ie volume 30 issue 4

the business of international events

ie Magazine is sponsored by:

Jean McFaddin

1942 - 2018

the business of international events

Finding Your “People�: The Importance of Community in the Events World Failing Forward When Things Go Wrong 5 Ways Rightsholders Need to Get Over Themselves

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the business of international events

F E AT U R E S

Finding Your “People”: The Importance of Community in the Events World Failing Forward When Things Go Wrong 5 Ways Rightsholders Need to Get Over Themselves

On the Cover: Nuit Blanche Winnipeg (Canada) is a free allnight exploration and celebration of contemporary art.

24

Bundling Your Properties For a More Effective Sales Strategy

By Carina Jimenez

32

Failing Forward When Things Go Wrong

By Syeira Budd

50

Farmer’s Market A Destination Event Creating a Recipe for Success

By Molly Tomasallo Johnson C.F.E.A.

62

Finding Your “People”: The Importance of Community in the Events World

By Erin Atkinson

72

5 Ways Rightsholders Need to Get Over Themselves

By Kim Skildum-Reid

78

Your Event is Over, Now What?

By Dianna Lawrence

DEPARTMENTS 8

IFEA President’s Letter

12

IFEA World Board

14

IFEA Foundation Board

16 #EventPermit 20 2019 Grand Pinnacle Winners 30

Leadership at all Levels

36

Small Events, Big Sponsorships

39

2020 Event Management School

54

The Un-Comfort Zone

56

Everyone’s Invited

58

2019 Volunteer of the Year Semi-Finalists

60

Yesterday’s Incident is Tomorrow’s Risk

66

64th Annual IFEA Convention, Expo & Retreat ReCap

70

May I Help You?

74

The Sponsor Doc

76 Festivals Without Borders 80

2019 IFEA World Festival & Event City Award Recipients

82

Adelman on Venues

84

Control Freaks Anonymous

90 Marketplace

Winter 2019, Volume 30, Issue 4 “ie” is published quarterly by the International Festivals & Events Association, 2603 W. Eastover Terrace, Boise, ID 83706, USA. Permission to quote from material herein is granted provided proper credit is given to IFEA.

IFEA PRESIDENT’S LETTER

BY STEVEN WOOD SCHMADER, CFEE

BOLD

CHOICES

“May your choices reflect your hopes and not your fears.”

- Nelson Mandela

I

’d like to start this article by remembering our friends and professional colleagues with the Gilroy Garlic Festival. Executive Director of the festival, Brian Bowe, sent his appreciation to all of us in the IFEA family for our thoughts and support in the wake of the tragic mass shooting at his event on July 28th.

And while it has only been 3 1/2 months since that horrible occurrence, the number of additional shootings and tragedies, at other soft-target venues and locations, since that time, can make it feel like an eternity has passed. But to so quickly allow ourselves and others to become accepting of that, as an almost expected and natural occurrence, while waiting for the next unthinkable headline, is unacceptable. We continued to hold multiple sessions at this year’s IFEA Convention, which is also becoming almost the norm each year, to address what we may all do to protect our events and our stakeholders moving forward; and while we will ask everyone in our industry to continue working closely with your law enforcement officials, insurance carriers, professional peers and city management to take every step possible to protect against future tragedies, please remember to let your government and political representatives – at at every level - know that this is unacceptable and that we expect them to take common-sense action to help stem, slow and stop this long-running and expanding pattern that runs in direct conflict with what our events are created to do – to provide safe, welcoming and inclusive participation by all attendees, while celebrating who we are when we are at our best. With your help, and all of your professional peers around the globe, we will continue to provide those events to our communities, cities, and countries – better than ever before - as we have done for so many decades and millennia.

To do that, may require that we adjust our visions, our operational realities, and our professional preparedness, to effectively serve this new and changing world. But we must never limit our visions of what is possible; nor our creativity; nor our

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expectation of producing the highest quality events possible. In fact, we should be challenging ourselves and our stakeholders to continually raise the bars that visionaries in our industry continue to re-set for all of us, every day.

“What limits us most in life is the picture in our head of how it is supposed to be vs. what could it be. Be willing to make a few bold choices.”

in Houston, a giant rocket more than 300 feet tall, the length of this football field, made of new metal alloys, some of which have not yet been invented, capable of standing heat and stresses several times more than have ever been experienced, fitted together with a precision better than the finest watch, carrying all the equipment needed for propulsion, guidance, control, communications, food and survival, on an untried mission, to an unknown celestial body, and then return it safely to earth, re-entering the atmosphere at speeds of over 25,000 miles per hour, causing heat about half that of the temperature of the sun, and do all this, and do it right, and do it first before this decade is out--then we must be bold.”

He clearly laid out the challenges and our implied acceptance of meeting them by emphatically stating that, “We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.”

As a result of that bold choice, fifty years ago, in July of 1969, a Saturn V rocket successfully launched Apollo 11 and its crew from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, as hundreds of thousands watched live, camping out for days to get a good spot. A full 1/6th of the planet at that time – 600 million people – (before the internet and media access of today) watched the lunar landing and the celebratory ticker-tape parade in New York City that followed their return.

– Keli O’Neill Wenzel, CFEE While tempting, in a profession of seemingly endless deadlines and demands, we should never choose the ‘easy route;’ or a fearful route. We must be confident and prepared to make a few bold choices to ensure the legacies of what we build and to set the example for future generations of event professionals who will follow us.

On September 12th, 1962, President John F. Kennedy (who would have been a great event producer) addressed a crowd at Rice Stadium in Houston, Texas, as he envisioned one of the greatest events of the last century - a manned-space launch and landing on the moon before the end of that decade - beginning his speech by noting that “We meet in an hour of change and challenge; in a decade of hope and fear,” (much as we find ourselves in today) adding that “…if I were to say, that we shall send to the moon, 240,000 miles away from the control station Winter 2018

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Woodstock Music and Arts Festival, August 1969, Bethel, New York

A month later, in August of 1969 (a big year, historically, for events), on a 600 acre dairy farm owned by Max Yasgur – son of Russian-Jewish immigrants – in Bethel, New York, another iconic event was also launched, as the original Woodstock Music and Art Fair drew some 450,000 young members of the then counterculture movement, whose voices of protest over the Vietnam war inspired a generation and set the bar for all music festivals that followed.

Much like President Kennedy challenged the country with our bold choice to go to the moon, Max Yasgur, a conservative republican, boldly stood up to the Bethel town board (who was considering rejecting the festival, as other area villages had done) saying: “I hear you are considering changing the zoning law to prevent the festival. I hear you don’t like the look of the kids who are working at the site. I hear you don’t like their lifestyle. I hear you don’t like they are against the war and that they say so very loudly. . . I don’t particularly like the looks of some of those kids either. I don’t particularly like their lifestyle, especially the drugs and free love. And I don’t like what some of them are saying about our government. However, if I know my American history, tens of thousands of Americans in uniform gave their lives in war after war just so those kids would have the freedom to do exactly what they are doing. That’s what this country is all about and I am not going to let you throw them out of our town just because you don’t like their dress or their hair or the way they live or what they believe. This is America and they are going to have their festival.”

Two events, through very different lenses, both born out of politics, passion and a vision for peace and a better world. Both with bold leadership, unafraid to push the boundaries of new ideas. One inspired the world; the other defined a generation.

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Both had to overcome multiple hurdles – financial, operational, political, weather, infrastructure, staffing, security, portable toilets (harder to provide in space), medical support and building a team of trusted people around them, many of whom had little experience with what they were attempting. Much as we still do today with our own events. But, like the timeless lyrics of Bob Dylan’s music, we must realize that “the times, they were a-changin’,” as they continued to change for the next 50 years and will continue to change for the next 50 years that lie ahead.

As event professionals, can you imagine piecing together the original Woodstock, where tickets (before they were declared a free festival, to avoid potential security concerns, allowing them to aim limited resources at completing construction of their single stage (far from a Tomorrowland design), and effectively ensuring a substantial loss for the event), were going for $6-to-$8, far from today’s music festivals and other major events where ticket pricing begins in the hundreds of dollars and climbs from there?

On the other-hand, given the often-perceptual, if not real, oversaturation of festivals and events today (especially music festivals), the unique stand-alone positioning of the original Woodstock certainly played in their favor, where a 50th Anniversary attempt in 2019, led by Michael Lang (the co-creator of the original festival), could not succeed.

In 1969, Max Yasgur rented his 600 acre farm to the event organizers for $5,000; Jimi Hendrix – the highest paid performer at Woodstock – was paid a remarkable $18,000 (compared to the hundreds-of-thousands or millions of dollars, to secure today’s ‘A-List’ performers); The Grateful Dead got $2,500 and Carlos Santana was paid a whopping $750! (I paid four times

that much to buy a guitar signed by him at an IFEA Foundation auction several years ago!). The total spent on all 32 performers at Woodstock totaled $140,700!

On the food & beverage side of things, no appropriate plans had been made. Food for Love, who was hired to provide food services, listed their complete inventory as 30,000 loaves of bread, 1500 lbs. of peanut butter, 5000 lbs. of cheese, 10,000 packages of marshmallows, 2000 lbs. of coffee and 20,000 gallons of milk from Max Yasgur’s farm. Max notably began filling milk bottles with water, as he couldn’t believe that his neighbors were trying to sell water to the kid’s attending!

Having only planned on an attendance of 60,000, the 450,000-plus attendees at Woodstock made-do with 540 individual toilets (one for every 833 people), 200 urinals and a common pond for bathing.

Because parking had been intended to center around the use of shuttles, attendees, stuck in long lines of traffic, simply pulled to the side (as best as possible) and abandoned their vehicles in the roadways leading into Bethel.

And as far as volunteers were needed, the early-arrivers and all 450,000 attendees at Woodstock seemed to fill that role naturally, bonding together to support one another and whatever needed to be done.

The weather didn’t exactly help them out either, noted by some attendees as ‘three days of consistent rain.’ Max Yasgur’s farm may have beaten out the South Korean’s as the first mud festival, but those attending hung in there.

And while you would expect, in the era of sex, drugs and rock n’ roll, to have serious security problems, with only 80 arrests (largely for drugs other than marijuana) out of the some 450,000-plus attending over the three-day event and two deaths (one from a drug overdose and the other from being run over by a tractor, whose driver did not realize someone was sleeping under it…one more thing to add to our insurance coverage!). For an event that size, in incredibly close-quarters (something they shared with the Apollo astronauts), violence was virtually non-existent. It really was a festival of music and peace, minus (that we know of) the serious drug and sexual misconduct concerns that we are dealing with today.

And, of course, we have witnessed massive changes in technology with our events in the last 50 years – in performance technology, event management, ticketing, security, cash transactions, communications, marketing, media coverage, and much more – none as easy to point to as the fact that our modern smartphones contain millions of times more computing power than the technology that took NASA’s first astronauts to the moon 50 years ago. So, you can imagine the comparison to the technology power used to produce the ‘Apollo 50 Go for the Moon’ celebration of that event in Washington, D.C. in July of this year. If you haven’t seen that video on-line, or weren’t there to experience it in person, I encourage you to watch it, paying particular attention to the emotions – fifty years later – of those attending. It is those emotions that remain the bottom line with all great, legacy events.

“It always seems impossible until it is done.”

- Nelson Mandela

Two events, both based upon bold choices. Choices that ultimately resulted in life-changing legacies. Legacies that fifty years later carry just as much passion and inspiration; that are held with

perhaps even more reverence by those who were there; and that still have the ability to evoke positive memories, across multiple generations and the grand mosaic that our world represents.

Memories, that despite truthful problems and less-than-perfect execution along the way, superseded any negatives and bonded the world closer together, at a time when it needed it the most.

That is the power of events. One, which everyone in our industry has the unique ability to harness and direct. A power that is more important today than ever before. Like our counterparts fifty years ago, “we meet here today in an hour of change and challenge; in a decade of hope and fear;” in a world increasingly divided; facing concerns that we could never have imagined.

“The noblest art is that of making others happy.”

- P.T. Barnum

And just as our peers, five decades ago, chose to embrace the power of events to respond to those challenges, it is up to all of us and our global counterparts, to use our events – large and small – to do the same today. To make our own bold choices…

• To dream new dreams that have yet to be imagined, for our events, our communities, our industry and our world; • To build events that are welcoming, diverse, creative, expansive, and that showcase our communities and world when we are at our best; • To provide ‘safe havens’ where friends and families can come together without fear of becoming another statistic or headline; • To continue bringing together legions of volunteers – across multiple generations – to help ensure the ‘community’ in our community events; • To ensure the sustainability of our events, becoming important pillars of the brands and images of our cities, states & provinces, countries and markets; • To recruit, train and educate those who will follow in our footsteps; many of them represented with us here today; • And to inspire, motivate and unleash new possibilities that will raise the bar for all of our professional peers around the globe.

Be it a forest stadium in Austria, or a light spectacular in Australia; a historical tribute in South Africa, or an experience design in the United States; an art installation in Rotterdam or remarkable snow sculptures in China; a carnival parade in Brazil or an Olympic opening anywhere around the globe; a camel festival in the Middle East or a flower & garden event in Philadelphia; a holiday tradition or a sporting event; cultural traditions or art fusion; theme parks or music festivals; fireworks and hot-air balloons.

Together, we choose to embrace the power of festivals & events. We choose to embrace the power of festivals & events, not because they are easy, but because they are critical to our world and the generations to follow.

Adapted from the opening comments of the 64th Annual IFEA Convention, Expo & Retreat

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IFEA WORLD BOARD

BY JANET LANDEY, CSEP, CFEE

THE ROLE OF

T

EVENTS

he role of events from place branding to placemaking is legendary and the “BOLD Choices” 64th Annual IFEA Convention, Expo & Retreat presented by Haas & Wilkerson Insurance in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia was, as my late dad used to say “best ever”. I say best ever, because every year the pilgrimage from South Africa to the IFEA Convention gets better and better.

I am a great follower of the Power of 10+ concept developed by the Project for Public Spaces to evaluate and facilitate Placemaking at multiple city scales. It shows how paying attention to the human experience when building a city’s destination and districts can have immediate and widespread impacts. The idea behind this concept is that places thrive when users have a range of reasons (10+) to be there. These might include a place to sit, playgrounds to enjoy, art to touch, music to hear, food to eat, history to experience, and people to meet. And this is exactly what our festivals and events in communities do. So, I thought I would share with you my 10 highlights of the IFEA BOLD Choices experience.

1. Having lost my luggage en-route from Johannesburg to New York, I was pleased that I had made the decision to enjoy the journey and travel down to Colonial Williamsburg on the Amtrak, as this meant I had a four-hour window of opportunity when I arrived at Penn Station from JFK to go on a quick shopping spree. Walking down 34th Street to Macy’s – punching the air with excitement, my mind spinning, remembering all the wonderful experiences that I have been privileged to have shared with the many IFEA members I’ve met, and particularly our late, dearest friend, Jean McFaddin, a legend of the Macy’s Parade.

2. Arriving in Williamsburg at 2:00 a.m. in the morning and in no time, one of the dapper, ever smiling and friendly staff from Williamsburg Lodge arrived to professionally transport me to ‘home’ for the next week. Setting the tone of what was to be a professional, great hospitality experience for us all. Even when our IFEA weather experts predicted a rain shower during the “Garden Party” Foundation Night & Live Auction on the Thursday - a collective effort IFEA Staff, Foundation Board, Members and the hotel team managed to transform the Convention venue into a garden party.

3. The CFEE Professional Certification classes – for anyone who hasn’t experienced the magic of participating and achieving their CFEE – Certified Festivals & Events Executive – plan to do it. The presenters and the amazing institutional knowledge they share so openly and available for everyone to make our industry a better one, is legendary. Thank you to our CFEE sponsor, IFEA Endorsed Partner, Kaliff Insurance.

4. The Opening Ceremony - the beautiful set, the performances, our IFEA President & CEO, Steven Wood Schmader’s

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

welcome, and the keynote “Making Magic: The Power of Events to Shape Impressions, Cities and History” – reinforcing the role that festivals and events play in local communities.

The IFEA Awards Luncheon – paying tribute to the people who have made and make our industry great and continue to light the way through their bold commitment and creativity.

Congratulations to the fourteen CFEE – Certified Festival & Event Executive graduates. A big shout out for LuAnn Chapman Gatts as our 2019 Volunteer of the Year. The recognition of our 2019 IFEA World Festival & Event City Awards and the wonderful tribute to our 2019 IFEA Hall of Fame Inductees, Tom Bisignano, CFEE - Freelance Producer and Chuck O’Connor CFEE – Sponsorship Consultant.

The IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Insurance 25th Anniversary Pinnacle Awards which honored and paid tribute to both creativity and excellence in multiple categories, from marketing to merchandise, operations to sponsorship, all leading up to the presentation of the coveted Grand Pinnacle Award. Congratulations to all for entering into the Pinnacle Awards and especially to those who won in their respective categories.

The IFEA Expo where we had real quality time to explore the next great idea and negotiate best deals with the professional industry’s top suppliers. And the added value of the dfest Hospitality Suite every night which provided us with a time and a place to unwind, relax , connect and continue the conversations with members and suppliers.

The IFEA Foundation Garden Party and Live Auction – what a joy to see an amazing group of ‘volunteers’ and hotel staff turning the foyer of the Colony Ballroom into a gorgeous garden due to the weather conditions. And what a great environment for a record IFEA Foundation – great environment, great wine, great music, and most importantly great bidding! Congrats to the amazing IFEA Foundation team and all the volunteers that made this such a successful event.

Lesa Ukman, Founder of Lesa Ukman Partnershpis and Curt Mosel, Chief Operation Officer of ArtsQuest shared with us the broader pro-social framework of value used to quantify the community civic and human capital created by festivals and events. Using the ProSocial Valuation to tap new sources of revenue - introducing the model of Social Capital and Return on Purpose created through events.

Joe Goldblatt’s closing keynote – “Never-Ending Story: The Continuing Power and Evolution of Events.” It was indeed a walk down memory lane for Joe and many of us as he shared some of the highlights of a 50-year career in live event production and education.

The IFEA World Board Meeting – always a great experience and a privilege to work with the amazing IFEA Continued on page 86

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IFEA FOUNDATION BOARD

BY KELI O’NEILL WENZEL, CFEE

THE IFEA CONVENTION IS OVER

BUT WE DON’T HAVE TO BE!

F

or those of you that I was able to meet at 64th Annual IFEA Convention, Expo & Retreat in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia . . . it was a pleasure. I always leave the IFEA Convention on an exhausted high. My head is swirling with new ideas, my pockets are full of business cards and mostly I am energized to have just spent time with so many like-minded individuals. I made so many new connections this year and had so much fun catching up with some of those I have known for years. The IFEA Annual Convention allows us in the industry to really poke holes in what we are doing and see how others are getting through the very same challenges. I attended some great sessions and met some new vendors I am eager to try out. I also had some of my most productive, informative listening sessions over dinner or a drink in the hospitality suite with some new acquaintances - some I have been meaning to pick their brain for ages. We are not alone in this day and age of Festival planning, nor should we be. I hope you feel the same way. If you did not make it to the Convention this year, I encourage you to really consider attending next year.

On behalf of the IFEA Foundation Board of Directors, we thank all of you that participated in the IFEA Foundation efforts, either through volunteering, donating an auction item, bidding on an auction item, purchasing a 50/50 Raffle ticket or an Ultimate Experience Raffle Ticket, or just giving a donation or funds to a scholarship. We thank you greatly for your support!!

During the IFEA Annual Convention, the IFEA Foundation hosted a 50/50 Raffle, an Ultimate Experience Raffle in addition to Live and Silent Auctions. We are happy to report that all of these efforts raised over $57,000 for the IFEA Foundation, a 23% increase over last year! Which will help the IFEA and the IFEA Foundation’s efforts tremendously. All money raised this year will go towards: • Providing Legacy Scholarships to future leaders to attend the IFEA Annual Convention. Did you know in 2019 we provided 12 Legacy Scholarships!

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• Assisting with funding the Certified Festival & Event Executive (CFEE and CFEA) Program. We had 14 CFEE Graduates in the 2019.

• Assisting with the Funding of top-quality speakers, Educational publications, Technology and electronic training services, Translation services and more.

The IFEA Foundation Board of Directors will be meeting at the beginning of 2020 to kick off the year, and I am sure under the leadership of my friend Kevin Grothe, our 2020 IFEA Foundation Board Chair and Vice President Sponsorships at Memphis in May International Festival in Memphis, TN, we can increase our fundraising efforts by another 20%! No pressure, Kevin! Feel free to reach out to either Kevin or myself, if you have any fundraising ideas you’d like us to consider for next year, or if you would like to make a donation to the IFEA Foundation.

For now, I hope you all are still making connections with those you met or reconnected with a the IFEA Convention. Don’t wait until next year to touch base. If I met you . . . let’s connect. If I didn’t get a chance to meet you . . . let’s connect! Email me, call me, LinkedIn me. Don’t be a stranger.

I wish you the best for the remainder of 2019 and a successful start to 2020!

Keli O’Neill Wenzel, CFEE IFEA Foundation Board Chair President/CEO O’Neill Events and Marketing Kansas City, MO keli@oneillevents.com

PRODUCTION SERVICES SET CONSTRUCTION RENTAL SOLUTIONS DESIGN ATOMICDESIGN.TV

LITITZ, PA • LOS ANGELES • NEW YORK MIAMI • FRANKFURT Winter 2019

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#EVENTPERMIT

WITH RENE MICHAELY

6 WAYS AN EVENT OFFICE CAN BETTER SUPPORT EVENTS

E

vent Offices are more than just a permit issuing agency.

As I’ve discussed in past columns, they play a central role in growing event tourism and building a calendar of events that animate and enrich their community. By providing invaluable tools, resources and advice to event organizers, Event Offices can streamline their own permitting process and help organizers navigate the often-complex event production landscape.

These six recommendations are just a few examples of how an Event Office can elevate how they support events.

1. Maps & Floorplans If Event Offices rely solely on event organizers to develop maps of public spaces and venues, they run the risk of them being inconsistent, erroneous, and lacking in detail. Event Offices should invest in developing easy-to-use digital maps and floor plans of each public venue including parks and fields, community halls, recreation centers, and theatres. Standardized maps and floorplans should include capacities, correct dimensions, allowable setbacks, emergency exits, allowable parking, and access to water and power. Each map should be easily downloadable from the government’s website. Maps should also be offered in different formats such as Microsoft Word (DOC), image or compressed file (JPEG, PDF), and CAD file (e.g. DWG).

2. Event Management Plan Templates As mentioned in the last #eventpermit column, event management plans are invaluable tools especially for larger events. These plans are typically associated with different functions of an event and are developed by the event organizer in collaboration with local governing agencies and stakeholders. They help capture logistical details and address the needs and expectations of the community in an effort to avoid surprises. Event Offices can assist smaller events (that may not have the expertise or resources to develop plans) by creating basic downloadable event management plan templates, e.g. waste management plan, traffic management plan, fire safety plan.

3. Comprehensive Fee Schedules Many events are produced by volunteers who have limited to no experience producing events. What may seem logical to an experienced event organizer, or Event Office staff, could be very confusing to some. Furthermore, knowing about fees up front will help an event avoid hidden costs and alleviate permitting frustrations. An Event Office should develop a clear, detailed schedule of all fees and deposits that may be charged to an event.

This includes fees charged directly by the Event Office (e.g. permit processing fee, damage deposit), plus fees and deposits charged by other departments and agencies, e.g. road closures, temporary event permits, health and safety permits, and electrical permits.

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4. Links to Agency Regulations & Resources In the absence of an overarching agency to assist event organizers with navigating what it takes to host an event in your community, the complexity of event production can cause confusion, and lead to unsafe, unpermitted or cancelled events.

Don’t just focus on the permitting portion of hosting an event in your community. Help events understand all of the permits they may need, the agencies they should engage, and share links to agency applications and contacts. Creating more of a one-stopshop for events will help them be more informed and prepared and help to ensure a successful event.

5. Event Partners & Mentors Unfortunately, most event organizers, especially newbies, are learning the event ropes from scratch with little experienced guidance. An Event Office can offer an incredible service to organizers by sharing their expertise and connecting them with experienced event organizers. Creating a type of mentor program amongst event organizers (especially those in non-competitive event spaces) and connecting organizers with partners will only strengthen event planning and execution.

6. Volunteer Best Practices & Resources Raising money and event production are the two most common activities in which volunteers are engaged. However, in communities where there is an abundance of annual events, volunteers can experience burnout. Providing creative ways to engage and retain volunteers is incredibly valuable to event organizers. With lack of time often being the biggest barrier to people volunteering, recommending shorter shifts and limiting pre and post event attendance highly are recommended.

What types of tools and resources does your Event Office offer event organizers to help them be more successful in your community? Share your feedback by joining the conversation on Twitter and using the hashtag, #eventpermit.

Rene is the founder and chief visionary of Eproval, a software platform designed to automate and streamline complex application and approval processes including event permits.

Based in Vancouver, BC Canada, his team has an intimate understanding of government permitting and approval processes through their experience working with and for event offices. Rene has also been a product manager at an event registration start-up and founder of a web development firm specializing in event websites and complex applications.

You can reach Rene at rene@eproval.com, learn more about Eproval at www.eproval.com, or follow @eproval.

IFEA VISION A globally united industry

Publisher & Editor

that touches

Steven Wood Schmader, CFEE, President & CEO Assistant Editor

lives in a positive

Nia Hovde, CFEE, Vice President Director of Marketing & Communications

way through

Advertising Kaye Campbell, CFEE, Director of

celebration.

