Tour kicked off in China, will stop in mission city in May
San Juan Bautista is just one city on a tour of an international
music festival that will land in the Mission city over Memorial Day
weekend. The musicians kicked off the festival in China and will be
stopping in Jackson, Miss., Memphis, Tenn. and Chicago, said Frank
Beaty, the promoter.
Tour kicked off in China, will stop in mission city in May
San Juan Bautista is just one city on a tour of an international music festival that will land in the Mission city over Memorial Day weekend. The musicians kicked off the festival in China and will be stopping in Jackson, Miss., Memphis, Tenn. and Chicago, said Frank Beaty, the promoter.
The goal is to attract at least 10,000 visitors per day, said Frank Beaty, the event’s promoter.
“It’s nothing that San Juan Bautista hasn’t handled in the past,” said Jan McClintock, San Juan Bautista’s city manager.
In comparison, the Independence Rally in Hollister hosts 5 times as many visitors.
Beaty does not handle small, local events, he said. He usually handles events for cities that would like to attract tourism, he said.
“This is the type of event that will draw from the entire region,” he said. “They [city staff] had this goal of wanting to bring more visitors.
Blues performer Bobby Rush, and gospel group the Jackson Southernaires will perform at the festival, Beaty said
“We’re talking to some others,” Beaty said.
His goal is to have a mix of genres, including blues, gospel, Latino and country music.
San Juan staff have not hosted a big event in five or six years, McClintock said. Some residents do not like the events, and some love them, she said.
“It’s all part of living in a tourist town,” she said.
The event is an opportunity to showcase all of San Benito County, McClintock said.
After expenses, Beaty will receive 25 percent of the profits from the festival, he said. He will also produce a video of the event, he said.
The other 75 percent of the profits will go to the city of San Juan Bautista through the nonprofit San Juan Bautista Community Foundation, Beaty said.
The proceeds will pay for things such as a recreation program for youth, seniors, and historical preservation, McClintock said.
“We haven’t decided exactly where we’re going to set up,” said McClintock, referring to the musicians. “The artists will be set up in the streets.”
Beaty has a two-year contract with the city, he said.
“If the event goes well and both parties are satisfied, it will continue,” he said.
Beaty goes into any event with a five-year plan, he said.
The first year, he hopes to break even. He hopes to make a clear profit the third year. By year five, he hopes the event will be firmly established.
“I never do anything without expecting to make money,” Beaty said. “An event like this is a lot of work. It takes at least a year.”
If the event does not make money, Beaty will bear the cost of the shortfall, he said.
He is actively pursuing corporate sponsors, he said.
“That’s my job,” Beaty said.
Corporate sponsors help offset the cost of stages, lights, audio, trash and other details of putting on the event, McClintock said.
The festival started in China in late August 2007, Beaty said.
“Since that time we have been putting together the event in the U.S.,” he said.
The festival will do one show in Moscow, and possibly a show in Saint Petersburg, Russia, he said.
The idea for the festival originated in China, Beaty said.
“We’re doing this in partnership with the Badaling Great Wall Foundation and the Great Wall Society,” Beaty said.
The Badaling Great Wall Foundation of Beijing and the Great Wall Society are nonprofits that support the Great Wall of China, Beaty said.
They also want to encourage an interest in visiting the Great Wall of China among those who will attend the Olympics in Beijing, he said. Beaty already had a contract to do an event in San Juan Bautista, he said. When the opportunity to host the international festival arose, San Juan officials were excited about the possibility, Beaty said.
