Collecting Interest Data for Highland Games ~Your Assistance Requested

**Semiomniscient** · 12th July 10, 11:20 PM

Your assisted is requested!
A member of our Highland Games & Celtic Festival "Steering Committee" dismissed some of my anecdotal accounts of what people want to see at Highland Games and Celtic Festivals. I think this is in part a way to avoid certain aspects of such events that some of our organizations are committed to. So, I am looking to collect interest data for Highland Games from those in the Scottish and otherwise Celtic community. I will post this questionnaire on other forums and compile the data. Those of you who are members in multiple places, I ask that you respond only once. I am perfectly happy with discussion on the matter to be carried out here... However, please give consideration to responding to the questionnaire beforehand. Also, if I've left something rather obvious out of the list, please correct me.

Please rank your top three Highland Games/Celtic Festival attractions from the following:

___Athletics (Heavy)
___Athletics (Light)
___Clan Booth/Tent
___Club/Society Booth/Tent
___Celtic Canines
___Dancing
___Music (traditional bands)
___Music (contemporary bands)
___Music (bag piping/drumming)
___Re-Enactment/Living History Groups
___Sheep-dog Demonstration
___Vendors (Highland Attire)
___Vendors (Keepsakes: t-shirts, decorative weaponry, keychains, bumper stickers, etc.)
___Vendors (Alcohol)
___Vendors (Food)
___Workshops (please specify_______________)
___Other________________________________
___Other________________________________
___Other________________________________

Optional questions:
How far do you typically travel to attend a Highland Games or Celtic Festival?

How important is "ambience" of such an event to you? Can you give an example of good "ambience"?

What is the biggest "turn off" perpetrated by Games/Festival organizers?

**BoldHighlander** · 13th July 10, 12:18 AM

See my answers in green below:

Originally Posted by Semiomniscient

Your assisted is requested!
A member of our Highland Games & Celtic Festival "Steering Committee" dismissed some of my anecdotal accounts of what people want to see at Highland Games and Celtic Festivals. I think this is in part a way to avoid certain aspects of such events that some of our organizations are committed to. So, I am looking to collect interest data for Highland Games from those in the Scottish and otherwise Celtic community. I will post this questionnaire on other forums and compile the data. Those of you who are members in multiple places, I ask that you respond only once. I am perfectly happy with discussion on the matter to be carried out here... However, please give consideration to responding to the questionnaire beforehand. Also, if I've left something rather obvious out of the list, please correct me.

Please rank your top three Highland Games/Celtic Festival attractions from the following:

_3_Athletics (Heavy)
___Athletics (Light)
_1_Clan Booth/Tent
___Club/Society Booth/Tent
___Celtic Canines
___Dancing
___Music (traditional bands)
___Music (contemporary bands)
_2_Music (bag piping/drumming)
___Re-Enactment/Living History Groups
___Sheep-dog Demonstration
___Vendors (Highland Attire)
___Vendors (Keepsakes: t-shirts, decorative weaponry, keychains, bumper stickers, etc.)
___Vendors (Alcohol)
___Vendors (Food)
___Workshops (please specify_______________)
___Other________________________________
___Other________________________________
___Other________________________________

Optional questions:
How far do you typically travel to attend a Highland Games or Celtic Festival?
100 miles, more or less (usually less)

How important is "ambience" of such an event to you? Can you give an example of good "ambience"?
Very -- first for me is the setting: is it in a stadium or ball field (yuck!) or is it in a setting (for example) like our local Bellingham Games, a historic park/farmstead.
The more "Scottish" it is, the better!! - e.g. Clans, bagpipes & drums, traditional heavy athletics, bagpipes & drums, Highland dancing, bagpipes & drums, dog trials, oh -- did I say bagpipes & drums?
Also, vendors are important to me, and so is how much Scottish/Celtic themed wares their hawking, leave the glass patio windows & leafless rain gutter hawkers outside the main gate!!!

What is the biggest "turn off" perpetrated by Games/Festival organizers?
Allowing the afore mentioned non-Scottish themed vendors on-site
Actually I'd have to give this one some thought...

**OC Richard** · 13th July 10, 03:53 AM

Originally Posted by Semiomniscient

___Athletics (Heavy)
___Athletics (Light)
___Clan Booth/Tent
___Club/Society Booth/Tent
___Celtic Canines
___Dancing
___Music (traditional bands)
___Music (contemporary bands)
1. Music (bag piping/drumming)
___Re-Enactment/Living History Groups
___Sheep-dog Demonstration
2. Vendors (Highland Attire)
___Vendors (Keepsakes: t-shirts, decorative weaponry, keychains, bumper stickers, etc.)
3. Vendors (Alcohol)
___Vendors (Food)
___Workshops (please specify_______________)
___Other________________________________
___Other________________________________
___Other________________________________

Optional questions:
How far do you typically travel to attend a Highland Games or Celtic Festival?
20 to 500 miles.
How important is "ambience" of such an event to you? Can you give an example of good "ambience"?
Lots of good pipe bands, good authentic Highland Dress vendors, high-quality Scottish/Irish/English beers on draught.