Partnerships & Programs Art Director Craig Sarton, Creative Director Contributing Writers Steven A. Adelman, Esq., Peter Ashwin, Erin Atkinson, Robert Baird, Syeira Budd, Bruce L. Erley,, APR, CFEE, Laura Grunfeld, Carina Jimenez, Dianna Lawrence, Florence May, Penny C. McBride, CFEE, Rene Michaely, Kim Skildum-Reid, Teresa Stas, Molly Tomasallo Johnson C.F.E.A., Robert Wilson Photography Laura Grunfeld, Andrew Rafkind Shutterstock photo ID: 758131669: Eti Ammos

For association or publication information: IFEA World Headquarters 2603 W. Eastover Terrace Boise, ID 83706, U.S.A. +1.208.433.0950 Fax +1.208.433.9812 With respect to interactions with members/customers or those applying to be members/customers, the IFEA will not cause or allow conditions, procedures, or decisions which are unsafe, undignified, unnecessarily intrusive, or which fail to provide appropriate confidentiality or privacy. If you believe that you have not been accorded a reasonable interpretation of your rights under this policy, please contact the IFEA office at +1-208-433-0950 ext. 8180.

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http://www.ifea.com

Proud to insure excellence in the festivals & events industry

C O N G RATU LATI O N S to our 2019 Grand Pinnacle Winners Gold • Grand Pinnacle • Under $250,000 Tulsa Christmas Parade • Tulsa, OK, USA

On the evening of December 3rd, 1926, the tradition of the Tulsa Christmas Parade began with over 50,000 people celebrating Christmas, as reported by local newspapers. The Tulsa Christmas Parade has been dazzling in Downtown Tulsa the second Saturday in December ever since. The parade includes entries from around the community including: floats created by the parade committee as well as local churches and community groups, large helium or cold air balloons, marching bands, classic cars, local musical artists, and various community groups that join the festivities in costume. In 2018, a new tradition was started after the parade with a festival that included live music, a photo booth with Santa, food trucks, floats and balloons on display, and games for children. The parade and the festival are both free for attendance.

For more information: Click Here

Silver • Grand Pinnacle • Under $250,000

Pigeon Forge Office of Special Events • A Mountain Quiltfest • Pigeon Forge, TN, USA In 1992 two local quilt guilds, the Piecemakers and the Sevier Valley Quilters, came together to host their first quilt show in the basement of the First United Methodist Church in Pigeon Forge. Quilts were displayed on cloths lines and held in place with wooden clothespins. A few hundred people attended. Fast forward twenty-five years. A Mountain Quiltfest is now being held in the state-of-the-art, LeConte Center at Pigeon Forge, with over 70 classes being offered by nationally recognized instructors, 700+ quilts displayed, six demos and three Antique Bed Turnings offered daily along with 65 plus vendors and between 8,500 and 10,000 attendees. We’ve come a long way in the past twenty-five years and we are still growing.

For more information: Click Here

Bronze • Grand Pinnacle • Under $250,000

Pigeon Forge Office of Special Events • Wilderness Wildlife Week • Pigeon Forge, TN, USA The purpose, objective and mission of Wilderness Wildlife Week is to raise awareness within the general public to the issues concerning the natural environment and, in particular, adversities facing Great Smoky Mountains National Park, as well as environmental and species-related triumphs.

Programs are designed to impart the practice of good environmental stewardship to the general public while increasing public knowledge of the varied ways to protect the environment through the many educational lectures and materials available onsite. Additionally, it is Wilderness Wildlife Week’s goal to promote an active interest in Appalachian artistic and cultural programs such as painting, basket making, music and other forms of modern art such as photography; to help affect the way people view environmental responsibilities and to increase overnight visitation to Pigeon Forge during a traditionally slow tourism period.

For more information: Click Here

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Gold • Grand Pinnacle • $250,000 to $1 Million

Macon, Georgia’s International Cherry Blossom Festival • Macon, GA, USA The 38th annual International Cherry Blossom Festival in Macon, Georgia, showcased the best of Macon and the community that calls Macon home. For 10 days, guests from all around the world joined together to celebrate the beauty of the Yoshino Cherry Trees by walking and driving the Cherry Blossom Trail, participating in cornerstone, community favorite events, and joining in the fun of new programming put on by Macon, Georgia’s International Cherry Blossom Festival and its umbrella, sanctioned events. With 82 percent of events free to guests or at a nominal admission fee, all residents and visitors were able to put on their pink, join in the festivities, and celebrate the International Cherry Blossom Festival. The 2019 International Cherry Blossom Festival welcomed over 128,000 guests from all over the state, country and the world.

For more information: Click Here

Silver • Grand Pinnacle • $250,000 to $1 Million RedFilo Events • Ruwais Festival 2019 • Abu Dhabi, UAE

The Ruwais Festival 2019 took place across 2 days in October and was a family festival themed around Happiness and Wellbeing. The Ruwais Festival ran as part of ADNOC People’s Week, promoting the happiness and wellbeing of the residents of Ruwais The festival was created with ADNOC’s commitment to its employees and their quality of life at the forefront of the development process, and aimed to promote a strong community relationship between the residents of Ruwais and the Emirates as a whole. A range of enticing and interactive activities were developed with the employees and ADNOC and their families in mind, to create a truly immersive health and wellbeing experience History.

For more information: Click Here

Bronze • Grand Pinnacle • $250,000 to $1 Million

City of McAllen • McAllen Holiday Parade presented by H-E-B • McAllen, TX, USA The McAllen Holiday Parade, presented by H-E-B, the largest illuminated and helium balloon holiday parade in Texas, was held on December 1, 2018 with a “Christmas Around the World” theme. The event attracted over 250,000 people from Texas and Mexico and spanned 1.5 miles of McAlen Streets. Guided by a mission of enhancing the quality of life of residents and visitors through a large-scale parade of lighted floats and Macy’s style balloons, the parade offered 55 illuminated floats, 39 giant balloons, 17 marching bands and featured 13 celebrity appearances. Created in 2014, the parade was a collective effort between City of McAllen departments, sponsors and community volunteers to bring this uniquely memorable, holiday-themed celebration to Texas.

For more information: Click Here

Gold • Grand Pinnacle • $1 Million to $3 Million

Scottsdale Arts • Canal Convergence | Water + Art + Light • Scottsdale, AZ, USA Once a weekend-long event in the springtime, Scottsdale Public Art’s Canal Convergence | Water + Art + Light is now 10 consecutive days of engaging, interactive art experiences that celebrate water, art, and light along the Arizona Canal in Scottsdale, Arizona. This free event celebrates the vibrant arts and culture community in Scottsdale, drives economic impact for the city, and brings people from all over the world together in a sense of wonder and inspiration through the beauty of public art. Canal Convergence 2018 featured 10 large-scale art installations created by local, national, and international artists. In addition to the interactive artworks, the event featured an array of educational and family-oriented activities, guided bike rides, art-making workshops, and artist talks. Canal Convergence also offered a broad selection of live music, spoken word, and dance performances and a beer, wine, and food garden that featured local food vendors every night.

For more information: Click Here Winter 2019

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Silver • Grand Pinnacle • $1 Million to $3 Million Des Moines Arts Festival® • Des Moines, IA, USA

The Des Moines Arts Festival® is one of the world’s most respected festivals hosting 180 of the nation’s top artists this past June 28-30, 2019 in the beautiful urban street setting surrounding the 4.4 acre John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park and the newly constructed Krause Gateway Center designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop.

With an exciting line-up of visual art, live entertainment, film, community outreach, interactive activities, eclectic foods, craft beer, and fine wines, the outdoor festival of arts and culture attracts more than 200,000 people each year to its downtown location in Iowa’s capital city and largest metropolitan area. At the heart of the Festival is the juried art fair. The Festival has truly put Des Moines, Iowa, on the map, drawing more than three million guests to the three-day event during the past 22 years. The Festival has something for everyone to enjoy and it’s all free to attend.

For more information: Click Here

Bronze • Grand Pinnacle • $1 Million to $3 Million CherryArts • 2018 Cherry Creek Arts Festival • Denver, CO, USA

The Cherry Creek Arts Festival (CCAF) is a celebration of the visual, culinary and performing arts that transforms the streets of Cherry Creek North in Denver, Colorado into an innovative outdoor art experience. This free, three-day event over the 4th of July weekend featured the work of over 265 juried artists in over 13 different media categories from all over the world and hosted 330,000 visitors. Interactive art activities at the Janus Henderson Investors Art Experience, family-fun opportunities at ARTivity Avenue, and spontaneous pop-up performances throughout the festival site made the 28th annual CCAF event one of the most interactive and accessible yet. At CherryArts, we believe that Art is for Everyone. CCAF has continued to be Colorado’s signature cultural event due to notable standards of quality, visionary community outreach and exciting artistic expressions.

For more information: Click Here

Gold • Grand Pinnacle • Over $3 Million

Destination NSW • Vivid Sydney • The Rocks, NSW, Australia Vivid Sydney is the largest festival of its kind in the world, transforming Sydney into a night time wonderland with innovative light installations, grand-scale illuminations and projections. Now in its tenth year, the annual event has welcomed visitors from around the world, transforming what is traditionally a quiet visitor period into one of the year’s busiest. Vivid Sydney brings art, technology and commerce together through its spectacular program of Light, Music and Ideas, positioning Sydney as the creative hub of the Asia Pacific. Vivid Sydney is owned, managed and produced by Destination NSW, the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency. Vivid Sydney ran from 24 May to 15 June 2018.

For more information: Click Here

Silver • Grand Pinnacle • Over $3 Million

Pennsylvania Horticultural Society • 2019 Philadelphia Flower Show • Philadelphia, PA, USA The Philadelphia Flower Show is the nation’s largest and longest-running horticultural event and features outstanding displays by the world’s premier floral and landscape designers. The first Philadelphia Flower Show was held in 1829, when the 80 members of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, which was founded just two years earlier, displayed their favorite plants, flowers, fruits and vegetables in a small Masonic Hall in Philadelphia. The show grew in size and participation over subsequent decades and moved in the mid-1990s to its current home, the Pennsylvania Convention Center, where the 10-acre exhibition halls welcome an average of 250,000 visitors from throughout the world each year.

Participation has soared from a few dozen PHS members displaying their garden produce on long tables, to more than 22

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40 major exhibits created by the nation’s leading floral and landscape designers and hundreds of other group and individual exhibitors.

The Flower Show now includes stages that host professional design and gardening contests; educational exhibits built by high school and university students and national plant societies; and the Hamilton Horticourt, where expert and novice gardeners compete for blue ribbons and show their finest plants – much as the first exhibitors did in 1829.

For more information: Click Here

Bronze (Tie) • Grand Pinnacle • Over $3 Million National Cherry Blossom Festival • Washington, DC, U.S.A.

Each year, the National Cherry Blossom Festival commemorates the anniversary of the gift of cherry blossom trees and the enduring friendship between the United States and Japan, and welcomes spring in the Washington, DC metro area. The National Cherry Blossom Festival is a 28-day multi-faceted event that spans the region with dynamic experiences grounded in their core values of authenticity, creativity and renewal. Anchored by four weekends of premier programming with numerous diverse daily events highlighting contemporary and traditional arts, the Festival is attended by more than 1.6 million people from the U.S. and beyond, who come to enjoy the citywide festivities and events and admire the legendary trees.

For more information: Click Here

Bronze (Tie) • Grand Pinnacle • Over $3 Million Kentucky Derby Festival • Louisville, KY, USA

Since its first event stepped off in 1956, the Kentucky Derby Festival has grown to become a world-class civic celebration showcasing the best-known events in Louisville. The Festival has taken the “Greatest two minutes in sports” and turned it into more than a two-week, community-wide celebration.

Serving Louisville for 64 years, the Kentucky Derby Festival produces Kentucky’s largest single annual event as well as the largest single-day road race. Between the 70+ events listed on its official schedule each year, attendance averages 1.5 million for the run of the Kentucky Derby Festival. While some events do charge entry fees for participation, most events are free with the purchase of a Pegasus Pin®, a plastic or metal souvenir pin. From the kick-off event, Thunder Over Louisville, to Derby Eve, the Festival works closely with local officials and other civic organizations to produce high quality events. Our network of 4,000 volunteers is an invaluable asset to the Festival, and working with these groups make the Festival possible.

For more information: Click Here

To view the complete list of 2019 IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Award Winners, Click Here.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR THE 2020 IFEA/HAAS & WILKERSON PINNACLE AWARDS ENTRY DEADLINES

Earlybird Deadline: Mid-June, 2020 • Final Deadline: Mid-July, 2020 (Exact Dates Available Soon)

Proud to insure excellence in the festivals & events industry.

Winter 2019

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BUNDLING YOUR PROPERTIES FOR A MORE EFFECTIVE SALES STRATEGY

By Carina Jimenez 24

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What do you do when you have multiple properties that all need sponsorship support and have partners who dream of a one-stopshop and consistency with their investment? Seriously consider bundling your assets. Bundling is when several of a single type of asset, or sometimes several different types of assets are grouped together and sold collectively.

In this article, we discuss briefly, bundling each property asset and in detail, creating a bundle of multiple properties that are produced by the same core team. The creation of a bundle is a feasible approach for organizations or municipalities that produce various events throughout the year that offer a diverse and expansive opportunity for their partners. For a partner, the beauty of bundling is four-fold.

• They are able to plan their annual investment at one time • Have the convenience of seeing all of the opportunities available to determine their best alignment • Receive an inherent diversification through the very nature of bundling • Are able to identify early on in the process who the fulfillment team will be, and potentially execute more elaborate and effective activations.

For the rightsholders, a bundle is equally beneficial. Bundling creates the opportunity for building a solid and long-standing relationship or fostering an existing partnership. By bundling multiple properties, the sponsorship team can present a more robust program to entice a potential partner, truly represent the diversity of programming across the differ-

ent properties and secure sponsorship revenue for the multiple events at one time which allows for better more efficient annual planning.

Asset Identification As we all know, a detailed and extensive asset list is the necessary foundation for building a successful and effective sponsorship program. Taking an inventory of all property assets that can be monetized and are marketable is the place to begin. Potential partners want to know what is in it for them and how it can be used to generate the best return on their investment. Before we continue down the asset identification road let me just say that this is by no means meant to advocate for a menu package approach to sponsorship sales where potential partners can look at labeled columns (sometimes cheesy labels) on top with rows of assets listed on the left and check marks or dots showing what they get under each column. This “menu” approach to sponsorship sales is a thing of the past, and if you are doing it - please stop. When defined, your asset list(s) should serve as an internal reference tool with details and the investment requirement for each.

Let’s begin with determining your marketable assets.

Winter 2019

Who are your attendees? Determining your attendees’ demographic profile, what their potential geographic reach is, and how many attendees you welcome to your event are all extremely valuable metrics that will allow for your partner to determine event alignment with their brand. Next, determine how they can be reached and how your partners can market to them.

These metrics can be easily captured through pre-event, on-site, and post-event survey analysis.

Evaluate your venue. Walking through and around your event space to identify potential locations for signage, activations, and attendee engagement is a vital step in building your asset list. Doing so will also create the opportunity to identify assets that may not have been considered monetizable in the past. Are there golf carts used by staff for operational needs or to shuttle attendees throughout the site that can be branded? Is there a midway or stage that can offer naming rights to a high-level investor? Do the credentials distributed need a lanyard? Also, do not be afraid to include new and innovative visual assets as part of your asset reference list. These can be projections, branded lightboxes, vehicle wraps, even furniture, in essence, the possibilities are endless. All of these are examples of potential assets that may, at times, go overlooked.

Define your media and outreach strategy and what it can mean for partners.

Are you incorporating social elements into your events to connect live and digital experiences? Determine what your social media strategy will be and how to integrate your partners into the execution of it seamlessly. In all of this, let’s not forget the value of social media and how important it is to maintain an engaged group of followers across all platforms throughout the year not just in the weeks leading up to the day of the event. A newsletter or email blast is seen as valuable communication from the attendee perspective that may answer a question they have had or provide helpful information they did not realize they were missing. As you build up the value of this newsletter or e-blast, the value can be transferred as an activation to a partner in the banking or insurance category, one whose goal is to reach the attendee in a helpful way, through service rather than a product. Evaluate how you can leverage your traditional media buys or trades to add benefit to your partners and define those in more detail when preparing your bundle or proposal. Also, once again,

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metrics and measurable results are vital.

Be conscious of tracking your social media insights, newsletter subscriber clicks through to links, website visits, and traditional media proofs of performance and reach. These are all necessary pieces of information that should be included in your bundle.

It is essential when identifying property assets to consider what your sponsors want and what they have defined as their goals and objectives. Category exclusivity and the right to use a property’s marks and logos won’t be going away any time soon. These rights are, however, being joined by a desire from partners for more than a short-term lift in impressions and engagement. The hard assets are not the complete package, rightsholders must be able to integrate with the sponsor to tell their story or message. Also, take some time to consider what actions your audience can take that would be the most beneficial for your partners.

Knowing the response to this information will help significantly in determining your sponsorship assets and opportunities.

Bundling Approach When determining where their sponsorship dollars will be allocated, partners have their own internal asset list. They are looking for rightsholders who have high brand equity and a clear understanding of the meaning and worth of their property brands. Additionally, a comprehensive bundle with all of the rightsholders properties at the potential partners’ fingertips is the ideal way to convey this understanding and drive the message of a beneficial investment. The bundle document should be built to tell the story of the entire organization. If this is done in a clear and concise way, it should function as a successful sales tool.

organization had a consistent approach and execution in terms of the quality and caliber of events produced by different city departments. The approach to sponsorship sales and fulfillment was not so consistent.

It was also found that each department’s approach to asset valuation was also inconsistent when considering demographics, attendance, and marketing value.

Where some events had implemented a seamless sales and fulfillment process with checklists including deadlines, planning meetings, and scheduled hospitality events others were merely a payment transaction without the same fulfillment experience for the same partner. The sponsorship bundle in its clean, beautifully designed package would remedy all of this. The creation of the bundle began with a meeting of all of the minds behind the various events. Some of these events hosted 1,000 attendees per date to 50,000 over a weekend and up to 250,000 in one day annually. Each event manager was asked to list the information that their current and potential partners found necessary.

Based on the responses, it was determined that the information included in the bundle would be: • Event name and logo • Event date(s) and times • An informative event overview • Expected attendance numbers • Event highlights • Demographic information • Partnership opportunities • Event contact information such as website, social media, telephone number, and email address • Event photos and video that tell the story of the event • All events would be listed in order by date and categorized by each fiscal quarter in an effort to make budget planning easy for the prospective client.

Creating the Bundle The idea of the City of McAllen Special Events Bundle was born when the City of McAllen, Texas sponsorship team, as many others in this industry often do, found themselves in meetings where partners were requesting one annual meeting to discuss all opportunities available rather than being approached multiple times throughout the year by different project and event managers. These same meetings also brought to light partner interest in an incentive program when investing in multiple events. The project process had to be defined, and multiple departments within the organization had to be engaged. Up until this point, the

All event managers were required to return this information to the corporate sales manager for the bundle documents to be produced.

Rest assured that your bundle will evolve and change as additional assets and properties are identified and integrated into the package. A successful bundle of properties should be diverse and all-encompassing, which means that the more extensive the range of differences between events sometimes, the better.

The wonder and success of a bundle that includes many different properties is amplified when a partner finds that they align with an event they may have never considered or you as the rightsholder may

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not have considered offering based on unknown factors in terms of their goals and objectives.

Delivery of the Bundle Due to the simple fact that a presentation of a bundle consists of a variety of events with different attendee demographics, assets, and activation opportunities the sales approach must be clearly defined prior to the first meeting. In stark contrast to a meeting with a potential sponsor for one property, bundle meetings require increased preparation and research. Now, instead of researching the partner to learn as much about them as you possibly can before a meeting and having potential activation and attendee engagement opportunity ideas for one event you must be prepared with this information for all of the properties included in the bundle. It is not safe to assume that you know the events they will find alignment with because, as was mentioned before, company goals and objectives shift, change, and swerve continuously and for a variety of reasons. You may meet with a cellular phone provider who defines their target audience as one having disposable income with an average household income of over $150,000 and six months later their target has become households with an average income of less than $75,000 annually with little to no disposable income. What does this mean for your bundle? The events with demographics that align with their goals and objectives may be completely different from one meeting to the next. When changes like this occur the benefits of bundling begin to shine. In the past, when the goal and objective changes happen, a partner simply does not renew and begins to search for properties that align with their new strategy. When they’ve been presented a full bundle proposal, they need to look no further than a few pages or slide away. At that point in time, the bundle has served its purpose of allowing the sponsorship team and partner to plan their annual investment at one time, have the convenience of seeing all of the opportunities available to determine their best alignment, and receive an inherent diversification through the very nature of bundling.

Carina Jimenez is the Special Events Coordinator for the City of McAllen Parks & Recreation Department in McAllen, Tx. She has 14 years of experience in the events industry and has never looked back. Carina can be contacted at cjimenez@mcallen.net. For more information, go to McAllenParks.net.

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EXHIBITOR SPOTLIGHT

S. DAVID RAMIREZ Product Evangelist

What year was your company established?

2013 How many employees does your company have?

25 What areas do you serve with your product/service?

International. We have our HQ in San Antonio, TX. We have a European Office in Poland. We have teams around the world to support any event.

How many festivals and events do you work with on an annual basis?

We work with more than 100 conferences, festivals, events, and tradeshows each year.

What is your ‘elevator pitch’ and/or slogan about your product/service?

With TINT you can take display curated social media, digital assets, video, and more. We help drive attendee participation and increase sponsorship revenue using existing screens and projection.

How/why did your company/ product/ service get started?

Event organizers and brands need a way to quickly, easily, and effectively engage with social content. TINT started as a service to make it easy for anyone to tap into the power of social media and user generated content.

What sets your product/service apart from your competitors?

We’re events people. Our staff is made up of event organizers, public speakers, 28

musicians, and performers. We can work through all the opportunities and challenges to ensure that your activation is the best it can be. We are excited by marketing and technology. I can say that our tools, technology, and enthusiasm are unsurpassed in our space.

What new or improved product/ service do you have to offer that ifea audiences need to know about?

We have a new “Experience Builder” tool that lets you quickly spin up contests, sweepstakes, and landing pages powered by social media. Our “TINTmix” product has been proven to drive sponsorship and provide a new way to monetize events. We also have a ManagedUGC team that can provide a variety of services to make the marketing lift easier for you.

What advice would you offer to festivals and events searching for your type of product/service?

Look for a scalable digital solution that works with your existing technology. Make sure your provider can pull content from your favorite social sites. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, the technology is evolving quickly and a good provider should be happy to explain.

What is your company’s customer service philosophy?

Our philosophy is to be a consultative partner for your event and organization. We want to make sure your event, your TINT, and your social are beautiful. Social media, and the tools that support it, should be an extension of your brand voice. We’re here to help however we can.

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Winter 2019

TINT 122 E. Houston Street, Suite 105.

San Antonio, Texas, 78205, USA 210-829-7634 events@tintup.com www.tintup.com How many years have you been with your company?

6 months, but was a fan long before.

What are your favorite festival foods?

Anything on a stick. Sausage, chicken, spiral potatoes, corn dogs. Fry it, put a stick in it and I’m buying it.

What do you like to do to relax?

I like to attend other people’s events. The event environment is fantastic. I feel inspired and at home attending a well-planned event. I particularly love arts festivals, culinary celebrations, and community-driven conferences.

These are great places to stroll, enjoy local food, and let my mind wander.

What is the name of the last business book you read?

The Membership Economy

by Robbie Kellman Baxter What is the name of the last movie you watched?

Spider-man: Far From Home

LEADERSHIP AT ALL LEVELS

WHY THE

I

“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

MUSTARD MATTERS

stopped at a popular sandwich shop the other day to purchase lunch. Late afternoon left a turkey wrap as the sole choice.

I paid for the sandwich, got back in the car and opened the attractive packaging. The accompanying condiment was a package of yellow mustard.

The way the sandwich was presented, my expectation for choice of condiments set the bar a bit higher than plain yellow mustard. I would have expected a Dijon, German, whole grain, honey, brown spice or a choice. And I am truly not a “picky” person.

Why does the mustard matter? Choice and attention to detail can add a special touch, and so can you as you hone and develop your personal brand.

What is a Personal Brand?

Your personal brand is what your friends, colleagues, family and strangers think about you when they hear your name. What is the word on the street about you? How are you perceived in your workplace, family, industry?

Your brand is crafted and influenced by the way you show up – are you Eeyore or Elvis? Are you interesting? Are you interested?

Your body language, words and overall aura showcase who you are.

What Makes You Unique?

Your message is created by the clothes you wear, words you say, your smile and scent capturing the senses. People make a judgment about you in 8 seconds – some people sooner than that.

Branding Strategist and Founder of the Harvard CEO Round Table, Larry Gulko, presents on breaking through the “Sea of Sameness.”

Think about things that make you unique. What is your Unique Value Proposition?

When you work on projects, you put your mark, your signature on what you do. Why not aim to finish chores, projects and assignments to perfection. Why cut corners? Become the number one choice for what you do in your industry.

You Are Your story You are your story. What you have done and plan to do will serve to determine and enhance your brand. Professor Jennifer Aaker of Stanford Graduate School of Business shares her research on the “Power of Story” concluding that “Happiness” is at the intersection of: • What you love to do – your passion and vocation • What we do well – your talents and skill sets • What the world needs – your contributions • What the world will pay for – your career Her research also deduces stories are 22 times more memorable that facts alone. Create your signature story or a series of stories featuring YOU! 30

WITH GAIL LOWNEY ALOFSIN

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Winter 2019

Creating Your Story As you build your personal brand, think about the following questions: What defines you? What are your core values? What do you excel at – personally and professionally? What are you passionate about? As you make a list of these items, focus on those most important to you – family, spirituality, career, friendships, volunteer work, travel, sports. What inspires you? Who do you want to be? Create your own world and start living in it.

Self-Awareness Self-awareness is critical in establishing and maintaining your brand. There is no “on stage” and “off stage” – you are who you are and under observation in person, by reputation and on line every day.

Defined by New Oxford American Dictionary, Self-awareness is the conscious knowledge of one’s own character, feelings, motives and desires. It is a component of Emotional Intelligence, one of the most valuable assets in today’s workplace. Your social skills and awareness will assist with your self-management – make them positive and impactful for your colleagues, clients, family, friends and yourself.

Got Social?

Your brand is accentuated by your presence on Social Media.

To raise your profile, speak at conferences, create a blog, make positive comments on LinkedIn for both your contacts and key influencers. Share your ideas! We all speak different languages – share your voice.

