22 replies to this topic

[Mike K.]

Symphony Splash loses top sponsor
Orchestra needs $75,000 to fund event after Island Hearing pulls out

BY ADRIAN CHAMBERLAIN AND SARAH PETRESCU Times Colonist staff

The Victoria Symphony Splash, reeling from the surprise loss of its flagship sponsor, is urgently casting for a replacement.

Island Hearing withdrew its lead sponsorship of the popular Inner Harbour event on Wednesday, stunning orchestra officials who had believed the Victoriabased hearing-aid company was about to agree to a long-term commitment.

“I was deeply surprised and disappointed,” symphony conductor Tania Miller said yesterday. “I had been thrilled with the connection we had with Island Hearing.”

The symphony now needs to hook a new $75,000 sponsor — and soon — or else scale back this summer’s event, said Marcus Handman, the orchestra’s general manager. Last August, the concert drew 40,000 people to the Inner Harbour.

Handman insisted the 18-year-old barge concert won’t sink, but he would not speculate on how the Splash might be pared down. He said every aspect will be re-examined if cuts are deemed necessary.

Handman said Island Hearing’s pullout as flagship sponsor came as a surprise as talks with the company had been “positive.”

“It’s very late in the process,” said Handman, who hopes to score a new lead sponsor before March 31, which could be difficult as Victoria is not known as a corporate centre. “We’re talking about someone, to be frank, with deep pockets.”

In 2006, Island Hearing incurred expenses of $100,000 directly related to supporting the Symphony Splash, said Bruce Marshall, the company’s marketing director. Handman, citing a confidentiality agreement, would not say how much of that $100,000 the orchestra received. But he did say a new title sponsor would be expected to donate about $75,000 to the Splash, a no-admission event that costs more than $300,000 a year to stage.

The symphony asks for donations from the audience, but last year that brought in only $42,000, far less than the $60,000 Handman had hoped to raise. That meant the orchestra took home just $20,000 from the event.

Although it has pulled out as the title sponsor, Island Hearing plans to continue as a reduced “community sponsor” this year. It will also provide as many as 50 volunteers for the Aug. 5 event.

Company president Marke Hambley said Island Hearing, which has 80 branches across Canada, struggled with the decision, but reduced its support because it wants to distribute sponsorship funds more equitably around the country. The company had agreed to be a lead sponsor on a one-time trial basis, and was satisfied with the result, he added.

Although Handman said Island Hearing’s decision reflects the changing priorities of Swiss firm Phonak, which purchased the Canadian company last April, Hambley denied the decision came from Europe. “It was my decision,” he said. “I run the company. This is a local decision.”

The Victoria Symphony’s headache follows that of Vancouver’s Celebration of Light fireworks festival, which is in jeopardy because a major sponsor pulled out. The Vancouver Fireworks Festival Society must raise $500,000 to make up for Telus’s decision not to renew its grant in 2007.

[VicHockeyFan]

The Splash is a waste of time, and Lord only knows how it costs $300,000 to pull off. 40,000 cheapos all in one place at one time.

[Icebergalley]

Fun time in at the Cuaseway and Ship Point and Beacon Hill and The Leg. grounds...

Lots of music.. the visiting marching bands for the Parade are playing at these locations..

Wonder if any one told 20 or so jazz band that sound is limited to 5 person bands in Victoria...

Guess there's one rule for the locals and another for the visitors...