Connecting to the cultural consumer: The MONA FOMA experience

Festivals are now a ubiquitous part of the global cultural landscape. From iconic music festivals such as England's Glastonbury and the numerous biennale art events in cities such as Venice, Sao Paulo and Sydney, to small 'trance' music festivals in Goa, India, the consumer seeking a cultural experience has a wide choice. For Australian consumers, theme-based festivals can be found in comedy, film, digital media, jazz, folk, writing, art and circus. Fans of just about any cultural interest can find - and, importantly, immerse themselves in - a festival, and sometimes more than once; it is not unusual for Big Day Out fans to attend multiple events in different locations, for example. Similarly, art fans might travel to New South Wales for the Biennale of Sydney, and then to Tasmania for the '10 Days on the Island' art festival. In some ways, then, starting a new art and music festival is a tough ask. What would make a consumer attend one festival rather than another? Tasmania's MONA FOMA has secured a solid place in the Australian art and music scene in only two years [three after 201 1] (Darby 2010). How they have done it lies in understanding the philosophy and approach of MONA FOMA, the nature of the festival consumer, and the marketing strategies that they have used to connect to such a consumer.