Be Authentic.

To quote Oscar Wilde: “Be yourself, everyone else is already taken.”

Yes, the mustard matters. You have so much to offer. There is nothing wrong with plain yellow mustard, yet a special brand will stick out. You be YOU and be YOUR best YOU! Up next? Pass the ketchup, please!

Gail Lowney Alofsin is a keynote speaker, author, adjunct professor, humanitarian and business executive. Her business and personal growth book, YOUR Someday is Now – What are YOU Waiting For? has raised over $42,500 for several non-profit organizations since it was published in April 2014.

A lifelong learner, Gail believes that we all have the capability to be a leader in our own lives, influencing the lives of others to positive peak performance and success. Contact Gail at 401-640-4418 or gail@gailspeaks.com.

Is Your Leadership Proactive or Reactive?

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Give 100% clarity

Protect your team, volunteers, and attendees

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A WeVow “Group” for your event includes: ■

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Failing Forward

When Things Go Wrong

By Syeira Budd 32

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Winter 2019

As much as I would like to think I’m going to pull off one smooth and stress-free event planning cycle after another, I’m no stranger to the realities of those “uh-oh” moments that can happen no matter what the scale of the event is and how many hours of preparation I’ve invested in it.

I imagine that most event organizers have tales to tell about the bevy of logistical problems they’ve encountered while planning and producing events. The swapping of these tales builds instant camaraderie among us, but even better than that is when we all individually and collectively use the uncomfortable experience of these “uh-oh” moments to advance our planning processes and make lasting improvements to our own events and to the industry.

While the complexity of event production seems to increase year after year, having a stockpile of methods that we can use to prepare for and mitigate potential problems as they arise can not only streamline our operations but also present opportunities for innovation. I’m not referring to crisis-level problems such as severe weather, major accidents, or overall disasters like the fraudulent (but fascinating!) Fyre Festival. Situations like those require emergency coordination and are best addressed by our industry’s risk management and security experts.

On a much more manageable level, though, many of us are likely familiar with the headaches of vendors not setting up on time, the wrong equipment being delivered, being short-handed in the eleventh hour, glitches in our ticketing systems, and so on.

Planning for Problems “Always plan for the fact that no plan ever goes according to plan.” -Simon Sinek

When we approach the event planning process with the understanding that our best-laid plans have been created as a flexible framework, we allow ourselves room to breathe and trust that our team is prepared to solve the inevitable hiccups that will occur. Successful events rely on a powerful mix of timing and collaboration born out of well-planned logistics and strong relationships. We have to dedicate enough time and effort into building resilient plans that will enable us to work through any problems that may arise.

Ways to incorporate resilience into our planning process include: • Designing Task Timelines and Establishing Accountability – Begin by clearly identifying the tasks that need to be done, who is responsible for seeing each task through, their corresponding deadline dates, and any other pertinent details that will help you track the status and completion of each task. For the one-day annual street festival that I manage, we use a Microsoft Access database to manage over 700 year-round tasks that are organized by task description, department, person responsible, due date, and status. A simple Excel spreadsheet can also do the trick, or you can use project management software such as Asana or Freedcamp. We hold staff meetings to periodically review the status of the upcoming week’s and/or month’s assigned tasks and talk through Winter 2019

potential bumps in the road so we can refine tasks and due dates as needed.

Documenting the tasks and their due date timeline also helps us map out the workload and identify potential timing conflicts in order to plan our workflow better throughout the year.

• Hosting Timeline/Walk-Through Meetings – Gather together the key stakeholders (volunteer chairpersons, staff, vendors, service providers, etc.) who are responsible for making the set-up, event duration, and tear-down process happen and review the tasks timeline and maps for those critical days/hours. We call this our Master Logistics meeting and schedule it two weeks before event day for a group of approximately 50 stakeholders. As you talk out the who, what, where, and when of each assigned task, you are requiring everyone to acknowledge their individual and collective accountability and to identify potential timing and delivery conflicts that can then be fine-tuned before the event. Depending on your event venue, it is also helpful to hold actual walk-through meetings with the appropriate stakeholders to review the physical logistics of the layout and any accompanying maps.

• Building Strong Relationships – Create a “Who you gonna call?” cheat sheet for yourself by getting to know who your resources are and actively working to maintain those relationships. There’s nothing like being able to pick up the phone and call a fellow event professional or vendor contact to ask if they’ve encountered a similar problem or if they can weigh in with a fresh perspective. The better we know one another and what each of us has specialized knowledge or experience in, the better able we are to create a go-to list of who to ask for guidance when it comes to logistics, entertainment, sponsorship, alcohol sales, infrastructure rentals, and so on.

Having a supportive network of event professionals and vendors also allows us to celebrate and/or commiserate with others who know what we’re going through. Don’t underestimate the power of being able to talk freely about a problem. Sometimes we simply need to acknowledge our challenges out loud so we can move from being stuck in the middle of a problem to formulating a plan of action. Ways to grow your network include attending industry conventions and trade shows, participating in local organizations, and

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Just think of all the problems that we might alleviate by simply being willing to experiment… hosting a mixer or meeting for the event organizers in your area. Let others know that you are ready and willing to be a generous resource for them as well.

Transforming Problems into Opportunities “In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.”

-Albert Einstein Once we’ve managed to acknowledge the problem and why it happened, we can begin brainstorming about immediate and long-term solutions that have the power to improve or greatly change how we function. When I look at the way in which our festival’s operations are currently managed, I realize that the bulk of our operational structure and the vendors and service providers that we choose to work with have been directly shaped and chosen by the problems we encountered in years past and the steps we took to design a better way forward. The methods that we’ve applied to achieve an ever-evolving environment of opportunities include: • Problem-Solving Skills – Keep your cool as much as humanly possible and confirm that the problem is valid by ruling out any possibility of miscommunication. Connect with the people involved via phone, email, or in person. Once you know you have a problem on your hands, ask and gather answers for WHY it happened. Knowing why will help you create opportunities later. Take responsibility when your actions are part of the problem. Don’t be shy or embarrassed; speak honestly about the problem with people you trust and listen to what they have to say. Ask for input from someone outside your organization who can weigh in with an objective viewpoint. When multiple solutions present themselves, consider the one that is the simplest and most elegant. Formulate a plan of action, get to it, and follow up.

• Seeing and Seizing Opportunities – Recognize that change and limitations can lead to you being much more resourceful. After you’ve asked and answered WHY a problem happened or is on the verge of happening, you can 34

now begin the crucial work of identifying how to address that problem. Be sure to negotiate price breaks or credits when a vendor or service provider is at fault.

Schedule time after your event with your production team and key stakeholders while everything is still fresh in your minds to assess what worked, what problems you encountered, and what you can do differently moving forward as you plan future events. Whether it’s through feedback meetings, a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats), or a survey, this input will help your team brainstorm about how to do things differently in the future.

A simple example of seizing an opportunity to make an improvement at our festival finally came to us after years of working with booth frame suppliers who could not meet our tight timeframe for the delivery, set-up, and tear-down of dozens of canopied booths for our festival’s 50+ food vendors. As our event grew, the problem continued to grow with it while we remained married to the concept of hiring one sole vendor to provide all the canopied booths for food vendors. It was the way we’d always done it! Thanks to a particularly bad year where the booth vendor bungled the delivery and set-up, we decided we had finally had enough. After much brainstorming, we tentatively proposed the idea of asking our food vendors to provide their own booths the following year. It felt like a massive experiment, but it ended up being a simple and lasting remedy to what had been a reoccurring headache. And an added, unforeseen bonus was that it actually helped ease congestion during the set-up and tear-down times.

As our festival continues to struggle with a short timeframe for other infrastructure deliveries like tables and chairs, one of the solutions that came out of a delivery mishap this year was a suggestion to use Google Maps for designating delivery drop points.

We have been spending so much time making sure our complex AutoCAD layout maps have the accurate delivery details, all the while not fully recognizing how complicated it is for a delivery person to match up our detailed maps with the actual

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delivery points on the streets. Enter Google Maps, a free technology that most everyone is familiar with and can easily use with their smartphones. It will work as a handy and user-friendly supplement to our AutoCAD layout maps next year, and we’re also considering using it to help deploy volunteers to their assigned locations. However, we probably wouldn’t have thought of using it if not for this year’s delivery problem.

Look How Well We’ve Failed!

“Fail early, fail often, but always fail forward.” -John C. Maxwell, Failing Forward Just think of all the problems that we might alleviate by simply being willing to experiment and not being afraid to fail.

By exploring different approaches to our operations, searching for alternate vendors to work with, researching new technologies to employ, scouting out different performers, etc., we stand a very good chance of turning the problematic aspects of our events into opportunities. I fully recognize that experimentation and being able to fail are often a luxury we might not have due to budget and time constraints, staffing realities, a limited selection of vendors and service providers in our area, the personalities involved in our organizations, and many other factors. Failure will happen nonetheless, and if we can at least respond by using it as an opportunity for growth and change we will come out ahead.

The one outcome that I can reliably predict when it comes to event planning (and life in general) is that we will be surprised time and time again by all manner of complications. What I hope and plan for is that we won’t shy way from what we might have previously called failures, but will instead use these uncomfortable situations to jumpstart the creative possibilities that come from the collaborative process of solving and surpassing problems.

Syeira Budd is the manager of the King William Fair, an official Fiesta® San Antonio event held in Texas’ first residential historic district. She orchestrates this one-day street festival for 40,000+ people with only 24 hours of set-up time and 6 hours of tear-down time. She loves the quirky, creative process of planning events as well as the challenge of ensuring that the logistics are well-thought-out and properly implemented. Syeira serves on the Texas Festivals & Events Association (TFEA) Board of Directors and is pursuing her Certified Festival and Event Executive (CFEE) certification.

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BIG

SMALL EVENT,

SPONSORSHIPS

WITH TERESA STAS

THE FOUR STEPS TO

I

PITCHING YOUR EVENT SUCCESSFULLY

was fortunate enough to recently be asked to speak at a large-event conference. While there, I was approached by the planners of a new event who asked me to share our method for pitching to sponsorship prospects. This particular event was still trying to gain their footing in the sponsorship world. As I explained to them, how you approach your sponsorship pitch is crucial to the success of the sale.

Here are the four steps I shared to make pitching sponsorships more effective: 1. Start with a Prospect That is a Hood Fit for Your Event.

As I’ve explained in a previous column, prospecting can be one of the hardest parts of gaining sponsorships, but it is the first step in a successful pitch.

A lot of events make the mistake of mass calling or emailing any and all businesses looking for sponsorships, regardless of whether they are a good fit for the event’s patrons.

Now you may be asking, “How do I know what’s a good fit?” You know by looking at your audience data! Who is your audience? Where are they coming from? What are their interests? What are they looking to purchase in the next year?

Letting your audience data lead you to your prospects will ensure that you find sponsorships that are a good match for your audience. When you match potential sponsors with your audience, you will not only experience greater success in signing sponsors, but your sponsorships will be more successful. Trying to squeeze a sponsorship into an event for the sake of the money almost never leads to successful results for the sponsor.

2. Set Up a Time to Talk to the Prospect BEFORE You Send a Proposal. I tell events this over and over, yet it feels like 90% of events still send out stock “level” proposals to cold prospects. Do not do this. It does not work.

Warm up your prospects by setting up a meeting in person or by phone to discuss how their brand and your event can partner. Ask questions. Find out what they look for in a sponsorship and what a successful sponsorship looks like to them. Ask what they are trying to get out of sponsoring an event.

I also suggest asking the prospect how they will measure the sponsorship’s success. This allows you to put a strategy together that will provide the best opportunity for success by their standards. Knowing what the prospect’s sponsorship or

marketing goals are will help you create a proposal that not only maximizes your dollars, but also ensures you are creating a sponsorship that reaches their goals.

3. Create a High Quality, Customized Proposal that Answers Their Questions and Meets their Expectations.

When it comes time to actually putting the proposal together, I have some tips to share” • Include your audience demographic data and any additional relevant data that shows how your event and the prospect share the same audience. Being able to highlight this information goes a VERY long way to helping you close a deal.

• Make your proposal informative, easy to read, and attractive.

Your proposal is where you not only showcase your event, but also show that you are professional and that you take this prospective partnership seriously. Tip: don’t include pages and pages about your event; a paragraph or less is usually sufficient.

• Craft the proposal to meet the prospect’s sponsorship initiatives. For example, if the prospect says they want to build a leads’ list from your event patrons, make sure you build in something that will help generate those leads, like an enterto-win contest. Avoid a bunch of generic stuff like placing logos on flyers because that won’t push them to their goals.

Be deliberate in how you craft the proposal so that it’s clear to them that you listened to and valued what they had to say, then show how your event can help them reach their goals.

4. Follow Up with the Prospect. After you present your proposal – whether it’s in person or by phone or email – make sure to follow up. Sometimes I’ll have to follow up several times in order to get a response. Ninety percent of the time, if I have taken the time to do the first three steps, I’ll get an answer back instead of a prospect just ignoring me.

The most common answers are “yes,” “yes, but...”, “we don’t have it in the budget, but we want to do it next year,” and “no.”

When you get a “no”, follow it up with a gentle request for feedback. See if they will tell you why they passed. This might lead to further discussion, or it will at least allow you to change approaches for next year. In most cases, if you get a “no” and you have done the first three steps, it comes down to budget. If it’s a budget issue, there might be a way to negotiate.

Continued on page 86

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International Festivals & Events Association

IFEA World

LEADERSHIP LEGACY

RECOGNITION PROGRAM The I F EA Leadership Legacy Recognition Program recognizes individuals who have made a significant impact through their work and accomplishments in the festivals and events industry within their own town/city/community. Someone who may not necessarily have the international impact that the I FEA Hall of Fame Award calls for, but has accomplished great things within their own town/city/community.

Throughout the year, up to four Leadership Legacy recipients will be selected by their peers from nominations received. Each recipient will be recognized through a feature in an issue of I FEA’s “ie” Magazine – specifically in January, April, August and October. This is an ongoing recognition program throughout the year, nominations can be accepted at any time. “ie” magazine deadlines can be found at www.ifea.com.

Leadership Legacy Nomination Criteria Leadership Legacy nominees must represent a current or past IFEA Member. Nominees can be retired and/or represent any facet of our industry (i.e.: vendor, supporter, event profession, senior professional, etc.)

Please Submit the Following Information for a Leadership Legacy Nomination.

Nominees may have someone else submit a nomination on their behalf, or are able to nominate themselves.

Leadership Legacy Nominee Contact Information Name, Title Organization Address, City, State, Zip, Country Phone, Fax, Email Leadership Legacy Nominee Questions Please answer each of the following questions citing specific examples using no more than 500 words per answer.

1. Explain the impact through and accomplishments the has made in the festival industry within the local

their work candidate and event community.

2. Describe the level of involvement the candidate has had with the IFEA during their career.

3. Submit a general overview of the candidate’s career including organizations worked for, positions held, titles, awards etc.

Entry Format: Please email the nomination in a word Document.

Submit Entries to: Nia Hovde, CFEE, Vice President/Director of Marketing & Communications at nia@ifea.com.

Questions: Please Cont act Nia Hovde, C F E E, Vice President/Director of Marketing & Communications at Email: nia@ifea.com or Phone: +1-208433-0950 ext: 8140.

Deadline: Nominations may be submitted at any time during the year. Leadership Legacy Recipients will be featured in the January, April, August and October issues of IFEA’s “ie” Magazine. “ie” Magazine deadlines can be found at http://www.ifea.com/p/ resources/iemagazine/publishingdeadlines.

EXHIBITOR SPOTLIGHT

KELSEY WAITE

Business Development Executive What year was your company established?

1985 How many employees does your company have?

350 What areas do you serve with your product/service?

Global down to city/county level.

How many festivals and events do you work with on an annual basis?

We help over 800 DMO’s and events annually.

What is your ‘elevator pitch’ and/or slogan about your product/service?

By looking at daily historical data, STR can help provide impact numbers to see how your event affected hotel performance, rates, and demand to the market. This is great to have in the grant and funding process when proving your worth to partners.

How/why did your company/ product/ service get started?

Randy and Carolyn Smith started STR in their home back in 1985 to provide benchmarking data to the tourism industry.

What sets your product/service apart from your competitors?

STR has the largest sample of sourced hotel data, and works with over 800 38

government agencies in the US. Globally, we have data on over 66,000 hotels – which means we can track the impact of events in large markets across the world, as well as small municipalities with only 4 or 5 hotels. We have a product for every budget, with historical daily data starting at $150.

What new or improved product/ service do you have to offer that ifea audiences need to know about?

Special Event Impact Studies show the impact of events over the norm for hotel demand and rates -- which government agencies find helpful when determining how much funding to provide to events. US Hotel Reviews allow event planners to see what average group rates are in the top 25 markets in order to better negotiate room blocks with hotels.

What advice would you offer to festivals and events searching for your type of product/service?

Understand what your partners and sponsors consider successes, and what results they are looking for in order to guarantee sponsor/partner retention over the years.

What is your company’s customer service philosophy?

We build relationships with clients through sincere conversations, learning from our mistakes, and contributing our individual perspectives. We consistently provide our clients with confidential, and accurate data.

We listen to our clients to understand and anticipate their needs.

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STR 735 E. Main St. Hendersonville, TN 37075, USA 615-824-8664 kwaite@str.com www.str.com How many years have you been with your company?

4.5 years What are your favorite festival foods?

Elephant ears – most definitely!

They are hard to find outside of the Midwest, which is tough now that I live in Tennessee!

What do you like to do to relax?

I am a huge movie buff! That is my favorite way to wind down from a busy week. Superhero and horror films are my go-to’s.

What is the name of the last business book you read?

How to Talk to Anyone: 92 Little Tricks for Big Success in Relationships

by Leil Lowndes, Joyce Bean, et al.

What is the name of the last movie you watched?

Zombieland 2: Double Tap (highly recommend)

Presented by a Partnership For Excellence in Event Education.

THE SCHOOL Quality festivals and events are among the most successful tools available to communities, states, regions, and even countries to increase tourism, create powerful and memorable branding and imaging opportunities, bond people together, encourage positive media coverage, enhance economic impact, and add to the quality of lives for those who live there.

On the other hand, a poorly planned, managed and executed event can have a reciprocally opposite effect.

Over time, events themselves have changed; from often informal affairs to spectacular productions, requiring new sets of skills, experience, creativity, financing, planning and leadership. As a result, event management has evolved into a business and an industry, with new demands, challenges and expectations every day; from attendees / participants; sponsors; host communities and a plethora of other partners that the success of any event depends on.

Presented by two of the most respected professional associations in our industry – the International Festivals & Events Association (IFEA) and the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) – the Event Management School at Oglebay National Training Center in West Virginia was designed around the concept of bringing new and mid-career industry professionals together with some of the most highlyrespected and experienced professionals in the field, for a comprehensive educational and networking opportunity that will cover the critical basics of successful event management and then put students in an applied-knowledge project environment to test and further what they have learned.

“No other investment is more important for the board of a festival or special event than to assure that their staff is growing in their professional development. The Event Management School at Oglebay provides our industry with one place for new and mid-management level professionals to receive intensive, comprehensive training in the core competencies of event management, conducted by many top professionals in the field.

It is the equivalent of a full-brain download for those who want to have a well-rounded, working understanding of our profession.”

Bruce L. Erley, CFEE, APR President & CEO Creative Strategies Group

“If you were applying to my organization for a job - and I knew that you had completed the IFEA / NRPA Event Management School program – your resume would rise to the top of the pile.”

Jeff Curtis, CEO Portland Rose Festival Foundation

THE PROGRAM The Event Management School is designed as a two-year continuing education program.

Students live on-site at the Oglebay Resort and National Training Center with their professional peers and instructors during the one-week institute each year, adding a unique one-on-one networking opportunity for everyone. Year One Students at the Event Management School follow an intensive, interactive, classroom pathway through 24 hours of topical training, from a clear definition of event management as a profession through to the final and important evaluation phase of an event. Year Two Students take it up a notch in applied workshop settings and a unique hands-on, deadline-driven, event concept design, team project experience that combines many critical event management skills, that can be transferred to multiple, real-life scenarios. Event-expert team advisors help to guide event teams through a week of market research, concept creation/design, budgeting reality checks, human resource challenges, and presentation stages of an all-new event concept, for a specially selected city, with a

limited-use “Client” contact. Teams will present their completed plans/concepts to a panel of industry leaders and fellow-students on the last day, who will offer critiques, insights and accolades. Plans/Concepts approved by the expert panel will be shared with the selected city for consideration in their market.

top-level experience and continued education.

Additionally, all students enrolled in the program will receive one full year’s access to the IFEA’s professional education on-line Webinar series (a $1000 value). (Live Webinar presentations only.)

THE REWARDS

• Current mid-management event staff looking to broaden their knowledge base while enhancing their professional networks.

• Parks and Recreation managers and staff who produce and/or work with local events.

• Those new to the Event Management field.

• Event Management students looking to strengthen their professional resumes.

• Key event volunteers looking to expand their capabilities.

The Event Management School will bestow an Event Management School Diploma to those successfully completing both years of this intensive continuing education program.

For those needing CEU credits, the NRPA will provide 2.0 CEU’s for each completed year.

Additionally, for those desiring to ‘raise the bar’ by registering for the IFEA’s professional certification program (separate registration required), successful completion of the twoyear Event Management School will earn you designation as a ‘Certified Festival & Event Associate’ (CFEA), the first phase toward future attainment of your ‘Certified Festival & Event Executive’ (CFEE) designation, which recognizes an industry-focused combination of

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

INSTRUCTORS

Event Management School instructors are selected by the International Festivals & Events Association (IFEA) from among the top event management professionals in our industry today.

THE CURRICULUM The Event Management School first-year curriculum was created with the goal of providing a strong basic understanding and awareness of the multiple, critical components involved in event planning and management.

The second-year curriculum builds upon that first-year knowledge-base by providing more applied workshop-styled opportunities in specific areas, together with a project-based opportunity to help bring the ‘real world’ a little closer to the classroom.

NOTE: The Event Management School curriculum is not targeted at the corporate meeting-planning niche of our industry, but rather the outdoor public event sector.

“The Event Management School at Oglebay has created a vital tool in developing festival and event industry professionals. As any event producer can attest, training new staff often amounts to a “sink or swim” option. To have a venue where personnel can learn, interact and network with industry leaders and instructors will increase professionalism and output multiple-fold.”

Mike Berry, CFEE President & CEO Kentucky Derby Festival

YEAR ONE CLASSES Strong Foundations: Understanding Event Management and the Importance/Impact of Quality Events The success and sustainability of any event boils down to the commitment and passion of the leadership and team that make it all happen. We’ll take a moment to get us all off on the same foot, to clarify the multiple niches/specialties that make up our broader industry; the professional and personal returns that you can expect from working in event management; and the passionate leadership, dedication to quality and creativity, and professional skills that will help to ensure your success. This session will lay the foundation for the realities of our field and the training to follow in the week ahead.

Step One: Business Plans A successful event doesn’t start with the fireworks finale. Behind every exciting, fun-filled event is a well-run business, complete with paperwork, planning meetings, legal obligations to be met, and partnerships to be built.

Reputations are often based far-more upon the business side of your event than on who your headline entertainers are. We’ll teach you what you need to be thinking about.

Arriving at the Bottom-Line: Event Budgeting and Budget Management Every time there’s a good idea, someone brings up the budget! A realistic and informed

budget can set the stage for a less stressful and more profitable event. We’ll teach you how to create and use a budget to guide your success.

Putting the ‘Community’ in ‘Community Events’: Building a Successful Volunteer Program Volunteers put the ‘community’ in ‘community events’ and some events have legions of dedicated workers who bring valued skills to the table while holding costs to a minimum. This session will cover critical components of a successful volunteer program, including recruiting, training, management, communications, retention and rewards.

Event Administration & Legal Considerations Really? I have to think about that? Despite being a ‘fun’ industry, there are lots of behind-the-scenes ‘t’s’ to be crossed and ‘i’s’ to be dotted; obligations to be met; risks to be avoided/protected against; staffs and boards to be managed and supported; services to be secured and contracts to be signed. We’ll do our best to help you understand them.

Operations: From Vision to Reality The expansive area of ‘Operations’ is where the rubber meets the road and this session will cover multiple areas that can make or break an event.

• Event Infrastructure: The infrastructure for many events is a lot like building a small village where the day before there was nothing. Stage, lights, sound, tents, vehicles, decorations, bleachers, food delivery, trash pick-up, communications, utilities, parking, et al., we’ll talk about what you may need, where to go get it, and lots of insider-tips to remember in the process.

• Attendee & Support Services: Whenever you plan to draw a crowd, you’ve got to be thinking about what their needs may be: information, medical, lost kids, rest areas, ATM’s, restrooms, trash disposal, signage, communications, safety and security plans; accessibility; and much more. We’ll make sure you don’t forget anything.

• Programming, Site-Design and Event Flow: When did having fun require so much thinking? Like a theme park, effectively planning your event programming, site layout, service accessibility, etc., can ultimately affect sales; safety; friendly-neighbor relationships; and the overall experience for your attendees. We’ll cover some important, if not critical, considerations that will keep your event flowing smoothly.

• Environmental Realities: Events can play an important role through education and as a role model in protecting the environment.

We’ll touch on some of the ‘Green Reality’ options that events can consider today.

NOTE: All sessions are subject to change.

Merchandise Programs From keepsakes to entry tickets; sponsor promotions to retail outlets; on-line and onsite; a successful merchandise program can drive both memories and revenues. This session will cover the components and considerations of a successful merchandise program.

The Basics of Sponsorship Sales and Service There are very few events today that can operate without sponsorship support, but successful sponsorship doesn’t just happen.

This session will cover the basics of sponsorship and successful sponsorship sales, including why sponsors sponsor and how to identify and create a valuable menu of sponsorship benefits/assets for your event.

Students will also learn about the valuable world of mobile-marketing. And we’ll cover the critical role of sponsor service; the key to renewing and keeping those all-important sponsor partners we all depend on.

