THE GROUP
News
Music festival flying high thanks to Air Southwest and Sutton Harbour sponsorship
23 March 2010
The Sutton Harbour Group and Air Southwest are to be the lead commercial sponsors for the 2010 Plymouth Barbican Jazz and Blues Festival, it was announced today [March 23].
The deal comes as organisers start preparations to welcome some of the top international jazz and blues performers to Plymouth’s Barbican as part of the May bank-holiday festival.
Sutton Harbour Group’s Chief Executive, Nigel Godefroy, said: “We are supporting this significant event because it brings colour, vibrancy, visitors and business to Sutton Harbour.
“We recognise that this event is an important one, not only for Sutton Harbour but for the Barbican in general, for Plymouth, and hopefully for the whole region.”
The sponsorship is enabling the Festival to extend around Sutton Harbour and the Barbican, expanding its reach and impact. It will also allow increased marketing activity to a maritime audience – important for boosting visitor numbers in the future.
Festival Director Katie Thompson said: “We’re delighted that Sutton Harbour Group and Air Southwest have agreed to get involved this year.
“It means that we can put on even more amazing music in this lovely area of the city, and attract more and more visitors to see what Plymouth’s got to offer.“
The festival takes place from May 1-9 across a network of venues in the Barbican area, and includes a number of well-know performers such as singers Claire Martin and Ian Shaw, the award-winning jazz band Empirical and the teen guitar sensation Jack Blackman.
The Barbican Jazz and Blues Festival, now in its third year, traditionally acts as an opener for the larger Plymouth Summer Festival – a four-month bonanza of events running from May to September that includes the Sutton Harbour Classic Boat Rally, FlavourFest and the spectacular British Fireworks Championships.
“We’re really excited about this year’s event,” explained Katie Thompson. “We’ve got more headliners, more dancing and more gigs programmed, and this sponsorship really helps to underpin the Festival so that we can be bigger and better and market the event much wider too.
“Our city is in a wonderful waterfront setting, and we want to add some atmosphere and action on top to make our bit of Devon a jazz and blues destination for music and culture travellers. It makes a lot of sense for us to be sponsored by Air Southwest and by Sutton Harbour Group, and I’m sure we’ll make beautiful music together.”
For more information visit www.barbicanjazzandbluesfestival.com
SUH.L
