The
buzz had hardly died down from June's Rochester International Jazz Festival,
but festival promoter John Nugent was back in town last week attempting to
garner support from business and government leaders for next year's festival.

Over the next few weeks we'll find
out if Rochester's got what it takes to build a new image as a great town for
music.

With June's festival Nugent proved
he can deliver a great line-up of musicians and arrange performances at a
variety of venues that go off without a hitch. Now it's up to corporate and
government leaders to show that Rochester has a vision for the future.

Nugent's first stop last week was City Newspaper, where he discussed last
year's aesthetic success and financial shortfall, and his plans for the 2003
festival. Although he says he's 80-percent sure there will be a festival next
June, Nugent needs to raise funds from corporations and local governments to
make the festival financially viable.

He's making his pitch with a lively
video featuring the 2002 festival's top acts and local officials speaking about
the event. This year's festival drew 35,000 music fans to a variety of
theaters, clubs, and outdoor venues over seven days.

To make a go of it next year, Nugent
says he'll need a bare minimum of $300,000 in corporate subsidies and some
commitments from local government officials.

"It takes finances to make something
happen," says Nugent. "It was a big investment personally the first year."

Last year's
festival budget was over $700,000. (For comparison purposes, the Stockholm
Jazz Festival, which Nugent also produces, had a budget of over $1 million.)
The $700,000 figure may seem like a modest amount for an event with 50 acts,
including Aretha Franklin, Sonny Rollins, Dianne Reeves, and Medeski, Martin
& Wood, but Nugent knows how to cut a good deal. He's been booking
musicians for European tours and the Stockholm Jazz Festival for years.

Still, he says, most festivals are
not run by individuals putting up a large proportion of their own money. The
community has to step up to the plate.

"[Legendary promoter] George Wein
produces 60 festivals per year," says Nugent. "Most of these events are funded
in advance by corporate sponsors. For instance, the Verizon New York Jazz
Festival is a million-dollar sponsorship. Why is it worth a million bucks? The
visibility of any company that sponsors a sporting event or a music event or
the Olympics --- the sponsors want a return on their investment. They don't
just give the money away."

Nugent says his company, New York
Jam, builds custom-tailored sponsorship packages so companies get a tangible
return for their money, including visibility, product recognition, sampling
opportunities, branding, business-to-business opportunities, the ability to
entertain clients by giving away free tickets and VIP passes, and a chance to
reward their best customers. He's talking to some companies outside of
Rochester about being the lead tie-in sponsor, but he'd welcome a local one.

If a major corporation, local or
national, decided to sponsor the event in a big way, the company's name might
be on the festival next year. Wegmans, Dorschel Automotive, Simcona
Electronics, and the Crown Plaza Hotel were among the corporate sponsors this
year. The City of Rochester, Monroe County, and Senator Jim Alesi also
contributed funds.

That wasn't bad for the first year,
but now that Nugent has proven himself, he wants corporations and government to
kick in more. He's confident that he will find the support he needs and that
the festival will grow into an image-making event.

"My goal is to make this the most
successful and respected jazz festival, definitely in the northeast of the
United States, and, ultimately, in five or 10 years, one of the most respected
events in the country."

With the county facing a deficit,
the city schools in trouble, and the stock market hitting new lows, Nugent
realizes this is not the most opportune time to ask for money. But, he says,
successful, long-running events pay for themselves in advance. If the festival
makes a lot of money in the future, he says, he will give substantial amounts
back to the community.

What's in it for us? Just look at
Montreal.

The city of Montreal supports the
Montreal Jazz Festival and, in return, gains millions of dollars from hotel
bookings, restaurants, taxes, and hundreds of thousands of people spending
millions of dollars. As Nugent points out, most jazz fans have liquidity, and
are able to spend some money.

So what will
it take?

In the next six to eight weeks
Nugent will need commitments from businesses and government before he begins
programming, logistics, and publicity for a festival next year.

"If the people who really want this
to happen step up, I'll deliver," he says. "There is no question about it. I
love to produce, I love to see things happen and I love to see people happy."

The 2002 Rochester International
Jazz Festival was one of the most exciting events to happen in Rochester in
decades. You could feel the excitement walking down Gibbs Street every night.
All over town the clubs were alive.

Owners of festival venues like the
Montage Grille, Max of Eastman Place, and Milestones all reported substantial
business during that week. And they share an eagerness to work again next year
with Nugent.

As a community, we have an
opportunity to watch the festival grow every year. By 2010 a large part of
Rochester's identity could be tied to a great jazz festival. Tourists could be
attracted to Rochester from all over the US and abroad.

Three hundred thousand dollars in
corporate funding, with some government money thrown in, seems like a small
price to pay for the substantial image enhancement and revenue the festival
could bring to our community.

There are plenty of other cities
that would give anything for a festival of this caliber. Let's not let this one
slip away.