Marketing & Mediums: Traditional, Social and Creative All the planning in the world won’t make for a successful event unless it is properly marketed. This session will talk about how to develop an effective marketing plan and considerations for working with traditional media (television, newspaper and radio…yes, they are still around and still important) as well as today’s newest technology options.

Food & Beverage Programs A well-run food and beverage program can add to both the event experience for attendees and the bottom-line for the event.

This session will cover the components and considerations of a successful on-site food and beverage program.

NOTE: All sessions are subject to change.

Introduction to Event Risk Management Risk management is a central part of any event organizing committee’s planning cycle – it’s both an operational and “duty of care” requirement. What is it? It is a process whereby the event planning team methodically addresses the risks associated with their activities, with the goal of treating or mitigating those risks which may have an adverse impact (financial, image, reputation, etc.) on the event if the risk is materialized.

We’ll make sure you are focusing om the critical considerations.

Social Media Marketing: Understanding the Landscape, Benefits and Challenges It’s a new and quickly changing world, with Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, blogs and many, many more. How do you decide which ones are important and use them as an effective part of your event marketing mix? This session will provide a more in-depth look at maximizing new technologies and opportunities.

The New World of Event Ticketing, Financial Transactions and Audience Expectations Technology has impacted every part of our world, including events, in ways we could never have imagined just a few short years ago. This session will talk about options, changes and new considerations in the critical areas of event ticketing, financial transactions, and the constantly changing expectations of those attending our events.

The Common World of Events and Cities: Building Community through Proactive Events Management For events to meet their full potential, to all interested parties, we must learn to

see ourselves as a singular team of partners working toward common goals. Key among those partnerships is the one between events and cities. This session will talk about what a successful partnership looks and feels like when it works.

Is Everyone Invited? How to Include Fans with Disabilities In the United States, events that are open to the public are required to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, known as the world’s most stringent disability rights law, but the lessons are important ones to consider at events around the world.

This fast-paced session provides practical information and a format for designing a comprehensive Access Program for your festival/event. What are important but often forgotten aspects of a well-managed Access Program? Are you required to accommodate every request? What are some low-cost solutions? Help to avoid litigation by being prepared.

How’d You Do? Surveys, Evaluations and Economic Impact Studies No event is complete until the last survey and evaluation is in. This is the first step in all future events and this session will teach you how to do it effectively and cost-effectively.

Year-Two Team Event Presentations Year-One Event Management School students will participate in the City Event Concept Project reports by second year student teams, asking questions, and serving in the shared role of Panel Judge #4.

YEAR TWO CLASSES The Application of Project Management to Events Events are the end result of countless details, processes, and tasks, all coming successfully together; but how do you manage all of those priorities and make sure nothing falls between the cracks? Project Management is an accountable management method using tools and techniques honed over 50 years of use around the world by governments, corporations, and selected events. This session will set the stage for coordinating everything else that follows and provide an important tool for all those attending.

Human Centered Design to Enhance the Event Experience Design Thinking is a process to assist you and your organization in developing a common language for innovation and creative problem-solving skills. Design Thinking keeps your event planning focused on the people for which you are designing the experience. By participating in this interactive session, students will leave with a newfound creative confidence to change how they think about designing human-centered, memorable event experiences. Participants will work together through a challenge in which they apply their Design Thinking skills to an actual problem and come to a common creative resolution.

Advanced Risk Management / Contingency Planning and Event Security / Emergency Management The tragedy of realities like the Las Vegas shootings and Boston Marathon bombings, together with concerns like stage collapse or vehicular incidents, airshow crashes, crowd panic or control situations, sexual assault, gang-related violence and drug-related deaths at events and in cities of all sizes, serve as stark reminders of the need to plan and prepare for all the many incidents / possibilities that can / may affect our events on a moment’s notice. This important session will address what keeps us up at night and the steps that we can realistically take to address those concerns through contingency planning and preparation, as well as on-site during an event.

Inside Perspective: What Cities Want from Events and the New Age of Partnership in Municipal Event Management The relationship between cities and events has been evolving (sometimes devolving) for many years. Whether you are creating a new event or continuing to build upon a long-ex-

isting one, you must first start from a level of understanding about what cities want from events. Combining your goals with theirs, you can build a lasting and powerful partnership that will provide exponential benefits for everyone. This session will define some of those key goals and how to achieve them.

Is Everyone Invited? Advanced Considerations for Including Fans with Disabilities Following on our introduction course in Year One, this important session will delve a step deeper into the design and management of a comprehensive Access Program for your festival/event, assuring that everyone is invited and welcome. From service animals to signing to infrastructure, we’ll help make sure that you are prepared.

Applied Sponsorship Research Before you start selling your event, you have to first do your homework. This session will instruct students on how to conduct sponsor research, where to look, what to look for and how to use what you find.

Applied Budget Development Working from a draft event program plan, and other desired ‘bells and whistles’ that impact the event ‘experience’, students will learn how to develop an event budget, discussing what to include, how/where to research, fair and realistic estimates, the keeping of formula and assumption notes/records, use of a budget in managing an event throughout the planning and production process, budget reports, tracking expectations and more.

city for consideration in their own internal creative process and the winning team will be recognized for pride and posterity on the Event Management School ‘Oglebay Cup’ trophy.

During the week, each team (assigned randomly to reinforce the reality of an event environment) will participate in the following project steps: • Research and Development of Creative and Innovative Event Concepts to Serve Market Audiences, Event Calendar, Organizational Mission, Available Venues, and Unique Capabilities • Research & Development of an Event Programming / Management / Operational Plan and Expense Budget to Meet Defined Goals • Research and Development of an Event Income Budget with Suggested and Realistic Sources, plus Sales Strategies, to Meet Defined Goals • Professionally Delivered City Event Concept Presentations (all team members must play a role in the final presentation) in the format of an outside consulting firm presenting concepts to a client Teams will be assessed on Team Work, Event Proposal / Plan and Presentation.

Applied Sponsorship Proposals and Follow-Up Reports “It’s all in the presentation…” or so goes the old (and true) adage. Students in this session will learn about and practice writing sponsorship proposals and follow-up reports; two points-of-critical-impact with sponsors.

City Event Concept Project & Presentations The City Event Concept Project will provide a substantial hands-on experience with an event focus. Event expert team advisors will help to guide event teams through a week of market research, concept creation/design, budget reality checks, and presentation stages of an all-new event concept(s) for an actual city (including limited-use “Client” contact). Teams will present their completed plans/concepts to a panel of industry leaders and fellow-students on the last day, who will offer critiques, insights and accolades. Final plans/concepts deemed the most feasible will be offered to the selected NOTE: All sessions are subject to change.

2020 Event Management School Schedule TIME

Sunday January 12

7:00 a.m.

Monday January 13

Tuesday January 14

Wednesday January 15

Thursday January 16

Breakfast

Breakfast

Breakfast

Breakfast

Educational Sessions

Educational Sessions

Educational Sessions

Educational Sessions

Lunch 11:45 a.m. - 1:15 p.m.

Lunch 11:45 a.m. - 1:15 p.m.

Lunch 11:45 a.m. - 1:15 p.m.

Lunch 11:45 a.m. - 1:15 p.m.

Educational Sessions

Educational Sessions

Educational Sessions

Educational Sessions

Free Evening: Oglebay Shops, Zoo and Festival of Lights Tour Open

Dinner and Evening Roundtable Sessions

Free Evening and / or Group Planning Sessions

7:30 a.m.

8:00 a.m.

8:30 a.m.

9:00 a.m.

9:30 a.m.

Educational Sessions

10:00 a.m.

10:30 a.m.

11:00 a.m.

11:30 a.m.

12:00 p.m.

12:30 p.m.

1:00 p.m.

1:30 p.m.

2:00 p.m.

2:30 p.m.

3:00 p.m.

Educational Sessions

3:30 p.m.

Registration

4:00 p.m.

4:30 p.m.

5:00 p.m.

Orientation

5:30 p.m.

6:00 p.m.

Welcome Reception and Dinner

Graduation Reception and Banquet

Presented by a Partnership For Excellence in Event Education.

EMAIL, MAIL OR FAX THIS FORM TO: The National Training Center for Public Facility Managers at Oglebay Resort & Conference Center 465 Lodge Drive, Wheeling, West Virginia 26003 Phone: (304) 243-4126 • Fax: (304) 243-4106 E-mail: ntc@oglebay-resort.com

JAN UARY 12-17, 2020 GENERAL INFORMATION.

Full Name: _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Title: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name (as you wish it to appear on your badge):__________________________________________________________________________________ Company / Agency: _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Mailing Address:____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ City: _________________________________________________________________ State / Province: _____________________________________ Zip Code: ____________________________________________________________ Country: ____________________________________________ Phone: _______________________________________________________________ Fax: ________________________________________________ Email: _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Arrival Date: __________________________________________________________ Departure Date: ______________________________________ For any special needs of accommodations, please contact Oglebay at (304) 243-4126. ❍ 1st Year Student ❍ 2nd Year Student PACKAGE PRICES SINGLE PACKAGE

IFEA MEMBER

NON-MEMBER

Tuition

$ 700.00

$ 850.00

Single Premium Room

$1,312.69

$1,312.69

Single Deluxe Room

$1,220.54

$1,220.54

Single Value Room

$1,105.39

$1,105.39

❍ $2,012.69

❍ $2,162.69

❍ $1,920.54

❍ $2,070.54

❍ $1,805.39

❍ $1,955.39

❍ $164.71*

❍ $164.71*

Single Premium Room w/tuition Single Deluxe Room w/tuition Single Value Room w/tuition (All packages include room, board and taxes) Early Arrival (Tax included – no meals) *Same as last year TOTAL amount enclosed: $____________________________

PACKAGE INCLUDES: • 5 night lodging • 4 buffet breakfast • 4 buffet lunches • Continuous coffee/ beverage breaks • 5 beverage tickets • Sunday and Tuesday buffet dinner • Thursday Graduation banquet plated dinner and continental breakfast Friday morning.

• All taxes and applicable fees included in package price.

Premium Rooms in the new wing of Wilson Lodge are assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Please visit our website at www.oglebay-resort.com for Premium Room descriptions.

METHOD OF PAYMENT: A check, purchase order or credit card for the full package amount must accompany this form in order to complete enrollment. When paying with a credit card, the package amount will be charged to your card upon receipt of registration. You will receive confirmation from Oglebay Wilson Lodge. NOTE: The balance must be paid prior to arrival. ❍ Check (make check payable to Wheeling Park Commission) ❍ Purchase Order #_____________ ❍ VISA ❍ MasterCard ❍ American Express ❍ Discover Print Cardholder Name: _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Credit Card Number:________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Expiration Date: _____________________________________________ CVC Security Number: ________ (MC/Visa-3 digit code back) (AMX-4 digit code front) CANCELLATION POLICY: A cancellation fee of $100 will be charged for cancellation at any time up to 30 days prior to the school; 30 to 7 days prior, 50% will be charged; and with 7 days or less notice, no refund will be issued.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: www.NRPA.org 800.626.NRPA (6772) 7-1-1 for speech and hearing impaired

www.IFEA.com +1. 208.433.0950

OGLEBAY.com/NTC 800.624.6988, ext. 4126

EXHIBITOR SPOTLIGHT

What year was your company established?

Established in 2012 How many employees does your company have?

5 What areas do you serve with your product/service?

We are the world’s only and largest mobile shade system. We serve both the event/ rental and agriculture sectors. We have sold our shades systems all over the world.

How many festivals and events do you work with on an annual basis?

Shade Haven is a manufacture and sells direct to rental agencies. We have worked with large nationally televised and local events alike. Our emphasis is to create a network of rentals.

How/why did your company/ product/ service get started?

The birth of the Shade Haven came from the fastly developing interests of “FOOD quality” and how it is produced. We as consumers are growing more and more concerned about the impact we have on this planet and what we are leaving for future generations.

This all can be traced back to regenerative agriculture and something called rotational grazing. To be successful at this as global temperatures rise, you need protection from the hot sun! thus the Shade Haven. After that, it only took a few trade shows to see that when the noon bell rang, we would soon have a large crowd of participants eating their lunch under our shade; the reaction “WOW! this would work great at parties” 48

What is your ‘elevator pitch’ and/or slogan about your product/service?

Is shade a problem at your event? Do you want it on demand? Can it add to your overall look? Shade Haven has developed a state-of-the-art, on demand mobile shade system that takes only minutes to set up with a single person. Requires no stakes or additional weights. Has integrated seating and auxiliary power for night lights and cell phone charging, and can be towed down the highway with a pickup truck. Add a unique new look to your reputation and set yourself apart from the rest with a Shade Haven today!

What sets your product/service apart from your competitors?

One of a kind! nothing else exists like it What new or improved product/ service do you have to offer that ifea audiences need to know about?

Mobile Shade!!!! an opportunity to work directly with the manufacturer to get a very usable product that solves and very real problem.

What advice would you offer to festivals and events searching for your type of product/service?

Don’t be shy to ask questions. We are new to the industry and love to solve problems.

Think big! the opportunities are endless.

What is your company’s customer service philosophy?

100% satisfaction guaranteed! we want to solve your problem not create another.

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REED DOERR President/Owner

SHADE HAVEN LLC 1201 N. Main St #25 Viroqua WI 54665 USA (855) 247 4233 reed@shadehaven.net shadehaven.net How many years have you been with your company?

Sense the beginning… 2012 What are your favorite festival foods?

Real BBQ What do you like to do to relax?

Biking and summer festivals What is the name of the last business book you read?

The Magic of Thinking Big

by David J. Schwartz What is the name of the last movie you watched?

Hunger Games

The IFEA is proud to partner with the following Association Alliance organizations

International Association of Fairs and Expositions

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The Vision Statement Do you see what I see? The vision we have for an event will provide the direction for the event to go. What is the kind of future you want for your community with this event? In this case, how does a farmer’s market play a role in this future? The beauty of a vison statement is that it promotes y el er m t goals, wish-list items and can bu , l-inclusive t) ients are not al en ed pm often be your biggest selling gr lo in ; ve te de t no (Please own marke point for your point to your community and a g tin ar st od a go fantastic public relations tool. ts, eggs, ea m s, ie gg ve fruits and sh s fre l lm ca ba lo d d • Unlimite ns, soaps an ps, honey, lotio The Mission Statement cheeses, syru of Artisans se do Whether you have five ith a healthy w ne s bi nt om ve C • g with Micro-E tin ke vendors or fifty, a mission ar M of • A dash unity Partners m statement is the perfect om C of h nc • A pi strations place to start your planning cup of Demon LL FU a dd A • process for most any l Business • Mix in Loca inment rta te program or event. Having En tra ex • Stir in Food Court a an event mission provides e st ta to dd • A employees/ staff, vendors and community patrons and partners with a purpose and buy-in. Even in its infancy, an event can benefit from a “You are not here merely to make a mission statement because it allows for the living. You are here in order to enable the defining of future goals. I like to think of the world to live more amply, with greater mission statement as what you are practicing vision, with a finer spirit of hope and in the present - a dose of healthy reality that achievement. You are here to enrich the you are building on with your event. world, and you impoverish yourself if you Most of the event capacities I’ve worked forget the errand.” ~Woodrow Wilson over the last 15-20 years, the majority have all The Planning Process; It All been public sector related. Budgets were set Starts with a Vision and a each year for planning and in doing so, freed Mission Statement up sponsorships and community partners How do you begin the planning to help with all the bells and whistles that process for a local farmers market? would make the event that much more festive.

Why exactly is it important to have However, event planning is a table full of a mission statement for your local ingredients to use and choose from. For some farmers market? of us, budget comes first and for others, its One of the most important components sponsorships or local charities. There are of a good event, is experience. Creating no wrong answers here! Flavor your expeexperience is composed of hopes and rience how you like, pair your event with a dreams outlined by the present or having complimentary host, enhance the experience a vision and proceeding with your mission. with a variety of spices you draw on from the We all want to create an experience for community and you can’t go wrong! event-goers that they can take back home with them. In order to do this, I believe Site Evaluation and Layout; you must establish first and foremost the from Hot Asphalt to Community Oasis ‘purpose’ of the event or program you “There’s something great about being are planning for. You may ask yourself, on location with a bunch of people “How will this event or program serve there’s a camaraderie and intimacy that the community or patrons that will be builds up over time.” ~Essie Davis attending or involved?” This can be Where is your market being held? What applied to any event, large or small, public can you do to create traffic flow through or private, in its sponsorship. layout; even if your market location isn’t Now, I’ve thrown around the word’s ideal? What is the difference between “mission” and “vision” . . . in some location and atmosphere? cases you may have heard them used Market site location is important in terms interchangeably . . . but for an event, they of what part of your local population you are actually two very different things.

“The better the ingredients, the more farmers I can buy from, the closer I feel to the food I want to make that represents what I care about as a chef.” ~Alex Guarnaschelli

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may impact. Some of you may be able to be selective about where this actual location is in the community while others may just have to deal with the site they are given. If you don’t have the perfect location, do not worry!

Promote exactly where your market/event is by advertising: posters, rack cards, and flyers. Most local businesses and community partners will be glad to hang these in their windows or display them in their stores or restaurants. Use your site to the best of its ability by maximizing its positives and minimizing its negatives. Example: Problem: Our market is in the middle of a giant black asphalt parking lot in the south with no trees, and very little grass. We do have a small pavilion and some electric. In the summer the temperature can range from 90-105 degrees. This is a challenge to keep people at the market to stay a while, keep vendors and shoppers cool, and to keep produce and items that need refrigeration at correct temperatures to state guidelines.

Traffic flow is also important to vendors. We want shoppers to walk around and look at all goods available, not just make a b-line to the sweet corn and head out!

Solution: Build off from the pavilion so that you now have colorful tented breezeways and corridors for your shoppers and vendors.

Put up extra tents with plenty of seating under them, i.e. Picnic tables, benches and chairs. Draw up a plan to position farms and food vendors that need electric in close proximity to the hook-ups. Place vendors so that artisans and farms are mixed up nicely amongst each other. Whatever you do, don’t locate two vendors selling similar products next to each other! To stay cool, be creative including handing out fans and ice water or installing a misting machine.

This is called taking lemons and making them lemonade.

With a little help from advertising, site setup, traffic flow awareness, and smart planning anyone can turn a basic parking lot or street side location into a buzzing business event hub full of market fresh finds!

What is in the Air? Now forget everything you just read about location and let’s talk atmosphere!

That’s right, not location, location, location, but atmosphere, atmosphere, atmosphere!

It is in fact the people of the market and the energy they bring, that help to make your location. Your camaraderie and relationships with your vendors and the general public are at the heart of all you do for a market and can not only impact your setting but can drive your whole event!

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Calling all Vendors; a Healthy Farm to Artisan Ratio “Let your customers be your partners; let your vendors be your employees.

What’s necessary in this transformation more than anything else is courage and a willingness to change. ~Safra A. Catz Your vendors can make or break a market; why being selective can have a huge impact. What are some guidelines that will help set your market apart from the rest of the shopping choices out there? (department stores, online shopping, grocery stores) A market mentor of mine once told me that the best markets provide something for their community that people can’t just walk into a department or grocery store and buy. That’s the niche you need, in order to be successful and have lasting impact in a community with a farmer’s market. It also doesn’t hurt to highlight the talent and skill of the producers you have right in your very own community back yard. Farmer’s markets are as grass-roots as it gets when it comes to the coined phrase “shop local.” A big part of a farmer’s markets longevity is the market managers ability to keep it fresh. New ideas and change can be scary for a community, so these need to be built into the market. Experience is worth a thousand words and it has been my experience that talking to someone about your vision is just not as powerful as showing them. Next, be selective when choosing vendors. Schedule a meeting with every interested vendor. Invite them to bring samples of what they produce and are interested in selling. This small task shows your investment in them and allows you to see the quality of their work.

Market Guidelines and Applications Guidelines are a must for farmer’s markets and a great tool to use so that all vendors are hired equally. If they meet your defined guidelines, they are able to participate in market. This sets a strong foundation for what your expectations are as market manager. Your guidelines may be based off many things such as city ordinances, codes, state department of agriculture guidelines, and your own vision for your market.

Market applications are created uniquely to suite your market guidelines.

It is good practice to update you vendor applications each year so that new and old vendors alike are up-to-date. Creating an application process for all vendors is a great way to keep track of what goods you have being sold at the market: produce, meats, eggs, plants, etc., verses artisan 52

goods. We like to go by a 60/40 farm to artisan ratio. The more farms you bring on, the more artisans you can bring on.

Building Momentum Farmer’s markets can be one of the longest running events for a city or community. Now that you have your vendors, and the market is in full swing, what can you do to maintain momentum through a three to eight-month market season? Welcome micro-events! Or as we like to call them, for our farmer’s market, Celebration Saturdays.

These special Saturdays occur every several weeks highlighting market vendors, community partners/businesses, feature simple music performances, face painting and balloons, and are themed. Themes include but are not limited to shortcake showdown, pumpkin palooza, salsa Saturday—you get the picture. Additional market micro-event fun may include cooking and educational demonstrations, children’s crafts and sampling from food vendors.

Stir It All Together…

“Every successful individual knows that his or her achievement depends on a community of persons working together. ~Paul Ryan I refer to this step as the mixing bowl or the melting-pot-phase of farmer’s market.

This is where all the ingredients come together. The vivid colors of artisans and flavors of fresh produce and goods collide to create a special harmony I like to call market fresh community.

“Lou took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of just-cut flowers, fresh tamales from the food stands, and sunshine. She preferred the West Allis farmers’ market to all others in the area, with its open sides, wide walkways, and rows of stalls.

More recently, small tents serving hot sandwiches and fresh Mexican food had popped up outside the brick walls. It all looked so good, she’d learned long ago to come with limited funds, or she would buy more produce than she could possibly use. She relished talking to the farmers, learning about what they grew and where.”

The excerpt above by Amy E. Reichert, The Coincidence of Coconut Cake, pinpoints the experience of a great event.

We can experience the characters reaction to a favorite farmers market day exploration. What are some other memories you may have had of favorite markets you’ve visited? The smell of kettle corn and fresh local beef burgers on the grill? Maybe it’s laughter or different languages you hear strolling along the vivid tents—hues in every color to match the fresh-cut flower

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bouquet you hold in your hands? Or is it the old-fashioned picking on the mandolin, woodworking, pottery, or sparkle of handmade jewelry catching your eyes?

A successful event is a direct reflection of what you put in the bowl, so to speak, your ingredients. It is now time to stir all these details together. The public can now come and enjoy the market, although they are never aware of the all of the flavors working together in your event recipe; community partners, employees, vendors, decorations, themes, timing it all, planning and planning some more.

A Destination to Stay a While and Come Back To The average Saturday market-goer takes a big bite of farmer’s market morning, closes their eyes and enjoys the moment - the present. Then they get in their car or on their bike and head home. As an event planner your job is done. You’ve given them experience. You’ve created a memory for them. You’ve given them something to look forward to again in the future and come back to. You’ve just put into motion a destination event, highlighting local people, businesses and talent in your community that make it shine.

Now you sit back and relax. Does this ever happen?! Not really. Ok, so you start planning the next event (that’s more like it) and you hope they return again and again!

“A recipe is a story that ends with a good meal.” ~Pat Conroy Molly Tomasallo Johnson, C.F.E.A. has been the City Event Planner for Paducah, Kentucky going on 6 years.

Among reviving farmers markets, her list of daily do’s includes: Independence Day Celebrations, Riverfront Concert Series shows, numerous parades and a ton of community involvement. Previously a Senior Landscape Architect for the City of Green Bay, WI, she has a degree in Landscape Architecture from Ball State University. Her past accomplishments include coordinated plantings, projects and events for the whole community including several playground builds with the Packers for local schools, an Art-walk along the Fox River and beautification for over 30 neighborhood associations.

For 15 years Molly has worked through Parks and Recreation in a municipality setting to bring experience and enjoyment to the communities she lives in. When she isn’t planning for or managing an event, Molly can be found in her own backyard oasis recharging, where she raises and shows her American Bulldogs, specializes in rare and heritage-breed chickens and grows heirloom flowers and veggies in her garden for her bees!

WITH SEAN KING

ASSOCIATION ENDORSED PARTNER

ASSOCIATION ENDORSED PARTNER

The IFEA would like to thank the following partners for their dedicated support of the association.

Association Endorsed Partners have made a commitment to the continued success of our association, our members, and our industry through their umbrella support of all IFEA programs and services.

Show your support for these dedicated providers to our industry by getting to know them, and the high quality products and services that they supply, better.

Interested in becoming an Association Endorsed Partner?

Contact Kaye Campbell, Director of Partnerships & Programs (208) 433-0950 ext. 8150 or kaye@ifea.com

THE UN-COMFORT ZONE

WITH ROBERT WILSON

I STOLE THE HOPE DIAMOND

AND CAUGHT LEPROSY

“Did you ever steal something from a store; shoplift a candy bar; anything?” asked my college girlfriend.

She had just told me that, as a little girl, she took something from a gift shop without paying for it, and how her parents severely scolded her.

I shook my head, “No.” “Seriously, never?”

Susan was so disappointed. It was apparent that she wanted a story; and immediately my imagination kicked in. So, I replied, “Well, never intentionally.”

“What does that mean?”

“There was this one time, when I was twelve years old, that I accidentally stole something. And, I probably shouldn’t be talking about it because I could still get trouble for it.”

“How could you get in trouble for something you did so long ago when you were just a kid?”

“Because it was something really big, and the owners still want it back.”

“Enough, just tell me what you stole!”

“OK,” I continued in a conspiratorial whisper, “but you’ve got to promise to tell 54

no one.”

“I promise. Why are you whispering?”

We were sitting in the living room of my apartment with the doors open to the balcony. I got up and closed them. “Because I could go to jail if anyone overhears me.”

Now she was really interested.

“First of all,” I said, “you’re not going to believe me, but even if you don’t, you still have to keep your promise not to tell.”

She nodded her assent, so I continued, “I stole the Hope diamond from the Smithsonian Institute.”

“You’re right I don’t believe it!”

“OK, just remember you promised not tell either way.” I picked up a deck of cards off the coffee table and started dealing a hand of solitaire. As I laid the cards out, I could feel the tension building in the air as she stared at me.

