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Elvis has left the Building
Elvis has left the Building
(Benidorm) The first Elvis Fiesta held in Benidorm over the weekend of 8th – 11th of April was absolutely fabulous and we can’t WAIT for next year’s! The Organizers’ Opinion The event was brought to the resort by Elvis Festival organizers Peter Phillips and Harriett Raybould who run the biggest Elvis Festival in the world held every year in Porthcawl, Wales. They’ve run out of space in Wales and wanted a bigger resort to host their event which attracts around 30,000 Elvis fans from around the world – hence it’s arrival in Benidorm. So are Peter and Harriet pleased with the first Elvis Benidorm ‘Fiesta’? “Absolutely delighted” says Peter. “We didn’t make any money but that was intentional!” he adds with a grin “You have to invest heavily in a project this size early on because you only have one chance to make a first impression. We brought in the very best ETA’s (Elvis tribute Acts) and plenty of our team from Porthcawl – enough to cover an event twice this size. We didn’t cut any corners and we have sewn the seeds for what we expect to be, in just a couple of years, an even bigger festival than the one we hold every September in Porthcawl”. The Guests’ Opinion Everyone had a fantastic time” said Harriet. “And so many have told us already they’ll be coming back next year - and some weren’t even Elvis fans!” She added. As if on cue we are joined by David and Marie, a couple from Ireland who just happened to be staying in the Hotel while the event was taking place and indeed agreed it had been the highlight of their holiday. “It was fantastic”, said David, “we’ll definitely be booking for next year’s Elvis Fiesta!” added Marie. The event attracted mostly new faces to Benidorm which is great for tourism as many of these people admitted they wouldn’t have otherwise booked Benidorm because of its often portrayed poor image. “But they all loved it!” said Harriet “They said it was far nicer than they’d expected and some are even coming back for a proper holiday later in the year”. So indeed, the knock on effect of an event this size are incalculable and all good for our resort. The Hotel’s Opinion Roundtown spoke to the Hotel Melia’s event’s coordinator Esther Montero to ask how the Hotel felt the event had gone. “Better than expected!” said Esther with a huge grin. “In fact of all the events I have coordinated over the years at the Melia we have never, ever had such a professional team as Mr Phillips; everything from setting up the equipment for the floor show to the actual sound system, everything was so perfect. It has been a pleasure to work with Mr Phillips and we would be delighted to host the event again next year” concluded Esther. The Locals’ Opinion The local bar owners were delighted to have 600 fresh faced Benidorm ‘virgins’ descend upon them! There was no trouble, they were here to enjoy the festival and the music and it was great for the bars because they did some serious supping throughout! Learning Curve But like anything new, there were a few stumbling blocks and frustrating moments for Peter along the way, most notably was the exchanges with the SGAE (Spanish performing rights association). “We appreciate we have to pay tax and arn’t trying to shy away form it”, insisted Peter. “But the way in which this individual (the local SGAE representative) tried to pull the plug on the whole event just 24 hours before kick off was outrageous! Luckily the Melia were able to sort this hiccup – but it’s not what we expected form a 21st EU state member that is Spain – this was more what you’d expect from Dictator Franco’s reign!”. Peter was also disappointed by the lack of enthusiasm from the local authorities. “We have been organizing this event since November and asking for an official quote from the Benidorm Mayor since then, to put the stamp of authenticity on the event and assist in its promotion – but we’re still waiting. Again, this isn’t the way you expect to be received in a town that lives off tourism. Hopefully now we’ve proved ourselves, the Benidorm town hall will be more forthcoming in helping with next year’s event and promoting it locally, otherwise we may have to seek other popular resorts like Torremolinos, although after making so many good contacts in Benidorm it would be a shame to have to start all over again elsewhere. Well let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. This is a great event for Benidorm one we all hope will snowball into another annual ‘must’….a bit like the fancy dress fiesta after party in November. So for now ladies and gentlemen, Elvis HAS left the building…but only till next year! |
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