ie volume 31 issue 2 by International Festivals & Events Association

the business of international events

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F E AT U R E S

the business of international events

DEPARTMENTS 8

IFEA President’s Letter

IFEA World Board

IFEA Foundation Board

Marketing Events After the Virus is Gone: The Good News in the Bad News By Dave Bullard

From Best New Event to COVID Cancellation: The True Story of the 2020 DSM Book Festival By Colleen Murphy

Event Planners: The Few, the proud! Creative Programming During Unusual Circumstances.

The Rightsholders’ Guide to Sponsorship in a Pandemic By Kim Skildum-Reid

In the Blink of an Eye By Mark Demko

Don Draper Didn’t Know About Programmatic Advertising, But Now You Will By Colby Horton

Staying Engaged and Connected! By Julia Pannell

Connecting Through the Camera and Keyboard 10 Success Strategies for Managing Meetings in the Virtual World By Kate Zabriskie

A Few Tips & Pointers That Have Come in Handy By John Haak

Entertainment as a Tool for Economic Recovery in Brazil By Sérgio Takao Sato

Reflection, Re–invention and Resolve How the Edinburgh Festivals May Create Greater Economic and Social Impacts Starting in 2021 By Professor Joe Goldblatt

How Convention & Visitor Bureaus (CVB’s) Shift Gears During the COVID-19 Crisis By Tammy Dooley

Waiting for the Lights to Change to Green By Gerry Reynolds

Trying to Stay Flexible During a Pandemic By Jenessa Hansen-Evans

Thailand Brings Global Festivity Cheers to the Hearts at Home

Concord Live! A Response to COVID-19 By Lisa Potvin, CFEE

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Beyond Sponsorships! How Individual Donors Can Help Your Event During COVID-19 By Elizabeth Grisby, CFRE

14 #EventPermit 24

Leadership at all Levels

Small Events, Big Sponsorships

IFEA Partners With Enigma Research

The Un-Comfort Zone

English 101

Everyone’s Invited

2020 Webinar Series

May I Help You?

The Sponsor Doc

84 Festivals Without Borders 88 Cyber Security 94

Adelman on Venues

Safely Does It

108 Marketplace

Summer 2020, Volume 31, Issue 2 “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

‘MISSION CONTROL,

WE HAVE A PROBLEM.’ In the midst of the current global pandemic, with many things to hold our attention as we attempt to navigate the unknown and unexpected thrown at our world and our industry, while trying to understand and wrap our minds around the growing impact of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) on our events, teams, stakeholders and communities, an important anniversary occurred in April that I think we can draw a number of lessons from. The following is taken from a factual article on Apollo 13 by Chelsea Gohd, Staff Writer for Space.com. Fifty years ago, on April 11th, 1970, three astronauts aboard Apollo 13 launched into space, poised to be the next humans to walk on the moon. But things didn’t exactly go according to plan. At 2:13 p.m. EST (1813 GMT) on April 11, 1970, commander James “Jim” Lovell, command module pilot John “Jack” Swigert and lunar module pilot Fred Haise took off without a hitch from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The astronauts were on their way to the moon. But about 56 hours into the mission, things went seriously awry. The crew, who had just finished a television broadcast from aboard the command module, nicknamed Odyssey, noticed a slight drop in cabin pressure. Swigert went to see what was going on and check on the service module’s oxygen tanks. The crew heard a loud bang coming from outside and Swigert uttered the famous line: “Okay Houston, we’ve had a problem here.” Jack R. Lousma, the mission’s communication link between the astronauts and flight controllers (the “CAPCOM”), asked the crew to repeat the transmission, and Lovell responded: “Uh, Houston, we’ve had a problem.” (The phrase is often remembered as “Houston (Mission Control), we have a problem,” but that line was just some movie magic from actor Tom Hanks, who played Lovell in the film “Apollo 13.”) It turned out that electrical shorts in the fan circuit in cryogenic oxygen tank 2 ignited wire insulation, causing the tank to heat up and become pressurized, eventually exploding. The tank explosion was so intense that it blasted off a chunk of the service module. As a result of this explosion, power and oxygen quickly started to drop and, all of a sudden, things were a matter of life or death. The possibility of a moon landing quickly fell out of focus as the astronauts and NASA ground crew had to immediately start brainstorming and working together to save the astronaut’s lives. They decided to power down the crew module, as they would need to preserve it for re-entry, and

they evacuated to the lunar module, nicknamed Aquarius, and used it as a “lifeboat” out in space. They planned to travel around the far side of the moon and use the moon’s orbit as a “slingshot” to help them get back to Earth. Mission Control was concerned that, if they were to instead just turn around and head straight back, their engine (they weren’t sure how damaged it was) might not be able to make it. But Aquarius was only meant to carry two astronauts down to the lunar surface and back, and now it was carting three grown men around the far side of the moon. This posed a number of issues as, not only were the astronauts cramped, they noticed that carbon dioxide levels were starting to rise in the air. Lithium hydroxide canisters aboard both the lunar module and the command module were designed to “scrub” or remove carbon dioxide from the air. But the canisters on Aquarius couldn’t handle the extra carbon dioxide from a third passenger. The crew acted quickly, grabbing other canisters from the command module, but those canisters were a different shape and didn’t quite fit into the air filtration system aboard Aquarius. But the crew needed to make it work, so they used things including spacesuit hoses, plastic bags, a sock and duct tape. Eventually, they got the canisters from the command module to fit in Aquarius. And, voila: a do-it-yourself air filtration system. About an hour before they reentered Earth’s atmosphere, the team jettisoned the lunar module, saying goodbye to the capsule that kept them alive during their unbelievable journey around the moon. After bidding adieu to Aquarius, the crew buckled into Odyssey and prepared for an intense re-entry and descent. Ionized air around the module created a complete communication blackout for over four minutes as the craft was descending. NASA still thought that there could be an issue with the craft’s parachutes or shields and was anxiously waiting to hear from the astronauts. So, when the crew finally re-established contact with NASA and let them know that they’d splashed down safely and successfully in the Pacific Ocean on April 17, everyone breathed a heavy sigh of relief. As I considered the unanticipated and unexpected plight of the Apollo 13 mission and crew – one which no risk management plan or operational alternative had been written for – I couldn’t help but to correlate that with our own current situation. We all launched into 2020 anticipating a great year ahead for our events. With new goals and visions; staff and volunteers and Continued on page 106

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Summer 2020

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For a comprehensive review of your coverage and exposure, call 913 . 432 . 4400 or visit hwins.com/GoodTimes Independent agent representing Westchester, a Chubb Company, Programs Division. Insurance provided by Ace American Insurance Company and its U.S. based Chubb underwriting company affiliates. Chubb is the marketing name used to refer to subsidiaries of Chubb Limited providing insurance and related services. All products may not be available in all states. For a list of these subsidiaries, please visit www.chubb.com.

IFEA WORLD BOARD

BY TED BAROODY, CFEE

THERE IS A LITTLE HERO

IN ALL OF US!

ood things can come from bad times. No one wants to go through hard times or see the world shut down to a pandemic, but it is always so powerful to see the touching acts of goodness that come from these defining moments in time. Whether it is the high school senior that gives her prom money to feed nurses or a simple wave and applause to the trucks leaving the farms. How about those cheers for the doctors and nurses as they head to work that we have all seen? There are so many new heroes appearing in our world as well that we may have been taking advantage all of this time such as grocery store employees, farmers, truck drivers, delivery drivers and those in retail that help keep us all going. We have of course always welcomed all of these heroes at our events, but now it will be an honor to recognize and reward them as we find our “new normal”. We can be and will be there for these frontline workers with celebrations, recognition, discounts and appreciation! The USNS COMFORT is a United States Navy mercy-class ship that departed Virginia for New York at the end of March with an enormous, heart-felt salute to the men and women serving aboard from around the nation. Many locals here lined our waterways to see the ship pass, wave and hold signs high for this tanker-sized mobile hospital with the hopes that those aboard would feel the appreciation. It was an unplanned, socially distant event that took place with no preparation, no live music and no food served. Though I did keep thinking of how we need to make the ship’s return a welcome home festival, it was extremely moving how these gestures of gratitude could be so touching and memorable. The role of the special events industry has always been to unite our communities, in the bad times and the 10

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events

good times. To take defining moments in time and come together for the greater good, economic impact and for charitable causes. Through all of the tough financial times we face, it is good to be in a business that connects people, ignites the human spirit and supports community. So much is unknown - will we now be taking our guests temperature before they enter our events? What is known is that simple ideas will have great impact. Passion is always powerful. The ordinary will now be extraordinary! Small acts of good, together, will be as beneficial to us all as going back to a regular day. One of the best ideas from our team came from some new event brainstorming and was as simple as “6 Feet Together”. Instead of six feet apart, let’s be six feet together – it is designed as a pet-friendly happy hour event … Two human legs + four paws = 6! A hopefully high-yield low-cost way to bring people back together and put our event season back into action. We have a lot of work to do, and that is a good thing! Soon, and more importantly than ever, we will all need to come together and celebrate the human spirit and all that is good in the world. We need to be ready and do our heroic part in bringing people back together safely. We need to celebrate those that have kept us going through this tough time. And, we need to recognize the small acts of goodness that have huge impacts!

Summer 2020

Ted Baroody, CFEE IFEA World Board Chair President Norfolk Festevents Norfolk, VA

PRODUCTION SERVICES SET CONSTRUCTION RENTAL SOLUTIONS DESIGN ATOMICDESIGN.TV

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

IFEA FOUNDATION BOARD

BY KEVIN GROTHE

DON’T DISTANCE

YOURSELF

’m sure most of you read the headline twice. No, it’s not a typo. It reads “Don’t Distance Yourself.” Oh, I agree with the Centers for Disease Control - we should wash our hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, cover our nose and mouth with a disposable tissue or flexed elbow when you cough or sneeze, avoid close contact with people who are unwell, and stay at home and self-isolate from others. And, I think we have all found out how difficult it is not to touch our faces. Thanks to the Coronavirus or COVID-19, all of us in the festival and event industry are experiencing difficult times. It’s like nothing we have ever experienced before. We are not alone. Our friends in the hospitality industry have seen their business come to a screeching halt. Others such as airlines, automotive, and real estate - not to mention small businesses - are struggling too. So, what did I mean by “Don’t Distance Yourself?” Quite simply, now is not the time to distance yourself from the International Festivals and Events Association. At the top of the IFEA website it proudly states, and rightfully so, “The Premier Association Supporting and Enabling Festival and Event Professionals Worldwide.” So, while we are social distancing ourselves, now is the time to be in close contact with IFEA. In case you haven’t noticed, the association has been living up to its mission and then some. The IFEA staff, led by President & CEO Steve Schmader, CFEE, have been at the forefront in trying to assist not only the association’s members, but the festival and events industry as a whole. Every Wednesday, IFEA hosts a FREE Webinar on COVID-19 and the various aspects of producing a festival or event. Topics have included scheduling, sponsorship and vendor relations to name a few. Steve and his staff have also been in constant touch with Homeland Security, the United States Chamber of Commerce, the Small Business Administration and of course, the Centers for Disease Control. There has been a myriad of updates from these government agencies in IFEA e-newsletters. Maybe one of the most important e-newsletter articles was on the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). IFEA was one of the first to share that the PPP is a temporary program established under the recently signed CARES Act that allocated $349 billion to provide small businesses and non-profits with funds for up to 12

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events

eight weeks of payroll costs - including benefits- as well as to pay interest on mortgages, rent or leases, and utility bills. The best part: there is a provision for the loans to be forgiven. Besides the various programs established and information disseminated by IFEA, there is another way for us to stay connected with IFEA. Hopefully, you have taken advantage of your membership to meet other festival and event professionals. Now is the perfect time to put those contacts to use. Let’s face it, no one has all the right answers. No one has faced anything like this pandemic before. Reach out to fellow industry leaders. Besides checking on their well-being, ask questions and share information and best practices. We often talk about the value of IFEA. Just like a lot of things in life, maybe we take too many things for granted when everything goes as planned. The weather is perfect. Events are sold out. Sponsor sales are at a record pace. Volunteer participation is high. Media coverage is positive. Event set-up runs smoothly. It’s when everything doesn’t go as planned that we realize the true value of the items, elements, people and associations we took for granted during the prosperous times. I think if we were honest with ourselves, IFEA would fit into this category. IFEA has done a tremendous job of being the industry leader of this unforeseen crisis that has crippled the festival and event industry. Remember this when it’s time to renew your IFEA membership dues; or you’re asked to attend the Annual Convention & Expo; or contribute to Fund for the Future; or join the monthly IFEA Webinars; utilize an IFEA Professional Product and Service; solicited to purchase a raffle ticket or bid on an auction item. It’s true, we are all in this together. It’s equally true that we can lean on IFEA and its leadership team. So, let’s not distance ourselves.