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A few minutes passed and she said, “There is no way I’m going to believe you stole the Hope diamond, but I’m curious; go ahead and tell your story.”

I told her how I had gone to Washington D.C. on a school trip, and on the day we went to the Smithsonian, the teachers had us stop at the gift store to buy something for our parents. I looked around and selected an imitation Hope diamond for my mother. After paying for it, I put it into the side pocket of my suit jacket (this was back in the day, when boys wore coats and ties on school trips).

I knew Susan had never been to the Smithsonian, which is the only way this story had a chance of working (It was also 1978 when you couldn’t just look anything up on your smart phone). I continued by telling her how we toured the museum, “When we got to the section with the gem and mineral collection, one of the curators was conducting a laser light show with several crystals including many of the world’s most famous gem stones.”

(I never actually made it to that part of the museum, so I was creating the story completely from my imagination.)

“There was a thick red velvet rope, like the line dividers in movie theaters, that separated us from a table filled with jewels. In addition to the Hope, there was the Star of India, the Red Ruby of Russia, the Irish Emerald, and others whose names I can’t recall. On the other side of the table, the man was giving the demonstration. He’d take one of the gems, put it in a metal holder on a stand, shoot the laser beam through it, then explain how it refracted the light. We saw lots of

cool rainbows on the wall.”

“I pushed through the crowd to see better, and when I got up to the velvet rope, I saw the Hope diamond right in front of me. I was curious how close my imitation looked to the real thing, so I pulled it out of my pocket with my right hand. I held it out in front of me, but I needed to see them side by side to know for sure. So, I just picked up the Hope with my left hand, and held them in front of me, one in each hand. I couldn’t tell any difference. The imitation was really good. I then closed my hands around both to see if I tell any difference in weight. Each was big enough to fill my fist, but they seemed to weigh about the same.”

“All in all, I figured I had gotten a pretty good deal for my mom. I reached out with my left hand facing down to drop the Hope back on the table. At the same time, I opened my right and gently tossed the imitation once in the air. The movement caught the eye of the security guard who was standing nearby. He snatched the imitation out of my hand, and yelled, ‘Hey, no touching the gems!’ He set it down on the table, and commanded, ‘You’re out of here.’ He grabbed me by the shoulder and started shoving me toward the door.”

“I tried to tell him he had gotten the wrong stone, ‘But, but sir...’ I pleaded, but he cut me off, ‘Don’t talk back to me. You broke the rules; you have to leave the building.’”

“He was so rough and mean to me, that it made me mad. So, I shoved the real Hope diamond in my left jacket pocket and walked out. So, you see, I didn’t mean to steal it. It was an accident. I was just a curious kid.”

“So where is it now?” Susan asked.

“It’s in a desk drawer with a bunch of broken crayons, marbles, plastic soldiers, and Matchbox cars back in my room at my parents’ house.”

“You put the Hope diamond in a junk drawer with old toys?”

“Where else was I supposed to put it?

Besides I used to play with it. Billy and I would sometimes spin it like a top.”

“Billy knows you stole the Hope diamond?” (Billy was my childhood best friend, and also my roommate, so Susan knew him).

“You know how hard it is to keep a secret; I had to tell someone.”

“This has gone far enough. I don’t believe a word of it.”

I needed something else; something to give it verisimilitude. A final proof. Then inspiration struck, and I said, “Do you remember why I wouldn’t take that job at UPS?” “Yeah, you didn’t like that they wanted to take your fingerprints and file them with

We had both used our imaginations to concoct fun tall tales.

Imagination is the heart of creative thinking. It’s not just for stories. the FBI. You thought that was too much of an invasion of your privacy.”

I nodded, then just looked at her. It only took a minute, but she cried out, “Oh my god, you didn’t want the FBI to have your fingerprints because your fingerprints are on the imitation Hope diamond. You did steal it!”

Just then the front door to the apartment opened and Billy walked in. Susan turned around and asked him point blank, “Did Bobby really steal the Hope diamond?”

Now Billy and I had been telling each other whopper tall tales for years, so I hoped he’d help me out. While Susan’s back was to me, I made a motion with my hand like I was spinning a top. He got it, and replied, “Hell yeah, we used to spin that sucker like a top on his bedroom floor!” That cinched it.

Susan completely bought the story.

The next morning, I confessed that it was all a tall tale. She was furious, “I worried all night that you would be arrested. I can’t believe you convinced me that you stole the Hope diamond. I’m going to get even with you for this!”

I didn’t give it another thought. Two weeks passed, and I was talking with Susan on the phone when she told me that a girl on her hall in the dorm had been sent home with some rare illness. It was a girl Billy had tutored.

The next day she told me the girl had been diagnosed with leprosy. She went on to say that the girl had once lived on an island in the Caribbean near a leper colony. And, how the disease had been dormant in her body for years. Meanwhile, I was keeping Billy up to date on the story since he knew her.

The following day she told me that everyone in her dorm, and anyone else exposed to the girl, was going to have to get tested. And, that they should be on the lookout for any unusual rashes on their extremities. Susan knew that Billy had a rash on his ankles that his doctor couldn’t diagnose; that he had been given two different creams, and that neither worked.

The day after that, when she knew I was at work, she called our apartment knowing Winter 2019

that Billy would answer the phone. She was crying as she asked Billy to speak to me. He told her I wasn’t home, then asked why she was crying. At first she wouldn’t say, but then he insisted. She said she tested positive and would be sent away to a special hospital.

Billy hung up and called me at work; he was hysterical. “Bobby, Susan called; she tested positive. If she’s got it, then I’ve got it.” I replied that I must have it too. He told me she said there was a Leprosy Task Force set up at the school clinic. That was where we needed to go. I told him I would leave work immediately, pick him up, and we’d go to the clinic together.

I was a nervous wreck as I entered the clinic. Billy was worse. We ran to receptionist and asked, “Where do we go for the Leprosy Task Force?”

She looked at us like we were crazy, and said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Suddenly, behind us, we heard peals of feminine laughter. We turned around to see Susan and several of her dormitory mates.

She cried out, “You guys are so gullible!”

We had both used our imaginations to concoct fun tall tales. Imagination is the heart of creative thinking. It’s not just for stories. It’s where we combine and connect diverse pieces of knowledge from our own minds into something bright and new and useful. Invention starts with imagination. How far have you allowed your imagination to go?

Robert Evans Wilson, Jr. is an author, humorist/speaker and innovation consultant. He works with companies that want to be more competitive and with people who want to think like innovators. Robert is the author of ...and Never Coming Back, a psychological thriller-novel about a motion picture director; The Annoying Ghost Kid, a humorous children’s book about dealing with a bully; and the inspirational book: Wisdom in the Weirdest Places. For more information on Robert, please visit www.jumpstartyourmeeting.com.

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EVERYONE’S INVITED

WITH LAURA GRUNFELD

INCLUDING PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

RESERVED VIEWING AREAS,

BEST PRACTICES - PART 2

This accessible viewing platform is on a hill so the front is high enough to see over the heads of those walking in front while the ramp leading to the back of the platform has a very slight incline. To the left of the platform is a protected area for people who want to sit on the lawn and it serves as an overflow if we run out of space on the platform. Note the cooler and water which we share with staff and patrons.

Photo by Laura Grunfeld copyright 2019

W

e continue where we left off in the last issue, with our discussion regarding viewing areas reserved for patron with disabilities. In this issue we will focus on safety for your accessible viewing area.

Danger, Danger!

At one event I was working, there was a fairly raucous, packed audience. Our platform, raised above the throng with what looked like plenty of space even though it was full by my standards, was tempting to our patrons at ground level. We were surrounded by bike rack but patrons climbed over and tried to scale the scaffolding to the platform. With the few staff we had on hand we were able to dissuade them for a short while until they just descended on the platform en masse. I remember using my power stance to try to block the ramp, arms crossed, legs spread, staring down the people that were coming towards me up the ramp. They simply pushed passed me and there was nothing I could do. By the time additional security got to us, it was too late. The interlopers filled every inch of the platform with excited fans, uncaring and unaware of the fragility of the patrons with disabilities who were also on the platform.

Jim is one of the first patrons to arrive for the show this sunny day. Note the platform is painted gray to help it stay cooler. The stripes made from gaff tape help keep the aisles clear.

Photo by Laura Grunfeld copyright 2019

This could have ended badly but luckily no one was injured.

After the show the platform emptied and everyone was safe even though the patrons with disabilities were not able to enjoy the show as they had hoped. They were jammed in and had their Continued on page 88

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Good

Great

CFEE

An Important Step in the Career Track of Industry Leaders As a professional in the Festivals & Events Industry, you know the difference between Good and Great. You’ve dedicated yourself to the “whatever it takes” approach that has become your hallmark. You understand the importance and value of continuing to hone your skills, growing your knowledge base, expanding your professional network, and surrounding yourself with others who have reached the top levels of their careers as well.

CFEE (Certified Festival & Event Executive), the IFEA’s professional certification program, provides the essential difference between good and great among professionals in our industry. It signifies the highest level of achievement. Attainment of your CFEE certification provides recognition of your commitment to excellence, experience, and to your career, placing you in an elite group of the top festival and event professionals in your field. It’s a statement of quality that you bring to the table.

For more information about the IFEA’s professional certification program, and our 2018 CFEE FastTrack® Program, contact Cindy Lerick at cindy@ifea.com or call +1-314-614-7152.

The CFEE Professional Certification Program is Sponsored by

2019 The IFEA Volunteer of the Year Program rewards our member’s supporters who give so unselfishly of their time.

Although, annually, one individual must ultimately be named Volunteer of the Year, hundreds are recognized by our member organizations and affiliated associations as the backbone of our industry. Whether small or large, special events and festivals throughout the world consistently bring to our attention the talents of their most committed volunteers. To select one is a daunting task; to learn the stories behind their contributions has been an honor. The following outstanding volunteers were selected as Semi-Finalists in the 2019 IFEA Volunteer of the Year Awards Competition.

Holly Blake - Nominated by Music for All, Indianapolis, IN In 1999 Holly volunteered at the Bands of America Grand National Championships and found a whole new band family. This event brought together the Ben Davis High School Band that Holly was a part of in her youth, the Lawrence Central High School Band that Holly’s daughter had been a part of, and nearly 90 other marching bands from across the country. After volunteering at this pinnacle event for Music for All, Holly was beyond impressed with the organization and its mission. For nearly 20 years, Holly has continued to volunteer with Music for All through its Bands of America Marching Band Championships, the Music for All National Festival, and the Bands of America Honor Band in the Tournament of Roses Parade®. She has traveled to eight states, for 65 events, logging more than 1,500 hours serving over 450,000 students, their parents, and music teachers across America annually.

Patty Matthews - Nominated by the Greater Columbus Arts Council, Columbus, OH Patty has been volunteering on the Columbus Arts Festival Steering Committee for more than 20 years. To say she has a passion is an understatement. Patty grew up loving the Columbus Arts Festival. Once out of grad school, she knew it was time she could spend volunteering at the Columbus Arts Festival and she is in her 21st year with the festival. Patty won the first Columbus Arts Festival Gwen Scott Volunteer of the Year Award in 2016, named in honor Gwen Scott, a long-time Festival volunteer who passed away in 2016. This annual award is designed to honor individuals who have contributed at an extraordinary level of dedication to the Arts Festival.

Ward Robinson - Nominated by the Kentucky Derby Festival, Louisville, KY At 82 years old, Ward Robinson has been volunteering with the Kentucky Derby Festival for 43 years, since 1976. His first role was acting as a split-caller with the miniMarathon, Derby Festival’s 13.1-mile road race, and from there he was quickly recruited to the Pegasus Parade. Ward’s passion and dedication have allowed him to grow and he has taken on many leadership roles over the years. In 1979, Ward recruited his wife, Mary June, as a Band Host and together they have served as volunteers for the Kentucky Derby Festival for four decades. In addition to the Pegasus Parade, Ward has devoted himself to helping Thunder Over Louisville, the Kentucky Derby Festival’s Opening Ceremonies, as well as largest fireworks and airshow display in North America, which attracts over 500,000 spectators each year.

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2019

Semi-Finalists

Ray Sellers - Nominated by Pigeon Forge Office of Special Events, Pigeon Forge, TN Ray Sellers, at 91 years of age, constantly and consistently outdoes men and women less than half his own age when it comes to volunteering. His passion and love for the Pigeon Forge community are phenomenal, so much so in fact not only does Ray volunteer for all seven of their city-sponsored special events, but he also volunteers for the cities of Gatlinburg and Sevierville with their special events as well as numerous non-profit organizations such as Friends of the Smokies. Over the decades since Ray Sellers began volunteering with the Pigeon Forge Office of Special Events, he has managed to assist with all of their events; however, his greatest impact as a volunteer would be their annual Wilderness Wildlife Week. With Ray’s intimate knowledge of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and its 803 miles of active maintained trails, he has stepped up to take over hikes during the event when the leader was unable to attend, or if inclement weather came in and affected the trail. Ray Sellers is the backbone of their volunteers and is oftentimes the spirit of their events with his drive to help out with even the least glamourous volunteer needs. His dogged determination and community mindedness illustrate how he wants to make their events better while providing a legacy worth celebrating.

Steven Spencer - Nominated by The Parade Company, Detroit, MI Steven Spencer is a long-time, incredible volunteer who has been dedicating his time and talents to The Parade Company since 1991.

In 1991, Steven started off volunteering in the Art Studio – helping to paint and build floats. It wasn’t long before he decided that he wanted to do more. Over the years, Steven has been a Parade float driver, Costume Marcher, and volunteer for Hob Nobble Gobble® presented by Ford. He serves as a Volunteer Captain for the St. Patrick’s Parade and the Rooftop Party presented by Ford. He is also one of the Parade Company’s awesome tour guides and a volunteer performer who wears their mascot “Clownie” costume at various appearances. Last year, Steven was named The Parade Company’s “Art Van Volunteer of the Year.” This award is bestowed upon volunteers who embody the spirit of the Parade by going over and above the call of duty.

John White - Nominated by The Parade Company, Detroit, MI John White has volunteered in every Parade for The Parade Company from 1958 to 2017, so it goes without saying he is definitely one of their amazing, long-time volunteers who has been an incredible asset. Over the years, John has volunteered as a Banner Carrier, Balloon Handler, Band Marshal and Clown. For the last two years, John has helped with their Distinguished Clown Corp Breakfast on Parade morning. Additionally, he also serves as a tour guide for their Studio Tours. John not only has a wealth of knowledge about the Parade, but he also has a warm, personable demeanor that makes him one of their best tour guides. They often call on him for specialty tours, such as our Valentine’s Couple Tours and VIP groups. Tour guests who have experienced his tours give him glowing reviews, and often tell their friends and family who book a tour with The Parade Company – to be sure to request John!

To view information on this year’s winner and past Volunteer of the Year winners, Click Here.

For more information about the IFEA/Zambelli Fireworks Volunteer of the Year Award, Click Here Winter 2019

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YESTERDAY’S INCIDENT IS TOMORROW’S RISK

WITH PETER ASHWIN

PREPARING FOR UNCERTAINTY AND ADVERSITY IN TODAY’S UNCERTAIN WORLD

STRATEGIES FOR ENHANCING ORGANIZATIONAL RESILIENCE

AND EVENT OPERATIONAL READINESS

Shutterstock photo ID: 758131669: Eti Ammos

I

n today’s uncertain world, event organizers and host cities find themselves operating in complex multi-stakeholder environments; facing evolving risks ranging from homegrown violent extremism, cyber-criminal attacks on data and IT networks, event cancellations due to severe weather and oversaturated calendars offering a diversity of competing events for locals and regional visitors to choose from.

Within this uncertain environment, how can event organizers and host cities enhance team resilience to manage the known (familiar and consistent events) and prepare for the unknown (external, uncontrollable events)?

In this column, I will highlight three proven concepts to enhance organizational resilience and team preparedness for uncertainty and adversity within complex and dynamic operating environments. These three inter-related concepts are: 1. Risk-based event planning and decision making 2. Secure by design principles for enhancing safe and secure guest experiences in crowded places 3. Enhancing team resilience to uncertainty and adversity through operational readiness exercises.

Over the last two years, I have been surveying the industry through IFEA to gain a deeper insight into how event organizers and planners manage risk. Surprisingly, less than 33% of event organizers indicated that they have documented their risks, commonly known as a risk register (a list of potential unwanted outcomes resulting from an incident, event, or occurrence) and even less, have identified and assigned a responsible risk owner (internal to their organization) who is responsible for assuring that appropriate risk control measures have been implemented to manage and reduce the potential consequences or impacts associated with the risk.

This is not to say, event organizers are not actively managing known risks, rather, it’s been my experience that most event organiz-

ers have not implemented a structured approach to risk management to ensure that foreseeable event risks are identified, assessed, evaluated and documented within a risk management plan.

An event risk management plan is fundamental to ensuring that the team understands the event risk ecosystem and how the organization will prepare for and manage these risks.

The 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and the recent mass shooting incident at the Gilroy Garlic Festival changed forever our mindset that it was inconceivable that events would be the target of a violent, deliberate attack. Protecting crowded places will continue to be an enduring challenge for event organizers and public safety security agencies for the foreseeable future.

So how can we enhance the safety and security of our events?

During the London 2012 Olympic Games, we adopted the “secure by design” methodology, a risk-based approach to planning a layered security effect through the integration of design, people, process (what I refer to as soft measures), technology and security barriers (known as hard measures). This approach is equally applicable to all events, regardless of their size, scale and scope. Through understanding the level of risk and potential security threats to the event, event organizers and their security partners are able to adopt a more pragmatic approach to identifying and applying appropriate levels of security measures based on the event risk profile.

Leading up to the opening ceremony for the Baku 2015 European Games, I asked myself (as Director of Security) whether our Azerbaijani Government Security partners and our Baku 2015 Games security team was “mission ready” to manage uncertainty and adversity during the Games? While plans, policies and procedures provide the foundation for successful event delivery, training and operational readiness exercises, tabletop exercises, walkthroughs, team simulations and communication exercises and drills provide the nexus to operationalize the event team through a series of readiness exercises to prepare them to manage the Continued on page 87

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Your Event Has

IMPACT…

SHOW IT!

Commission Your IFEA Economic Impact Study Today

In uncertain times, we must often remind those whose support we depend upon, of the important economic and social value that our festivals and events bring to the communities we serve. Having a credible and current economic impact study can do just this, in addition to increasing credibility with stakeholders, providing quantified data to sponsors, presenting reliable data to base future marketing and programming decisions upon and much, much more.

Unfortunately, this critical resource, especially with credible credentials, is often financially out of reach for most events even in a good economic environment. Recognizing this, the IFEA has created a cost effective, industry credible program to provide Economic Impact Studies at a budget-accessible investment. Call us today to learn more.

GETTING STARTED For more information about this valuable IFEA program, please contact: Kaye Campbell, CFEE, Director of Partnerships & Programs • +1-208-433-0950 Ext 8150 • kaye@ifea.com

“FINDING YOUR “PEOPLE”: THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNITY IN THE EVENTS WORLD

By Erin Atkinson 62

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Community means many things to many people. For some it is the location they live in, for others their group of friends. No matter how we define it, community is a connecting force that provides stability in our lives.

Most of us place great value on our personal communities whether they be people or places. In the last few years, I have realized the great importance of exercising that same commitment and investment in the professional event community. I have had the great privilege of forming and continuing to grow an incredible event community over the past 12 years. I value my community more than I could have ever imagined and owe a great deal of the career success I have had to the individuals that make up my various communities. I encourage anyone new to the industry, or who has yet to find that event network to make it a priority.

Events like communities come in all shapes and sizes, however all present similar challenges and stresses.

Challenges and stresses that only others in the event community can understand and relate to. During lunch one day at the 63rd Annual IFEA Convention, Expo & Retreat in San Diego, CA in 2018, my now wonderful friend who I had met that morning exclaimed, “I found my people”.

I could not have agreed more. There is nothing that recharges your batteries and inspires the work you do more than being surrounded by individuals that understand your profession and can relate and sympathize completely. Finding and investing in a professional event network, or better yet networks, is truly invaluable.

One of the best venues I have found to create community, is the IFEA Convention, which in addition to providing amazing educational sessions, offers attendees the ability to build communities with their professional peers, every single year. To me, the biggest value of attending the convention is the network it has gifted me. Finding “my people”, all over the country and world who I can bounce ideas

off, ask for advice, share professional expertise with, and vice-versa is one of the best investments I have made in my career. On a weekly basis, I find myself communicating with one or more of my IFEA colleagues via email or text. I am blown away when someone in our network sends an email asking for a suggestion or experience and within minutes, an out pouring of support and options are returned, talk about community!

The ability to brain share and seek advice and support is just one of the multitude of benefits to forming an events community, but as simple as it may sound, is incredibly important. Your event network can offer recommendations on vendors and sponsors for example. Every company claims to be wonderful but using a new vendor for the first time is terrifying. If you have a large event network however, someone you know will have used that vendor and can offer you a trusted recommendation (or advise you to stay away). Likewise, if you need a service or item for your event and don’t know where to begin, sending a note to your network will likely provide you with a plethora of options and ideas.

Vendors aren’t the only area where your community can offer guidance, take any event challenge you are facing, and I guarantee someone in your network has been through it. Worries about sponsorship?

Connect with a peer who you know has a solid sponsorship plan in place, get some time on the phone and pick their brain. Not sure how to deal with a difficult volunteer or how to build your volunteer numbers?

No doubt, your peers have ideas that have worked for them! In a world of “googling” everything we often rely on what we read and at times that is enough, but there is no better research than trial and error, and Winter 2019

your “people” have tried and errored. I always go to my network for advice before just searching for an answer online. I trust and respect those in my event community and it has not proven me wrong.

Keeping annual events fresh and interesting is always a challenge. Many of us do not have the ability to attend events all over the country on a regular basis and find ourselves only able to attend local area events for ideas, which is great, but we certainly do not want all the events in our area to be too similar. So, what do you do? If you have a national and/or regional network, you ask your “people”!!

What someone is planning at their event in California can easily be borrowed for your event in Arizona and there is no competition or ill will, as there might be if you were to take an idea from a neighboring town. Having a network of peers around the country, or better yet world, makes all the events in their respective locales accessible to you. By attending a convention like IFEA, you bring hundreds of events to your fingertips and now have resources on best practice not just in your town or state, but across the globe.

On another level, maybe you are not in need of any event related or administrative advice, but you are just having a crummy day, or your event just flopped. You need someone to talk to. Sure, you have your family and friends, but if they have never had to cancel an event after months of work due to a rain out, can they really relate? Probably not, but your event colleagues can. They have been there, they empathize. Use them!

A national and international network is an incredible asset to add to your event tool kit, however a local network is equally important. Your local event folks can provide advice, recommendations and support on a more micro level and there is huge value in that. As mentioned above, your network can provide vendor references, and while yes, many vendors are national, there are a great deal that are local. Your peer across the country has probably never used the vendors you have access to for refrigeration trucks or power washing for example. They do not know the requirements that might exist in your city or state related to certain services.

They will not likely have worked with the food trucks that apply for your events, but your associate that plans events in your town or city probably has or knows someone who can advise. I have been called by local industry friends countless times to give them a reference on a vendor or company, and likewise I never sign a

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contract or accept a new vendor without doing my due diligence.

Another example of the necessity of a local network is for last-minute needs.

How many of us have had a vendor not show up or pull out the day before an event? I assume we all have been in this wonderful situation, and with a strong local network, what might be a complete disaster, can often quickly be solved with a mass text, Facebook post, or handful of phone calls.

Also, keeping abreast of the industry standards and what is going on in your backyard is just as important as having a good sense of what is happening across the globe. Mixing the local and international knowledge you gain from a large network is the true recipe for success. An amazing idea that will work at an event in New York City may be wildly unsuccessful at your festival in Detroit, but if you take that idea and customize it based on your local knowledge and work with your area network, you would be amazed by what you can create.

For me finding a local event community was easy, I joined the Colorado Special Events Alliance which is a group in my state that meets once a year via a small conference and made a point to attend as many industry events as I could. I reached out to industry peers via LinkedIn or introductions from others in the industry and invited them to coffee or lunch, so I could build a local network. In addition to it being a ton of fun to meet with these amazing event people, I quickly grew a large network in Denver.

There are so many opportunities to find you network, and communities within communities exist in almost all industries.

In my previous position for example, I was in the government specific events industry, so in addition to being active with IFEA and my local Colorado Events Association, I discovered a national Municipal Special Events group and joined the board. This group provided such specific similarities and understanding of the work I was doing at that time it was incredible. Currently I work for a software company, so my focus is now on trade shows and sales events, and therefore, I am working to build my network of corporate events peers. Do not limit your community, drill down and find as many networks as you can.

I have been fortunate in my career to have the opportunity to travel to events like the IFEA convention and the Municipal Events Summit and am also located in a state where a local association exists to 64

find my community, however not everyone has those opportunities. Does that mean you cannot find a community? Of course not, take matters into your own hands and form and association or group. After becoming a part of the national Municipal Events group I mentioned above and having attended several Colorado Special Events Alliance conferences, I became greedy and decided I wanted to have a super specific government focused event group in Colorado. So, I gauged interest and formed one, and you can too. Whether you are in the government sector, non-profit sector, corporate world, wedding planning, or any other event type, there is a network out there. It takes some work, but the return is well worth the investment.

In April of 2017, I formed a committee comprised of municipal event professionals which has since been named the Colorado Special Events Alliance (CSEA). The group has gathered multiple times since formation and has utilized a closed group Facebook page and email list serve on dozens of occasions for advice and best practice related to event permitting and policy. A small group of event professionals from various Colorado towns and I even planned a retreat held in Fort Collins on February 23, 2018. Think you don’t have time or the resources to start a group of your peers? Think again! I pitched my idea to my then boss, with the justification of promoting regionalism and developing and fostering working relationships across the state among a multitude of other rationale and was granted permission to use work time and given a small budget for hosting the first meeting at our building. I used the old google machine to track down as many government event email addresses as I could and sent out a save the date, I asked those who received the save the date to forward on to anyone I may have missed and that they did. Our initial meeting was attended by almost 30 people, and while I am no longer in the government sector, the group is still in formation and going strong.

