Kapitol Promotions has defended its decision to raise the entry fee for competing bands at the National Finals in Cheltenham and London later this year.

Venue increase

Speaking exclusively to 4BR, Director Philip Morris explained that a substantial increase in the cost of the hire of venues has meant that they have had to reluctantly increase the fee from £95 to £250 per band.

"A number of factors have meant that for the first time we could not absorb the significant cost increases," Philip said. "It was a reluctant commercial decision Kapitol had to make to pass on part of that increase onto the bands themselves."

A number of factors have meant that for the first time we could not absorb the significant cost increasesPhilip Morris

Quadruple

4BR understands that after eight years in Harrogate, Kapitol was faced with a quadrupling of the hire costs for a September weekend at the International Conference Centre, as well as increased costs at the Royal Albert Hall.

Unfeasible

Although Philip would not confirm the exact figures, he did reveal that it had become financially unfeasible. "All I can say is that if we had remained at Harrogate on the dates we have traditionally held the contest, the costs to the bands would have been double or more of the increase we have now had to pass on."

Disquiet

Philip was aware that there had been some disquiet that Kapitol had to make the decision.

"Nobody wants to have to pay extra hard earned money to compete at contests, but we still believe that for 28 players an average cost of less than £9.00 per player to take part in a National Final still represents great value for money."

Absorb costs

He added: "We looked long and hard at trying to absorb as much of the increasing costs as we could. The new venue at Cheltenham is more expensive than Harrogate was to hire, but we hope to be able to utilise it to bring added value for competitors and supporters over the Finals weekend."

Straw poll

In a quick straw poll, 4BR found that although the decision isn’t popular, qualified bands were well aware that rising costs had to be passed on.

On Band Manager told 4BR: "Let’s face it — £250 for the chance of becoming a National Champion? It would be better if we didn’t have to pay it because the cost of hotels for Cheltenham is astronomical, but it’s still affordable and to be fair there hasn’t been much of an increase in the entry fee over the past few years, unlike other events.

We just hope it’s well supported, because Harrogate had very little banding atmosphere."

On Championship Section Band Manager added: "It’s in line with what we pay to go to the Masters. It’s the going rate for major events – and you do still get to play at the Albert Hall.

It would be nice to see if there could be an increase in the prize money after all these years, but we think its still a pretty good deal."

Angry

However, one regional committee member we spoke to was angry that the decision to move the lower section finals to Cheltenham and the rise of the entry fees was not discussed at the Kapitol Forum, which sees representatives of each Regional contest meet with the promoters.

"We thought these matters should have been discussed at length at the Kapitol Fourm," they told 4BR.

"We spent considerable time on things like starting times, but the first we heard about the move and the increase in entry fees was through the press. We are left having to explain a decision to our bands we knew nothing about.

Over 90 qualifying bands at £250 each means that they have to pay over £22,000 towards the costs. That’s a decision that needed at least some sort of discussion."

Appreciate concerns

Philip Morris however defends the decision. "We appreciate the concerns, and we are very open about our dealings with the regions, but as a commercial company there are purely commercial decisions that must be made.

We had to act quickly to secure appropriate dates after we were unexpectedly informed of the proposed increases that were quoted to us to remain at Harrogate."

Financial support

He concluded: "We continue to provide financial support to the regions of over £12,000 per year – something we are proud of, especially at a time when it’s proving increasingly difficult to attract significant additional sponsorship even for the Albert Hall event."