Questions from Councillors
The deadline for questions to be submitted to the Monitoring Officer is 5 September 2022.
Minutes:
Question from Councillor Vikki Slade
Initial indications suggest that the visitor numbers for the 2022 Air Festival have been strong and it was great to see some new features introduced such as the bi-plane / sunseeker boat race. I am sure that in the coming months lessons will be learned to make future events more inclusive, more environmentally friendly and to bring more new ideas. I hope that the Portfolio Holder will take the opportunity to listen carefully to local residents and businesses and include ideas to improve the event wherever they come from.
One popular feature that people missed this year was Air Festival TV. People told me that they enjoy seeing the cockpit images on the big screen, seeing the unarmed combat while sat on the beach waiting for night air and watching interviews with pilots throughout the event. Can the portfolio holder please explain why the council decided not to include this element of the Air Festival this year?
Response by the Portfolio Holder for Tourism, Culture and Vibrant Places, Councillor Dunlop
The Air Festival was once again very well attended in 2022 with high visitor numbers and an economic impact estimated to be close to £50m over the 4 days supporting our £1.2 billion tourism economy and 18,000 local tourism jobs. I am at a bit of a loss as to what Councillor Slade means by lessons will be learned, we’ve got two accessible viewing areas, we’ve got two accessible car parks and we have a mix of facilities along the promenade to ensure no one is excluded.
Our sustainable action plan will grow and be developed over the coming years as we continue to reduce waste, promote reusable water fills, encourage people to travel sustainably and use the platform to educate on the environment.
Our events team are continually developing this event and this year saw the return of the Science, Technology, Engineering and Manufacturing (STEM) marquee welcoming local companies to showcase their work and inspire the next generation, alongside the engaging Dorset Engineering and Manufacturing Cluster conference bringing 150 STEM companies together on the first day.
Regarded as one of the best air shows in the UK, we continue to increase our land and sea content to showcase the destination and in turn providing additional footfall for our businesses at the end of the summer; boosting the local economy.
We work closely with a variety of business partners such as the Destination Management Board, Town Centre and Coastal BIDs, the Chamber of Commerce and Hospitality.
Air Festival TV has not operated for the a few years since the contract ended, this year we were delighted to work with our community radio partner Hot Radio alongside our festival commentators to provide ‘on-air’ commentary for those watching further afield and out to sea and we will be looking at ways of providing enhanced live streaming for 2023.
Supplementary Question from Councillor Slade
Can you please tell me why we decided not to take advantage of the ... view the full minutes text for item 36
Questions from Councillors
The deadline for questions to be submitted to the Monitoring Officer is 5 September 2022.