Study shows: the Traumzeit Festival generates measurable economic benefits for Duisburg

The analysis focuses on the festival’s so-called indirect economic impact. The study examined the regional economic effects generated by public funding, expenditure by visitors from outside the area, and expenditure by local organisers. The study is based on a visitor survey involving around 300 participants, as well as secondary data on ticket sales, the use of local funds and public funding.

The results show that the Traumzeit Festival generates significant demand effects in Duisburg and the wider region. The study puts visitor spending by out-of-town guests at around 222,000 euros and local organiser expenditure at around 338,000 euros. With public funding of 310,000 euros, this results in a direct return on investment of 1.81. Taking indirect and induced effects into account, the calculated total economic impact amounts to around 840,000 euros. For every euro of public funding invested, this therefore generates a calculated regional economic impact of 2.71 euros.

“The results show that cultural funding not only facilitates cultural participation, artistic diversity and the city’s profile, but can also provide concrete economic impetus,” says Frank Jebavy, Director of Landschaftspark Duisburg Nord. “The Traumzeit Festival has had close ties with Duisburg and the Landschaftspark for many years. The study now demonstrates that the catering sector, retail, service providers and other local stakeholders also benefit from this.”

The study was carried out by Kiara Koch under the supervision of Prof. Dr Matthias Johannes Bauer as her final dissertation for the Master’s programme in Communication Management at the IST University of Management in Düsseldorf. “I was particularly interested in how the economic effects of an established cultural festival can be measured empirically,” says graduate Kiara Koch. “The study shows that the Traumzeit Festival should not be viewed in isolation as a cultural event, but rather as an event that generates additional demand in the city and thus has an impact beyond the festival grounds.”

For Prof. Dr Matthias Johannes Bauer, Professor of Communication Management at IST University and a specialist in festival management through his research and teaching for many years, the study also serves as an example of the growing importance of empirical foundations in the festival industry. “In the public debate on cultural funding, arguments are often based on fundamental positions. That is precisely why we need more robust data and evidence-based decisions,” says Professor Bauer, an expert on festivals. “The study on the Traumzeit Festival exemplifies how applied university research can help us gain a more nuanced understanding of the economic, cultural and urban-societal effects of festivals.”

The Traumzeit Festival was founded in 1997 and takes place in the Duisburg-Nord Landscape Park. The three-day festival attracts around 10,000 visitors annually and combines a high-calibre music programme with a unique industrial-cultural venue. The current study focuses primarily on the directly measurable economic effects. Intangible effects – such as those on image, the city’s appeal as a location, cultural identity or the perception of Duisburg as a festival and cultural city – were not fully monetised in the calculation.

The results thus provide an empirical basis for further discussion on the significance of publicly funded major cultural events. At the same time, they demonstrate that festivals must be considered holistically as cultural events, tourist attractions, location factors and drivers of economic growth.

About festival research and festival management at the IST University of Management

For several years, the IST University of Management has been intensively engaged in research and teaching on issues relating to festival and event management. Key research areas include, amongst others, visitor behaviour, sustainability, awareness, safety, accessibility, brand management, communication, and the economic and social impacts of festivals.

The insights gained are regularly incorporated into teaching and are further developed in collaboration with industry partners from the events sector. These topics feature particularly prominently in the Communication & Event Management (BA) and Communication Management with a specialisation in Event and Festival Management (MA) degree programmes, as well as in the Festival Management certificate course . Students are encouraged to conduct academic research into current challenges facing the festival and events industry and to carry out their own research projects.

IST University of Management

The “IST University of Management” offers industry-specific distance-learning programmes in the fields of “Communication & Business”, “Tourism & Hospitality”, “Sport & Management” and “Fitness & Health”. These include, on the one hand, Bachelor’s degree programmes suitable both for school leavers aiming to start a career in the relevant sector and for those who already have professional experience and wish to prepare for the next step in their career. On the other hand, there are Master’s programmes designed for the next step on the educational or career ladder. Almost all programmes are offered not only as full-time and part-time options but also as dual study programmes – that is, a combination of practical vocational training in a company and academic teaching at a university. All programmes are characterised by a high degree of flexibility, modern teaching methods including online lectures and tutorials, a strong practical focus, and the opportunity to choose personalised areas of specialisation. Students thus obtain recognised academic qualifications that prepare them for leadership roles in middle and senior management.