Summer 2020

Kevin Grothe IFEA Foundation Board Chair Vice President of Sponsorships Memphis in May International Festival Memphis, TN

#EVENTPERMIT

WITH RENE MICHAELY

8 PROJECTS AN EVENT OFFICE CAN TACKLE

DURING COVID-19

s government organizations around the world close their doors to the public and scale back operations to essential services in response to COVID-19, government employees are learning to work from home and respond to change. For Special Event Office staff, this is an especially unprecedented time as they find themselves cancelling events and evaluating the impact of a potentially eventless year. In December 2019, we reached out to several Special Event Offices and asked them about their permitting process. Several of the Event Offices stated that they wish they had a Special Event policy, a guiding strategy, permit processing fees, and a more streamlined permit application process. This can be a stressful time for many people, so it may help to build a list of projects you can accomplish, one day or one week at a time. Perhaps start by asking, what can I do to continue to show support for events in my community? What can I do to encourage new business (or new events) in my community? How can I best prepare myself and my Event Office for when events resume? Here are a few suggestions for your to-do-list: 1. Update or write a new Special Event Policy – writing a new policy can take time and focus. Now may be a good time to review special event policies from other communities, draft or update your policy, and engage some event stakeholders in your community for feedback. By involving event organizers and approving agencies in the policy review process, you’re demonstrating your organizations continued support for events in a safe and meaningful way. 2. Review your existing Special Event fee schedule or draft a recommendation to introduce a new fee. Some communities may avoid charging permit fees because they don’t want to discourage events. However, there can be an upside. Fees can cover some or most of the cost of administration and, in turn, encourage ongoing support for events. By covering the cost of issuing permits, there is less tax burden on the community when the Event Office produces in-house events. 3. Develop new event management templates to help your event organizers (especially small and medium events) plan for operations such as waste, traffic and emergency management. Ultimately, these plans may be required for an event application, so if they are consistent in their design and content, reviewing applications will be easier and faster. 4. Review your options for collecting information about events that will track growth and the social, environmental and economic impact of events on your community. Can event organizers (or partners such as the local Chamber of Commerce or Business Improvement Association) recruit volunteers to collect information from attendees during an event? Can event organizers survey their attendees during the ticket purchasing 14

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events

process? Do you have an event debriefing process whereby event organizers are surveyed about the final event results, e.g. total number of attendees, landfill diversion results? 5. Review your Special Event Permit application process and consider how you can improve the process for staff, other approving agencies, and event organizers. Is your application process online? Does it integrate with your email and document storage solutions? Can event organizers submit their permit applications from any device and check the status of their application online? Could a streamlined workflow solution improve the review process between different stakeholders? 6. Develop a database of all of your event venues including floor plans, capacities, rental fees, etc., and upload this information in a user-friendly format (e.g. interactive or downloadable maps) to your website. 7. Educate yourself about what is happening in the event tourism and event management industries. All levels of government are in the same situation when it comes to cancelled and postponed events. Reach out through social media, tourism industry organizations, and local government groups to monitor what other communities are doing to respond to these extraordinary times. 8. Review your calendar of events and identify any gaps at times when your community would benefit from increased tourism and spending. Then consider filling those gaps with existing events (either moving them from busy times when there are events on top of events) or initiating a new event that would be suitable. This is just a sample of the initiatives your Event Office may consider as you wait to understand the full impact of COVID-19 on your community. If you have suggestions or questions about how your Event Office is being affected or is pivoting in response to cancelled events, please share your feedback by joining the conversation on Twitter and using the hashtag, #eventpermit.

Summer 2020

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 Steve Adelman, Robert Baird, Mark Breen, Dave Bullard, Mark Demko, Tammy Dooley, Jeff English, CFEE, Professor Joe Goldblatt, Elizabeth Grisby, CFRE, Laura Grunfeld, John Haak, Jenessa Hansen-Evans, Colby Horton, Gail Lowney Alofsin, Florence May, Rene Michaely, Colleen Murphy, Julia Pannell, Lisa Potvin, CFEE, Gerry Reynolds, Kim Skildum-Reid, Teresa Stas, SĂŠrgio Takao Sato, Kate Zabriskie Photography Laura Grunfeld, Andrew Rafkind

For association or publication information: IFEA World Headquarters 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.

2603 W. Eastover Terrace Boise, ID 83706, U.S.A. +1.208.433.0950 Fax +1.208.433.9812

http://www.ifea.com 16

IFEAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ie: the business of international events

Summer 2020

Get paid. Sell more. Run your event better. Get more customers by accepting more payment types Securely and reliably accept more payment types and appeal to more customers – credit, debit, check, gift cards, mobile pay and more.

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Save today! Call Tina Hollis, Senior Commercial Business Consultant at 239-287-8221

© 2020 First Data Corporation, a subsidiary of Fiserv, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The First Data name and logo are trademarks owned by First Data Corporation and registered or used in the U.S. and many foreign countries. All trademarks, service marks and trade names referenced in this material are the property of their respective owners. The Clover marks are trademarks owned by Clover Network, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of First Data Corporation, and registered or used in the U.S. and many foreign countries. 647915 2020-4

INTERNATIONAL FESTIVALS & EVENTS ASSOCIATION

LEGACY SCHOLARSHIPS These 19 scholarships are made possible by the generosity of many industry donors through the IFEA Foundation. Each scholarship covers the full registration costs* for a deserving industry professional, student or volunteer to attend, learn and grow from the unparalleled creativity, education and networking of the IFEA Annual Convention & Expo - the leading industry gathering of professionals dedicated to the festival and event field. The 65th Annual IFEA Convention, Expo & Retreat is scheduled for September 28-30, 2020 at the Hershey Lodge in Hershey Pennsylvania, USA. Scholarship Eligibility Scholarships are open to applications from IFEA members worldwide, with the exception of the following six scholarships established for U.S. based applicants only: • The Georgia Festivals & Events Association Scholarship (Georgia members only) • The Mid-Atlantic Festivals & Events Professional Scholarship (CT, DC, DE, MD, NJ, NY, PA, RI, WV members only) • The Tennessee Festivals & Events Professional Scholarship (Tennessee members only) • The Pete Van de Putte Scholarship (Texas members only) • The Joe & Gloria Vera Memorial Scholarship (Texas members only) • The Kay & Vernon Wolf Scholarship (Texas members only) Each scholarship is designed to support and encourage selected and targeted individuals. Applicants must meet the criteria outlined for the specific scholarship that they are applying for and cannot be in a financial position to attend without scholarship assistance. Once these requirements are met, applicants are considered on their cultural diversity, professional aspirations, course of study (if a student), and statement of benefit to themselves and/or their organizations and communities as the result of attending the convention. We invite you to look through the opportunities below and take a moment to learn a little more about the special individuals and groups attached to each. Apply using the application on the following pages or download the application and get additional details at ifea. com/foundation.

The Arts Festival Legacy Scholarship The Arts Festival Legacy Scholarship provides support for professional growth to individuals with an arts festival focus and a visual or performing arts background. The Nick Corda Memorial Scholarship Providing support to young/new professionals currently completing their education or with less than three years in the industry. The Carolyn and Lee Crayton Legacy Scholarship Providing support to a deserving individual/ organization from a smaller market, with grand visions for helping their community through events, but not yet a budget to match those visions. The Judy Flanagan Scholarship Providing support to a deserving individual/ organization whose event involves a parade.

The Georgia Festivals & Events Association Scholarship Providing support to a deserving individual/organization from Georgia.

The Bill & Gretchen Lofthouse Memorial Scholarship Providing support to a deserving individual/ organization currently struggling with shortterm economic or start-up challenges. The Mampre Media International Scholarship Providing support to a deserving individual working with media/marketing responsibilities for an event.

INTERNATIONAL FESTIVALS & EVENTS ASSOCIATION

Supporting and Educating the Festivals & Events Industry Since 1993 The Jean McFaddin Legacy Scholarship Providing support to a deserving individual/organization who has had at least 2 years active involvement, either as staff or volunteer, in producing a multi-dimensional event and whose career/lives have been inspired or touched by the Macy*s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The Daniel A. Mangeot Memorial Scholarship Providing support to a deserving individual/ organization seeking advanced education and professional certification. This scholarship provides core curriculum registration fees toward the attainment of the IFEAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Certified Festival & Event Executive (CFEE) designation. The Mid-Atlantic Festival & Event Professionals Scholarship Providing support to a deserving individual/ organization within the Mid-Atlantic United States. Includes the states of NY, CT, RI, PA, NJ, DE, MD, DC, and WV. The Richard Nicholls Memorial Scholarship Providing support to a deserving High School senior or College Student with a history of commitment to participating or volunteering in non-profit events / organizations; someone who is well-rounded in extra-curricular activities in and outside of campus life and who has a passion for helping others and/or supporting a cause that enhances the quality of life for individuals or the community at large. The Bruce & Kathy Skinner Scholarship Providing support to young/new professionals currently completing their education or with less than three years in the industry.

APPLI C

2020

ATI O N D

May 15

EAD LI N

, 2020

The John Stewart Memorial Scholarship Providing support to a deserving individual working with technology responsibilities supporting an event(s). The Tennessee Festival & Event Professionals Scholarship Providing support to a deserving individual/ organization from Tennessee. The Pete Van de Putte Scholarship Providing support to a deserving individual/ organization from Texas.

The Joe & Gloria Vera Memorial Scholarship Providing support to a deserving individual/ organization from Texas. The Don E. Whitely Memorial Scholarship Providing support to a deserving individual/ organization whose event involves a parade. The Kay & Vernon Wolf Scholarship Providing support to a deserving individual/ organization from Texas.

The George Zambelli, Sr. Memorial Scholarship Providing support to a deserving volunteer who has given their time and energies to their community festival/event. *Travel and lodging are not included. The Daniel A. Mangeot Memorial Scholarship does not cover convention registrations costs but rather core curriculum fees toward the attainment of the IFEAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Certified Festival & Event Executive (CFEE) designation.

Interested in building your own legacy through an IFEA Foundation Legacy Scholarship? Contact Kaye Campbell at +1-208-433-0950 ext 8150 or kaye@ifea.com.

Marketing Events After the Virus is Gone:

THE GOOD NEWS

IN THE BAD NEWS By Dave Bullard

IFEAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ie: the business of international events

Summer 2020

Our festivals, fairs and events are consumer products. They are choices that people make to attend or not, to sponsor or not. COVID-19 has changed the lives of the people our events serve. We live differently now and when this is over, we will think differently about the choices we make. People make decisions within the context of the times. Our events exist within the context of the times as well. Almost overnight, the context has changed. As recently as December, the outlook was strong. The American economy had just completed its 10th full year of expansion, the longest such stretch in our history. By the end of 2019, unemployment was so low that many decent jobs went unfilled. Ultra-low interest rates fueled business expansion. The good times for the middle and upper classes papered over the growing gap between those who have and those who have not. These were generally boom times for the entertainment industry, as they were for most industries. It was almost enough to make one forget the Great Recession of 2007-2009, the worst downturn of our economy since the Depression. At the height of the Great Recession, the largest number of people who filed a first-time claim for unemployment in a month was 655,000. In the last month, more than 22 million people have filed their first claims for unemployment – an unprecedented full-stop of much of the American economy as most states ordered people to shelter and work at home in order to starve the virus of new hosts to infect and kill. The impact on the leisure industry has been profound and destructive. Restaurants, bars, and movie theaters are closed. Some will never reopen. Cruise ships are in port and resort towns look like it’s the off-season. Every day,

another major festival announces either its postponement or cancellation and those that take place later in the year are waiting nervously to see how long mass gathering bans will remain in place. This will not last forever. Our events will have their moments in the sun again soon. While we hope that COVID-19 becomes a bad memory, the changes in consumer behavior caused by the virus are likely to remain. Dataessential, a research firm tied to the food and beverage industry, has been surveying consumers weekly. The survey asked people whether, once all restrictions are lifted, they would feel very comfortable, somewhat comfortable or not comfortable at all in a range of situations from attending parties and shopping to using mass transit and going to crowded bars. Attending events with large crowd finished ninth out of ten scenarios, with 70% saying they would not be comfortable at all. Gallup finds that 78% of Americans are avoiding public places and even more are avoiding small gatherings. The headline on the story about Gallup’s research says these changes have been “cemented into American life.” Seton Hall University’s Seton Hall Sports Poll finds that nearly three-quarters of Americans and 60% of sports fans will stay away from live sporting event crowds until a vaccine for Summer 2020

Coronavirus is developed. These are profoundly worrisome findings for those of us in the festivals and events business. It seems likely that Americans will react to the Coronavirus in a manner similar to the way people reacted during the Great Depression. Adults of that age were changed by their experiences – they became famous for hiding their money in coffee cans and under mattresses because the Depression made them mistrustful of banks. For many, it was a habit that persisted until they died. These findings are likely to be reasonably true as the lockdown ends, with the effect fading with time as people feel more comfortable and let this time recede into memory. IFEA’s own survey results conducted by Enigma Research, reported recently, show about three quarters of those surveyed are looking forward to being able to go to big events again. However, that leaves 25% who may not attend. Even assuming that that number reduces by half, a 10-15% reduction in attendance in 2021 will pose a serious challenge for festivals and events. As marketers, we’re going to have to raise our games quickly. Research tells us the simpler parts of our new reality: Attendees will want to know, well in advance, that our events take their health more seriously than before. More handwashing stations, more hand sanitizing dispensers – these are the very basics of post-Coronavirus life. But what about your vendors? Food handling will be a point of concern. Does your event offer carnival rides and games? Those are high-touch surfaces that may be difficult to clean after every ride. Creating, publicizing, posting and enforcing new rules about sanitation may help to ease eventgoers’ minds. Offer your customers an easy way to let you know about problems they encounter. Better that they tell you than everyone on Facebook. You can’t just tell them you’re safe. You will have to show them. Next, we need to consider the financial condition of our customers. Tens of millions of Americans lost their jobs without warning when The Great Lockdown began. Retail sales took their sharpest fall ever. Polls show most people believe the United States is in a recession. If the virus outbreak stopped completely tomorrow, millions of people will still be digging out from the financial distress this has caused when your event takes place. People will need to be reassured that they can afford to attend your event.

