Sumo

'A spectacular 10 days of inspiring and stimulating arts festivities,' is how David Hill, Chief Executive of Milton Keynes Council described the IF Festival, a major new international festival which took place between 16-25 July 2010.

The festival was about raising the artistic ambition of Milton Keynes to encourage more people to discover that the arts are for them, show the city in a new light and support the visitor economy.

Sumo were involved with the festival from early in it's development, helping to name the festival, developing the festival brand and producing the marketing campaign for the event.

The IF Festival attracted over 90,800 people over the 10 days reaching new audiences within the local community and also generating tourism with 72% of those surveyed saying that attending the festival was their main reason for visiting Milton Keynes.

It is estimated that the festival brought £4.5 million in economic benefit to the city. This impact of the festival on the visitor economy was obvious to partners. Colin Fox, Chief Executive of Milton Keynes Economy & Learning Partnership observed, 'It is clear to me that the city attracted new visitors and probably provided a different perspective on the city for those who may have been sceptics.'

Jim Richardson, Managing Director of Sumo said, 'The IF Festival is a fantastic example of an arts event capturing the imagination of new audiences, we can't wait to do it all again in 2012'.