Measurement of the economic impact that cultural events and cinemas have on the economy of its area

Year 2018

The research has highlighted the important role of entertainment - analysed in the cinema, theatre and festival components - not only as a vehicle of culture and social growth, but also as a factor for the development of its area and, above all, of the urban contexts where the presence of a cinema or a theatre can make the difference.

The estimate of the economic and social value (in terms of employment) generated in an area was obtained through the use of the I/O Tables, using as input:

• management costs incurred by the various facilities (cinemas and theatres) and organisations (in the case of festivals) involved in the research;
• expenses incurred by audiences in connection with the viewing of a film, a theatre performance or participation in a festival. In this case, residents, visitors and tourists were considered. The data were obtained from a CAWI survey involving 400 cases in municipalities with over 50,000 inhabitants in 71 provinces.

From the estimate of the direct, indirect and induced impacts and of the employment generated, it emerges that cultural events activate virtuous processes of increasing the demand for goods and services in the context of the structure or event and are, therefore, able to give a boost to the development of the economy of the area.

In the national panorama, Milan stands out both in terms of the extent of the impacts generated and of the peculiarity of the venues. The 'case' of the Anteo, which is the subject of an ad hoc study, underlines the importance of innovation in the facilities, of the ability to introduce innovative elements into the cinema offering, making it even more involving with theatres and special services. The two Anteo venues highlight the reciprocal influence between the cinema and the urban context.