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events 21

The word “free” remains the all-time champ of powerful marketing words. Employ it liberally, stressing the many things someone can do for free at your events. Consider creating a kind of bargain guide to your event, highlighting things people can do or food they can buy that are low cost. Research we commissioned for the Great New York State Fair showed price sensitivity is highest among the very group we most want to reach – families with young children. It makes sense. Kids want to ride the rides, eat all the food, buy a balloon or a souvenir. Show potential eventgoers that they can still come to your event if they’re on a tight budget from this recession. Perhaps the hardest part of making the most of a recession economy is how you market your event. The natural tendency when the economy turns sour is to pull back on spending. Decades of research shows that is exactly the opposite of what you should do, if you can. Whether it was Post cereals in the Great Depression, Volkswagen in the recession of 1973-75 or McDonald’s in the recession of 199091, decisions to cut back on advertising cost them market share, which meant lost sales to the increased spending of Kellogg’s, Toyota, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, respectively. You may not be able to spend more. Budgets are budgets, after all. However, budgets can be optimized. Moving money away from legacy media that is hard or impossible to track and moving it towards less expensive, more flexible digital media that can help you track ticket sales and attendances may help give the impression of a stronger media rollout. This is the time to think critically about every tool you employ. Are you getting out of it what you’re putting in? Is the high cost of print advertising really helping you? How much TV or radio advertising is enough? (Partnerships and trade sponsorships may make changes in those areas politically impossible.) What is really driving attendance at your event, and how can you make the most of it? How can you make better use of the free and low-cost tools at your disposal, such as social media and email newsletters? Lastly, this period of time will change not only where you market but how you market. If you accept that this period of stress will produce changes in many people that last at least for a year or two, then it follows that the kinds of messages they will respond to has to change as well. You’ve already seen it to some 22

extent from those advertisers who have produced “we’re all in this together” ads. Perhaps you’ve noticed that the national automakers have stopped telling you how their cars will make you sexy or powerful and instead have started pitching zero interest rate loans and other deals. Companies that sell the most expensive consumer goods are the first to know that consumers in a recession are price sensitive. So, what is the benefit we provide? It’s entertainment, right? Performers, vendors, rides and games, music, culture – it’s all entertainment. Absolutely, completely, 100% wrong. Think about McDonald’s for a moment. They sell food. But how do they market that food to consumers? Nearly every McDonald’s ad shows groups of people – families with kids, groups of young adults – having the greatest times of their lives while, coincidentally, eating Big Macs. They can’t sell you on the gourmet quality of their food, so they tell you that you can have quality time with friends and family when you buy their fries and McFish sandwiches. In one word: love. Hey, that’s what we sell, too (with better food)! The product your event offers and the benefit it provides are not the same thing. Our annual research for the Fair shows that between 92-95% of all fairgoers come with someone else. Our events are things that people do together. It can be as elaborate as family reunions that bring people together from several states to ways to just get the kids out of the house for an afternoon. Nonetheless, the basic appeal of our events is that they bring people together. This year, those messages need a slight twist. Managers of events with long histories know that people see these events as traditions to be observed. A grandmother told us recently that, decades ago, her mother brought her and her siblings to the Fair one day a year because it was the only “vacation” she could afford as a single parent. She told us that on a day when she was bringing her grandchildren to the Fair, as she had done every year to honor her mother. Ask your participants and you’ll be surprised how many of them have family stories tied to your event, no matter how large or small. So, tradition is a huge part of a person’s decision to attend an event, but the twist is that, while the event needs to change to meet the new needs of virus-changed attendees, it also needs to project an air of

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events

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normalcy. People will want to get back to normal, even if it’s a “new normal.” Cornell University researchers Thomas Gilovich, Amit Kumar, and Lily Jampol, building on decades of research into consumer buying habits, show us that buying things doesn’t make us as happy as buying experiences does. “People’s lives can be enriched by redirecting expenditures from things that provide fleeting joy to those that provide more substantial and lasting contributions to well-being,” they wrote. Across all demographics, people were nearly twice as likely to say they were happy with their purchase of an experience as their purchase of a thing. We’re in the experience business, not the entertainment or culture business. People come, feel something, and leave with a memory. Over time, that memory becomes tradition and normalcy. Respect the changes in consumer behavior, amplify your benefits, project an air of normalcy with added safety, recognize traditions, provide experiences. That’s a heavy lift, for sure. Here’s the good news: You’re a trusted brand. People made decisions to come to your events. They had to take an action to visit you and that means they are likely to be open to coming again. Make no mistake – you are going to have to market harder than you’ve had to do recently. A shrunken economy means growth will not come without a fight. The good news is that our events are positioned to help society recover from this shock and help them cope with the longer-lasting effects of the virus and economic dislocation. Our events bring people together. That’s something we’ll want, and desperately need, as soon as this time of Zoom meetings and face masks is behind us. Dave Bullard is the Public Relations and Marketing Manager for the Great New York State Fair in Syracuse and a public information officer for the state agriculture department. In his 7 years there, the Fair has grown to 1.3 million attendees to become the largest state fair in the East. He spent most of his life in print, radio, TV and online journalism and has owned a one-man public relations company and a small online news publishing firm. Dave is married to a retired teacher with two grown sons, bangs the drums in a band for excitement and plays poker and sudoku.

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WEVOW.COM/IFEA

LEADERSHIP AT ALL LEVELS

WITH GAIL LOWNEY ALOFSIN

HOW TO WORK FROM HOME

PRODUCTIVELY AND MAINTAIN POSITIVITY! extra time writing takes, the easier choice is to make that call. Save emails for longer and less time critical issues - there are plenty of those too!

hen you find yourself unexpectedly working from home, it’s a whole new ball game. An absence of coworkers may have been great the first week, but now you may miss the social interaction of an office. Though your routine has been upended, you can look for the opportunities and efficiencies working from home has to offer. Just as it is easy to get caught up in working at your office all day, it is just as easy to get distracted at home. The Siren’s call of laundry, dishes, pets, family, roommates, exercise and spring cleaning are omnipresent. With a little discipline and a positive mindset, you can structure your day to enjoy your work, your lunch break and your end of the day “rewards.” Eat a Frog for Breakfast! “Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.” - Mark Twain To jumpstart your day, do the toughest task first. This could be a difficult phone call, adjusting your budget, re-strategizing a project or creating a proposal. We make “to do” lists and we conquer them by doing the easy tasks (the tadpoles) first. If you start with the hardest (the frog) and address that, you will be invincible and ready to tackle the rest of your day. Ribbit! Manage Your Schedule When you schedule your time, work in compact 30-minute increments focused on the task at hand. 30 minutes is recognized as the optimal interval to balance attention span, physical comfort and productivity. In between your 30-minute blocks, get up and stretch, take a quick walk or reward yourself in another way. Before you take the break – put in writing what you will be doing next and when you sit back down at your desk - do it! TIP: Don’t spend 10 minutes crafting an email about an issue that can be resolved with a 3-minute phone call - pick up the phone! Things are different now and this is an acceptable and productive approach to take. Along the same lines, be open to phone calls from colleagues who need to tackle an issue with you. You lose up to 45% of effectiveness in communicating when using an email vs. a phone call. When you combine this with the 24

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events

Your Mindset Do you want to be successful working from home, or do you want to complain about it? Why not be open to the idea of working from home? You can’t change it, so embrace it and find the positive aspects. Even when things are more “back to normal,” it is likely that we will all be working from home much more than before. Employers are very likely to realize that working from home doesn’t have to be a compromise and can substantially reduce expenses. Use this time to prepare for what soon might be “the new normal.” If you are feeling lonely or unmotivated, listen to a short business podcast, Webinar or YouTube video to jumpstart your spirit once again. If you are an extrovert and miss people – plan Zoom calls and schedule a Zoom cocktail party at the end of your day or week – just remember to bring your own beverage! TIP: Dress for success! Even though no one may see you, still wear “business appropriate” attire. You don’t need to don your suit but dressing in something more than sweatpants and a t-shirt will help you to stay on the “I’m at work” path. Honey – I Forget the Kids! My friends and colleagues with children at home due to the closure of schools and day care, offer the following: TIP: Maintain routines when possible and keep a written daily calendar with school time, lunch, extra-curricular and homework. Schedule Zoom play dates. Don’t forget recess or snack time. Introduce new curriculum if there is time. One friend added Current Events and Geography to the curriculum he is teaching his children and gives out prizes for effort. Plan a reward for the end of the school day – cookie baking, walk, dance party or a treasure hunt you can all enjoy! Got a Plan? Make your plan for next week on Friday afternoon. Most people plan their upcoming week on Sunday or Monday. Planning on Friday will allow you to charge right out of the gate on Monday morning with your reports, phone calls, meetings, prospecting and projects. Continue to build on your plan. If you think of something over the weekend – add it to the checklist. As we said earlier - working from home is a whole new ballgame…. BATTER UP!

Summer 2020

Gail Lowney Alofsin is the Director of Corporate Partnership & Community Relations for Newport Harbor Corporation/Newport Restaurant Group. An adjunct professor at the University of RI and Salve Regina University, author, speaker and volunteer, Gail lives in Newport, Rhode Island. To date, 100% of the sales of her book, Your Someday is NOW! What Are YOU Waiting For? have raised over $42,000 for non-profit organizations. Visit gailalofsin.com for more info.

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.

FROM BEST NEW EVENT TO COVID CANCELLATION:

THE TRUE STORY OF THE 2020 DSM BOOK FESTIVAL By Colleen Murphy

Last September I was feeling on top of the world when our team won IFEA’s Gold Pinnacle Award for Best New Event for the DSM Book Festival. The book festival concept had been tried before in Greater Des Moines (DSM) with varying degrees of success. We had taken two years to plan the new Festival in a way that would be different than previous attempts, both in concept and content as well as in public perception. This was a risk, and quite frankly there were some people who doubted it could be successful. Receiving the award meant that the Book Festival was no longer successful from only our perspective. IFEA’s recognition cemented our achievement. As with many events, the planning for the DSM Book Festival’s second 28

chapter began the moment the first was completed. Although we saw the event’s accomplishment, the lingering question in my mind circled around how could we make this the start of something great. We had to ensure people would attend the second year. If we had a lot to prove in our first year, the stakes felt higher now. We doubled down our efforts and although we felt that we had a great lineup of authors and programming, our social media metrics weren’t yet trending as high as they did that first year. On March 6, 2020 we had three weeks until the event. I was eager to really ramp things up and do whatever I could to bring the community to our Festival on March 28. It was go time! Then I got the phone call that was the start of the end.

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events

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The DSM Book Festival featured four headlining authors who were coming to DSM from all parts of the country – California, Washington, Texas and Georgia. The phone call was from one of the headliners agents. They wanted to discuss options to create distance between the author and the audience because of the coronavirus. I was familiar with the coronavirus, or COVID-19, but at that time it was not in Iowa or the Midwest. Since it wasn’t impacting my daily life, I had only lightly paid attention to the situation until this phone call. The agent requested that we remove all meet and greets, photos or handshakes. These were things our guests were expecting, and VIPs had paid for a premium experience. The agent suggested the author could wave at our guests

from behind a barrier. My thoughts were basically - what are we going to do? The following Monday, another phone call from another agent. The author would still attend, but there could be no handshakes or any other contact and we needed at least six feet between the author and our guests. They would not touch anything that a guest had touched. Any books that needed to be signed must be signed in advance. They would not permit pens or really anything from The Festival, they would provide their own. Next, an email from one of the authors: “Is the event still on?” Finally, another phone call from our remaining author. “What is the situation in Des Moines? Have you cancelled The Festival?” Our team began discussing, debating, brainstorming and researching. Through social media, we witnessed the cancellation of events around the country and, in some cases, a backlash from their fans. We did not want to appear tone-deaf, but we also didn’t want to look as if we were jumping on a cancellation bandwagon. We needed to be sure we were looking at it from every angle. To give

us time, we stopped our marketing. We could resume and ramp it up if needed. As our discussion continued, we learned that March Madness cancelled, and Disney World closed their doors. It became obvious that the only option was to cancel. The pain of making the decision was no longer quite so difficult. You may be thinking, why cancel? Why not postpone? There were many reasons why we felt that cancellation was our only option. First, my team produces four events per year and plays a support role in two others. The amount of work that is involved with each event varies, but our largest event, the World Food & Music Festival, is held annually in September. The World Food & Music Festival has far more vendors, entertainers, and partners then the DSM Book Festival. Its community impact is greater with approximately 95,000 guests in attendance, compared to the Book Festival’s 7,500. My team did not have the bandwidth to produce a high-quality experience for both Festivals back to back. Next, we believed that much of the inaugural DSM Book Festival’s magic was the Summer 2020

warm atmosphere that we had created. The Festival is held at the end of March and by this time of year our community is desperate for spring. The environment we created feels like a summer party in a light and airy venue with live music, street fare, cool beverages and inviting programming. You don’t have to be an avid reader to have a wonderful experience, and it was exactly what our community needed at the end of March. We would not be able to replicate the anticipation for spring and summer festivals in another time of year. Finally, as a new festival, we felt that it was extremely important to establish a date (the last weekend in March), programming, certain themes and event tone. The fewer the variables, the easier it would be to see our successes and missteps. As I mentioned, there had been a previous book event that faced plenty of challenges during its run. Every year that event changed dates (months), duration (one day, one week, every weekend for a month, one full weekend, etc.), location and atmosphere (indoor and outdoor). I believe that its constant change in the

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events 29

basics was one of the top reasons it was never as successful as it could have been. Now, back to the cancellation… On the morning of March 13, we officially internally cancelled the 2020 Festival and made our plan to share the news. Our priority was to make sure that our sponsors and partners heard from us before they saw it on social media or heard about it from someone other than us. To start, we made a list of groups: sponsors, boards, headlining authors, venues, committees, volunteers, entertainers, production, VIP ticket holders, program partners, contest entries and merchants. Over the next week we realized there were many partners who did not fit into a category and we’d wake in the middle of the night remembering someone we needed to reach out to. Once we had our groups established, we started with a general message and customized it for each group. Through this customization, we determined what the next steps should be. For example, we needed to speak individually with our sponsors, but individuals who had entered our contest didn’t require additional follow-up. Once we established our groups and messages, we put them into an order for deployment. The order was important. Using the example groups from before, what if a sponsor or friend of a sponsor had entered our book club contest? We didn’t want our contestants to find out before our sponsors. Furthermore, we had a robust committee that represented many segments of the community. Some of these were members of the media or social media 30

influencers. We respected that they needed to do their job and that they could share our news. We felt that it was in our best interest to communicate with them when we were ready to share it with everyone. Simultaneously, we read through the fine print of all our contracts. What were we liable for and if we weren’t liable, how could we extend an olive branch to those who had lost work? We have the luxury of planning multiple events and we decided that if we could move an entertainer to another event, we would do that. If we could postpone a special program to 2021, we would do that too. Given the newness of The Festival, we wanted to stay on good terms. If it was possible, we wanted every cancellation message to be received by the sender with empathy, compassion, and most importantly, we wanted the recipient to want to partner with us again. As our team worked on our messages and order, I made phone calls to our headlining authors. Our priority was to postpone their appearance until the next year’s Festival for two reasons. First, we felt that they were a good fit for our event and second, this helped avoid losing money as the contracts were more favorable to moving their appearance rather than a full-on cancellation. Next, I reached out to the venue with a goal to forward our deposit to 2021 and confirm the date. All of these discussions went smoothly and as a result… well, you’ll have to wait until fall when we make our first announcement. Stay tuned! The first email we sent was to our sponsors. And although we wanted to give