The cost of hosting that first meeting was a few hours of my time and about 50 dollars in snacks and beverages. If you are not able to secure a budget, you can certainly still gather without any cost, you are an event professional after all! Find a venue, maybe a coffee shop or restaurant, with a private space and the only cost is whatever food or drink item attendees choose to purchase.

In addition to the numerous professional benefits you will receive and contribute to through finding your event community, there are also personal reasons to find

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“your people”. Some of you may have found the role you plan to stay in for the rest of your career, that is amazing. For most of us however, we will have many positions during our lives. Having a robust network of industry peers is better than any resume you could ever write. You will have the inside scoop on jobs before they are posted and will have more references than you can count. The individuals that know your work style and respect you professionally will help you advance your career, and you in turn will do the same for them. Similarly, if you own your own event company or do contract work, your community will work in your favor with securing jobs. If I am offered a contract gig that I cannot take on, I will recommend someone in my event community and vice-versa. You will also find yourself blessed with some of the best friends you could ever ask for.

Whether you try to keep things professional or not, I guarantee in no time at all the “professional” event community you build will become some of your most lasting and incredible friendships.

To wrap things up, an event community in my opinion is as important as any certification, degree, or job title.

But like with most things in life, you only get out what you put in. If you think you can just take from your community, think again! You become a solid member of your community by adding value, so help your peers and they will in turn help you. Make connections, form groups in your area, attend industry events, and network. When you attend a conference or workshop, don’t just sit in sessions and then call it a day, grab a drink with the people at your table or ask them to dinner. Relationships take work and communities are not formed overnight. For some, putting yourself out there is terrifying, but just remember what you stand to gain. Take the plunge and find your tribe. I promise you will not regret it!

Erin Atkinson is the Events Manager at MedeAnalytics. Prior to that she was the Deputy Director at the City & County of Denver, Office of Special Events; Special Events & Sponsorship Coordinator for the Town of Parker and also the Events & Marketing Coordinator for Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum. She has a Master of Liberal Studies from the University of Detroit Mercy and a Bachelor of Arts from Michigan State University. She can be contacted at: Erin.Atkinson@medeanalytics.com.

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Reaching over 6,500 festival and event professionals, these premier placements will give your company the attention it deserves. The newsletter will focus on news and information that professionals need to run a successful business. That means your message will reach the decision-makers you’re looking to target.

More advertising opportunities designed to fit any marketing budget are within the Event Resource Marketplace. Festival and event professional buyers count on the guide to put them in touch with suppliers for all their project needs, and the ads help lead them to you.

Highlight your core message and drive traffic to your website with exlusive positions on the IFEA website. These box ads will occupy prime real estate to help sell your products and services to industry decision-makers. Retargeting opportunities are available as well, allowing your ad to be seen AFTER the festival and event professionals leave the association website.

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For more information about IFEA, email kaye@ifea.com or call 208-433-0950 ext: 1 POWERED BY

O BBOOLLD RECAP D B L D O B L O B LDD 64th ANNUAL IFEA CONVENTION, EXPO & RETREAT

It’s a Wrap! The 64th Annual IFEA Convention, Expo & Retreat, presented by Haas & Wilkerson Insurance, went off with great success September 25-27, 2019 in Williamsburg, Virginia, U.S.A.!

The IFEA would like to thank our Convention Presenting Sponsor, Haas & Wilkerson Insurance and all of you who were in attendance at the Convention in addition to a special thank you to all who contributed their time, resources and efforts in making the Convention such a great success! We look forward to seeing you again in 2020 for the 65th Annual IFEA Convention & Expo which will be held in… stay tuned for more details!

Exact Location and Date to be announced soon!

The Convention May be Over - But Don’t Stop the Networking!

After another great year at the 64th Annual IFEA Convention, Expo & Retreat, presented by Haas & Wilkerson Insurance, meeting old friends and making new ones, don’t let the distance between you stop the networking! You traded business cards, you talked about great ideas, you discovered new vendors and suppliers… you said you’d be in touch… well, what are you waiting for? Pick up that phone, jot down an email, follow through and stay in touch!

If you can’t find where you put that business card or phone number, check out your Convention attendee list. And if that doesn’t work, give the IFEA a call. No matter what - if there’s 66

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even one person you enjoyed chatting with at the Convention this year, keep in touch… you never know where things will lead!

64th Annual Convention Photos Available For those of you in attendance at the IFEA Convention and even for those who couldn’t make it but are curious to see some of the happenings at the Convention, all photos taken at the 64th Annual IFEA Convention, Expo & Retreat presented by Haas & Wilkerson Insurance, are posted on our Convention Photos page!

(If you would like a high resolution copy of any of the images, please copy the image you’d like and email it to nia@ifea.com to receive the higher resolution.)

Thank You to All Our Speakers A special thank you to all our speakers for being part of the 64th Annual IFEA Convention, Expo & Retreat presented by Haas & Wilkerson Insurance in Williamsburg, VA, U.S.A. this September and for sharing your time and expertise with your fellow attendees. Your participation added an important dimension to our educational programming and will ultimately help to improve the quality and success of events throughout our industry.

Convention Presentations Available Soon If you’re looking for a specific presentation from the Convention, those speakers who provided us with copies of their PowerPoints or Handouts will be found here within the next week.

Thank You to Our Sponsors

ASSOCIATION ENDORSED PARTNERS

ASSOCIATION SPONSORS

INTERNATIONAL FESTIVALS & EVENTS ASSOCIATION

CONVENTION SPONSORS

• To our roaming entertainment Spider Man and the Marvel Characters Appearance Program and the United States Air Force Honor Guard Drill Team for adding an element of fun and surprise to each day’s events, • To Dynamic Displays/Fabulous Inflatables for their giant balloons on display.

• To Atomic Rental for providing an amazing backdrop in our main session room.

• To YourType for creating our 2019 Bold Choices stage display in our main session room.

• To dfest ® for providing all the colorful flags and flare throughout the Convention halls.

• To BJ Griffin & the Galaxy Groove for setting the mood at our IFEA Foundation “Garden Party” & Auction event.

• To “The Watermans” for kicking the Convention off with great energy.

• And the Colonial Williamsburg Fife and Drum Corps for wrapping up a great Opening Keynote presentation from Bill Schermerhorn.

Thank you to you all for making the Convention so festive!

ASSOCIATION SUPPORTERS | BENEFIT PROVIDERS

Interested in sponsoring? Contact Kaye Campbell, Director of Partnerships & Programs at (208) 433-0950 ext. 1 or kaye@ifea.com

Thank You To Our Volunteers As our IFEA Volunteer of the Year Award Program states… “the importance of volunteers to our industry cannot be overestimated.”

The IFEA would like to share a heartfelt THANK YOU to all of you who gave a few minutes, a few hours or even a few days during the 64th Annual IFEA Convention, Expo & Retreat, presented by Haas & Wilkerson Insurance. Every brochure, registration packet and name tag that was handed out; every inflatable, flag, banner or sign that was set out and then moved… and moved again; every centerpiece that was set out and collected; every speaker that was introduced and evaluation collected; every raffle ticket and Convention Pin that was sold; and all the odd jobs before, during and after… we could not have put the Convention on… without YOU! Thank you for sharing your time with us and for all the assistance and expertise you provided that made the IFEA Convention the best it can be!

Thank you also to VolunteerLocal for providing such a great platform for our volunteers to sign up on!

If you’d like to help out as a volunteer at the 2020 IFEA Convention & Expo, send an email to beth@ifea.com and keep an eye on your Inbox for more details.

Thank You to Our Entertainers and Decor!

A special thanks to all our entertainers and decor providers at this year’s Convention.

Thank You For Making Our ‘Garden Party’ a Success The IFEA Foundation Party & Auction – “Garden Party” and the “Ultimate Experience Raffle” teamed up for a repeat success that had attendees adorning fascinators and suspenders in 2019!

Although the weather wasn’t as cooperative as we would have liked it to be (thanks BAMWX.com for the up to the minute weather reports!) and the ‘Garden Party’ was moved inside, a refined time was still had by all with BJ Griffin & the Galaxy Groove setting the vibe to open up the evening!

Anticipation quickly built as the night’s festivities got underway and we drew the winner of the Ultimate Experience Raffle.

Congratulations again to Butch Helton from Pigeon Forge Office of Special Events who chose the “Discover Washington DC” for his Ultimate Experience package.

The evening livened up even more after that with eager participants ready to bid for 11 Live Auction Item Packages. With packages ranging from Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Tickets, Experience Thunder Over Louisville, Discover Washington D.C., Imagine South Africa and much more, this year’s lucky winners walked away with some fantastic once-in-a-lifetime experience packages and the IFEA Foundation raised just over $57,000. All money raised will go towards providing more Legacy Scholarships in 2020, assisiting with the CFEE Certification program, assisting in funding more top quality speakers, educational publications and much, much more!

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O BBOOLLD D B L D O B L O B LDD Thank You Auction Donors and Bidders A world of thanks goes out to all of those who donated items to the IFEA Foundation’s Live and Silent Auctions this year, and to the many excited attendees who bid on them during the 64th Annual IFEA Convention, Expo & Retreat, presented by Haas & Wilkerson Insurance. Your generosity on all fronts helped to make this year’s Foundation event an even more memorable one and helped to ensure that future IFEA programming and resources have support for many years to come.

We also appreciated everyone’s patience this year as we transitioned our Silent Auction to an online format and look forward to expanding participation even more in 2020. Your participation is greatly appreciated and thank you again for taking the time to support our industry.

Congratulations to our 2019 IFEA Award Winners The IFEA made a big impact on the world on September 25, 2019 as we honored the recipients of our many awards programs at the IFEA Awards Luncheon, sponsored by Eventeny and the IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Award Presentation. We would 68

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like to extend a huge congratulations to all of our recipients, winners and inductees! To find out who was recognized, just follow the links below: To learn more about IFEA’s Award Programs, Click Here.

2019

2019

2019

Share Your Success with Others - Order Duplicate Awards Today Congratulations to all the 2019 IFEA Award winners! You are probably making arrangements this very second, to celebrate with your staff, volunteers, board, sponsors and community for all their hard work in putting on such a great event!! As you do so, why not take a moment to recognize their hard work and efforts by giving them their own Award. It’s a great way to recognize all those that were involved and give them the pride of being affiliated with an award-winning event or city!

• Order Duplicate 2019 IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Awards Here • Order Duplicate 2019 IFEA World Festival & Event City Awards Here If you are a past IFEA Volunteer of the Year or a past IFEA Hall of Fame Inductee, and would like to order a duplicate award or a current trophy - please contact Nia Hovde at nia@ifea.com.

Congratulations to the 2019 IFEA CFEE Graduates Together with CFEE Program Sponsor, Kaliff Insurance, the IFEA would like to congratulate our 2019 CFEE Graduates: • Erin Atkinson, MedeAnalytics, Denver, CO • Daniel Baldacci, IFEA Latin America, Sao Paulo, Brazil • Kristin Bryant, City of Clayton, Clayton, MO • Syeira Budd, King William Fair, San Antonio, TX • Jack Hammer, Three Rivers Festival, Fort Wayne, IN • Carina Jimenez, City of McAllen, McAllen, TX • Karlee May, Downtown Boise Association, Boise, ID • Janet Landey, Institute of Events Management, Johannesburg, South Africa • Dianna Lawrence, City of Richardson - Wildflower! Arts &

Music Festival/Cottonwood Arts Festival, Richardson, TX • David Olivares, Kaliff Insurance, San Antonio, TX • Suzi Patterson, Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce, Kailua-Kona, HI • Angela Poco, City of West Palm Beach, West Palm Beach, FL • Carrie Ring, City of Yuma, AZ • Molly Tomasallo Johnson, City of Paducah, Paducah, NY To learn more about the IFEA’s Certified Festival & Event Executive Certification Program, Click Here.

Congratulations to the 2019 IFEA Foundation Legacy Scholarship Recipients Thank you to the IFEA Foundation and their Legacy Scholarship program for providing scholarships to twelve deserving students and new professionals, allowing them to attend the IFEA Convention this year. Scholarship recipients are able to return home with new ideas, information and motivation to take their own events and careers, as well as our industry, to the next level.

• The Arts Festival Legacy Scholarship – Awarded to: Sarah Umlauf, Cultural Festivals, St. Louis, MO • The Nick Corda Memorial Scholarship - Awarded to: Anna Adelman, Student, Kansas City, MO / Liverpool, UK • The Carolyn and Lee Crayton Legacy Scholarship - Awarded to: Nan Krushinski, City of Delray Beach, FL • The Georgia Festivals & Events Association Scholarship – Awarded to: Charise Stephens, Georgia Wellness and Fitness Festival, Macon, GA • The Bill & Gretchen Lofthouse Memorial Scholarship - Awarded to: Priscilla Garcia, City of Imperial, CA • The Mampre Media International Scholarship – Awarded to: Mairin Petrone, Pittsburg Irish Festival, Philadelphia, PA • The Daniel A. Mangeot Memorial Scholarship - Awarded to: Daphne Dickens, Des Moines Arts Festival, Des Moines, IA • The Jean McFaddin Legacy Scholarship – Awarded to: Megan Tramonte, ArtFest Fort Myers, Fort Myers, FL • The Richard Nicholls Memorial Scholarship – Awarded to: Alexa Maldonado, High Point University, High Point, NC • The Bruce & Kathy Skinner Scholarship - Awarded to: Lindi DiMaio, Festival Management Group, Delray Beach, FL The John Stewart Memorial Scholarship – Awarded to: Karlee May, Downtown Boise Association, Boise, ID • The George Zambelli, Sr. Memorial Scholarship - Awarded to: Brenda Eckler, Johnson & Wales University, Providence, RI For more information about IFEA Foundation Legacy Scholarships, Click Here.

Congratulations to the 2019 Photo Scavenger Hunt Winners!

Capturing some of the Convention’s most picturesque moments to share on their social media, the IFEA Photo Scavenger Hunt had over 26 participants vying for first, second and third place prizes. The scores were close and our congratulations go out to the three lucky winners: • 1st Place: Erin Browning, O’Neill Events/Boulevardia • 2nd Place: Mairin Petrone, Pittsburgh Irish Festival • 3rd Place: Jessica Hodges, National Cherry Festival Special thanks to First Data/Clover for contributing our first place cash prize, the IFEA for the second place 2019 Convention discount, and Alison Baringer and the North Carolina Azalea Festival for the third place gift card.

Thank You to Our Exhibitors A big THANK YOU to all the wonderful, supportive industry vendors that joined us for the 2019 IFEA Expo!

With exhibitors indoors and out, a sold-out Expo brought diverse and supportive industry vendors that offered everything from decorative site props to shade structures, bobble heads, barricades, event software, apps, entertainment and more!

Attendees were again able to turn their vendor purchases into future convention credit, receiving $100 off their 2020 IFEA Convention registration for every new exhibitor they did business with – up to a total of 5 times per organization!

For those not able to attend or needing a memory boost about who they may have met, visit our Virtual Trade Show at www. ifea.com/businesses. All of the exhibitors from the 2019 IFEA Convention are there through the end of the year, and you can reach out directly to them through their listing.

IFEA Exhibitors play an essential part in making our convention and programs possible. Help us recognize their efforts to support our industry and ask them for a comparison quote, or include them in an upcoming RFP. Winter 2019

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MAY I HELP YOU?

WITH FLORENCE MAY

RECRUITING VOLUNTEERS:

ARE YOU TAKING THE EASY WAY?

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ver the past few months, there were some interesting conversations with clients who challenged me on the core best practices of volunteer management. These are intelligent managers who are looking for efficient and effective approaches to recruit “enough” volunteers. They asked some good questions: • Why break down my volunteer pool into specific positions with descriptions?

• Why not simply have a pool of volunteers and send them where needed on event day?

• No one signs up for the “difficult” roles (e.g. directing traffic, workday shifts, heavy labor). What am I going to do?

put an employee in a position for which they have little interest or poor skills, they will leave. It is the same reality with volunteers.

So why not take the path of least resistance? Simply recruit as many people as possible. When your volunteers arrive, send them to the position you need filled. Easy.

This is the easy approach and if you have a large, incredibly popular event where volunteers just want the t-shirt and the Instagram photo … well this approach may work. But unless you are in the Super Bowl category, this approach will very likely backfire.

Consider that your volunteers are giving up their leisure time to help your event. The majority of volunteers want position choices. And most event managers want to build good, long-term relationships with their volunteers.

Reality Check on that Final Volunteer Requirement: Appreciation (Yes, this is a true story.)

Recently I was asked by a friend to help at an event. My friend said the event was very short on volunteers for a specific evening.

The cause seemed important to me. So, I offered to pitch in.

The traffic was terrible getting to the event. I checked in and was pointed to my area. I started helping immediately without any directions or introductions. It was very busy. I was the only volunteer for a job that was very confusing and there were no printed directions.

Later when the chaos had settled, I sat down for the first time in several hours expecting to meet the unseen team leader or someone in a leadership role.

A tall woman wearing a staff shirt and badge walks right in front of me and starts complaining loudly to another staff member about the lack of volunteer commitment and effort. She complains for several moments, completely ignoring me.

Finally, I stick my hand out and say, “Hello, I’m Flory. Who are you?”

She looked surprised at my interruption but shook my hand and replied, “I’m the volunteer coordinator.” And then turns her back to me and goes right back into her rant. The other staff member looks at me apologetically.

My friend shows up at the end of the shift, “Thank you for helping! What did you think?”

Slowly I respond, “I understand why volunteers don’t come back.”

What Your Volunteers Want 1. Want to select what they will be doing during their commitment.

2. Want to best match their skills and interests with a complementary position.

3. May not be interested or even have negative feelings to serving in some positions.

4. May only be volunteering to spend time with specific co-volunteers.

5. To feel recognized and appreciated.

Are There Exceptions?

Absolutely! There are volunteers who simply want to be busy and needed. I recommend that you develop a floater team for every shift.

Specifically note that these volunteers will work wherever they are needed. This is very appealing to some people. But not everyone!

Forcing people to take positions that are a poor fit based on interest or skills leads to dissatisfaction. It is the fastest way to lose volunteers. They won’t come back the next year but worse, they may not come back for the next shift.

Short Term Thinking; Long Term Problems Most volunteer managers will tell you that recruiting is the most challenging part of the job. Until you ask about retention. Then volunteer managers remember that getting volunteers to return every year is actually the most challenging part of the job.

Recruiting volunteers should be compared to recruiting employees. You want to build a relationship that will last and this means matching interests and skills with manpower needs. If you 70

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Retention Requires Relationship Building Discussing and selecting long term goals with your event management team is an important place to start your retention plan.

Do you want to build a long-term or at least multi-year volunteer relationship? Or is this a “one and done” recruiting mission?

Do you want volunteers to recruit their friends and family to join your team? Or maybe networks aren’t important to your event?

Do you value people’s time? Or are volunteers simply lucky to get the opportunity to participate in your event?

Florence May is the Founder and President of TRS Volunteer Solutions. Her company provides myTRS Software for hundreds of Festivals, Conventions, Non-Profits, corporations and Sports Commissions. Among these support for 26 Final Fours, 5 Super Bowls, 2 Republican National Conventions, 2 Democratic National Conventions, 18 F1 Races, 12 Special Olympic Organizations, Indy 500 Events and so many others.

Flory is a national Speaker, Author and Workshop Leader on Volunteer Management Trends. You may contact Flory with volunteer management questions at fmay@my-trs.com or 317.966.6919. And there is a library of volunteer management resources at www.my-trs.com/articles.

ASSOCIATION ENDORSED PARTNERS

ASSOCIATION SPONSORS

INTERNATIONAL FESTIVALS & EVENTS ASSOCIATION

CONVENTION SPONSORS

ASSOCIATION SUPPORTERS | BENEFIT PROVIDERS

Interested in sponsoring? Contact Kaye Campbell, Director of Partnerships & Programs at (208) 433-0950 ext. 1 or kaye@ifea.com

5 WAYS RIGHTSHOLDERS NEED TO

GET OVER THEMSELVES

By Kim Skildum-Reid

You’re great. No, really… you, your organisation, your properties, are all wonderful. I wish I could meet you all, and I could happily go to events and sports and museums every day of my life. But, here’s the thing...

When it comes to sponsorship, you really need to get over yourselves.

I’m sorry to have to burst your bubble, but sponsorship isn’t about you, and sponsors don’t care about your organisation.

Sure, you can have a great relationship with them, and they can be fans, but that’s not why they’re sponsoring you, and if you think it is, it’s hurting your bottom line.

So I’m going to make it crystal clear how you need to get over yourself, and what to do instead. As a bonus, I’ve also got some advice on one area where you should be stronger in standing up for yourself.

GET OVER YOURSELF! It sounds counterintuitive, but when it comes to sponsorship, shining the 72

spotlight on your organisation and your property isn’t helping you. In fact, to sponsors, it makes you look unsophisticated, self-absorbed, and diminishes your value.

The good news is that, if your organisation – including your board – can get over yourselves, there are lots of far more effective ways to sell sponsorship, and nurture the sponsors you have.

It’s Not About Your Crowd A big part of your organisation’s job is to get people to turn up to whatever event or sport or exhibition or fundraiser or whatever it is that your organisation does. Attendance increases are often one of your biggest KPIs. That makes it understandable when you sell sponsorship based primarily on your attendance – how many people come, and who are they. But “understandable” and “right” aren’t the same thing.

For a sponsor, the people who go through your gate, buy tickets, or whatever are just a fraction of the markets that

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interest them. Those sponsor markets will often include most or all of these: • Your in-person fans • Remote fans – fans of yours, who don’t attend • Fans of the larger themes around what you do • Their customers and potential customers • Their VIP customers and intermediary markets • Their staff • Other key stakeholders Added together, this could be a huge market, when compared to just the pool of people who attend. So, if you go on and on about your attendees in a proposal, and never touch the rest of that list of markets, you’re underselling yourself, because all of those markets are leverageable for a marketing return.

They’re all valuable to a sponsor, whether they’re valuable to you or not.

It’s Not About Your Profile or Prestige Sponsors don’t care about your 134-year history. They don’t care who’s on your board. They really don’t care about that letter of support from your patron or the mayor or whoever. And they couldn’t give a rat’s arse about all of your press clippings.

You know what they care about? Your fans. They care about your fans – the people who love your organisation, and care about what you do, and the larger themes around it, the advocates, the believers.

As long as you’ve established a threshold level of credibility – and I’m talking about a few sentences, max – stop harping on about how great you are.

The sponsors know how to use Google.

Instead, harp on about why people love you, and all the various reason your property means something to them.

Give sponsors psychographic data and personas or flagbearer profiles. The better they understand your fans, why those fans care, and what their fan priorities and experiences are, the more they’ll understand the real value to their brands.

It’s Not About Your Mission Your mission may drive your organisation and what you do, which is great, but it may not have anything to do with why your fans love you, and why sponsors would want to get involved.

For example: “Our mission is to increase uptake of alternative energy technologies” “Our mission is to increase interest in STEM careers in lower-income primary school students” “Our mission is to spread the word of the gospel” Increasing uptake of alternative energy technologies might be your mission, but a sponsor might be interested in your alternative energy expo because they want to develop relationships with people who are planning smart homes and smart renos.

Your mission might be increasing interest in STEM careers, but your sponsor may be interested in underpinning the “healthy brain development” platform for their breakfast cereal.

Your mission might be spreading the word of the gospel, but the people who donate to your winter blanket drive, and the sponsors who align with that spirit of a helping hand, may not want anything to do with your mission.

I’m not saying there’s any problem at all with your organisation having a mission, but you need to take on board that it drives what you do, and may not have any resonance at all with fans or sponsors.

It’s Not About Image Transfer Image transfer was one of those concepts that took flight in the 80s, and still lingers in the backwaters of our industry.

The idea is that your organisation can imbue some image onto a sponsor that they don’t genuinely already have; you can make them look cooler, healthier, greener, more caring, or whatever, just by sponsoring.

I don’t care how cool or healthy or green your organisation is, this whole idea is bull.

Not only has image transfer been debunked – it flatly doesn’t work, based primarily on consumer cynicism – it flies in the face of the authenticity that drives modern sponsorship and, in fact, modern marketing.

Never tell a sponsor you can make them look like something they’re not. Never, ever use the phrase, “seen to be”. Instead, dig deeper into their brand personality, their priorities, their DNA, because there’s bound to be authentic matches that you can build on.

It’s Not About the Benefits Most rightsholders offer the same bunch of hygiene benefits: Logos, mentions, tickets, hospitality, and maybe some kind of space or speaking slot. If that’s you, congratulations… you’ve just commoditised yourself. And when your property is as great as it is, and your fans love you like they do, that’s really not good.

But even if you’re offering a wide variety of diverse and creative benefits – and I hope you are – it’s still not about the benefits.

The benefits you offer are the raw materials. It’s what the sponsor does with those raw materials – how they leverage the sponsorship – that will actually get them a result against their objectives.

Think about it… You don’t sell a new home by showing a hole in the ground next to a giant stack of bricks and timber, AKA “the raw materials”. You sell it by creating a vision of how it would look and feel to live in that future house. Selling sponsorship is exactly the same.

Don’t focus on what benefits a sponsor will get for their money, focus on what the sponsor can do with the sponsorship to nurture their relationships with fans, customers, staff, etc., and how they can use the sponsorship to achieve their objectives. Don’t talk to your existing sponsors like the benefits are the point, make leverage the point. Creating that vision is what builds sponsorship results.

STAND UP FOR YOURSELF! If all of the above is making you think you’re not really very important to the sponsorship equation, you’re wrong, Winter 2019

because while much of what you may have been focussed on selling in the past isn’t powerful or compelling, your property is still critically important.

You’re the conduit through which they build relationships and alignment with fans. You bring the passion, the meaning, the magic. They’d be lost without you, and making this part of your sponsorship ethos has fundamentally changed the sponsorship equation.

If you talk meaning and passion and fans, if you talk fan alignment, advocacy, and leverage, you’ll be talking to sponsors as a peer, who knows how marketing works, and knows where your value lies.

