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Economic Impact Survey

Shared Audience Data Collection for Festivals & Events

Through ongoing conversations within BC Live’s Festival Caucus, we have identified a need for more consistent, comparable data to help demonstrate the economic impact of festivals and events across the province.

In response, we’ve collaboratively developed a short set of standardized post-event audience survey questions. These questions are designed to be simple to implement while generating meaningful insights into visitor behaviour, spending, and travel patterns.

By using a shared set of questions, we can begin to build a stronger, collective picture of the sector’s economic contribution. This can supporting advocacy efforts, funding applications, and long-term planning.

We encourage all festivals and event organizers to incorporate these questions into their post-event surveys wherever possible.

Let’s make sure the voices of our arts community are heard loud and clear.

If you are collecting the data below, we encourage you to share your findings with us so we can continue building a stronger, province-wide understanding of festival impact. You can share your data via our Google form.

Economic Impact Survey Questions

You can also share your data by emailing us at festivals@bclive.ca.

Post-Event Audience Survey Questions

  1. Did you travel specifically to attend this event, or were you already in the area for other reasons?
  2. If you stayed in off-site accommodations, how many total rooms did your group use?
    (To calculate this figure, multiply the number of rooms by the number of nights.)
  3. Approximately how much did you spend on shopping, entertainment, or other local activities during your visit?
  4. Approximately how much did you spend on accommodation during your visit?
  5. Approximately how much did you spend on food and beverages while attending the event?

Additional Data to Capture

In addition to the survey questions above, we recommend collecting the following information through your ticketing system or internal reporting:

  • Summary of ticketing data / total audience numbers
  • Average travel distance for audience members

How to Use This Data

  • Include these questions in your post-event audience surveys (email follow-ups, QR codes, or on-site prompts)
  • Keep questions consistent year over year to track trends
  • Use the data to support grant applications, sponsor reporting, and municipal/provincial advocacy
  • Combine results with your ticketing data to strengthen your overall impact story