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them each a phone call, we knew that it was going to be tough to get them each on the phone. It was, after all, the Friday before spring break. As I mentioned, COVID-19 wasn’t as prevalent yet in the Midwest. Most of the people I knew who were traveling were not cancelling their plans. Second, the time it was going to take to personally call all of them was more time then we had if we wanted to get all the cancellation messages out in that day. So, we closed the email saying: “The story will continue for the DSM Book Festival. I’ll be reaching out to each of you individually in the next week to discuss your sponsorship and the next chapter of The Festival. We’d appreciate your patience as we work through the details and the impact of these changes. Once again, thank you for your support. I look forward to connecting with you very soon.” Most importantly, in our emails, all the recipients were blind carbon copied so no one could see who else was on the email. It kept the message clean and private. Following the email to sponsors, we did not email any other group for a couple of hours. Instead, we had all our emails placed in drafts and we were ready to hit send. By delaying our next set of emails, we were able to provide our sponsors time to receive the email. In the meantime, we integrated our message with information that our parent organization was set to share. Our parent organization, the Greater Des Moines Partnership, is our community’s economic driver. The Partnership’s various departments organize a variety of

meetings, learning opportunities and networking events in addition to a lot of wonderful work throughout our community. As our communications team worked to gather information to share with our Board for all of the events, cancellations, postponing and the transition to virtual events, we patiently waited for that message to be final. Once the message was sent to The Partnership’s Board, we began deploying all of the other messages. Once all messages had been sent, we cancelled the event on social media. Our cancellation was met with the compassion and warmth that we had hoped for. The response was supportive, kind and appreciative. Colleagues, friends and strangers offered their condolences. Everyone understood the work that had gone into this event and the feeling of disappointment that it could not happen for reasons beyond our control. Over the next few weeks our team issued refunds and worked with our partners to close-out The Festival. We worked with sponsors offering various opportunities to retain their commitment to The Festival or to our event organization. Each sponsorship had been customized to the meet our sponsors’ needs and we viewed this transition with the same consideration. In terms of budget reconciliation, I’m thankful that I had the foresight to save all of our budget numbers as they were on March 13. The Book Festival is free, but we sell premium experiences in advance. By having these numbers documented, I have been able to easily work with our accounting department to reconcile the budget and I will have numbers to measure against next year. Before this experience, I had postponed events at the last minute from weather or far in advance because of sponsorship losses or a low ROI. Cancelling the 2020 DSM Book Festival was different and more difficult than those other events because it was a decision that was forced upon us. Sure, every event planner has dealt with the weather, but dealing with the weather is ingrained in all of us. It’s part of the deal. Global pandemics are not. I once read that every story begins and ends the same. Once upon a time, they lived happily ever after. Every person’s story begins and ends the same, we are born, we die. What happens in the middle of the story is what makes it more interesting. It gives us joy, fear, sadness, love…. A COVID cancellation is now part of the DSM Book Festival’s history. So, keep reading! This story is not over. It just became more interesting. Colleen Murphy is the Downtown Events Director for the Greater Des Moines Partnership in Des Moines, Iowa. In addition to leading a team that produces four events for The Partnership, Murphy is the Sponsorship Manager for the Des Moines Arts Festival and plays a support role on Des Moines’ Downtown Farmers’ Market. She has over 15 years’ experience in the event industry.

BIG

SMALL EVENT,

SPONSORSHIPS

WITH TERESA STAS

FROM THE SPONSORS MOUTH: HOW THEY ARE RESPONDING TO SPONSORSHIPS DURING COVID-19 As we continue to abide by the CDC’s recommendations and more local governments put regulations in place, it can be a confusing time for both event organizers and sponsors. One thing that is important to keep in mind is that this situation is rapidly changing as more news and information is available to the public and local governments adjust restrictions. As a sponsorship agency we were seeing the following three responses from our brands: 1. Holding on Signing All Pending Sponsorships The first and most common response we have seen is a hold on all pending sponsorships as brands try to find their footing and anticipate the economic impact they will face. This can be hard when you are trying to meet sales goals but try to think of this as a positive. This is not a “No”. Staying in contact with these prospective sponsors is key. 2. Canceling their Sponsorship Agreements I can’t sugar coat it; brands are canceling their sponsorship agreements. There are several reasons this might happen prematurely from the cancelation of an event. It could be because they target an age group that is considered vulnerable, so they don’t want to be portrayed as irresponsible by partnering with a live event at this time. It might be that they have taken a huge financial hit and are trying to cut expenses everywhere. Although sponsorship cancelations are our fear, there is some solace to remember. If they cancel and the event hasn’t, there is a good chance you might still get to keep the sponsorship money. Make sure to double-check your agreement as most events have a no refund policy if the brand cancels. Now, whether your event keeps the money or refund’s it is up to you. Keep in mind it may affect future relationships with that sponsor. So be sure to assess the situation from all angles. 3. Willing to Move Forward but with a COVID-19 Clause Currently, there is increased importance around contracts. The good news is that not all hope is lost, although it is at a much slower pace, we are still seeing brands move forward with sponsorships. Now they are taking a much closer look at clauses that deal with event cancellations. It’s highly recommended that every contract includes a plan of action regarding if an event is canceled or postponed due to COVID-19. This will allow sponsors to feel more comfortable with signing.

We decided to reach out to five of the brands we work with to gain insight into how COVID-19 is affecting their business, how they are dealing with it, and how it will affect the events that they work with. In order for these brands to provide candid feedback they asked that we share their answers anonymously but what we can tell you is our interviews were conducted with sponsorship decision makers in the beer, liquor, grocery, power and hospitality industry. After our frank conversations with the brands it became clear that there were three key themes, that emerged from their responses how they are handling new partnerships, current relationships, and the importance of communication from the event during this time. Not Committing to New Events The consensus from every company we spoke to was that they were not committing to any new events until more clarity on the future is given. It is hard to give a timeline on when they may be looking to sign new contracts since we do not know exactly when events will be able to resume again but the overall understanding was that once the mass gathering bans were lifted they would be able to resume commitments to events. “We are still reviewing but not committing to anything until the global and local situation returns to normal or the “new normal” is established.” Some are still reviewing proposals while others are not. Unfortunately, due to the ambiguity around the future, it is hard for them to commit but it still may be worth reaching out and at least starting the conversation. While not all are looking at new proposals, many of them expressed a continued commitment to their current partners. “I imagine this will impact future sponsorship spends but I would only anticipate it affecting new relationships. We are committed to keeping the long-term partnerships intact.” Now with all that said, our agency has had luck working with new sponsors during this time who have verbally told us that once the bans are limited, they are committed to signing or are willing to at least sign a letter of intent.

Continued on page 104

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YOUR EVENT HAS IMPACT…

SHOW IT! r.”

al t Festiv ent H Stree act Assessm Econom

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Commission Your IFEA Economic Impact Analysis Today

ic Imp

H Street Festival Impact The average visitor spent $63 during the festival, generating $6.1 million in sales along the corridor. Eating and drinking establishments experienced the largest increase in sales during the festival with an average increase of 132% more sales than on a Festival Impact typical Saturday in September. Neighborhoods Goods & Services and Merchandise stores were also positively impacted by the festival, experiencing a sales increase of 57% and 22% respectively.

Restaurants Goods and Merchandise On-Street and Bars Services Retailers Vendors

Overall Impact On H Street Retail

Avg. Sales on a September Saturday

$15,381

$5,175

$2,074

n/a

$10,526

The average visitor spent $23 on food, $20 on alcohol, and $13 shopping during the festival.

The H Street Festival attracts visitors from all across the region.

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sed (JS&A) ba sociates surveys ver & As business d Jon Sto al and 48 sed on HSMS an MS) by eet (HS 17 festiv g the 20 dance figures ba velopment. t Main Str De H Stree nducted durin en ess for Att sin ed N. Bu let ys co ng IMPLA all and Local ure comp endee surve usi ch ed bro Sm d att velop t of and y-selecte multipliers de the Departmen Analysis ta randoml ards. Da is supported by on 102 ted afterw conduc estimates. HSMS ic Econom ment police elop

The H Street Festival is public, free, and openDev oingall. H Street sult Cont Main Street relies on contributions to fund and operate this important event.

JS&A

The festival draws a young and diverse crowd.

The H Street Festival resulted in nearly $2.3 million in salaries and the equivalent of 58 fulltime positions, and generated approximately $728,000 in tax revenue for the District.

Avg. Sales During the H Street Festival

$35,684

$8,112

$2,535

n/a

$22,812

Direct Impact

Indirect Impact

Induced Impact

Overall Impact

Avg. Increase in Sales Per Business (%)

132%

57%

22%

n/a

117%

Jobs Created

Avg. Increase in Sales Per Business ($)

$20,303

$2,936

$461

n/a

$12,286

Labor Income

$1.9 M

$241,650

$155,318

$2.3 M

Corporate Tax

$31,448

Number of Businesses on H Street

176

138 businesses (excluding vendors)

Sales Revenue

$6.1 M

$648,069

$337,611

$7.1 M

Personal Income Tax

$27,925

Increased Sales Due to the Festival

$1,543,051

$146,822

$5,531

$4,419,953

$6,115,356

City Permits & Fees

$134,699

Increased Tax Revenue Due to Festival

$728,706

Fiscal Impact for the District of Columbia Sales Tax

Overall Impact

There are many ways to get involved and support the H Street Festival. H Street businesses and local artists and performers can participate in the event as vendors or volunteers. A range of sponsorship opportunities exist, and are vital to making the festival possible. Contact H Street Main Street to learn more about how you can help!

$534,634

Leverage Cost & Credibility IFEA’s cost effective, industry credible program brings a critical tool within financial reach and provides reliable results from a trusted and recognized resource.

Quantify & Articulate Value Understand and communicate the impact your event brings to your local economy and local tax revenue.

Gain Support & Increase Funding Demonstrate how your event benefits area businesses and your city at large, convey the need for public and private assistance, and secure additional financial support.

Enhance Participation Increase business participation, recruit additional vendors, and strengthen stakeholder commitment.

Improve Operations Incorporate a data-driven approach to evaluate and make adjustments to your event or program each year.

READY TO GET STARTED? Find Out More on our IFEA Professional Products & Services Web Page or Contact Kaye Campbell, CFEE, Director of Partnerships & Programs • +1-208-433-0950 Ext. 8150 • kaye@ifea.com

IFEA PARTNERS WITH ENIGMA RESEARCH AND OTHER LEADING EVENT INDUSTRY ORGANIZATIONS FOR 2020 RETURN TO LIVE EVENTS SURVEY Surveying over 2,000 regular attendees to sports events, festivals, fairs, exhibitions, and business conferences, this not-for-profit initiative will assist event organizers and stakeholders of all sizes to prepare for the global return to live events. Full results of this research will be made available FREE to IFEA members and will uncover the “new normal” of events, including timelines and motivation to return, opinions on precautionary measures, travel intentions, plus information for sponsors and governments. Follow our social media sites as we post preliminary results as soon as we receive them.

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events

Summer 2020

IFEAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ie: the business of international events

EVENT PLANNERS: THE FEW, THE PROUD!

Creative Programming During Unusual Circumstances. As we all know the recent COVID-19 virus has created havoc across the world. It’s been life-threatening to many and life-altering to most everyone else. The impact to our festivals and events industry has been devastating. As event planners we tend to be pretty dang good at rolling with unexpected issues and try to make the best of difficult circumstances. This is unprecedented but, in many ways, it is no different. We would make great U.S. Marines with the ability to improvise, adapt, and overcome. Ooh-rah! Event planners want to program. We want to plan. There is an almost primal instinct to produce something. We need to bring people together for memory-making synergy. Unfortunately, we are unable to bring people together like we are used to. Many facilities are completely shut down. Most places are unable to congregate with even just 10 people. Do we just curl up in a fetal position and suck our thumbs? No! We can still do versions of what we used to do; we just have to do them very differently. There are plenty of activities that people can do on their own but can still be shared. They can be done together 36

at the same time via FaceTime or Zoom or whatever new social media app is the new fad at the time (i.e. TikTok). We have probably all heard of the #AloneTogether trend by now. There are several variations that can be used. The idea is that it’s important to meet or exceed the various “social distancing” guidelines but it doesn’t mean we have to be socially disconnected. It is more important than ever to stay in touch with important people in our lives or to reconnect with other important people that we may have grown away from (physically, emotionally, or otherwise). Initially we were so worried about what we could no longer do but then we started thinking about what we could do instead. In a way it was easier to process because suddenly that list was much shorter so it was simple to find the potential diamonds in the rough. For example, we learned