You won’t be just another unsophisticated organisation looking for a handout.

You won’t be just another earnest, gold-silver-bronze-level rejection letter.

You won’t be stuck with a portfolio full of tiny, rats-and-mice sponsorships, because most of your sponsors don’t see enough value to give you real money.

No, your property will be a valuable investment that they can leverage in a dozen different ways to achieve their goals and affect meaningful relationships with the people who are important to them.

You’ll be seen and treated as an equal – a partner, not a “partner” – and that’s the way it should be.

Kim Skildum-Reid is one of the sponsorship industry’s most influential thought leaders. She has a blue chip list of consulting and training clients spanning six continents, is author of global industry bestsellers, The Sponsorship Seeker’s Toolkit and The Corporate Sponsorship Toolkit, and commentates to major business media around the world. She is the brains behind industry hub, PowerSponsorship.com, and offers sponsorship consulting, training, speaking, and coaching. Kim can be reached at: Email: admin@powersponsorship. com | Phone AU: +61 2 9559 6444 | Phone US: +1 612 326 5265 or for more information, go to: http://powersponsorship.com/.

Kim Skildum-Reid is touring around the world in late January and February, offering in-house training and strategy sessions. Bookings are strictly limited. Drop her a line, if you’re interested on admin@powersponsorship.com.

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THE SPONSOR DOC

WITH BRUCE L. ERLEY, APR, CFEE

SHOW ME

THE MONEY!

Dear Sponsor Doc: I’ve heard a lot of theories about when event organizers should collect sponsor fees.

Some say it is with the signing of the agreement, others collect at the event, and there are some who invoice after the event is over. What’s been your experience?

T.C. Phoenix, AZ Dear T.C. Well, the simple answer is to collect the sponsor fee as soon as you can! I was told years ago by an attorney friend of mine that once a monetary transaction has occurred, it is very difficult for someone to back out of an agreement. A payment actually holds more weight than a signature!

When you are contracting with a sponsor, the payment dates and terms should be spelled out in the agreement. After you state the fee, include language as to the payment schedule you are requiring.

Typically, we ask for 50% at the time the agreement is executed and the final 50% approximately two months before the event takes place. The reason we are requiring payment in full before the event, is that it is our position that as soon as we begin to provide the sponsor with benefits, (logo on website, social media posts, poster ID, etc.), we are fulfilling their benefits. It is a mistake to perceive that the benefit of their sponsorship is exclusively fulfilled during the event.

If it is a smaller fee, we do not divide it into payments but rather require payment in full two to three months out.

If sponsors or commercial exhibitors are not paid in full a couple weeks before the event, we send them a friendly reminder that payment is required before they move in or receive their hospitality benefits.

Please note, there are some national brands that will not pay you until after the event and they receive their recap report. We really try to negotiate different terms on these as it is really a draconian payment policy.

One national brewer payment terms are for payment 150 days after they receive the invoice. If you want their sponsorship, you need to know those are their terms. In this case you want to 74

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invoice as early as you can in the process. Get that invoice sent three months before the event and it should be coming in soon after it is over.

One other note to make is that it seems that about this time every year, I get a sponsor who wants to pre-pay their payment as they have additional funds left in the current budget and are in a “use it or loose it” situation. Of course, I am happy to accommodate an early payment.

I hope this helps “show you the money!”

The Sponsor Doc With more than three decades in sponsorship sales and consultation, Bruce L. Erley is the President and CEO of the Creative Strategies Group, a full-service sponsorship and event marketing agency based in Denver, Colorado he founded in 1995. Accredited in Public Relations (APR) by the Public Relations Society of America and a Certified Festival & Events Executive (CFEE) by the International Festivals and Events Association, Erley is a highly-regarded speaker on event marketing and sponsorship having spoken on the topic around the world in such places as Dubai, Vienna, Beijing, Toronto and New York.

Contact Info: Bruce L. Erley, APR, CFEE President & CEO Creative Strategies Group Phone: +1-303-558-8181 Business Email: berley@csg-sponsorship.com Column Enquiries Email: bruce@sponsordoc.com

JANUARY 12-17, 2020

EVENT MANAGEMENT SCHOOL

A Comprehensive Training and Educational Experience for those producing and/or working closely with community events.

The Event Management School at Oglebay National Training Center in West Virginia is designed around the concept of bringing new and mid-career industry professionals together with some of the most highly-respected and experienced professionals in the field for a comprehensive educational and networking opportunity that will cover the critical basics of successful event management – from sponsorship/revenues to operations/risk management, media/marketing to volunteers/team building, business/budgeting to community/city partnerships and more – and then test your knowledge/skills/creativity against your peers. A two-year program, second year students will work closely with Event Management School expert advisors/instructors to design/ create a complete event template to be presented as part of their final assessment project. Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity. REGISTER NOW AT WWW.NRPA.ORG! Presented by a Partnership For Excellence in Event Education.

For more information: www.NRPA.org 800.626.NRPA (6772) 7-1-1 for speech and hearing impaired

www.IFEA.com +1. 208.433.0950

oglebay.com/NTC 800.624.6988, ext. 4126

FESTIVALS WITHOUT BORDERS

WITH ROBERT BAIRD

BOOKING FOREIGN ARTISTS PART 6:

CENTRAL WITHHOLDING AGREEMENTS IN THE U.S.A.

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any years ago, the IRS became aware of non-resident artists entering the United States to perform and not dealing with their tax obligations. In an effort to rectify this situation, a regulatory 30% withholding tax on all income earned by non-resident entertainers was instituted. This 30% withholding was based on the income that these entertainers at the time were earning, especially big-name entertainers earning large fees. The regulation remains in place but has little relevance to the actual tax liability of most performers. Festivals should, however, be aware of this requirement and, in fact, some festivals require non-resident artists to submit a CWA in lieu of having 30% of their fee withheld by the festival.

If you are a non-resident alien (i.e. non-American) entertainer performing in the United States, you are subject to 30 percent tax withholding from gross income. There are situations in which the withholding requirement does not apply (certain corporations, non-profit organizations and certain treaty provisions), but generally, most artists should take advantage of a Central Withholding Agreement (CWA) with the Internal Revenue Service to reduce this withholding.

A CWA is an agreement entered into by the entertainer, a designated withholding agent and an authorized representative of the Internal Revenue Service. The agreement can cover one event or a tour and the withholding percentage required will be based on an income/expense budget provided by the artist, indicating net profit/loss. In order to access a CWA, you must be earning a minimum of USD$10,000 calendar year to date, your U.S. income tax returns must be current with no U.S. taxes owing, and you must file a U.S. tax return for the year in which the CWA is granted.

A designated withholding agent must be a completely independent third party (often, it is a venue, agent, manager, accountant, attorney, etc.), and is required to withhold and forward to the IRS withholding tax according to the terms of the CWA and provide a final accounting of the artist’s income and expenses.

The advantages of a CWA are that it allows for one withholding agent (rather than several, as on a tour) and the withholding percentage is based on the estimated ultimate tax liability, rather than the blanket 30% withholding required by law. Only individuals may apply for a CWA and for groups of artists in a band or other ensemble, each artist must apply separately.

Filing a CWA includes: • Application form 13930 (http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/ f13930.pdf) • Itinerary of events to be covered by the CWA • Income/expense budget with contracts, deal memos, projected merchandise sales, etc.

• Power of Attorney or Appointment of Representative form • Copies of all performance contracts • Declaration of personal responsibility 76

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The regulations for applying are extremely strict in regard to the application date. Any application received less than 45 days prior to the first event on the CWA application will be rejected.

The optimum time to apply for a CWA is 90 days before the first event. If you run into this problem and the 30% is withheld, you can always apply for a refund (if applicable) by filing a U.S. tax return for the year in which you had monies withheld.

When a CWA has been fully executed and signed by the entertainer, the designated withholding agent and the representative of the IRS, the designated withholding agent assumes responsibility for withholding and reporting tax on the entire tour or event, relieving all other withholding agents from withholding, and eliminating the chances of over withholding.

Sometimes, a foreign entertainer will try to rely on the submission of a W-9 or W-8BEN form or assume that they can rely on a tax treaty provision which allows a certain level of income tax-free.

Strictly speaking, the W-9 or W-8BEN form does not negate the withholding because the income is treated as flowing directly to the artist (unless an arm’s-length corporation is involved).

The treaty provisions cannot be considered either, since the amount of income earned cannot be determined until year’s-end.

There are, however, certain countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Poland, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan) with a treaty-based provision which exempts all U.S.-earned income from taxation.

The IRS has recently instituted a simplified CWA application (form 13930a) for artists earning under USD$10,000. This application is based on paying a pre-set percentage on income earned and payments are required to be made through an account on pay.gov.

A CWA is a something every foreign artist coming to perform in the U.S. should consider to reduce the withholding on their fees and establish a relationship with the IRS. It is also something every festival should be aware of in dealing with foreign artists.

Robert Baird is President of BAM! Baird Artists Management Consulting in Toronto, Canada and an acknowledged expert in international touring including visas, withholding and taxation.

He offers free advice to artists, agents, managers and venues and has an international clientele. He served for many years on the Executive Board of Festivals and Events Ontario (FEO) and is a former Vice-President of that organization. He can be reached at: P: 1-800-867-3281 E: robert@bairdartists.com or for more information go to: www.bairdartists.com

Remember the Helping Hands that Got You Where You are Today?

The IFEA Foundation “Fund for the Future” provides critical funding to ensure that the IFEA has reserves in place to protect against future economic shifts and realities in a constantly changing world! It allows the organization to keep pace with new and changing

technologies necessary to communicate with and serve our global industry and it supports a continued expansion of our services, resources, programming and outreach around the world. In a nutshell… it powers those who power celebration.

Now You Can Pay It Forward.

Help Sustain the “Premier Association Supporting and Enabling Festival & Events Worldwide”

Donate Today IFEA.com / Foundation / Ways to Give Questions? Contact Kaye Campbell, CFEE, Director of Partnerships & Programs

at kaye@ifea.com or +1-208-433-0950, ext. 8150

Your Event is Over,

NOW WHAT?

By Dianna Lawrence

If you sat down and put together a list of everything that goes into planning an event, you would have a chapter book on your hands. (And I’m pretty sure there are many of these already published to support my statement!) Event planners spend days, week, months and sometimes years planning the perfect event and you would think the formula for success would be simple… brainstorm, plan, execute, celebrate. However, as an event manager I am finding that once the final attendee leaves the grounds, and the gates are officially closed, my book has one final chapter left to write. Think of it as the encore to your event, the time where you get to celebrate your victories, learn from your failures and share your success stories with those invested in your event.

The following is a list of seven tasks I complete at the end of each event to ensure that I have closed my final chapter.

1. Thank You, Thank You, Thank You! Thank everyone…and I mean everyone!

It is important that you take the time to not only thank everyone that had a hand in your event, but to let them know how important it was for them to contribute to your success. I recommend starting with the public. Pre-event create marketing pieces that you can pre-load into your social media accounts that will publish immediately after your event is over. It can simply say “Thank you for another great 78

year” and is the easiest way to say a quick thank you to all of those that attended your event. You can also create a website banner with the same messaging that can be uploaded right after the event. Do not forget to schedule a direct email piece to send out to your newsletter subscribers and ticket buyers (if you collect this data).

This is a great chance to share with them the following year’s date(s) so that they can mark it on their calendar. Be sure to thank your sponsors and vendors. This can simply be a direct email to them, a hand-written note or perhaps a small gift that you deliver to them. The type of thank you might differ depending on the level of participation they have in your event. Just remember that even a small thank you gesture might make the biggest impact on them and could potentially set you up for a larger commitment from them to next year. Last but certainly not least, thank your volunteers and staff!

These are the most important people that make your event a success! I would recommend doing a personalized thank you to each staff member and perhaps a thank you gift or party if your resources allow.

2. Schedule Download Meetings (Recap Meetings) with Each Entity that Participated in Your Event.

For example, schedule meetings with your finance group that handles ticket sales, the traffic department, your volunteer coordinator, concessionaire manager,

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Police and Fire Department as so forth.

The meetings do not have to happen immediately after the event. It is helpful to allow individuals time to gather their thoughts and jot down notes to share with you. However, it is important that you send out the schedule request shortly after the conclusion of your event while everything is fresh on everyone’s minds. I recommend having a set structure agenda for your download meetings to ensure that you are able to collect suggestions, ideas and concerns in a structured, useful manner.

You certainly do not want this meeting to turn into a soap box session and you want to ensure that everyone is on a productive path. If download meetings or recap meetings are something new to your event, do not be afraid to tell your staff before the event that you will be scheduling them.

This will encourage your staff to take notes as they work through the event of what is working and what might need to change next year. At any time, you can jump on my phone during any of my events and see an ongoing list that I have created about what we need to change or what we can improve upon. If you manage a larger event it is impossible for you to be everywhere at once, or to remember every single detail that happened. That is why it is great to create a culture that encourages people to provide feedback to you and to know that their opinions are valued. Each download meeting should be conducted in a professional manner, with a little kick of fun!

3. Survey Your Audience!

I recommend creating a short, simple survey to push out to your event audience to collect feedback on their experiences.

This is a great opportunity for you to collect demographic information that will be beneficial in creating your marketing campaigns and garnering sponsorships.

To ensure that each participant completes the entire survey, I recommend keeping it to a maximum of 10 questions. Questions to consider are age, location, income level, navigation of website, overall experience, how did they purchase tickets, how did they find out about the event, etc. Make sure that before you create your survey you have established what information you are seeking to obtain through the survey. This will keep you on track to include questions that provide the information you desire.

Once you have created your survey, decide on how you are going to deliver it to your audience. It could be through a direct email you send out to all ticket buyers post event; you could post a link to the survey on social media, or you could even implement the survey at your event.

For example, at the Wildflower! Arts & Music Festival in Texas, my staff created the survey online and at the event the link to access the survey was placed around the Festival grounds on a variety of signs.

Attendees were invited to log on and complete the survey while at the Festival.

Each person who completed the survey was also entered into a drawing for tickets to the Festival next year. Wildflower! received a large number of responses and found it was the most cost-effective way to get people to participate. Offering a drawing for complimentary tickets was a cost-effective way to achieve the goal of offering an incentive for completing the survey. The incentive does not have to be a tangible item, it could simply be formal recognition of their participation. People love the public platform to share a little about themselves, however if you can give something away, everyone loves winning!

4. Gather All of Your Festival Data and Document It! After your event is over it is important that you take the time to gather all of your festival data which could include attendance reports, marketing materials, social media analytics, photos of your event, ticket purchase reports, budget and financial statements and any other documentation pertinent to your event. It is very important that you collect all your data to ensure that you can easily find and access it when you start the planning

process for the following year. I start with collecting all the data from my marketing and advertising campaign. If you work with a marketing agency who handles your campaign, make sure that they are putting together a “wrap up” report for you that includes images of all media buys, radio ad spots, digital banners, any creatives, additional coverage by other media channels you did not directly do business with, etc. It is important too that you do your own research on articles or post event write up that may be on the internet.

This can be easily done by googling your event. Sometimes it is hard to keep up with everything that has been published when you are in the middle of planning and executing your event. Additionally, collect all social media analytics on your page, event listing and followers. If you do not have someone that managed your social media for you, task this to an intern or set aside some time for yourself to complete it. This includes any photos that attendees might have tagged you in. Also, gather up photos of your event in one place. If budget allows, hire/find someone to photograph your event. You will certainly need and love to have these photos on hand post event.

Once you have collected all of your data, store it in a binder or digital file. This Is also the perfect time to put together recap reports for your sponsors or investors. It is important to include in each report an overview of your event such as attendance numbers, successes, photos of the sponsor on site if they had a booth at the event, how the sponsor’s logo was used in your marketing material, etc. Each sponsor has an interest in how and where their sponsorship money was put to use and a recap book is the easiest way to show that implementation. It is also a great tool to sell them for the following year into another sponsorship.

5. Update All of Your Online Channels, Website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.

You want to make sure that all of your online channels including social media pages are current and up to date with the dates for the next event. You do not necessarily have to completely overhaul your website post event, but you want to make sure that anyone who would visit your website could go ahead and prepare on attending the next time! Also, create the next event’s “event page” on your Facebook page and start utilizing that platform to talk to your audience about your next event. If you do not have a bulk Winter 2019

of your event information ready for the following year’s yet, establish a date when that information will be updated and post that to your website or Facebook page.

6. Start Brainstorming for Next Year Now! Start your planning process for next year while your event is fresh on your mind. It is a great idea that if you have a chance to take notes while working your event, do so! I start a digital notepad on my phone and take down notes on things I see such as “add more chairs to the beer garden, update emergency exit signs, move volunteer check in” and many others. It is difficult to remember all of the items you want to update once your event is over. You find yourself being pulled a million different ways that you can sometimes forget to take notes. I found this is the easiest way! These notes are great to have on hand once you start the brainstorming process. Start the planning process with large scale ideas and write everything down that you come up with. You can reference this later when you really dive into planning.

7. Breath and Take a Break!

Break, what is that you might ask! It is that time post event when you sit down, unwind, pat yourself on the back for a job well done and breath! You have done a great job planning, executing and wrapping up your event and you deserve a moment to celebrate that! As event managers we are always on the go and our minds are always running with creative ideas. It is important that we also take a break to recharge and allow ourselves to reflect on what we have achieved. So, take a break!

It may seem that once your event is over, the work doesn’t stop, and that is correct. By taking a little bit more time to complete the list of 7 tasks above, you will be one step ahead of the game when it comes to working on your event for the next year. Good luck and happy planning!

Dianna Lawrence is the Community Events Manager with the City of Richardson, Texas where she manages five major events including the Wildflower! Arts & Music Festival, Cottonwood Arts Festival, Huffhines Art Trails, Family 4th Celebration and Santa’s Village. With over 12 years’ experience in event management, Dianna blends her love of music, her passion for the arts and her practical knowledge of the industry to produce award winning events.

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2019

IFEA World Festival & Event City Award Recipients ROTTERDAM South Holland, The Netherlands

“Recognizing the best in community leadership and festival and event partnerships around the world.”

The International Festivals & Events Association announced and recognized the 2019 recipients of the “IFEA World Festival & Event City” award during the 64th Annual IFEA Convention, Expo & Retreat in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States on September 25, 2019. The IFEA would like to congratulate all of our 2019 IFEA World Festival & Event City Award Recipients.

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Rotterdam is a young and vibrant city, with more than 170 nationalities living within its borders. It aims to be a ‘WE’ society, a community for everyone, regardless of their origins, religious beliefs or skin color.

A community in which we are looking for what unites us, rather than emphasizing the differences. Festivals play an important role in achieving this. In the words of one of our visitors: “These festivals are a way of celebrating our unique Rotterdam identity.

They have a great bonding effect and turn us into a community.”

WEST PALM BEACH Florida, United States

West Palm Beach, Florida is a city of gorgeous weather, world-renowned culture, dining and shopping, and exciting land, water and sports adventures. It is a place that has made a name for itself, evolving into a city in the true sense of what a city is: an active and vibrant urban engine that powers the region.

Strategically located at the intersection of cultural expression and global commerce,

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Rotterdam’s event calendar is based on the identity of the city and its people, alongside the ideas and creativity of the many festival producers and cultural institutions based here. Events form part of the city’s DNA and in turn the city is in the DNA of Rotterdam’s events. Rotterdammers are justifiably proud of their international port city, which stands open to the world and is, as Wallpaper* magazine wrote, “fiercely committed to the new”.

The municipality of Rotterdam, city marketing organizations, festival producers, and supporting organizations all share the same vision. Locals also share in the festivals and enjoy how Rotterdam – both in the Netherlands and internationally – is presented as a city with its own distinctive identity, a city with an undeniable appeal.

The city and its people are the main source of inspiration for Rotterdam’s events, which together tell the fascinating story of Rotterdam.

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West Palm Beach’s aesthetic environment and diverse community are the foundation of what makes the city an exceptional spot to host world-class festivals and events.

Embarking on a 125th anniversary celebration in 2019, the city finds itself at the center of an exciting renaissance as it builds a future that puts people at the forefront of its design and mobility. The city’s communities are diverse, blending historic neighborhoods alongside a modern cityscape, offering a small-town charm to urban amenities.

West Palm Beach encompasses over 55 square miles of semi-tropical lush natural beauty, and is located along 7 miles of the Intracoastal Waterway. With a population of just over 112,000 and an average yearly temperature of 75.4°F (24.1°C), West Palm Beach is the perfect setting in which to Live, Work and Play.

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GIMJE-SI Jeollabuk-do, South Korea

Located in the southwestern part of Korea, Gimje-si is a typical rural city with a

PHILADELPHIA Pennsylvania, United States

What makes Philadelphia so memorable is its unique blend of experiences that must be discovered in person. By day, you can explore four centuries of history and architecture, beautiful neighborhoods, remarkable museum collections and endless shopping. After the sun sets, the

COFFS HARBOUR New South Wales, Australia

The City of Coffs Harbour is a major regional city on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, about midway between Sydney and Brisbane. It is the principal city of the tourism destination known as Coffs

population of 100,000 and is the largest rice production area that accounts for 1/40 of the Korean rice production and is the center of agriculture culture that has Byeokgolje (the best reservoir in the East which was constructed in 330 AD. It is the beginning of Korean agricultural culture).

It is also a place where Gimje Plain, which is Korea’s largest grain-growing district and agricultural culture is alive with the endless horizon as the backdrop and a typical autumn landscape represented by the field made with golden waves of yellowish ripe rice, autumn and blue sky in

city heats up with acclaimed performing arts, amazing dining and vibrant nightlife.

As the first American city to be named a World Heritage City, Philadelphia owns up to the legacy it was built upon. With a rich history immersed in diversity, acceptance, innovation and originality, Philadelphia’s vibrant culture attracts more than 43 million visitors to the region each year, and that number continues to only grow. Over 1600 events take place within the City and its surrounding region yearly. The range of those events—street festivals, foot races, bike races, concerts—are pure reflections of their respected neighborhoods and are continuously inviting you—the neighbor, friend, family, and tourist—to celebrate and relish in their local customs and lifestyle.

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Coast, which also includes the delightful seaside and hinterland communities of Bellingen, Sawtell, Coramba and Woolgoolga.

The humble agricultural centre has since evolved into a vibrant, coastal city with an expanding economy based on tourism/ events, retail, manufacturing and construction, government services, education and the health industry.

Highly valued as a place to live and a popular holiday destination, Coffs Harbour continues to attract people seeking a lifestyle change or place to enjoy a diverse and expanding range of festivals and special events.

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Korea with four distinct seasons is the most beautiful.

Currently, Gimje-si operates a variety of festivals in addition to the Gimje Horizon Festival. In the future, we will strengthen public relations marketing that links festivals with local tourism resources and create tourism demand by continuously developing stay type package tour products and added value of local products that combine the festival’s brand value with local agro and livestock products and goods.

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SYDNEY New South Wales, Australia

Sydney is Australia’s event capital – a creative extraverted city that views events as an expression of its culture, its vibrancy and its inclusiveness.

Events are also core to its future.

The city is currently undergoing an unprecedented transformation that is revitalising and connecting all parts of the city. Huge regenerative development of former dockland and industrial areas, mass transit infrastructure, town centres, event venues and public spaces is renewing the fabric of the city. Sydney is a city preparing for the future and ready to express its values through events in new and innovative ways.

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ADELMAN ON VENUES

WITH STEVEN A. ADELMAN

THE DUTY OF CARE REGARDING ACTIVE SHOOTERS,

OR, WHAT TO DO WHEN THE BAD GUYS DON’T ALL LOOK LIKE VIN DIESEL Every year I begin Risk Management in Venues, a seminar I teach in Arizona State University’s law school, by having my students recite the four elements of a tort. With a mix of dim recollection and boredom, they say “duty, breach, causation, damages.” Oh brother, we know this.

Next, I ask them to state every person’s common law duty of care. A moment of hesitation follows. Then a far smaller number of students mumbles something about being reasonable. Regret now palpably mixes with panic. Uh oh, we should know this.

Indeed, they should. It is basic common law in roughly half the countries on the planet that everyone has a duty to behave reasonably under the same or similar circumstances. Yet, my students’ omission of the critical second prong of the duty of care formula – under the circumstances – is not unusual. In my practice, the most common error I see is that parties fail to consider what is reasonable under the circumstances. This matters for spectator sports, concerts, corporate activations, and other live events in public places because behavior that would be unthinkable in other contexts may be reasonably foreseeable where people are invited to play. In other words, if reasonable patrons under these circumstances are relatively less attentive to their own safety because they are more focused on enjoying the experience –one of many distinctions between attending an event versus going to the office – then the organizer who collected their admission has a corresponding duty to mitigate the risks made reasonably foreseeable by the circumstances they’ve created.

Consider the shiny object of our day.

Active Shooters Active shooter incidents consume a massively disproportionate amount of attention relative to their number. This is not to minimize their significance, but to observe that an armed gunman is rarely considered reasonably foreseeable as a matter of law.

And because third-party violence in public accommodations is still rare,i it can be challenging to convince event professionals to address a risk they probably will never experience.

Our government advises us to “Run, Hide, Fight.” ii Unfortunately for people who work in or attend live events, this program was devised for office buildings.iii Everything relevant to quickly recognizing gunfire and responding decisively to it is different in event spaces, which are typically dark, crowded, loud, and unfamiliar; patrons are likely with at least one person they don’t want to leave behind; they are excited by the event, the environment, or a controlled substance; and their attention is focused on the show they came to enjoy. iV 82

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It gets worse. Witness accounts repeatedly show that people do not quickly or correctly identify the sound of gunfire, determine where it is coming from, and run in the opposite direction.V The Department of Homeland Security’s latest national threat assessment describes a profile of active shooters that fits many people walking the halls of an average law firm.Vi Recent incidents show that no geographic region or type of venue is immune. Run? Hide? Fight? From whom? Where?

The Duty of Care Changes Over Time Back to the law. When considering one’s duty of care for any particular event, the history of similar events is a useful guide. But it’s not the only one. Regarding the rapidly changing circumstances for safety and security at live events, an old case involving newfangled technology is instructive.

