Moogfest to return in 2016

ASHEVILLE – After a successful relaunch in April, Moogfest will return in 2016, becoming a biennial event to bring technologists, entrepreneurs and music fans to town, and the potential for more tech companies.

"We think that doing Moogfest every two years makes the event a little more special," said Mike Adams, president of Moog Music Inc. "That also gives us more time to curate the level of programming that we need."

The festival will take a break in 2015.

The 2014 event successfully placed Asheville at the intersection of art, technology and entertainment, Adams said. Moogfest and Asheville received 1.3 billion mentions from media outlets worldwide in technology, science and science fiction, as well as music.

Moog Music invested $3 million in the festival; the event ended up $1.5 million in the red, a huge investment for the privately held company.

"We had to look at the financial health of the company. We couldn't put the level of investment into it each and every year," Adams said.

But the finances weren't the deciding factor in the decision. Rather than returning within the next 10 months, the extra time allows employees of Moog Music to catch their breath after a huge investment of staff time and energy, said Emmy Parker, Moog's brand director.

"Even if we had $10 million, we would opt for every two years," Parker said. "Ten months is not enough time to secure the level of talent that we need."

Adams and Parker said they were confident that corporate sponsorship would step in to make the festival financially sustainable every two years going forward. The 2014 festival attracted corporate visitors from SAS, the $3 billion software company in Raleigh, along with Redhat and Google.

He said he was grateful for the early support of both Asheville and Buncombe County. The festival received $90,000 in funding from the county and $40,000 from the city of Asheville, along with another $50,000 in in-kind services.

"It was good return on investment. You can't buy that type of exposure," said David Gantt, chairman of the Buncombe Board of Commissioners. "Moogfest gives a vehicle to get to people who might not consider Asheville as a place for technology otherwise. Impressions are one of the economic indicators of the new age. It's not the traditional economic development model, I think it's the future."

Organizers never portrayed Moogfest as a moneymaker in its first year, said Mayor Esther Manheimer.

"We have a company based here willing to put forward their own capital to produce a citywide event in part to help expand our footprint in technology business. That was a good investment," Manheimer said.

Moogfest was put on pause in 2013 after Moog Music, an electronic music instrument manufacturer, split with A.C. Entertainment, a Tennessee concert promoter and festival organizer. The company partnered with A.C. Entertainment to produce a multiday music festival in downtown Asheville 2010-12.

The company decided it wanted to develop a festival format that emphasized technology and innovation more in line with the pioneering spirit of company founder and inventor Bob Moog.

Organizers touted the revamped arts and technology festival as a way to bring more attention to Asheville as a place to do high tech business.

"I've met tech entrepreneurs who had the problem we have in hiring people. There's not a critical mass of tech companies and talent here. The Economic Development Coalition does a good job in traditional recruitment. We see Moogfest as a way to enhance that economic development," Adams said.

The April event included more than 100 musical performances, 105 speakers, panels, multimedia installations and public art exhibits and expos, housed in almost 20 venues in downtown Asheville.

It attracted 7,000 badge holders, with some traveling from as far as Tokyo and Guatemala to attend. More than 25,000 people filled the streets of downtown for the free programming.

An economic study was conducted during the event through the Asheville Chamber of Commerce, and students from Western Carolina University will provide more data. It's expected to be released later this month.

Manheimer would like to see Moogfest become a signature event for the city every two years.

"That would be my hope," the mayor said. "Moogfest is a unique collision of arts and technology that says Asheville to me. It's a good fit and valuable from economic development standpoint."

Drawing attention

According to a Fame House report made public Tuesday, Moogfest garnered more than 1 billion impressions in print and digital efforts — meaning the number of times content was seen.

The study looks at media generated from March to early May. Fame House is a music and entertainment company with expertise in digital marketing and strategy, with clients such as artists Eminem and Tiesto, and festivals like Electric Zoo in New York City.

The study says 100 percent of the press that mentions Moogfest also mentions Asheville.

Traditional impressions totaled 1.38 billion, according to the report. The major sources of impression: Huffington Post at 205.2 million; People Magazine, 42.8 million; New York Times, 18.8 million; CNET Magazine at 11.3 million, Time Magazine at 3.3 million impressions, Billboard at 400,000.

The top media outlets represent a range — from traditional news outlets like NPR and CBS Radio to traditional music publications like Spin and Rolling Stone — as well as tech-centric outlets like CNET and Engadget.

Moogfest was also covered by major British outlets, BBC and The Guardian.

When it comes to user-generated content — not from Moogfest itself — roughly 60 percent of users who mentioned Moogfest also mention Asheville in the same post.

"It's one way if we go out and say Asheville is so great," Parker said. "It's another thing when we invite people from all over the world to come here, experience Asheville and go off and tell everyone else it's true. Asheville is so great."

High-profile Twitter users also posted about the spring festival. DJ and Moogfest performer Mix Master Mike tweeted "the entire blocked rocked Moogfest much love Asheville nc!! Blessing!" to his 45,800 followers.

The Fader shared two Moogfest mixes on its Twitter account to 202,000 followers. Cool Hunting shared the Moogfest daily lineup to 240,000 followers, for example.

This generated close to 30 million impressions for Asheville, the study says.

And Moogfest speakers will continue to inspire new audiences when the videotaped keynote addresses and panel discussions are posted online at Moog's website.

Parker also emphasized that this media portrayal is different than the typical celebration of this region, which often makes national headlines for city's food and beer scene, as well as natural beauty and outdoor recreation.

"There is another conversation — in addition to that conversation — that can be had," she said. "Moogfest was a great way for us to show that within five days."

Moogfest by the numbers

100 musical performances

105 speakers, panels, multimedia installations and public art exhibits and expos

20 venues in downtown Asheville

7,000 badge holders

25,000 people filled the streets of downtown for the free programming

1.38 billion traditional media impressions between March-May

Statistics from 2014