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events

Summer 2020

that much needed lifesaving blood donations had plummeted due to so many blood drives being cancelled on college and high school campuses. We started adding the famous Big Red Bus to our monthly food truck events a few months ago. Initially those drives were cancelled when the event itself was cancelled. We did some checking and the blood drives were approved to continue on their own especially since they added new safety and security protocols. We have continued to schedule them on the same day (last Thursday of each month) and the turnout has been amazing. They only do it by appointment now and they still have been completely filling up. In the past with the event going on simultaneously, we were lucky to get half that many donations. Sponsors have been happy to still get some exposure that they weren’t expecting as well. (Shameless plug: Did you know

that each donation helps up to three people - red cells, plasma, platelets – and could save a life? Please consider making an appointment at your local center or blood mobile as soon as possible!) We are not allowed to host an arts and crafts class for special needs children. However, we can encourage their family and/or caregivers to do their own arts and crafts with common household items by creating a “how to” video or posting an article with directions and colorful pictures. Encourage the use of an existing hashtag, make up something or see what is trending and modify for your own use. #[YourHometown]Rec or [YourHometown]Parks or #RecAtHome or #ParksAtHome are some examples. Festivals and events can do something similar by making the craft fit the theme of the event. We can no longer allow members to visit the Fitness Room in the Gym & Aquatic Facility. However, we can post a series of exercise movements that just use body weight so everyone can do it from the safety and comfort of home or at a local park. #MondayMuscles, #WellnessWednesday, and #FitnessFriday are some examples. We have encouraged our community to run or walk a 5k, do push-ups, sit-ups, air squats, lunges, burpees and then challenge their friends, family, coworkers to do the same. They are able to share the experiences together but actually do them separately. Festivals and events could stage pictures (or PhotoShop them) at their facility or incorporate to their event theme. Even though this was probably not already being done in your community it

is something simple that could become a new “thing” in town. We were finding that people were getting frustrated, bored, stir crazy, and full-blown cabin fever and were looking for a positive outlet. Enter the #ChalkYourWalk concept which is kids (or adults) coloring their sidewalk or driveway with inspirational messages, flowers, or just silly random shapes. It washes away in the rain so no concerns about it being permanent graffiti, then once the canvas is cleared (naturally or with a hose) new images can be created over and over. Festivals and events can chalk their own “walk” so to speak and color their facility if they have access to their own facility. Incorporate the rescheduled date later this year or the date for next year and maybe figure out how to still highlight key sponsors as well. Once businesses, partners, sponsors, etc. start reopening you can incorporate their images and messages in the art work as well. It’s a win-win. With so many youth sports (adults too) leagues cancelled or suspended we wanted to encourage everyone to still be active but not everyone has the equipment for that particular activity. Training drills and exercises could be posted but that might feel like punishment in some ways since there are no games to make the work feel more worthwhile. Instead, we decided on an idea to look back to the glory days with a #ThrowbackThursday concept to post action shots or team photos from the last league they were in or even images from 5 or 25 years ago. It doesn’t matter what or when just that people are fondly remembering those activities. Festivals and events can post old photos from different Summer 2020

facilities or different eras (bellbottoms, or neon ankle warmers, or big hair, anyone?). Promote the idea of doing old traditions in nontraditional ways. Many places host Easter egg hunts. Those can still be done but not all together at the local park. We can encourage families to dye regular eggs. We can encourage parents to hide colorful plastic eggs in their backyard or even inside the house. You might be surprised how many exciting hiding spots there can be! If you don’t have eggs (and if you don’t trust everyone to remember where they were all hidden and don’t want that smell to creep up in a week) then hide whatever you want. Crumple up paper into egg shape balls, tape some crayons together, use a toilet paper cardboard tube, or even toy action figures. Mother’s Day tea party can still be a fun experience in different locations. Agree on a menu together, cook together, and eat together but just do it remotely. Create a video and email it or live stream or video chat. It is not a #DeviceFreeDinner but the point is to engage with loved ones and not be distracted by silly games or mindless texts. #FrontPorchProject is another potential concept to bring families and the community together without physically being at the same place at the same time. Spring is the time of year that many people in the past would pay for beautiful professional photographs with the Easter bunny or spring family photos. In most places that would not be permitted due to being “non-essential”. Just make the best of these difficult circumstances by getting the kids (and/or dogs) all dressed up and taking the best picture you can and share with friends, family, neighbors, or coworkers. If your festival or event has a facility with a main entrance or a unique landmark then safely get the staff together for a group picture. Or take individual ones and do some good ol’ fashioned collage work and post that. Who does not like a good ol’ fashioned treasure hunt, right? Set up a #ScavengerSaturday or #ScavengerSunday and have people go out to find certain items based on a series of clues. Ask them to take a picture with it or at that location and email or text it in to be eligible for a prize. This is great for festivals and events to do with leftover products or at unique landmarks or locations. Offer discounts on admission or merchandise if they share those images to your social media with a certain hashtag of your choice. It can be themed based on the season or completely random based on whatever happens to be trending. Subscribe to the National Day Continued on page 106

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events 37

THE UN-COMFORT ZONE THESE STORIES WILL CHANGE

YOUR BELIEFS ABOUT LUCK Is It Possible to Influence Luck?

Eight-year-old Julie Amberg was excited when her Aunt Nancy showed up to visit. Nancy, however, wanted some adult time with her sister, so she sent Julie on a mission. “Go outside and see if you can find a four-leaf clover, and I’ll give you a dollar for each one you bring me.” The odds of her getting a long, one-on-one, conversation with her sister were pretty good: studies show there is only one four-leaf clover for every 10,000 three-leaf clovers. A few minutes later, however, Julie was back in the house with a four-leaf clover. Aunt Nancy gave her a dollar and sent her back out again. A few more minutes passed and Julie was back with another. In short order, she returned three more times, the final time with a five-leaf clover which is very rare. The legend that four-leaf clovers are lucky comes to us from the Druids of ancient Ireland. They believed a four-leaf clover would protect them from bad luck. Today, Julie is a successful Atlanta-based artist, and she still has an uncanny knack for finding four-leaf clovers. A skeptic, however, might suggest that it is her artist’s eye for detail which enables her to find so many. Luck is defined as the chance happening of good fortune, prosperity or success. I’ve never been one to believe I was lucky, but I recall reading in 2010 about some scientists at the University of Cologne conducting studies which showed that a belief in luck can improve a person’s chances to succeed. Ron Currens, a technology sales professional in Atlanta, can attest to this: “I have played competitive backgammon for many years and the throw of the dice is central to the game. I have found that if I can convince my opponent that I am lucky, then I often get throws like double-six with far greater frequency than normal. It’s as if the expectation of luck affects the roll of the dice in some profound manner.” I’ve been intrigued about the motivational factor of believing in luck for some time. So, I recently asked some of my friends and acquaintances if they believe they are lucky; if their belief affected their luck; and to share some of their luck stories. I hoped to receive two or three stories, but I was rewarded with dozens. Perhaps I’m lucky after all. Through my interviews, I noticed some patterns among lucky people, what they consider to be luck, and in what seems to cause luck. I’ll share some of those with you, along with some of their stories. 38

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events

Many responded that they didn’t believe in luck at all; that luck is merely the result of hard work and comes when preparation meets opportunity. Several people told me they don’t consider good fortune as luck, but as blessings from God. Others told me they believe their serendipity results from the Law of Attraction. And, a few simply accept that they are lucky without questioning it. Susie Carter says, “Am I lucky? Yes, I win at everything I try.” She started AlaskaMen magazine and calendar on her kitchen table in 1986 because she wanted to help the single men who came to her day care center needing child care. It was an overnight success. “I just believed I could help the men find wives if I could figure a way to do it. No computers! Just legal pads and the old style paste up method of printing.” Susie and AlaskaMen have been featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show five times; in Cosmopolitan magazine four times, People magazine three times, and hundreds of other magazines, newspapers, and TV shows worldwide. Anita Jefferson, author of Climb Every Obstacle: Eliminate Your Limits! told me, “Often when I have experienced ‘luck’ it’s because I know exactly what I need. Then, the exact shoe, book or person shows up at the moment I set that intention. I experience kismet most days because I start my morning with prepared, defined intentions and firmly expect to be lucky.” Debbie Silverman, author of It’s Just a Conversation, says she’s been on a lucky streak for several years. She attributes her luck to gratitude. An example of her luck is getting a hole in one after playing golf only 8 months; she has since gotten a second. One pattern I’ve noticed is that many lucky streaks seem to start after experiencing bad luck such as surviving an economic hardship, or worse a traumatic event like severe injury or life-threatening disease. For Paul Babin, a successful cinematographer in Hollywood, it was getting fired from a job that turned his luck around. He says, “Luck comes when we make choices, and often it’s the choice that’s the most frightening that brings the greatest reward. Conversely, getting mired in uncertainty will curtail luck faster than anything.” Bill Slagle, President of the Atlanta Fundraising Foundation, said, “I would say surviving cancer definitely started a whole series of lucky things.” His string of luck includes meeting the girl of his dreams and moving to the beach.

Summer 2020

WITH ROBERT WILSON

Joey Reiman, CEO of BrightHouse, and author of Thumbs Up! told me, “When I was 22 years old, I got a job working for the great film director Federico Fellini in Rome, Italy. Two weeks later I was in a near fatal car accident that promised to paralyze my right arm. Immobilized and terrified in the hospital, I was visited by a South African minister who told me I was lucky. ‘Lucky? I don’t have the use of my right hand. No one will hire me or love me.’ He laughed and said, ‘That is why we have two arms.’ Then over the next few weeks we talked about just getting my thumb up. I thought he meant I had to get my thumb to move, but what he shared was this secret: thoughts have wings and when you create a thumbs up mind set it becomes your gift set. Two weeks later my thumb actually moved. Thirty years later, I have built a marriage of 25 years with two amazing sons, and three successful businesses. That little advice put me on lucky street because regardless of what happens in life all that matters is what happens in your head!” Another of those patterns I’ve observed from some of the very luckiest people I spoke with is that they are bold enough to go after what they want and frequently get it. Written as an equation: Desire + Action = Luck. People who believe they are lucky expect to win, so they are more likely to enter a contest, and buy a lottery or raffle ticket. A statistician might counter that it is because they enter so often that their odds of winning are increased. Some people shared that they have had luck, but only in one area of their life. Susan Griffin, a controller for a structural steel company, says her whole family is lucky, but she’s mostly lucky when it comes to winning office pools. Several respondents told me luck is what you make of it. Turning lemons into lemonade for example. Identifying what is or isn’t serendipitous is a subjective interpretation that lies in the eye of the beholder. Kirsten Ott Palladino, Editorial Director for EquallyWed.com, an LGBTQ+ wedding resource, told me, “I feel incredibly lucky in my life, but others have told me that’s a funny way of looking at it.” She explained to me that she was sexually abused for 10 years. “I was lucky enough to finally gain the strength and self-love needed to walk away from my abusers. I managed to turn my life around. I’m now an award-winning successful entrepreneur with a wife, and twin 5-year-old boys.” Patricia Pitsel, PhD, a management coach in Calgary, Canada, who spent the earlier part of her life as an unhappy and unlucky person, told me, “I happened to read Fear of Flying by Erica Jong. In it, the protagonist is told by her psychiatrist husband, that she is responsible for how she feels; others don’t make you unhappy, we make ourselves unhappy. Anyway... I decided to spend the rest of my life being happy and not miserable.” Afterward, she says her luck gradually began to change; she won a $5000.00 home entertainment system, and a trip to the Caribbean. She went on to tell me that the luckiest thing that has happened to her is being able to share with others the belief, “that we can be happy, that we can be lucky.” Some reported having a brief spell of luck. Julia Hobbs, Founder of Project Free Hand in Wales, experienced a year of luck in 2007. Wherever she went she would find money on the

street. “It was ridiculous how I kept finding fivers, tenners and loose change. There hasn’t been another year like it.” Adding to the fascination of this story is Michelle Gregg, a Counseling Astrologer in Atlanta, who explained to me, “Folks who are in the midst of a Jupiter transit tend to have good luck, receive money, etc. for the period of time that the transit is active.” One of the luckiest people I interviewed is Andrea Gold, owner of Gold Stars speaker bureau, she said, “I expect to win. And I often do. I’ve won big stuff, small stuff. I don’t consider winning out of reach. So when I enter a contest, I do it seriously, and responsibly. I make sure I want the prize, so I don’t take something that would better benefit another.” She adds, “I believe that my confidence in winning does help to manifest the ‘win.’ And taking that contest or raffle seriously reinforces the manifesting. We may not always understand or see the forces at work in our lives, but that certainly doesn’t mean they aren’t there. I also listen to my intuition on when to enter. I consider intuition a core part of everyone’s abilities. Some just don’t pay attention to the subtle cues.” She has won raffles, drawings, a college scholarship, a $1,000 lottery, even slot machines. She also finds valuables, especially money; ones, fives, tens and twenties. “I find coins nearly every day. Money even finds me.” Once when Andrea was swimming in Hawaii a bread bag floated up to her. Thinking it was trash that needed to be thrown away, she picked it up and found $68 in it. Andrea tells me she always has a sense of gratitude when she receives what she calls gifts from the universe. Michael Lissack, a business executive, philanthropist, and entrepreneur, considers himself to be very lucky. In 1994, he was waiting to fly back to New York City from Boston. Wanting something to read for the flight, he purchased a copy of the Washington Post, which was not one of the papers he regularly read, but he’d already read his regulars that day. On the front page was an article about the law firm Phillips and Cohen and the False Claims Act. The article gave him just the information he needed to become a Whistleblower against several Wall Street investment banks that were defrauding the federal government by overpricing securities. He said the 50 cents for that newspaper led to him being awarded millions of dollars. Talk about luck! The conclusion I draw from all the people I’ve interviewed is that those who believe they are lucky are willing to take more risks than the average person. That willingness seems to open more opportunities for success. If you want luck to come your way, then put yourself in its path. 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.

