2010-2011 Annual Report Blue Metropolis Foundation 2 MESSAGE from the CHAIR of the BOARD of DIRECTORS
bluemetropolis.org November 2011 Annual Report 2010-2011 Blue Metropolis Foundation 2 MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Blue Metropolis is much more than a great literary festival. It is a crucial cultural institution in an ever changing cultural and demographic landscape. And so it is with great pleasure and honour that I chair the Board of Directors of this astonishing organization. Since no individual organization or actor has the resources to singlehandedly produce meaningful change in society, Blue Metropolis Foundation has, since its beginning, forged strong partnerships with a variety of stakeholders in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and internationally. It has maintained these partnerships in 2010-2011, which has been a transitional year for the Foundation. The Board of Directors is proud of, and has supported, several noteworthy achievements: • a successful new-look festival, with a 50 percent increase in ticket sales and over 22,000 visitors in attendance • the development of new and innovative partnerships for our educational programmes and digital ventures • a significant reduction of our fixed costs, including a restructuring of the staff for even better productivity and to begin repaying the accumulated deficit • a bold fundraising campaign resulting in close to $500,000 from private donors Thank you to William St-Hilaire and her team for a successful transition and a memorable Festival. And special thanks to Linda Leith, the remarkable founder of Blue Metropolis, who resigned at the end of 2010. Cameron Charlebois Chair of the Board of Directors Vice President, Real Estate, Quebec Canada Lands Company 3 MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT, GENERAL MANAGER AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR When I arrived in January, I quickly realized the extent to which the Foundation’s activities are rich and diverse, and that the audiences which benefit from them are extremely varied.
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