The festival ended on Sunday and Destination Queenstown chief executive Graham Budd said yesterday DQ was committed to the festival and there was ''no concern about its viability''.
Planning had already started for the 2014 festival, its 40th anniversary, amid reports its future was in doubt and despite the ending this year of its three-year contract with principal sponsor American Express. Mr Budd said his organisation was immediately starting negotiations with American Express, and he was optimistic.
In what was described as a ''chicken and egg'' scenario, the amount of sponsorship dictated the programme each year.
To run a ''full spectrum'' festival, DQ needed to attract between $400,000 and $500,000 in sponsorship.
In February, longtime sponsor Air New Zealand pulled its backing, but by May it was back on board, at a lesser level.
Mr Budd said the reduced support came as a ''blow'' to the organisers but he was delighted to get the national carrier back and said its sponsorship was ''critical'' in getting people - including performers - to the resort on time.
The DQ review would not affect next year's event and might not have a large impact on subsequent festivals, he said.
''It's been done as an evolving thing each year ... each year there is discussion around its structure and fiddling around the edges.
''[The wider review] will be looking at the long-term future of the festival ... to do a review of the structure; have we got it right?'' An ''independent'' economic impact study commissioned by DQ about two years ago showed about 15,000 people had come to the resort specifically for the event, Mr Budd said.
''If you think about the fact [the 15,000 who came for the festival] might stay five nights, that's 45,000 bed nights.''
The same study showed the total direct value to the resort over the 10 days of the festival each year was about $50 million.
The community would be able to have its say on the content of the festival in an online survey set to be launched by DQ.
While some believed the programme needed an overhaul, Mr Budd said the ''predictable'' events were festival favourites and ones ''people love and say 'don't ever remove them'''.