Summer 2020

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events 39

THE

RIGHTSHOLDERS’ GUIDE TO SPONSORSHIP IN A PANDEMIC By Kim Skildum-Reid

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events

Summer 2020

Back in January 2020 – three months ago, but feels like a year – I wrote “Recession-Proofing Your Sponsorship Program: A Rightsholder’s Guide“. I wrote it because we were overdue for a recession, some indicators were starting to look shaky, and predictions were that we could be in a recession by the end of 2020. But holy crap, people… this virus is something else entirely. We are surely going to suffer a serious economic downturn, and my recession advice still holds. But right now, rightsholders need to get through a pandemic that has seen most events and seasons cancelled – or at least postponed indefinitely. And that last word is the kicker: “Indefinitely”. While we’re doing our best to keep ourselves and our families and our communities well, and to keep our organisations afloat, we simply don’t know how long this is going to last, and what our sponsorship world is going to look like, as we work our way back. So, with that in mind, I’ve got some advice about how rightsholders should be managing their sponsorships and their sponsors through the pandemic, and what is likely to be a slow resurgence of our industry. The advice in this blog sits alongside “Recession-Proofing Your Sponsorship Program: A Rightsholder’s Guide”, as the longer-term impact on the economy and budgets will still be an issue. DON’T SELL Yeah, I get it. You need revenue. But trying to sell sponsorship right now is a really bad idea. Sponsors are dealing with just as much uncertainty as you are, and if you think your sponsorship proposal is going to get more than a passing glance, right now, you’re kidding yourself. And if they do pay any attention, what they’re going to be thinking is that you either don’t know or don’t care that they’re also going through a mountain of strife, and are in no position to be making decisions about sponsorship. Strike that. They are in a position to make a decision, and that decision will be “no”. Right now, sponsors are regrouping. They’re trying to figure out what to do with a bunch of marketing assets, when the actual platforms they’re built on have all but vanished. They’re looking at a portfolio that was full of strategic investments, and trying to figure out how to stop their executive teams from categorising them as “sunk costs”, and devaluing sponsorship as a marketing tool. They’re looking at the looming economic fallout, and wondering

whether the impact on the sponsorship budget will be cataclysmic, or simply bad. And they’re hoping (like the rest of us) that the recession mitigation efforts work, but they’re still having to prepare for the worst. The time will come to sell sponsorship again, but this isn’t it. Right now, your priority needs to be on retaining the sponsors you’ve got. EXTEND CONTRACTS, IF AT ALL POSSIBLE With everything up in the air, you need to assume that your event, program, or season isn’t going to happen this year, and roll out your sponsor retention plans accordingly. The first thing you should try to do is extend contracts. Rather than stuff around with trying to put a dollar value on any benefits a sponsor does receive this year, and adjusting the fee, extend the contract for a year. Don’t charge more money, just extend the contract. So, if they signed a three-year deal, covering three festivals, they will still get three festivals. Take the approach that anything that happens this year – any benefits you can provide, any cut-down or virtual event you are able to mount – is a bonus. If, by some miracle, you are able to restart, before 2021, that would obviously be fantastic. But let’s be honest, it’s unlikely to be exactly what you planned, and may not be exactly when you planned it. This means the premise isn’t what the sponsor signed onto, they won’t have the benefits they wanted to leverage, and there’s every chance your ramp up will give them little lead time to plan and implement leverage around this new-look property. In this case, help your sponsors get whatever benefit they can, as a gesture of good faith, while you’re waiting to run at 100% again. Treating whatever you manage to deliver as a bonus to your sponsors is a smart retention strategy. KNOW WHAT BENEFITS ARE GOING TO HAVE THE MOST VALUE The most valuable sponsorship benefits right now are also the most valuable in non-pandemic times. The problem is that they’re often undervalued by rightsholders, in favour of low-value, hygiene benefits, like logos, mentions, tickets, hospitality, and some kind of space or area on site. With most of the logo opportunities gone, it’s no longer about where you’re going to put their logo, because you don’t have any place to put their logo. You’ve got no tickets, no hospitality, and certainly no on-site spaces happening. You’re being forced to look deeper into your arsenal for Summer 2020

benefits that still have leverageable value, and that’s a really good thing. So, what benefits are those? It’s all about content, baby. You should be focusing on giving sponsors the tools, so that they can continue to nurture their providing exclusive content to sponsors. Sponsors should be creating their own exclusive content and platforms for fans to share theirs. Work with them to make the fans the heroes, and show genuine alignment to what the fans are going through right now. There are a hundred different angles. It’s your job – now, more than ever – to find those angles and help sponsors to use them. REFOCUS ON REMOTE FANS Remote fans are fans of your organisation, your properties, or the larger themes around what you do, who – for whatever reason – don’t attend. They care, but they’re not there. This can be many, many times the number of people who actually rock up to your venue or gallery or event or game. Take Manchester United, for example. According to Kantar research, they have 1.1 BILLION fans, spread all around the world. These people love the team, but most of them will never get the chance to attend a game live. They’ll never have the in-stadium experience, but they still have lots of value to ManU as viewers and passionate advocates. Unfortunately, most rightsholders have devalued the remote fans, tending to focus only on people who will, or could, contribute to the bottom line – people who buy tickets and merchandise, members, donors, attendees, etc. – and putting little, if any, effort into engaging with the broader fanbase. If that describes your approach to remote fans – if you haven’t been good at engaging people outside of the direct fan experience, and the sales channels to get them there – you need to get good at it, and you need to do it fast. Why? Because ALL of your fans are now remote fans. This is definitely the time to press “pause” on any events that require people to physically gather in groups, but it’s definitely not the time to press “pause” on the fan experience, because they’re still having a fan experience. They still love what you do, and love being part of the community that surrounds you, even if it’s currently virtual. HELP YOUR SPONSOR CONNECT WITH THOSE REMOTE FANS Again, this is something you should have been doing all along. Up to now,

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those remote fans might have barely been in your organisation’s sphere of interest, but they have always had enormous, leverageable, commercial value to sponsors. Now that we’re in the middle of a pandemic, helping your sponsors connect with those remote fans in a meaningful way has become your most important sponsor retention strategy, because it’s really all you’ve got. You need to identify who these remote fans are, why they’re passionate about what you do, how their fan experience has changed, and how they’re feeling about being a fan right now. Are they mourning the loss of something they love? Are they frustrated? Are they hungry for any scrap of connection they can get? Are they feeling unloved and unheard? That’s the information you can use to help sponsors connect, create content, and align with those fans. That’s the information that sponsors can use to add value to their new fan experience – to amplify the best things, and to improve some of the worst. Throw the net wide. Include people who might be interested in the larger themes around what you do, not just prospective attendees or viewers, because those themes are also leverageable for sponsors.

have formalised brand architecture? Revisiting (or creating) all of this isn’t complicated, and is a must for doing sponsorship well.

USE THIS TIME TO REGROUP Sponsors are regrouping, and you should too. With many of your operational commitments on hold, this is a great time to do the high-level stuff that you need to do, but don’t always have time for.

Overhaul Your Proposal Template Your proposals need to be bespoke, but the framework you use, and the way you describe your property and your fans, will be similar from one to another. Before you start selling again in earnest, spend a little time getting that framework right, so when you populate it with sponsor intelligence and your bespoke offer, it follows the tight story arc that will help you get to “yes”.

Get on Top of the Trends Spend a little time getting your head around the big trends in sponsorship, because when the market reopens, and sponsors are flooded with all manner of proposals, your degree of sophistication and creativity will be a big factor in how successful you are. A great starting place is my white paper, “Disruptive Sponsorship: Like Disruptive Marketing, Only Better”, which appeared in the Winter 2018 issue of “ie” Magazine (Issue 29, Issue 4). You can also download it from PowerSponsorship.com. Revisit Your Marketing Plan How long has it been since you’ve addressed your marketing plan from the ground up? When was the last time you really analysed all of your target market segments, including your remote fans? Does the current brand architecture reflect what your properties are really about, or do they need freshening? Do you even 42

Get Your Hit List Ready To Go When we’re out from under the worst of the pandemic, and sponsors start to make decisions again, I can guarantee that the shotgun approach of sending the same proposal to as many potential sponsors as possible just isn’t going to cut it. Take this time to craft a hit list that is both concise and meaty. Know exactly why each of the brands on that list would be involved, why it’s right for them, and the hot buttons you’re going to need to hit. Your list may be only a couple of dozen, but they’ll be the right sponsors to target. Formalise Your Inventory of Benefits In this blog, I’m asking you to think more broadly about what you have to offer, because frankly, the boring benefits that make up the backbone of most sponsorship proposals are off the table. Turn that thinking into a big list of things that you could offer to the right sponsor, at the right price point. For a huge, running start on this, download the Generic Inventory template from PowerSponsorship.com.

Revamp Your Offer Development Process The most important part of a proposal is the leverage ideas you provide a sponsor, illustrating how they can use their sponsorship to achieve their objectives and create meaningful bonds with their target markets. These ideas are the anchor of your proposal. Finding the ideas isn’t difficult, but there is a process for getting to the level of strategic thinking and creativity required, and for getting your team and internal stakeholders involved. (And yes, it’s possible to do this by Zoom. I’ve facilitated lots of these, remotely.) The processes, examples, and templates offer development and all of these high-leverage activities are detailed in The Sponsorship Seeker’s Toolkit 4th

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Edition. Hot tip: Buy it hardcopy, as it will end up being a desk reference. I’m also doing a series of Webinars, so follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn, or sign up for the newsletter on PowerSponsorship.com, to get updates on upcoming online training. KEEP THE FAITH This is a horrendous time for the world, our communities, our industry, and for all of us, but we’ll get through it. What we do with the time we’ve suddenly got will impact how well we come out the other side. But, we will come out the other side. We do sponsorship – the one marketing media where the entire premise is built on passion and meaning. This forced break in play has neither dimmed that passion, nor dwindled the meaning, and when the time comes for events and sports to restart, for cultural organisations to throw open their doors, fans will be back in droves. THE UPSHOT I like to write blogs that are useful for a good long time, but I really hope this one isn’t. I hope the world and the economy rebounds faster than anticipated, and all of this advice can just fade into the ether. What I hope doesn’t fade into the ether are the skills this new reality has forced you to learn, the powerful benefits you’ve created, and the less powerful benefits you’ve re-evaluated, and the focus on your broader relevance – your broader fanbase – and the enormous value this provides to sponsors. The changes you make, as a result of this pandemic, will serve you well when times get better. That’s the silver lining for our industry, so don’t waste this time making cat videos. 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/.

• Seasonal rental opportunities • Register functionality for retail sales, ticketing, parking, concessions and much more • Analytics to help you identify how far your patrons are traveling and their spending habits • Flexible connectivity and built-in AT&T LTE cellular, Ethernet, Wi-Fi or offline functionality

Save today! Call Tina Hollis, Senior Commercial Business Consultant at 239-287-8221

Summer 2020

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ENGLISH 101

WITH JEFF ENGLISH, CFEE

THE COVID-19

CONTRACT CONUNDRUM

ith every spring and early summer event being cancelled or postponed, our entire industry has universally had to explore the implications of force majeure and whether it applies to a pandemic. The scope and breadth of the implications of postponing or cancelling your firework shows, concerts, beer gardens, and parades strikes right at the heard of what we do. I mean, what in the world is going on? The coronavirus is causing a true Friday the 13th nightmare scenario for every single one of our festivals today. In mid-March, the country began ardently practicing social distancing and self-quarantining to a degree never seen before, and it caused our industry to face an uncertain future. The Kentucky Derby Festival postponed its events until August. This forced an examination of our sponsorship, performance, and vendor contracts to see what the cancellation clauses included and the extent of the refunds we would owe. A normal KDF sponsorship contract includes a provision where the fee is earned upon receipt and there are no refunds. This is because of all the advertising and expenses that are necessary in the lead up to the event. The actual event, in many ways, is the icing on the cake compared to the preparation it takes to produce it. So, from a legal standpoint, we were mostly well positioned. However, there’s the law and then there’s the reality of not setting your relationships with your sponsors on fire with a bag of napalm. Any strict reading of a contract, meaning “we are not producing this event and are refusing to refund any portion of your money per the language of the contract,” means the sponsor simply won’t return once we’re open for business again. That’s why, from the outset, I urge you to please work with your sponsors to reach a compromise rather than argue legal details with them. Nobody wins when the lawyers get involved. So, what is force majeure and what can we learn moving forward about specific protections you can include in contracts? Black’s Law Dictionary explains that a force majeure clause “is meant to protect the parties in the event that a contract cannot be performed due to causes which are outside the control of the parties and could not be avoided by exercise of due care.” Force majeure clauses allocate risk between the parties when an unanticipated event makes performance impossible or impracticable. Sounds a lot like a pandemic! 44

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As it pertains to the coronavirus, any broad force majeure clause language should apply since March 11, when the World Health Organization declared it a pandemic. It is unlikely any court would decide that any private party has caused the coronavirus. And, many force majeure clauses specifically include “epidemic” or “pandemic” in its laundry list of qualifying events. An example of a “force majeure” clause includes Acts of God, strikes, lockouts, or other industrial disturbances, acts of the public enemy, wars, blockades, riots, epidemics, lightning, earthquakes, explosions, accidents or repairs to machinery or pipes, delays of carriers, inability to obtain materials or rights of way on reasonable terms, acts of public authorities, or any other causes. Even without that specific reference, the coronavirus should qualify under most force majeure clauses due to the government-imposed travel bans and quarantines. Most courts require the party claiming force majeure to show that the event was not foreseeable and directly caused the failure to meet its contractual obligations. While this is often a close call in weather-related natural disasters—the geographic scope and actual impact on the stream of commerce of a storm is often debatable—a pandemic resulting in mass closures of all public events and schools should not be a close call. This is not a normal risk of doing business. In summary, it’s my belief that force majeure applies to the coronavirus and those provisions would be activated in your contracts. However, neither party should look to them as a reasonable remedy. Sit down with your vendors and sponsors and negotiate. Find a resolution that includes a reasonable refund for the expenses your festival has already incurred. And as we’ve found with some of our sponsors, even if we can’t produce our events in August, they have said that we can keep their sponsorship fee to help keep our Festival afloat until 2021. That’s a win-win for all parties involved!

Summer 2020

Jeff English, CFEE is the Sr. Vice President of Administration/General Counsel of the Kentucky Derby Festival. After graduating from Washburn University School of Law (Topeka, KS) in 2004, Jeff worked in politics and practiced law before joining the KDF staff. He is charged with overseeing all of Festival’s legal issues and serving as its risk management officer. He also manages the Merchandise Department and the 501(c)3 not-for-profit Kentucky Derby Festival Foundation.

