugural 2011 Festival of Glass and the Festival Committee is grateful for the continuing support and encouragement of officers in the council's Arts and Culture Department and of local councillors Rod Macdonald and John Doull.