Pulsant Continues as Official Internet Services Provider for Edinburgh International Festival

READING, England, May 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Virtual hosting supports richer content and online booking for
world-leading arts event

In the run up to the 2012 Edinburgh International Festival, cloud and managed hosting expert Pulsant is working hard behind the scenes to maintain the event's increasing digital presence.

For the sixth year, Pulsant will take its place as official Internet Services Provider for the Festival.

The 2012  Edinburgh International Festival (9 August - 2 September 2012) will see 3,000 top artists from 47 countries bringing dance, music, opera and theatre to venues across the Scottish capital.

This year Pulsant will be hosting the Festival's official website eif.co.uk on its cloud-based virtualized platform which will provide the capacity, availability and flexibility which is crucial in coping with fluctuating usage and huge traffic spikes generated by high-profile events. 

Last year the Edinburgh International Festival website received 600,000 visits by over 450,000 unique visitors who collectively registered over 2.2million page views.  In addition, 45% of all of tickets were booked online. 

The Festival 2012 website includes an ecommerce platform; detailed multi-media information on the productions; the latest news on shows and artists; Standard Life Festival backstage films; and in the run up to the Festival itself unique online content on how to make the most of your Festival experiences. 

"With Pulsant, we are able to ensure that the online experience reflects the quality and diversity of our event with compelling and captivating content that is available 24/7, anywhere in the world," comments Joanna Baker, Managing Director of Edinburgh International Festival. "Pulsant delivers the reliable infrastructure we need to handle high volumes of online traffic and the flexibility to continually enhance our website and make it more appealing to a broader audience both at home and abroad."

The website also plays an important role in encouraging a younger audience.  Recent studies show that it is the main source of information for new international attendees aged between 15 and 34 years.   

"The Edinburgh International Festival draws visitors to Scotland, has a global profile and makes a significant contribution to Scotland's economy," confirms Mark Howling, CEO of Pulsant.  "We are proud to be involved and, conscious of how important the website is to Edinburgh International Festival's success, we take our role very seriously.  Our dedicated team is committed to ensuring that the website is optimised to ensure fast access and the best user experience possible.  In this way, we can help the Festival build awareness, generate sales and help visitors get the very best out of the event."

About Pulsant

Pulsant powers IT for the mid-market.  Formed following the merger of DediPower, Lumison and BlueSquare Data, it is backed by strong investment and a philosophy of "Support with Passion".  A leading provider of reliable, high quality IP network, colocation and managed application hosting services, Pulsant supports thousands of customers from eight UK datacentres, in five locations.  Using the latest technology, it helps companies manage, store and safeguard their data, helping them reduce costs, improve service levels and maximise their commercial potential. 

For more information, please visit http://www.pulsant.co.uk

Press Contacts:
Liv Nixon / Sarah Wilson
CCgroup           
Tel: +44(0)207-313-4592 / +44(0)118-920-7650
E-mail:  pulsant@ccgrouppr.com

Pulsant Contact:                                                
Amanda Hawkins                                              
Pulsant                                                 
Tel: +44(0)870-252-3600                                  
E-mail: info@pulsant.co.uk          

Edinburgh International Festival Contact:
Brian Maycock
Tel: +44(0)131-473-2020
E-mail: brian.maycock@eif.co.uk