IN THE

BLINK

OF AN EYE

By Mark Demko

While many know the Bethlehem, PA-based ArtsQuest for is largest and longest running event, Musikfest, the opening of the SteelStacks entertainment campus on our city’s former steel mill site nine years ago transformed us into a year-round presenting arts organization that operates three buildings, three music venues and offers a dozen festivals annually. Today, our nonprofit presents more than 4,000 concerts, classes, educational programs and events in our region, with about 50 percent of this programming available for free to our community. On March 16, that number incredulously dropped to ‘zero’ as a result of COVID19’s spread and Gov. Tom Wolf’s ensuing order that all nonessential businesses in the Commonwealth close. In the blink of an eye, we went from planning a full summer schedule of 25 events and 750 concerts, to wondering what the next month might bring and whether what, if 46

any, events might even take place before 2021 arrives. As an organization, our highly adaptive programming team shifted from presenting in-person events to developing a variety of virtual and online content in less than a week for a new platform called ArtsQuest@Home. Launched March 20, ArtsQuest@ Home includes curated and original programming designed to keep our community and our patrons connected via music and the arts, even at a time when everyone can’t get together in person. After starting with sharing content from others such as performances that national artists were streaming from their living rooms, our staff switched to developing our own content. In one example, we launched a performance series featuring popular local artists who have played at Musikfest and SteelStacks. To differentiate our programming from all the other great

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options out there, we opted to offer the “SteelStacks Lunch Break” shows at noon, staying away from the more crowded 4-9 p.m. timeframe other acts were filling. Since then, we’ve added a full slate of original content including comedy and improv shows via Zoom, live Toddler Storytimes via Facebook live and even a 48-hour ‘At Home Quarantine Film Challenge’, which invited the community to make their own short films and share with everyone while we shelter at home. While this virtual programming has drawn a strong following, the next step will be developing revenue streams associated with this new platform to help support organizational sustainability. ArtsQuest’s first major celebration of summer was to be our Memorial Day Weekend, featuring live music, patriotic programming and a Memorial Day remembrance event honoring men and

women of the Armed Forces. We are now working on a virtual version of that, with livestreams, a Memorial Day documentary shown in partnership with our local Public Television Station WLVT and a modified 10th anniversary presentation of “Our Hometown Heroes” display. Launched a decade ago, “Our Hometown Heroes” is a series of banners displayed on SteelStacks campus that features images of servicemen and women from the region. This year, we are installing the banners, but encouraging people to cruise by to see them or walk by following safe social distancing guidelines. We will also for the first time feature the images online for people to view. An unanticipated impact of the COVID19 fallout occurred when our ticketing partner changed how and when it paid its partners. Instead of receiving payouts on a rolling basis as we did previously, funds would only be released after an event had taken place. As a nonprofit that postponed more than 100 events in just six weeks, with many not taking place until this fall or even 2021, this was a big curveball thrown our way. In response to the decline in revenue streams, our development, marketing and sponsorship teams have shifted focused to identifying new opportunities while being mindful that the focus right now is and should be on supporting those on the front lines. We’ve stepped up efforts to encourage patrons to purchase gift cards they can use for food and beverages, concert tickets and merchandise later

in the year; encouraging our members to renew their supporting memberships; and we’re letting the community know our programming is as important now as it was two months ago, while reminding them that they can play a key role by making donations and contributions. Whether you’re a large organization or a small nonprofit, offer multiple events or just one festival, these are unprecedented times and we are all adapting different tactics and strategies to survive.

events have on tourism, the economy and quality of life in your region. Music, arts and culture have an amazing power to heal communities and, at some point cities large and small will want this aspect of their cultures to return as long as everyone can feel safe and secure.

City and Government Relationships ArtsQuest is fortunate to have strong relationships with our city and county governments and that’s important now more than ever, especially as everyone works through these challenging times. If you present a festival or event, it’s vital you connect regularly with your city, county, state or provincial contacts, as well as your health department officials. This is important not only for your business, but also to stay on top of the constantly changing rules, orders and guidelines pertaining to COVID-19, public gatherings and health and safety best practices. While the governor’s offices are responsible for rolling out the reopening plans in most states, the guidelines put in place by your cities may ultimately determine what you can and can’t do when it comes to events, hosting food vendors and gathering in person. Connect frequently with your contacts and remind them of the positive impact you and your

Summer 2020

Managing Vendor Relationships With programs and events being postponed weekly, ArtsQuest remains in constant contact with the hundreds of food and retail vendors, independent artisans, performers, musicians and others that we work with during the summer. As small business owners who rely on festivals and events to support their livelihood, these independent artists and businesses have been among the hardest hit in the industry. The good news is that many of them have already stated they are ready and eager to rejoin us when the time is right, and things are safe for all. Sponsorships Knowing times are challenging for all, the ArtsQuest sponsorship team has shifted its strategy and outreach efforts, with a focus on continuing to build relationships with our partners. As you’re having conversations, ask your partners how they’ve been impacted personally, as well as how their businesses have been impacted and what you can do to help. Remember, we are all in this together and they are likely feeling the effects as well. Right now, the equity you’ve built with

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your corporate partners over the years is one of your biggest assets. While new sponsorships may not be coming any time soon, the relationships you’ve built over time can be some of your biggest allies. One area ArtsQuest and other organizations in the industry may find traction in comes from working with local sponsors who are more invested in you and your community. If you offer educational initiatives for students, have developed a strong virtual presence or are helping relief efforts in your area, talk to your partners and see if they want to join you. In many instances, you may be able to move some or all elements of the partnership to support these impactful programs. At ArtsQuest, we’ve had good support from some of our longtime partners like BSI Corporate Benefits and local law firm King, Spry, Herman, Freund & Faul, both of whom have stepped up to continue their partnerships even during this time 48

of crisis due to the virtual elements we’ve rolled out for our community. Some of our bigger partners - companies like Air Products, Service Electric Cable TV & Communications, Wind Creek Bethlehem & D.G. Yuengling & Son - also continue to support us because of longstanding relationships and the impact arts and cultural programming have on the region over the long haul. Development and Relief Funding As many traditional grant and funding sources dry up or have been exhausted due to the COVID-19 crisis, it’s important to be as nimble and flexible as possible. Look for new opportunities that have recently become available, either in your industry or at the federal and state levels. Case in point, ArtsQuest operates a two-screen independent cinema and was able to obtain a small grant via Art-House Convergence’s

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Art-House America Campaign, designed to provide financial relief to struggling independent cinemas across the country. The campaign was started with an initial donation of $50,000 from the Criterion Collection and Janus Films, and as of late April had raised more than $550,000 for independent cinemas nationwide. As with many in the nonprofit events industry, ArtsQuest applied for relief funds made available via the federal CARES Act. Strong relationships are important for any nonprofit or major event, and those relationships are never so crucial as they are during a crisis. We are fortunate to have a long-standing and close relationship with PNC Bank, which knew our business model inside and out. That was paramount to being able to pull together the necessary documentation in a short timeframe, especially when funding was determined on a “first-come, first-served” basis and we were competing

with major corporations with revenues in the hundreds of millions of dollars. The Paycheck Protection Program funds we received will not sustain us indefinitely by any means, but they do provide us with critical breathing room we need to step back and take some time to think through this crisis more strategically. With entertainment and large gatherings being the last to reopen after all of this, federal and state dollars need to be dedicated in some future stimulus package to support this industry given the economic impact we have in every community. The Look Ahead As of this writing, no decisions have yet been made on Musikfest, set for July 31-Aug. 9. That being said, we know this will be a Musikfest unlike any other in the event’s 36-year history. Our staff is looking at and game planning for every possible scenario, from holding a much smaller

and/or shorter version of the festival, to offering a virtual festival and fundraiser, with the ultimate goal of coming out the other side being able to offer 36 more ‘Musikfests’ down the road. Although we in the events industry optimistically hope larger events will resume at some point this year, the reality is that those decisions are out of our hands and will almost assuredly be decided by our cities’ and states’ recovery and reopening plans as we all try to recover from this epidemic. What ArtsQuest does have control over, as do all of you, is how we adapt and respond to this crisis and continue to present experiences and opportunities for our cities, our communities and our patrons. We have all been leaders in bringing people together for shared music, arts and cultural experiences for a long time. As things start returning to normal, or at least the ‘new normal,’ humanity will be turning Summer 2020

once again to these types of interaction maybe slowly at first, but they will return. It will be our jobs to figure out how to engage, entertain and support our communities, while at the same time figuring out new models for sustainability and stability going forward. We have adapted to changes big and small before, and many of us will figure out how to navigate this unpresented crisis as well. Mark Demko has worked in communications and public relations for more than 20 years. He is the Sr. Director of Communications for ArtsQuest, the nonprofit that presents Musikfest, the nation’s largest free admission music festival; the Christkindlmarkt Bethlehem holiday market, and the programming at the SteelStacks arts and entertainment district in Bethlehem, PA.

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PROGRAMMATIC 101

DON DRAPER DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT PROGRAMMATIC ADVERTISING, BUT NOW YOU WILL

For many people, the extent of their perception of how advertising works is the classic AMC series Mad Men. Don Draper and his cronies sipped on whiskey while creating iconic and impactful campaigns. Though the show was commonly lauded for its devotion to detail, that was the 1960s, and plenty has changed on Madison Avenue since then. In fact, it’s safe to say advertising today is a world Draper wouldn’t even recognize (and maybe not approve). One of the obvious changes since Mad Men is the evolution of digitization, technology and, more specifically, the internet. These things have understandably had a dramatic influence on marketing and advertising as the way we research, shop and purchase has changed. This modern landscape has provided both challenges and opportunities for marketers. For companies, the goal remains the same: inform prospects and increase sales. But how this happens is much different. Businesses in any industry know they need to market and advertise for success. To do so effectively, it helps to have at least a foundation of knowledge about how to approach it. One word in particular has gained use in recent years while generating a fair amount of confusion in its wake: programmatic. You may have heard the term; maybe you even tried to learn about the term. Because of its role in the current digital advertising environment, it’s worth your time to know a little bit about it. What does it mean? How does it work? Most of all, how can it help you? While is a part of online advertising, it isn’t synonymous, so how about we finally clear the waters and provide the 101 about exactly what programmatic is and whether you can use it to your benefit. Let’s start as basic as it gets, with a definition.

By Colby Horton In today’s new COVID-19 world of social-distancing, where so much of our time is now spent online and in digital interactions, it’s more important than ever to have a presence in the places your customers and potential clients are visiting on the internet. Understanding how to go about that can sometimes be a challenge so we’ve asked IFEA Partner MultiView to give us a basic overview.

Programmatic Defined Simply put, programmatic is the use of software to buy digital advertising media. It’s an alternative to the traditional “direct buy” process in which humans negotiated prices, used RFPs (request for proposal) and manual insertion orders (Don Draper would be familiar with this process). With programmatic buying, computers decide where to buy ads and how much to pay for them. Programmatic advertising is commonly thought of in terms of display ads, but keep in mind that programmatic isn’t a type of advertising – it’s a method of buying and placing advertising. That Summer 2020

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Whereas a human would require inordinate time to place advertising in all the right places, software and algorithms have been honed to do it for us – and to do it literally in milliseconds. means programmatic can relate to social ads, audio and video ads, native ads and even outdoor (out-of-home) ads. The technical aspects of programmatic buying can get pretty complicated pretty quickly, but just like you don’t necessarily need to understand how a jet propulsion engine works to know it gets you from one place to another in a hurry, a basic working knowledge of how programmatic buying works will help you understand how and why the process can enhance your marketing efforts – and that’s the most important takeaway, how you can use programmatic to your advantage. How Programmatic Works, Simplified We’ve established that programmatic is a way to use software to automate the purchasing of digital media. So, what does that look like in (sort of) simple terms? When you advertise programmatically, your ads can reach your target audience in various places they go on the internet. This differs from a direct buy placement, which is an agreement for your ad to appear on a specific website. For example, if your audience is festival or event planners, you might choose to buy advertising on the IFEA website. It would be a direct agreement with IFEA in which you pay them a certain amount for your ad to run for a determined length of time or number of views. Thus, it’s labelled a “direct buy.” Direct buys can be a great investment, especially when you have a niche audience like festival and event planners, and the website space you buy provides access to that audience. But members of that audience don’t spend all their time on the IFEA website. It’s likely a small portion, in fact. So how do you also reach them when they’re going to Amazon, ESPN, Yahoo, USA Today, Weather.com or countless other websites out there? You can’t be sure where all they’re surfing and when. That’s where programmatic comes in. Whereas a human would require inor52

dinate time to place advertising in all the right places, software and algorithms have been honed to do it for us – and to do it literally in milliseconds. Websites that want to sell advertising team up with exchanges that will vend the space for them, and the technology behind it goes to work. Broken down, it kind of goes like this: User visits web page – A potential buyer, ideally a prospect in your audience, visits a website. The publisher of that website has a relationship with an ad exchange, as we noted above. So, the site asks the exchange if an ad is available. Data passed to ad exchange – At the same time, data about the user is transmitted to the ad exchange. This data is the important information about the user’s demographic or firmographic details, as well as online behavior that helps identify if the users is a good candidate for certain kinds of ads. The ad exchange then compares this data against what marketers have input about their target audiences in what is referred to as a demand-side platform (DSP). Matches are made – Software on the marketer’s side – their DSP – decides that the data about the user matches the profile of a prospect in its target market. Bid is made for ad – Since the marketer’s DSP has identified the user as a good prospect, it wants to serve the user an ad. But first, it must determine if serving that ad fits within the budget parameters in place. Based on variable factors, the DSP

will make a bid to the exchange for buying that ad. Winning ad is displayed – The ad exchange will choose the highest bid for this user in this instance, and that marketer’s ad is displayed on the website. And this all happens in less than one second. Confused? Trying to make sense of what you just read? It can get in the weeds, for sure, so how about a simple, real-world example that hopefully makes practical sense of it all. Let’s say you’re the marketing director of an event. You always get good turnout from the local community, but what about all the potential beyond that radius? There’s a significant audience still well within drive time of your festival. You can set up a campaign that will use programmatic buying to target certain personas in the particular areas you want to pursue. With defined personas of your target audience, your DSP will field “offers” from the ad exchanges. When a user from your targeted areas who also matches your personas visits a website, that website consults the ad exchange, which consults the DSP, and if your bid is higher than anyone else competing for that particular match, your ad shows up on the webpage for the user to see. Or, in another example, with a tactic known as retargeting (which you’re surely familiar with as a consumer, even if you don’t know it by name), you can you can use programmatic advertising to stay in front of people who have shown interest in or researched your event. Let’s say someone visits your event’s website. They may look at ticket prices, schedules, entertainment options, but ultimately they leave the site without booking tickets. Because they visited your site, you now have the ability to stay in front of those potential attendees. You can use programmatic advertising to get ads in front of those potential customers as they surf around on the web. They’ll see ads reminding them

The targeting aspect of programmatic also saves money because it helps eliminate waste. Your ads are displayed in front of the people who match your persona profiles.