What is the biggest "turn off" perpetrated by Games/Festival organizers?
Loud "Celtic Rock" bands in the middle of everything.
Beer vendors only selling Bud Light etc.

By the way "bagpiping" is a single word.

**cessna152towser** · 13th July 10, 04:06 AM

Please rank your top three Highland Games/Celtic Festival attractions from the following:

1_Athletics (Heavy)
___Athletics (Light)
___Clan Booth/Tent
___Club/Society Booth/Tent
___Celtic Canines
_3__Dancing
___Music (traditional bands)
___Music (contemporary bands)
_2__Music (bag piping/drumming)
___Re-Enactment/Living History Groups
___Sheep-dog Demonstration
___Vendors (Highland Attire)
___Vendors (Keepsakes: t-shirts, decorative weaponry, keychains, bumper stickers, etc.)
___Vendors (Alcohol)
___Vendors (Food)
___Workshops (please specify_______________)
___Other________________________________
___Other________________________________
___Other________________________________

Optional questions:
How far do you typically travel to attend a Highland Games or Celtic Festival?
Up to 100 miles

How important is "ambience" of such an event to you? Can you give an example of good "ambience"?

Ambience is not essential but a games in the grounds of a historic Scottish castle is a bonus.

What is the biggest "turn off" perpetrated by Games/Festival organizers?
________________Funfairs, non-Scottish themed vendors. Regrettably though these are the things which bring in the public and help make the games viable__

**Detroitpete** · 13th July 10, 04:35 AM

Originally Posted by Semiomniscient

Your assisted is requested!
A member of our Highland Games & Celtic Festival "Steering Committee" dismissed some of my anecdotal accounts of what people want to see at Highland Games and Celtic Festivals. I think this is in part a way to avoid certain aspects of such events that some of our organizations are committed to. So, I am looking to collect interest data for Highland Games from those in the Scottish and otherwise Celtic community. I will post this questionnaire on other forums and compile the data. Those of you who are members in multiple places, I ask that you respond only once. I am perfectly happy with discussion on the matter to be carried out here... However, please give consideration to responding to the questionnaire beforehand. Also, if I've left something rather obvious out of the list, please correct me.

Please rank your top three Highland Games/Celtic Festival attractions from the following:

__1_Athletics (Heavy)
___Athletics (Light)
_2__Clan Booth/Tent
___Club/Society Booth/Tent
___Celtic Canines
___Dancing
___Music (traditional bands)
___Music (contemporary bands)
_3__Music (bag piping/drumming)
___Re-Enactment/Living History Groups
___Sheep-dog Demonstration
___Vendors (Highland Attire)
___Vendors (Keepsakes: t-shirts, decorative weaponry, keychains, bumper stickers, etc.)
___Vendors (Alcohol)
___Vendors (Food)
___Workshops (please specify_______________)
___Other________________________________
___Other________________________________
___Other________________________________

Optional questions:
How far do you typically travel to attend a Highland Games or Celtic Festival?

As much as 100 miles

How important is "ambience" of such an event to you? Can you give an example of good "ambience"?

Friendly, good announcers to keep the crowd interested and informed.

What is the biggest "turn off" perpetrated by Games/Festival organizers?

Lack of information about activities and locations.

**Semiomniscient** · 13th July 10, 09:14 AM

Thank you for your input! Thus far, I'm not sure how long I will continue to collect--probably at least a week to get more people in. After I compile all of my data, I will surely post it.

**artificer** · 13th July 10, 10:03 AM

Originally Posted by Semiomniscient

Please rank your top three Highland Games/Celtic Festival attractions from the following:

___Athletics (Heavy)
___Athletics (Light)
___Clan Booth/Tent
___Club/Society Booth/Tent
___Celtic Canines
___Dancing
_1__Music (traditional bands)
_2__Music (contemporary bands)
___Music (bag piping/drumming)
___Re-Enactment/Living History Groups
___Sheep-dog Demonstration
___Vendors (Highland Attire)
___Vendors (Keepsakes: t-shirts, decorative weaponry, keychains, bumper stickers, etc.)
_3__Vendors (Alcohol)
___Vendors (Food)
___Workshops (please specify_______________)
___Other________________________________
___Other________________________________
___Other________________________________

A close 4th would be Highland Attire and Food vendors.

Optional questions:
How far do you typically travel to attend a Highland Games or Celtic Festival?
>50miles

How important is "ambience" of such an event to you? Can you give an example of good "ambience"?
BoldHighlander made some great points. OCRichard did as well. I love contemporary 'celtic' music, but it's annoying when that's ALL you can hear.
Having the louder bands in the evenings, or off on one end of the gathering space allows for conversation elsewhere.

