An encore? The Wild West Music Fest was marketed this year as the first of what may become a yearly event. The website already references the 2024 Wild West Music Fest. The city was remarkably upbeat with its answer as to whether there will be another festival next year. Konnold said the event “paved the way for future spectacular celebrations.” He said he felt the event was an over- whelming success but couldn’t answer if the city got any return on investment of taxpayers’ money. Based on the contract and conversations with city officials, it’s unclear yet what the city’s objective returns were — financial or otherwise. “The Wild West Music Fest surpassed expectations, boasting robust security measures, efficient traffic plans, top-notch cleanliness strategies and an unwavering commitment to affordability,” he said. “While final financial reports are pending, our event partner has already expressed interest in extending the celebration into the coming years.”
had been exhausted and referenced a final push to get the word out. As referenced in the initial contract, the city was supposed to sign off on all contracts for musical acts. Yet none of those contracts were available through a FOIA request.
Klein said in a statement. “Intentionally forming partnerships with local businesses and concentrating our marketing efforts in Maricopa, as the event was hosted in honor of the city’s 20th anniversary, was crucial.” However, when SLE executed its marketing plan, which included an advertising budget of more than $30,000, roughly 93% of those funds went to efforts outside of Maricopa. • The top category was social media, which accounted for $6,876. • Online (non-social media) was second at $6,518. • Another notable expenditure was on three television buys for $5,167, including 3TV AZ Family ($1,520), ABC15 ($1,647) and FOX 10 ($2,000.) • An additional $5,635 went into radio, including Audacy 101.5 ($1475), IHeart Radio ($2,660), Sierra H Broadcasting ($1,500) and $500 with Spotify. • Outdoor advertising took up $5,349 of the budget with a notable purchase at the intersection of I-10 and Chandler Boulevard between Sept. 17 and Oct. 15 for $2,660. • Direct advertising, which consisted of door hangers and flyers distributed locally, took up $2,362. • Print media outlets accounted for $750 of the budget, with all of that going to Phoenix New Times . Missing details The contract stipulated SLE to provide the city weekly progress reports that included ticket sales, marketing efforts, sponsorship and vendor reports. A FOIA request revealed there’s no record of those contractually-agreed progress reports as the request only garnered a list of paid sponsorships and a 60-page production packet containing a boilerplate list of standard operating procedures for just about every eventuality, a list of vendors and contact information. It didn't include any updates on ticket sales or any information that would give a greater picture into the inner workings of how the festival was produced. In another request, the city provided an undated marketing plan with a rough accounting of the promoter’s marketing budget, along with some of the deliverables each media outlet provided or were scheduled to provide with a handful of weeks to go. Some of the wording in the report acknowledged the budget
“The Wild West Music Fest surpassed expectations, boasting robust security measures, efficient traffic plans, top-notch cleanliness strategies and an unwavering commitment to affordability.” QUINN KONNOLD, CITY SPOKESPERSON
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December 2023 | InMaricopa.com
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