Page 635 - Week 02 - Thursday, 20 March 2014
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Detailed research is currently being undertaken, including calculating the economic impact and finalising the total attendance figures for the event. But at this stage, attendance at free and ticketed events reflects an increase on last year’s attendance.
Enlighten was featured extensively in the mainstream and social media. Key performers were featured in the local and national press, radio and television. Statistics show a significant increase in website visits and social media interactions for the Enlighten festival. I am advised that the Enlighten Canberra website was visited more than 110,000 times, and the Enlighten Facebook page gained over 7½ thousand new friends during the festival period.
Mr Hanson: That’s nice.
MR BARR: It is very good.
Mr Coe: Likes or friends?
MR BARR: New friends—friends, likes, yes.
Mr Hanson: No, it is not the same thing, is it?
MR BARR: It depends whether it was a page or a profile. I believe it is a page; so likes it would be. It would be likes, 7½ thousand new likes.
Mrs Jones: Measuring policy by likes?
MR BARR: Measuring policy or measuring outcomes and engagement with the festival by likes, yes, that is right. I can advise members, who I am sure are very interested, also that the Enlighten hashtag trended nationwide during the first weekend of the event. It was very good.
The 2014 Canberra Day celebrations were of course held, as is tradition, over the Canberra Day long weekend and included Enlighten, symphony in the park and Canberra Day in the park. Symphony in the park was held on Sunday, 9 March at stage 88, and Canberra Day in the park was held the following day. Symphony in the park attracted 10,000 people to stage 88, and the Canberra Day in the park program attracted 35,000. Both events attracted significant media coverage, again, in the local press, radio, television and social media.
The Canberra balloon spectacular was from 8 to 16 March on the lawns of Old Parliament House. About 32,000 people attended the Canberra balloon spectacular over the nine days which, I am advised, is an increase on last year. Of course there was a great deal of media coverage, both locally and nationally, of the balloon spectacular event. The Today show undertook a live broadcast of the event, and their weather crosses took place from the balloon field throughout the entire morning. Social media experienced an incredible increase for the Canberra balloon spectacular, with a series of photographs going viral on the Australia.com Facebook page, attracting 80,000 likes.
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