In 2010 South Australia’s leading energy company, Santos, united with the Adelaide Festival to help deliver two free community events on a huge scale – A Little More Light in Victoria Park and Northern Lights in North Terrace.
Each Adelaide Festival begins with a major free event. For its 50th anniversary in 2010, the festival looked to expand Northern Lights, a series of large-scale projections on major public buildings. Parliament House was illuminated forthe first time, with depictions of important Aboriginal dreamingstories. A Little More Light was the creation of French pyrotechnic masters Groupe F France.
The two events were enjoyed by a combined audience of 476,000 – 37 per cent more than similar events at previous festivals. Beyond the numbers involved, the events delivered inspiring experiences with an extensive impact. "It was amazing to see so many people whom you would not usually see at afestival event, especially young families, many with grandparents in tow," commented local business leader Maureen Ritchie.
Santos has supported many Adelaide Festivals over the last 20 years, and an exclusive agreement for Northern Lights and A Little More Light was reached in August 2009. The partners' chief objective was to contribute to the cultural energy of the city. For Santos, the partnership helps to build community credibilityand brand positioning. There is strong staff involvement, with 100 Santos employees participating in the events as volunteers.
To maximise their impact, Santos and the festival joined forces to develop new ideas that added value. These included:
- a photo booth, staffed by Santos volunteers, wheremembers of the public could have a free photo professionally taken in front of Northern Lights, which they could take home as a printed memento or share digitally via social networking websites
- 25,000 glowsticks distributed by Santos volunteers at A Little More Light, creating a sea of blue among the crowd
- an extensive online presence including a video of Northern Lights, stories, galleries, a blog and an interview with Paul Grabowsky.
The festival’s designers created additional signage for Santos, sympathetic to the branding of both organisations. "Being community partner was a great success for Santos," said David Knox, Santos' chief executive officer and managing director. "As an energy company, it was a natural fit for us to help bring two unforgettable high-energy events to the South Australian community."
Adelaide Festival and Santos were state winners of the Toyota Community Award at the 2010 AbaF Awards in South Australia.
Image: A Little More Light, Adelaide Festival 2010. Photo: Matt Nettheim