In the 1920s, two tugboats lost their cargo in a storm because they lacked working weather radios, which many operators considered a “toy.” Judge Learned Hand wisely wrote, Courts must in the end say what is required; there are precautions so imperative that even their universal disregard will not excuse their omission. Vii At some point, a jury is going to find that an active shooter is so foreseeable in the United States, whether because of frequency or body count or our collective emotional trauma, that any venue or event operator that lacks an emergency action plan and corresponding crowd manager training has failed to reasonably address a threat it should have anticipated. Viii Then there will be a new precedent, that acts of third-party violence are reasonably foreseeable. I suggest preparing for that day now.

Steven A. Adelman is the head of Adelman Law Group, PLLC in Scottsdale, Arizona and Vice President of an international trade association, the Event Safety Alliance. His law practice focuses on risk management and litigation regarding safety and security at live events throughout North America, and he serves as an expert witness in crowd-related lawsuits.

Steve Adelman is widely recognized as an authority on live event safety and security. He writes the monthly “Adelman on Venues” newsletter, he teaches “Risk Management in Venues” at Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, and he frequently appears in national and local media for analysis of safety and security incidents at public accommodations. Steve Adelman graduated from Boston College Law School in 1994.

He can be reached at sadelman@adelmanlawgroup.com.

Adelman on Venues References Albeit more common in 2019 than ever before. https://www. nytimes.com/interactive/2019/09/21/us/summer-mass-shootings.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share.

i

See U.S. Department of Homeland Security Active Shooter pocket card, https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/active_shooter_pocket_card_508.pdf.

ii

See E.g., Mass Attacks in Public Spaces – 2018, United States Secret Service, National Threat Assessment Center, July 2019, p.2 (half the perpetrators of mass violence in 2018 were “motivated by a grievance related to a domestic situation, workplace, or other personal issue,” two-thirds “had histories of mental health symptoms,” including depression, and over half had “indications of financial instability” in the preceding five years).

vi

The T.J. Hooper, 60 F.2d 737, 740 (2d Cir. 1932).

vii

See, e.g., Ready Houston’s video, RUN. HIDE. FIGHT. Surviving an Active Shooter Event, which has been viewed more than eight million times as of this writing. https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=5VcSwejU2D0.

iii

See Steven A. Adelman, Run, Hide, Fight: Why the current version doesn’t work for live events, and how to do better, Protocol, Summer 2016. http://adelmanlawgroup.com/ wp-content/uploads/2016/07/2016-07-12-Protocol-article-reRun-Hide-Fight.pdf.

iv

See, e.g., The Unthinkable, Amanda Ripley (Three Rivers Press, 2008), at 9-10 (one survivor of the World Trade Center attacks described walking in circles in her cubicle until someone screamed at her to evacuate, a typical response to unfamiliar stress called “milling”).

v

That day may come soon. On October 3, 2019, MGM Resorts announced that it was settling with the victims of the 2017 Route 91 Harvest Festival shooting in Las Vegas for not less than $735 million. E.g., https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/03/ us/las-vegas-shooting-mgm-settlement/index.html. Notably, this settlement came after MGM’s first legal move was to sue the victims under 6 U.S.C. §§441-444, the federal Support Anti-terrorism by Fostering Effective Technologies Act of 2002 (the “SAFETY Act”), which promises immunity from injury and death claims to companies that adopt certified anti-terrorism “technology” if the Secretary of Homeland Security determines an act to be an “act of terrorism.” Since the law’s enactment, and despite the trend of active shooter violence in the United States, the Secretary has made exactly zero such determinations.

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CONTROL FREAKS ANONYMOUS

WITH PENNY C. MCBRIDE, CFEE

EIGHT STEPS TO ACHIEVE SANITY & SUCCESS

TAKE BETTER CONTROL

BY BUILDING YOUR BENCH

I

became interested in the San Antonio Spurs, arguably one of the most successful franchises in the history of the National Basketball Association, the year following their first World Championship win in 1999. However, it was not the championship hype, but rather the organization’s value-driven culture that piqued my interest. From top down – players, coaching staff, front office – talent without adherence to Spurs ethos doesn’t cut it.

This culture, coupled with Coach Greg Popovich’s intolerance for showboats, allowed the franchise to build what has often been called the deepest bench in the NBA. Season after season, Coach Pop could get reliable production from anyone in a Spurs jersey by placing more value on the score than the scorer.

Turning back to the festival world, one of the limitations that makes Control Freaks, well…controlling…is difficulty in building a bench. I believe this unfolds in one of two ways, intentional or unintentional. The intentional Control Freak operates with the belief that no one else can really do things as well as they would them self. Within this belief, creating a bench of other players may feel more like having more people to trip over than bringing relief. The unintentional Control Freak is open-minded to help, but because the event is so much a part of who they are, they consistently run out of time to bring others onboard in a meaningful way.

Building one’s bench begins with identifying gaps and recruiting the needed talent to fill those gaps. I am good at big picture thinking. I excel in the area of strategy development and love building community partnership. But I am terrible with small details that can quickly turn into big problems when ignored.

My “go-to” bench player is my near polar opposite; but she is a masterful task manager who takes great satisfaction in keeping things moving. She is thoughtful, loyal, disciplined and skilled in giving me the push I need from time to time. Without her, my effectiveness as an organizational leader would plummet.

We can find all the best talent in our industry and still not have an effective bench. There must be ingrained trust (more about that in Part 4 of this series) that holds the talent together and a leader committed to coaching the most from every player. Coach Popovich was famous for his willingness to take any or all of his flagship players out of the game, even in the heat of a win-or-gohome playoff series, knowing he had built a team that valued the outcome over the individual.

Having a strong bench also helps prepare the organization when someone can’t play. Several years ago, I took a 10-day vacation to a destination where I would not likely have any contact with my team. It was unnerving to feel so disconnected at first, but I learned two really important things. First, my team performed fine perfectly in my absence. Second, I came back a better version of myself following this period of complete decompression and relaxation. I now vacation “off the grid” every year 84

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and encourage my team to do the same. The lesson reinforced? If my team cannot play without its coach, then I’m a lousy coach.

So how do we embed active bench-building into every facet of our organization – governance, volunteers, sponsors, community partners? In my particular organization, a 501(c) 6 non-profit, I report to a board of directors that represent the diverse industries within the membership of our Chamber of Commerce. However, our organization also uses a skills matrix, which serves as a concise aid to assess and recruit the talent most needed within our leadership structure. Many of the defined attributes, such as diversity, financial literacy and legislative influence remain the same from year to year. Others change to reflect emerging needs.

For example, when our Chamber purchased and renovated a building to be our permanent home, we recruited board talent in the areas of construction and additional fundraising.

Similarly, we must look throughout our entire volunteer pool to gain an understanding of emerging needs and ensure we continuously feed the pipeline of helping hands that can power our events and fill future leadership roles. While we may relish an organization that has been led by the same committee chairs for 20+ years, we should not confuse present day stability with long-term sustainability.

What about sponsors? I believe some of the most successful events in our industry are those who have done meaningful work in the area of sponsor engagement and development. Not necessarily building the bench by just finding more sponsors, but by finding sponsors who share business and cultural synergy. Delivering consumer awareness may be the easiest thing we do. When we find ways to help our sponsors build relationships with one another and to tell a shared story, that’s the sweet spot for growth.

And finally, I believe we all have opportunity to bench-build within the community at large. The Control Freak tends to be insular, but our events do not happen within a vacuum. Our community is as much a part of the product as anything offered within our gates. How well do we truly engage our community partners? When we have businesses, schools, churches, other non-profits and governmental entities in alignment with who we are and what we do, the world is our oyster!

When we engage and deeply surround ourselves with the talent, energy, resources and vision of others, we no longer have to go it alone. See you later, Control Freak. Let everyone play!

Penny C. McBride, CFEE is the President & CEO of the 900+ member Fredericksburg Chamber of Commerce in Texas. She serves on the faculty of the IFEA/NRPA Event Management School and on the boards of the Texas Festivals & Events Association and Hill Country Memorial, a Malcolm Baldrige Award winning hospital. She enjoys travel, cooking, writing, hiking and volunteerism.

REPUTATION IS EVERYTHING…

WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO

PROTECT YOURS? In the new world of event safety and security concerns that we find ourselves operating in every day, proactively covering all of the bases to protect your attendees and your stakeholders, their families, their communities, their own reputations and their peace-of-mind, is simply professional common sense.

Assuring them that you have done so is where we come in.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Warwick Hall, Dip OHSM, CFEE • Email: warwick@safetysc.com • Phone: (+64) 021 633 128 Note: The International Festivals & Events Association (IFEA World) offers safety training and the Event Safety Audit program as a service to the industry, in the interest of encouraging and increasing the safety of all events. Audit certification signifies curriculum and/or safety process/ component completion only. The IFEA does not represent or certify, in any way, the actual safety of any event, and assumes no responsibility as to the safety of any event or its attendees.

Continued from IFEA World Board Letter on page 12

Staff – a big thank you to IFEA President & CEO, Steve Schmader, CFEE and his team for not only such a great Convention, but for their continued professionalism in everything they do. Additionally, welcome to our new 2020 IFEA Board Chair, Ted Baroody, CFEE, President of Norfolk FestEvents and Chair Elect, Diana Mayhew, CFEE, President at the National Cherry Blossom Festival.

I personally want to thank everyone for the great experience that I was privileged to have as the 2019 IFEA World Board Chair. It was absolutely inspiring. The shared experiences from the Board that our youth were part of in during our IFEA World Board Meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa this July, will never be forgotten.

I’d also like to extend an additional ‘Thank You’ to Cindy Lerick, CFEE, President at The ART of Events, LLC. She had the opportunity to spend some extra time with us in Johannesburg, South Africa and the local communities prior to the IFEA World Board meeting in July. She was an amazing asset to have with us there and from her experiences with us, she created a “GoFundMe” campaign to raise funds for our Skills Village Xperience 2030 Sustainable Development Goal Birthday Club. We, at Skills Village were so overwhelmed to receive a ‘big cheque’ for $5,000 from IFEA Members and Board Members, in addition to a $1,000 Rotary contribution from LuAnn Chapman Gatts, our 2019 IFEA Volunteer of the Year. (LuAnn also attended our Board Meeting Trip in South Africa and inspired our youth on the importance and value of volunteerism.)

What a great legacy for the youth who will be part of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) events and activities in the coming year as they learn to plan, prepare and produce Birthday Xperiences as well as SDG events. Thank you, thank you, thank you, to all for the generosity that will support our entrepreneurial youth to gain valuable experience in creating small activities and events that will make a difference in the lives of those empowered in the process.

We believe that festivals and events can play a huge role in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 10 – Reduced Inequalities within and among countries. Target 10.2 By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.

Events can create jobs and make a difference in the world – let’s do it! #LetYouthCreateJobs #InclusiveEntrepreneurship #SustainableEventsforSustainableLivelihoods

Thank you for a great year!

Janet Landey, CSEP IFEA World Board Chair President, IFEA Africa Johannesburg, South Africa

Continued from Small Event, Big Sponsorships on page 36

If you feel like you are falling short on hearing “yes” from prospects, you may want to reevaluate how you are approaching your pitch. When I find that I’m not hitting my sponsorship goals, it’s usually because I skipped one of the steps.

Sponsorship sales is a time-consuming process, but when you take the time to do your pitches properly you will most certainly see success.

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Teresa Stas is a national speaker, consultant, and workshop facilitator on the topic of sponsorships and event marketing.

She is an accomplished marketing leader and CEO of Green Cactus, a boutique agency that specializes in event sponsorship sales and marketing. She has been named one of the 20 on the Rise Event Professionals by Honeybook and RisingTide.com. You can check out Teresa’s online sponsorship course at sellsponsorship.com. If you would like to get sponsorship tips to your inbox, you can sign up for the GC monthly newsletter at GreenCactusCa.com.

Continued from Yesterday’s Incident is Tomorrow’s Risk on page 60

known and enhance their ability to respond to the unknown.

While we may not be able to predict when and where a risk event may materialize, event organizers still have the opportunity to proactively identify risks, assess their potential impacts, then develop a plan to enhance organizational resilience and team capacity to manage uncertainty through planned and practiced responses.

In closing, while event risk management, secure by design and operational readiness concepts may certainly not be new, I hope that this article has provided you with a number of insights into how to consider enhancing your organizational and event resilience.

Peter Ashwin is the principal and founder of Event Risk Management Solutions (ERMS), a consulting practice committed to enhancing organizational resilience through innovative risk management practices, capability development and security solutions for events in today’s uncertain world.

Peter is a former Australian Army special forces officer who has been delivering integrated security solutions and risk management strategies within complex, multi-agency environments for over 20 years. Within the major events environment, Peter has led and managed multi-national project teams with a focus on capability development and enhancing operational integration between organizing committees and government security authorities across six Olympic Games (2000 – 2012), the G8/G20 Summits (Toronto 2010), the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 (Australia & NZ) and the Baku 2015 European Games (Azerbaijan).More recently, Peter has consulted to some of North America’s most iconic festivals and events including the Calgary Stampede, the Philadelphia Flower Show, Memphis in May International Festival, Beale Street Historic District (Memphis), Pasadena Tournament of Roses & the Canadian National Exhibition “The EX”, Toronto. Peter is a director on the International Festivals and Events Association (IFEA) World Board and also lectures on risk management and event security at the IFEA/NRPA Event Management School and IAVM Academy of Venue Safety and Security. Peter is based out of Boise, Idaho and Montreal, Canada. e: peter.ashwin@ermsglobal.com |t: +1 617.396.0788 | www.ermsgobal.com

Get rid of paper bid sheets & engage guests with their own tech! Add Mobile Bidding &allow guests to browse, bid, & donate without leaving their seats.

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Continued from Everyone’s Invited on page 56

view blocked by people standing in front of them.

Lesson learned. Now we check the schedule in advance and judge how many staff and security we need to protect our viewing area. We ask: How popular is this act? How crowded will the audience area be? What type of music is it and how rowdy will the audience be? You may want to push back the bike rack to create a buffer zone and place security in that zone.

Managing The Platform For Safety Set Up: • Make sure the platform and ramp have been built to standards.

• Make sure the platform is high enough so those who are sitting on it can see over the heads of those standing in front of them.

In my opinion, 30” at the front edge is the absolute minimum; higher is better.

• Paint the platform gray rather than black (too hot), or white (too reflective).

• If at all possible, add shade to the platform. People with disabilities sometimes have conditions or take medications that make them especially sensitive to the sun and heat. Help out whenever possible.

• Stripe the platform with brightly colored tape or chalk to indicate aisles and seating areas so that the usher can keep the aisles clear. People who are using mobility devices need clear aisles in order to get in and out. Keep those aisles clear!

• Install signage: Wheelchair symbols to identify the platform’s purpose, “Don’t block the view, stand in the back” and “No smoking,” are ones that I use.

• Make sure there are accessible and standard toilets near to these viewing areas. I like to have toilets next to the viewing area, enclosed within the bike rack. Since portable toilets may not be able to be serviced until the music has stopped and patrons have left for the day, protect them for use by people with disabilities only. Lock and monitor the toilets. The standard toilets are for the companions.

• Order a radio for each viewing area. Not only do you have your own patrons to look after but the raised viewing platforms are often a place that audience members go to seeking assistance in an emergency. Having a radio makes it possible to call for assistance.

Platform Usher Instructions: • Maintain a clear pathway to the entrance.

• Control the entrance and monitor all sides. Only allow those who are eligible into the area.

• Say “no” to those who are not eligible to use the area, while remaining positive and friendly. “Thank you for your interest

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• • • •

•

• • • •

but this platform is reserved for patrons with disabilities.

Only those who have an access wristband are allowed up here. If you feel you are eligible to be on the platform, please stop by the Access Center for a wristband. Thank you for understanding.” Give an alternative viewing option.

Be flexible in that if someone has an apparent disability, allow them onto the platform and ask them to get the access wristband later.

Remember, you may inquire whether someone has a mobility disability but never ask about a person’s disability.

Never touch a patron. You may stand in the entrance with your arms folded to create a barrier but do not touch anyone. Call for security if you need assistance.

Inform patrons as they arrive and enforce the “sitting-in-thefront, standing-in-the-back” policy. “Please don’t block the view of those who cannot stand. Standing is allowed in the back row.”

Don’t overcrowd the area. Some people have injuries or sensitivities that make it difficult to be in a crowd. During popular shows, you will need to monitor the area rigorously.

Keep aisles clear.

One team member will need to unlock and lock the toilets for the patrons.

Offer to assist patrons with disabilities if needed. Listen and do as asked. Do not assume you know what is needed.

Call for medical or security in an emergency. Notify your supervisor.

Stay alert to the needs of patrons. Watching the music is not in the job description!

There is always more to know but this is a good place to start.

If you already have a reserved viewing area set up, you may have found a few helpful tips. As always, let me know if you have other helpful ideas, questions, or suggestions for a column topic.

Everyone’s Invited, LLC, founded by Laura Grunfeld, is winner of the gold level “Best Accessibility Program,” for the 2018 and 2019 IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Awards. Laura writes a regular column helping producers make their events accessible to people with disabilities. She has worked many festivals across the nation and readers can learn more about her event accessibility consulting, training, and production company at www.EveryonesInvited.com and www.linkedin. com/in/lauragrunfeld. Suggest topics or ask questions by writing to Laura@EveryonesInvited.com. © Laura Grunfeld, Everyone’s Invited, LLC, October 2019

MARKETPLACE

BANNERS/FLAGS

dfest ® – The ONE source for creative design, custom decorations, street banners, mascots, video marketing & installation for events. All services tailored to fit your unique needs.

Contact: Vanessa Van de Putte; Address: 1930 N. Pan Am Expressway, San Antonio, TX 78208 USA; Phone: (800) 356-4085; Email: sales@ dixieflag.com; Website: www.dixieflag.com.

COSTUMES HISTORICAL EMPORIUM – Historical Emporium specializes in authentic, durable, high quality historical clothing and accessories. Victorian, Edwardian, Old West and Steampunk for men and women. Since 2003. Contact: Noel Matyas; Address: 188 Stauffer Blvd, San Jose, CA 95125-1047 USA; Phone: (800) 997-4311; Email: amusement@historicalemporium.com; Website: www.historicalemporium.com DÉCOR/DISPLAYS/BACKDROPS ATOMIC – Set construction, backdrops, rental solutions, lighting and design.

Packs small, plays BIG! Address: 1-Wynfield Dr., Lititz, PA 17543 USA; Phone: 717-626-8301; Email: info@atomicdesign.tv; Website: www.atomicdesign.tv YOUR-TYPE – Rent 3D, larger than life letters and stand out at your next event!

Letters are available for purchase or rent in sizes from 2 ft. through 8 ft. tall to anywhere in the United States. Contact: Todd Hoffman; Address: 4970 Service Dr., Winona, MN 55987 USA; Phone: 507-454-7816; Email: contact@your-type. com; Website: www.your-type.com.

EVENT EQUIPMENT SHADE HAVEN – designs and manufactures mobile shade structures for use at outdoor festivals, concerts, sporting events, weddings and worksites. Easy one-person set-up in minutes makes Shade Haven structures the perfect addition to any rental fleet. Contact: Reed Doerr; 1201 N Main St. Ste. 25; Viroqua, WI 54665 USA; Phone: 844-577-4233; Email: info@shadehaven.net; Website: shadehaven.net; EVENT EVALUATION STR – provides premium data benchmarking, analytics and marketplace insights for global hospitality sectors. Founded in 1985, STR maintains a presence in 15 countries with a corporate North American headquarters in Hendersonville, Tennessee, an international headquarters in London, and an Asia Pacific headquarters in Singapore.

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For more information, please visit str.com. Contact: Kelsey Waite; 735 E Main St.; Hendersonville, TN 37075 USA; Phone: 615-824-8664 ext. 3458; Email: kwaite@str. com; Website: str.com FUNDRAISING AUCTION FROGS – Simplify your fundraising experience. By giving traditional live and silent benefit events a web-based backbone, Auction Frogs streamlines the fundraising process for clients. Reduce the hassles, save valuable volunteer time, and increase your net revenue raised. Contact: Shauna Stonehocker; Address: 3100 N Lakeharbor Ln., Ste. 166B, Boise, ID 83703 USA; Phone: 208-321-5515; Email: shauna@auctionfrogs.org ; Website: www.auctionfrogs.com INFLATABLES DYNAMIC DISPLAYS / FABULOUS INFLATABLES – Designs, manufacturers, for rent or purchase – costumes, props, floats, helium balloons, event entry ways and décor. Offers complete and flexible service packages for small towns and large international events. 50+ years of parade/event experience. Contact: Steve Thomson; Address: 6470 Wyoming St. Ste #2024, Dearborn MI 48126 USA; Phone: 800-411-6200 Email: steve@ fabulousinflatables.com; Website: www.fabulousinflatables.com.

INSURANCE HAAS & WILKERSON INSURANCE – Over 50 years experience in the entertainment industry, providing insurance programs designed to meet the specific needs of your event. Clients throughout the US include festivals, parades, carnivals and more.

Contact: Carol Porter, CPCU, Broker; Address: 4300 Shawnee Mission Parkway, Fairway, KS 66205 USA; Phone: 800-821-7703; Email: carol.porter@hwins.com; Website: www.hwins.com.

KALIFF INSURANCE – We insure the serious side of fun! Founded in 1917, Kaliff is celebrating 100 years of providing specialty insurance for festivals, fairs, parades, rodeos, carnivals and more. Contact: Bruce Smiley-Kaliff; Address: 2009 NW Military Hwy., San Antonio, TX 78213-2131 USA; Phone: 210-829-7634; Email: bas@kaliff.com; Website: www.kaliff.com.

K & K INSURANCE – For 60 years, K & K insurance has been recognized as the leading provider of SPORTS-LEISURE & ENTERTAINMENT insurance products.

Contact: Mark Herberger; Address: 1712 Magnavox Way, Fort Wayne, IN 46804 USA; Phone: 1-866-554-4636; Email: mark.herberger@kandkinsurance.com; Website: www.kandkinsurance.com.

MARKETING

SPONSORSHIP

TINT – is the most power and trusted social technology helping events, attractions, and brands engage with customer-created content. TINT drives engagement with innovative tools like social media walls,multimedia displays, and website experiences.

Market with your fans, not at them. Contact: S. David Ramirez; 122 E Houston St. Ste. 105; San Antonio, TX 78205 USA; Phone: 915-497-0233; Email: david.ramirez@ tintup.com; Website: tintup.com

IEG – For nearly 40 years, IEG has delivered proprietary market intelligence, thought leadership and strategic counsel that empowers clients to make more informed sponsorship decisions. When sponsorship decisions are made, IEG is there to deliver a measurable impact. Contact: Penny Perrey; Address: 350 N Orleans St., Ste. 1200, Chicago, IL 60654 USA; Phone: 312-500-8960; Email: penny@iegworld.com; Website: www.iegworld.com

PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS

TICKETING

ALEXANDER GLOBAL PROMOTIONS – “The Gold Standard for Promotional Memories”. Customized, creative memories limited only by imagination. World Famous Bobblehead Company. Personalized Project Care. Expectations met and smiles delivered on-time, every time! Contact: Karen Kaye; Address: 12011 Bel-Red Rd. #101, Bellevue, WA 98005 USA; Phone: 425-637-0610; Email: karenk@alexanderglobal.com; Website: www.alexanderglobal.com

SAFFIRE – Saffire empowers clients with beautiful, unique and engaging websites that are easy to manage, with integrated SaffireTix ticketing and unlimited help when you need it.

Address: 248 Addie Roy Rd, Ste B-106, Austin TX 78746-4133 USA; Phone: 512-430-1123; Email: info@saffireevents.com; Website: www. saffireevents.com.

SAFETY/SECURITY

TRAVEL PLANNING (by Groups)

WEVOW – WeVow equips organizations and events of all sizes to build safety and trust into their cultures and give 100% clarity against sexual misconduct. WeVow has created a special program that will allow event organizations to protect their employees and volunteers year-round, and to gear up for shorter, selected time frames to protect and make a statement to all of those attending or working your event(s). Contact: Matt Pipkin; Address: P.O. Box 2308, Boise, ID 83702 USA; Phone: 208-830-3885; Email: matt@wevow.com; Website: www.wevow.com

TRIPInfo.com – Since 1996, first online reference for all segments of group travel planners – website and weekly newsletter and subject-specific digital magazines – including festivals. IFEA Member organizations included online. Contact: Mark Browning; Address: 4850 Gaidrew, Johns Creek, GA 30022 USA; Phone: 770-825-0220; Email: mark@tripinfo.com; Website: www.tripinfo.com.

SITE MAPPING POINTSMAP® – PointsMap® has proven to be an effective and useful software for Festivals and Events.

Create custom points at their exact location on your PointsMap with photos, descriptions, website links, multi-media, PDF’s and even “inside maps”. Your visitors can “PLAN” before the festival using their desktop computer, and then “NAVIGATE” the festival using their Smartphone. Visit www.PointsMap.com/SLAF and http://www.PointsMap.com/WichitaRiverFest/to see how PointsMap is being used. It’s easy to use and extremely affordable. Contact: Jerry Waddell; Address: 1100 Riverfront Pkwy, Chattanooga, TN 37402-2171 USA; Phone: 423-894-2677; Email: jerryw@videoideas.com; Website: www.pointsmap.com.

WEBSITE DESIGN SAFFIRE – Saffire empowers clients with beautiful, unique and engaging websites that are easy to manage, with integrated SaffireTix ticketing and unlimited help when you need it.

Address: 248 Addie Roy Rd, Ste B-106, Austin TX 78746-4133 USA; Phone: 512-430-1123; Email: info@saffireevents.com; Website: www. saffireevents.com.

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Partnership with the IFEA The IFEA Foundation provides an all-important source of support that allows the IFEA to confidently provide convention scholarships, host top-quality industry presenters, speakers and programming, and help raise the bar for everyone in our global industry. A very special thanks to all those who have contributed along the way, and we look forward to working with you towards the success of our industry for many years to come.

www.ifea.com/p/foundation