[Thesis defense] 02/05/2024 - Dalia Youssef : "The brand and the durability of a festival: a comparative study between the Alexandria Short Film Festival in Egypt and the Avignon Festival in France." (UMR ESPACE-DEV)

Date and place

Oral defense scheduled on Thursday 02 May 2024 at 1.30pm
Venue: Avignon University - Campus Hannah Arendt 74 rue Pasteur, 84000 Avignon
Room : The thesis room

Discipline

Geography

Laboratory

UMR_D 228 ESPACE-DEV - Space for Development

Management

• Mr Philippe BACHIMON
• Mrs Hanane ELZEINY

Cotutelle with the Senghor University of Alexandria (EGYPT)

Composition of the jury

Mr Philippe BACHIMON	Avignon University	Thesis supervisor
Ms Isabelle FROCHOT	University of Burgundy	Rapporteur
Mrs Edith FAGNONI	Sorbonne University	Rapporteur
Mr Yannick HASCOET	Avignon University	Examiner
Mrs Sonia M'BAREK	University of Tunis ISMT	Examiner
Ms Hanane ELZEINY	Senghor University	Thesis co-director
Mr François FULCONIS	Avignon University	Examiner

Summary of the thesis

The growing importance of festivals as territorial marketing vehicles often positions them as communication tools for partner brands. The question naturally arises: can the festival itself be considered a brand in its own right?

This question is the common thread running through this thesis, from the literature review to the field studies and theories, which explores the festival from different perspectives, in particular as a stakeholder system, as an object of marketing research and, finally, as a brand. The central research question is: given the diversity of its audiences and the influence they exert on managers, to what extent can the festival be managed as a territorialised brand?

To answer this question, a qualitative approach was chosen, using the comparative study method. The two festival sites studied are the Alexandria Short Film Festival in Egypt and the Avignon Performing Arts Festival in France. This approach aims to enrich understanding of the dimensions of festival brand value, while offering practical insights into overcoming the challenges faced by festival organisers, particularly in Egypt. The results reveal that, even unknowingly or unconsciously, festival managers develop a territorial brand strategy. In addition, the influence of the stakeholders observed can be seen in the power of the associations linked to the brand. Finally, the brand emerges as a management tool that is particularly well suited to the festival context, especially in terms of risk management.

Keywords

Festival, Stakeholders, Brand, Territorial marketing, Comparative study, Egypt