Erdek Municipality, whom we have been working with to develop a community-based and responsible tourism strategy since the beginning of 2016, organized the Erdek Time Festival on 22-27 August 2017 under the coordination of the Yesil Valiz Association for Responsible Tourism.
From the first stage of the preparatory work, the festival was carried out in a process that included participants and all segments of the society, and was embraced by the civil society, rather than being a municipality's festival at the preparatory stage. Erdek Chamber of Commerce, Fertile Hands Women's Cooperative, Bandırma Cycling Group, Bandırma Mountaineering Outdoor Sports Specialization Club, Our Children Art, Culture and Nature Association, Disabled and Disabled Families Association Erdek Representative, 911 Search and Rescue took an active role in the festival as non-governmental organizations supporting the festival.
Every activity of the colorful and lively program was carried out with beautiful volunteer members of a non-governmental organization. Associations and initiatives have adopted the culture of working together while developing their capacities. Among the independent people who came together for the festival, there were those who organized as a community and continued their activities.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY OF THE ‘ERDEK ZAMANI’ FESTIVAL
It would be unfair to pass without mentioning the environmental policy of the festival. Because Erdek Zamanı has an environmental policy that can set an example for future events. Organic wastes such as tea and coffee to be produced during the festival were turned into fertilizer at the Worm Fertilizer Facility, which Erdek Municipality will put into operation with this festival. In short, the smallest workers of the festival became worms. The stands used in the festival were manufactured by evaluating the wooden pallets that are no longer used by the businesses working in the region. These stands are kept in the warehouse of Erdek Municipality so that the local people can use them free of charge in all activities to be held after the festival.
A FIRST IN THE ‘ERDEK ZAMANI’ FESTIVAL; YESİL VALİZ MOBILE APP
There was also a first in Turkey with Erdek Zamanı. Erdek Zamanı Festival was the first festival to be managed with an application that can be downloaded to mobile phones. This practice not only enabled the festival to be managed in a way that would ensure the highest level of visitor satisfaction, but also served to enable the Municipality of Erdek to express the economic contribution of the festival to the local economy in numbers.
With the new application of Yesil Valiz Association for Responsible Tourism, it is aimed to provide a documented and reported answer to the question "Was the festival successful?" With this application, it is possible to renew the next event in line with this information by determining the age groups, genders and ratings of the people participating in the event. The application, in which the users participate with their contact information, makes it possible to send information messages about the events to the users during the festival and before the festival of the next year.
This application is a free service provided by the Yesil Valiz Association to the municipalities it cooperates with. The aim is that the municipalities do not have to make this investment for the events to be held once a year.
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