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Kon Festival withdraws $22,000 Guinness World Records request after organizers object to logo and naming terms
Summary
A Kon Festival representative told council organizers will not pursue a Guinness World Records entry after discovering contract restrictions that limited use of the Guinness name and logo for a limited 30-day license; they declined a $22,000 hotel-motel tax request and will pursue local promotion instead.
A representative of the Kon Festival (identified in the transcript only as "M.") told the Groves City Council on Dec. 8 that festival organizers would not accept a $22,000 hotel-motel tax request to secure a Guinness World Records designation after reviewing contract terms.
The speaker said organizers had been told they held a title but discovered the Guinness contract permitted use of the logo and name for a limited period and placed other media restrictions that festival leaders found unacceptable for a city-funded campaign. "We were going to pay $22,000 to use their logo for 30 days," the speaker said, and organizers determined that the expense and the branding restrictions were not an appropriate use of city funds.
The Kon Festival representative told council the festival will instead promote the recognized title on its own materials — brochures and maps the group plans to produce — and said they appreciate the council’s earlier consideration and support. A council member clarified that the $22,000 under discussion would have come from the hotel-motel tax rather than the general fund.
The council heard the update during the reports section and no formal council action was required.
