Countdown to 2015 Festival begins now!

With just 322 days until the 2015 Festival of Glass, planning has started already!

At the heart of each year's Festival of Glass is the Glass Expo, featuring 50+ exhibitors from across the world of glass; demonstrations of glass-working techniques; the annual Drysdale Glass Art Awards; 'Glass on Film' (short films about glass); and a major raffle and hourly door prizes, with prizes donated by exhibitors.
 
The 2015 Glass Expo will happen on Sunday February 15 between 10.00am and 4.00pm at Christian College, Collins Road, Drysdale, Victoria. The Expo was held at this venue for the first time in 2014, when it attracted around 5,000 visitors, so the Festival committee is very pleased that the Expo will return there in 2015.

From browsing to creating
As part of the Festival, local exhibitors will teach various glass-working techniques at their studios and workshops. This feature was introduced at the 2014 Festival and proved very popular - each class was booked-out well in advance. The addition of these classes means that visitors to the Festival of Glass can now browse exhibitors' diverse glass creations; see demonstrations of some of the techniques used to create them; then learn how to use those techniques for themselves. Information about the classes will be available closer to the time from the Festival web site (www.festivalofglass.net.au).

Getting involved in the 2015 Festival
People can become involved with the 2015 Festival in various ways, depending on their time and interests.
1. Exhibit.
The Festival of Glass is unique in Australia and is an outstanding vehicle to promote your work. Each year, thousands of visitors come to the Festival just to see glass - a captive audience if ever there was one! There is considerable coverage by the local media and a growing presence on regional and national tourism and recreational web sites. See the Festival web site for more information.
2. Enter the Awards.
The Drysdale Glass Art Awards are in three categories: Wearable Glass Art; Non-wearable Glass Art; and Glass-related Photography. Each category has two divisions: Junior (up to and including 18 years of age); and Open (nineteen years of age upwards). See the Festival web site for more information about entry conditions, etc..
3. Join the committee.
The 2015 Festival of Glass committee invites glass artists, craftspeople and manufacturers in the Geelong region to join it.  There is a broad range of jobs and responsibilities, so whatever your interests and time commitments, you can make your mark on the 2015 Festival!
4. Become a sponsor.
Now in its fifth year,  the Festival of Glass continues to develop significant reputation and regard among its exhibitors and visitors, and in the broader glass community. Sponsorship associates you with the Festival's growing reputation and regard. The Festival's success to date is due in no small part to our current sponsors the City of Greater Geelong and the Bendigo Bank. See the Festival web site for more information about sponsorship options.
5. Become a local business supporter.
The Festival committee works hard to ensure that local businesses benefit from having such a major event in their location. in the past, the Festival committee has agreed cross-promotion arrangements with several local businesses and we hope to expand this significantly in 2015.