The Brief
Sam Groom, in her role as Festivals & Events Manager at Visit Cornwall was responsible for the overall management of Falmouth Tall Ships Regatta in respect of all organisational and financial matters including health and safety. The event was supported by a number of Official Partners that contributed financial, in-kind and personnel contributions to enable the successful delivery of the event.
The aims of the regatta were to:
Deliver a world-class Tall Ships Regatta that created a memorable experience for visitors, residents, ships crews and volunteers, in a safe and accessible environment with appropriate stewarding, procedures and infrastructure in place.
Maximise the economic and social impact of the event for Cornwall
Maximise the promotional impact of the event for Cornwall in line with its standing as a leading visitor destination
Deliver contractual obligations to Sail Training International on behalf of Cornwall Council
Partners included Cornwall Development Company/Visit Cornwall – Lead Partner; Cornwall Council; Falmouth Town Council and Falmouth Town Management; Falmouth Tall Ships Association; A&P Falmouth; Falmouth Harbour Commissioners; Port Pendennis Marina; Cornwall Marine Network; National Maritime Museum Cornwall.
The Results
47 ships entered the race, including 12 class A square rigged vessels
197,000 attendees in total over the four days
£20.9 million associated event spend; £10.5 million truly associated to the event
Over £2.3m worth of PR coverage; national media highlights included front-page coverage in The Times and The Guardian
120 journalists, photographers and TV crew
2845 Twitter followers, 4324 Facebook likes
24,343 You Tube views
110,381 sessions recorded on the website
Tall Ships was the main reason for choosing to visit Cornwall for 66% of visitors
Attendee satisfaction levels were very high, with overall enjoyment of visit rating 4.73 on a scale of 1-5
Planning process was highly praised by Sail Training International
295 volunteers were engaged in supporting the event
Largest spectator fleet in living memory with over 1,300 vessels on the water