What is the biggest "turn off" perpetrated by Games/Festival organizers?

LARPers and RenFaire folk. There are festivals for that, they don't need the Highland Games/Festivals.

Two is bad beer. Bud Light (or any light) is cheap and nasty. With the myriad number of excellent microbrewers country-wide, there's no excuse to NOT have great beer at festivals (PLUS, it helps support your local businesses and MAY get you new sponsors/partners for the games).

Third are vendors of gutters, windows, and cheap inflatable festival 'tat', they may help pay the bills, but they really kill the atmosphere.

I haven't been going to Games very long, but I feel this way about other ethnic festivals as well (and we have one EVERY weekend ALL SUMMER long, so I do have some experience in the festival dept.)

**Kiltboy** · 17th July 10, 10:33 AM

Please rank your top three Highland Games/Celtic Festival attractions from the following:

__2_Athletics (Heavy)
_3__Music (contemporary bands)
_1__Vendors (Highland Attire)

Optional questions:
How far do you typically travel to attend a Highland Games or Celtic Festival?
50 miles

How important is "ambience" of such an event to you? Can you give an example of good "ambience"?
Very. Woodlands, parks are best with shade, flora and fauna. Plain open fields or grazing lands are the worst.

What is the biggest "turn off" perpetrated by Games/Festival organizers?
Non-festival related vendors.

**MacMillan of Rathdown** · 17th July 10, 01:39 PM

Originally Posted by Semiomniscient

Your assisted is requested!
A member of our Highland Games & Celtic Festival "Steering Committee" dismissed some of my anecdotal accounts of what people want to see at Highland Games and Celtic Festivals. I think this is in part a way to avoid certain aspects of such events that some of our organizations are committed to. So, I am looking to collect interest data for Highland Games from those in the Scottish and otherwise Celtic community. I will post this questionnaire on other forums and compile the data. Those of you who are members in multiple places, I ask that you respond only once. I am perfectly happy with discussion on the matter to be carried out here... However, please give consideration to responding to the questionnaire beforehand. Also, if I've left something rather obvious out of the list, please correct me.

Please rank your top three Highland Games/Celtic Festival attractions from the following:

_2_Athletics (Heavy)
___Athletics (Light)
_1_Clan Booth/Tent
___Club/Society Booth/Tent
___Celtic Canines
___Dancing
___Music (traditional bands)
___Music (contemporary bands)
___Music (bag piping/drumming)
___Re-Enactment/Living History Groups
___Sheep-dog Demonstration
_3_Vendors (Highland Attire)
___Vendors (Keepsakes: t-shirts, decorative weaponry, keychains, bumper stickers, etc.)
___Vendors (Alcohol)
___Vendors (Food)
___Workshops (please specify_______________)
___Other________________________________
___Other________________________________
___Other________________________________

Optional questions:
How far do you typically travel to attend a Highland Games or Celtic Festival?
50-400 miles
How important is "ambience" of such an event to you? Can you give an example of good "ambience"?Ambience is very important; Loch Norman Games and Greenville Games rate high

What is the biggest "turn off" perpetrated by Games/Festival organizers?

quasi-Celtic anything, renn faire tents, LARPers and Pirates rate right up there near the top. Oh yes, and they need to crack down on admitting people wearing white socks with kilts...

...

**davidlpope** · 17th July 10, 02:16 PM

Originally Posted by Semiomniscient

Please rank your top three Highland Games/Celtic Festival attractions from the following:

_3__Athletics (Heavy)
_1__Clan Booth/Tent
_4__Dancing
_2__Music (bag piping/drumming)

Optional questions:
How far do you typically travel to attend a Highland Games or Celtic Festival? 1 to 5 driving hours from home.

How important is "ambience" of such an event to you? Very Important. Can you give an example of good "ambience"? Nice, outdoor natural surroundings- Cool Weather- Focus on the traditional HIGHLAND aspects of the event- e.g. piping, drumming, heavy events. I agree with Scott that Loch Norman and Greenville tend to be the best local examples, GMHG is a mixed bag- beautiful setting and good piping/ heavy events, but high on the freak-flag flying...

What is the biggest "turn off" perpetrated by Games/Festival organizers? Other than normally planning games for the most humid, hot months of the year, it's including all the "fluff"- e.g. "haggis throws", "bonniest knees contests"- "Celtic" bands- Faeries- SCA- Pirates- Folks who mistake Highland Games for RenFair- blue facepaint- big fake swords- leather knee-high "moccasins". I really wish that all Highland Games organizers had to attend at least three normal highland games/ gatherings in Scotland before planning their own event here in the US.