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about the event and encouraging them to buy tickets or return to your website. Any less confused? Here’s the small building elevator pitch version: You target a certain audience, and when that particular audience is found on the internet, those people see your ad. How Programmatic Helps You Perhaps the best news about programmatic advertising is that you don’t have to fully understand how it works to take advantage of it. And it’s those advantages that make it a useful part of a larger paid marketing strategy. In any business, if you told leadership there was an opportunity to decrease costs while increasing productivity, they’d grab a pen to sign the dotted line. But that’s the idea behind programmatic ad buying – to increase efficiency and decrease cost. The automation provided by software and computer exchanges eliminates human inefficiency as well as the costs related to time a human would need to spend addressing all the ad buys. The targeting aspect of programmatic also saves money because it helps eliminate waste. Your ads are displayed in front of the people who match your persona profiles. If you made a direct buy on Weather.com, it would cost you significantly more out of pocket, and the vast majority of people who saw your ad would not be potential buyers. But through the programmatic process, only the visitors to Weather.com who match your targeted characteristics are shown your ads, providing a completely different return on investment. It isn’t just about money, either. There’s a famous quote around advertising that says something like, “I know half the money I spend on advertising is wasted, I just don’t know which half.” But the databased nature of programmatic advertising means you actually can find out when ad spend is being wasted. Not seeing traction from certain personas or targets? The analytic capabilities of data-driven advertising let you see that so you make necessary changes. The word optimization is used a lot in digital marketing, because the data gives you a real-world view of what’s working and what isn’t, which means you can continuously optimize your strategies and tactics to improve them. (Which, of course, does pretty much come back around to money, doesn’t it?) What we’ve covered thus far relates primarily to the internet. But program-

matic does extend into other aspects of marketing, such as social media. There are options for programmatically buying for major social media platforms. There are also targeting options that could be of particular interest to festival and event planners, with geotargeting one that pops to mind. In fact, it relates so well that it’s going to get its own subheading. Geotargeting Through Programmatic You can probably surmise a bit about geotargeting based on the term itself. Yes, it’s targeting based on geographic location. This targeting can be accomplished by a defined geographic parameter, such as a city or zip code, or can get even more granular, such as the specific location of an event or festival. Considering that so much of events and festivals is tied to geography, the ability to use geotargeting provides an avenue for weeding out massive amounts of inefficiency and waste in marketing. On a separate angle, it also presents an opportunity to leverage it into benefits for vendors and a profit for you. We’ve already broached geotargeting with our example above where we target specific areas of potential attendance growth, but other useful options exist. With an aspect of geotargeting known as geofencing, you can put a virtual “fence” around a certain area. It could be the area specific to your event. It could be an area within a certain radius of your event. But you can advertise to the mobile devices of only the people within this virtual fence. That means you could send offers or information to attendees. Your vendors could also target those in attendance, encouraging visits to their location, promoting their goods or extending special offers. Providing your vendors with these additional targeting/advertising opportunities means a better sponsorship package to entice them. Furthermore, the data of those in attendance is captured, so that you can actually target them following the event. That means opportunities to advertise a future event or get feedback about the event just completed. You can probably already start to imagine some of the possibilities with these geotargeting capabilities, and they fall under the programmatic umbrella. How Much Does Programmatic Advertising Cost? It’s a good question, but it’s also not an easy one to answer. It’s like asking how Summer 2020

much it costs to buy a house. Think of all the factors that go into the price of a home. Location, size, age, condition, etc. Similarly, many factors go into the eventual cost of a programmatic marketing effort. The good news is that programmatic generally isn’t beyond the reach of even tight marketing budgets. And, programmatic is something you can start small to explore. “Most digital marketing programs are indeed scalable,” Jon Smith, Head of Programmatic Sales at B2B marketing firm MultiView, says. “With programmatic display, like paid search and paid social, you’re able to dip your toes in the water. Based on campaign effectiveness and client experience, you can always ramp up to achieve greater market share, scale and volume.” You can spend as much as you want, of course, but the nature of programmatic is designed to save money through efficiency. That said, it’s easy to throw money away if you approach it without knowledge of how to suitably target and organize a campaign. It might be best to lean on a professional for that, saving costs in the long run. A Little Knowledge To Take With You If you knew nothing about programmatic advertising prior to reading this article, you hopefully now have the understanding that it’s a method of automating the media buying process in order to deploy cost-efficient, real-time targeting of your specific audience. Perhaps that’s how Draper would have explained it to potential clients if he was operating on Madison Ave. today. Programmatic doesn’t replace all marketing and advertising, but knowing a bit about how it works and what it can do for you provides a level of comfort when deciding whether to take advantage of its capabilities. As Executive Vice President of Marketing and Publishing at MultiView, a dedicated B2B marketing firm in Irving, Texas, Colby Horton is responsible for the company’s overall marketing initiatives, including brand management, content generation, social media, and email marketing initiatives. He also handles the management of MultiView’s association-branded publications. Colby can be reached at chorton@multiview.com.

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events 53

EVERYONE’S INVITED

WITH LAURA GRUNFELD

INCLUDING PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

Photo by Laura Grunfeld Periodically clean the RFID scanner. Note the wider portal for use by people with mobility disabilities.

EVENT ACCESSIBILITY

AND COVID-19

hat will happen when we are allowed to roam free and congregate again after this round of COVID19 isolation? We don’t really know but I doubt that it will be back to business as usual. Events will have to develop new systems for providing a safe way for all of us to participate. This article focuses on how we can help keep our patrons with disabilities safe when we begin producing events again. I do not claim to be any sort of expert on virus transmission. Many of the suggestions shared here come from festival patrons and members of the Everyone’s Invited Access Team in a crowd-sourcing exercise. I am grateful for their input. Their names are listed at the end. People with disabilities, like other attendees, will yearn to rejoin the masses in experiencing a massive amount of joy when our events recommence. Having a disability does not in itself put someone at greater risk of contracting COVID-19, however some people with disabilities have underlying medical conditions that can make them more vulnerable to contracting a virus or other infectious disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that “Adults with disabilities are three times more likely than adults without disabilities to have heart disease, stroke, diabetes, or cancer...” (1) See what you think about my suggestions below but understand that I can’t predict the future so each event will need 54

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to develop their own procedures and adopt what works for them at the time.

Summer 2020

1. INFORMATION: While it is up to us to do everything we can reasonably do to provide for the health and safety of our patrons and team members, each person at the event needs to take precautions and responsibility for themselves. Everyone will need educating about the new procedures. Inform patrons, staff, sponsors, and vendors of your event’s infectious disease procedures. The more transparent you can be about what precautions you are taking and what you are expecting of attendees and workers, the more secure your patrons will feel. Get the word out via social media, publicity, your website, and with signage. Events are already identifying the location of medical stations and toilets on their maps but add the locations of your hand washing/sanitizing stations so people are clear where they can go to freshen up. 2. ENTRANCES: Be sure your event has a designated Access Entrance so that patrons with disabilities are not required to stand for long periods of time in the hot sun, so that they can bring any service animals, special gear, food, or medications they may need and have specially trained

gate staff handle their entry. Even if it is not required for other entrances, but for the protection of your patrons who may have suppressed immune systems, you may want to issue protective gear like masks and gloves to those that staff the Access Entrances. Be sure to frequently disinfect tables where belongings are searched, RFID scanners, and any other high-touch surfaces. 3. ACTIVITIES, SERVICES, FACILITIES: Think through all that your event does where touch and human interaction occur. Water slides, Ferris wheels, silent discos, hammocks, picnic tables, games, yoga mats, sponsor activations, charging stations, ATM machines, information booths, vendors, bars, door knobs, light switches, counter tops, the list goes on and on. What will you do to make your event safe for all? 4. ACCESS CENTER: At the Access Center where we sit across from patrons, sometimes for long involved conversations, clean the tabletops and chairs frequently and consider wearing protective gear. Have a hand sanitizer or hand washing station nearby and disinfectant available for patrons to use on their mobility devices, medical equipment, and other gear whenever they wish. 5. TOILETS: Using the bathroom is such an important aspect of a patron’s experience. Yet many events, not every event but many, provide subpar toilet facilities. The long lines and the filthy toilets, the lack of hand washing stations and soap, will no longer suffice. People with mobility disabilities, transferring from their wheelchair to the toilet or balancing on crutches, sometimes slip and fall to the floor when they are using the toilet. More than others they are required to touch surfaces when negotiating the facilities. Some people, women especially, will put off drinking beverages in order to avoid standing in a long line to use a foul toilet. This can lead to dehydration and other complications. Festival attendees should be encouraged to hydrate, not dehydrate! For the health and safety of our patrons, festivals must provide plenty of frequently serviced clean toilets, stocked with seat covers and toilet paper that does not fall apart at the slightest tug. Make sure you have provided at least the minimum number of accessible toilets required by law, 5% of each cluster of toilets. If you have twenty toilets grouped together, at least one must be accessible. If you have 1 stand-alone toilet for use by the public, it must be accessible. To protect toilets that are reserved for patrons with disabilities and help keep them clean, some of the toilets should either be staffed or locked. Give out the code to those who have permission to use them. The ADA requires that accessible toilets be identified with signs that have the wheelchair symbol. I suggest adding the word “ONLY!” In years past I used gentler wording, “Please be considerate,” but people disregarded that signage. These toilets will need frequent cleaning but, for additional safety, talk with the toilet vendor. See if the accessible toilets, where patrons are touching more surfaces and may have delicate immune systems, can be sprayed down with alcohol or another cleaner that will not pool on the floor and create a mess. You might reserve one toilet for use by “Immunocompromised folks only.” Service that toilet even more often. Post the Access Center phone number and toilet I.D.

Photo by Laura Grunfeld At your event’s entrance, staff that are searching bags may now want to wear a mask and gloves, both for their protection since they are in close quarters with many people, and for the protection of patrons who may have compromised immune systems. Clean the table top periodically as well.

number inside the accessible toilets so patrons can notify staff if the toilet needs servicing or if they need assistance. Keep extra toilet paper, hand sanitizer, spray cleaner, paper towel, and gloves in your Access Center and viewing platform storage totes so that Access Program staff can provide light servicing between routine servicing. The accessible toilets need periodic monitoring so that the maintenance crew can be called when needed. 6. HAND WASHING AND SANITIZER STATIONS: Make sure there are ample hand washing stations near the toilets and the food. Festivals often use portable, foot pump operated hand washing stations. These are not accessible to many people with disabilities. Within each cluster of hand washing stations, at least five percent must be Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant with accessible faucet controls such as lever or paddle handles. Service the water stations frequently to make sure the water and soap do not run out. Hand sanitizer is not as effective as washing hands but helpful where water is not available. Place hand sanitizer stations in high-touch locations throughout the event. Place them at the event entrances to be used before going through the RFID scanner that everyone touches and so everyone is entering “clean.” Scatter sanitizer stations among the vendor and merchandise booths where people are touching products, at the entrance to spaces where there is seating and people touching chairs, at the entrance to each sponsor space, and so on. Per the ADA, the hand sanitizer dispensers should not be installed higher than 48” so that everyone, including people who use wheelchairs, people of short stature, and children can reach them. Use touchless hand sanitizer dispensers or have staff frequently sanitize the dispenser itself, a place that many people touch! 7. WATER REFILL STATIONS: Find a way to distribute drinking water in refillable bottles so that the water nozzles Summer 2020

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events 55

Photo by Laura Grunfeld Accessible shuttle seats and other surfaces will need frequent cleaning. Remember to disinfect the steering wheel between drivers. The drivers assist patrons with loading mobility equipment. They may want to wear gloves and a mask.

do not touch the bottles. You may need staff to handle this operation rather than allowing patrons to refill their bottles. Clean the nozzle frequently. 8. SHOWERS: If you have a camping event, disinfect the accessible shower after each use. Pay special attention to high-touch surfaces like the door lever, shower seat, faucets, and handrails. 9. VIEWING PLATFORMS: Post a hand sanitizer dispenser for patrons and staff to use before approaching the ramp leading up to the viewing platform. Have staff sanitize handrails, chair backs and seats regularly. 10. ACCESSIBLE SHUTTLES: Periodically sanitize the railings, seats, and frequently touched surfaces. 11. AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE (ASL): The ASL interpreter and the patron must both be very thorough with their hand washing before engaging in tactile interpreting services (handover-hand interpreting for a person who is deaf-blind). 12. QUIET AREA: Individuals who have sensory-sensitivity or who have conditions such as anxiety or PTSD, may be even more prone to sensory overload considering the recent COVID-19 experience. Many events have already designated a quiet room or quieter space where people may take a break. It’s time for more events to create a space like this. The event can provide noise-cancelling headphones or recommend that patrons bring their own. The Pennsylvania Office of Developmental Programs has this handy guide for “Hosting a Sensory Friendly Event.” (2) 13. READY ASSISTANCE: Distribute the Access Center phone number with the access wristbands and post it at 56

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various Access Program locations such as shuttle stops and viewing platforms. 14. HEALTH PRODUCTS: Sell or give away (a branding opportunity) hand sanitizer, gloves, and masks at your gates, general store, Access Center, Info Booth, merchandise booth, etc. You might ask that patrons wear a mask when in close quarters. If they forget to bring one, they can get one at the event. 15. UTENSILS: Some people may feel more comfortable bringing their own set of reusable bamboo utensils rather than using utensils that have been handled by the vendors and possibly other patrons depending on how they are distributed. Alert security to this and provide a dishwashing station near the food courts. You may want to only allow forks and spoons, or “sporks,” not knives. 16. PROTECTING WORKERS: Your staff, vendors, volunteers, sponsors, and everyone working the event, is serving food, interacting with the artists or the public, cleaning toilets, or any other myriad of jobs. Their working conditions must be such that they are able to keep themselves, their teammates, and the public safe from contracting the virus. If you are putting up teammates in hotels, is it a clean hotel? If you are giving them camping space, make sure you have clean toilet and showering facilities. Read the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommendations. (3) 17. DENSITY: Producers, this is a good time to think about lowering density. Keep crowding to a minimum. I know these are difficult times but perhaps it is time to focus on sponsorship sales and cap attendance. 18. TICKET REFUNDS: Encourage people who are sick to stay home. Offer a ticket refund for those who are ill.

Photo by Laura Grunfeld The Access Center can be close quarters even when there aren’t that many people in it. Clean table surfaces, chair seats and backs, and other high-touch surfaces frequently. Staff who have close conversations with patrons may want to wear a mask and gloves. Note the tactile checkers game in 3-D so that people who are blind can play. That will also need cleaning.

19. ONLINE SERVICES: What to do when you can’t hold your event? Make sure your website, and streamed programming is accessible. (4) Be sure to caption your videos. Audio description is becoming more common and more available and ASL interpreting will bring in a larger audience. Remember to include your staff with disabilities and make sure that your online meetings are also accessible. (5) 20. FUTURE POSSIBILITIES: A Columbia University researcher is working on a new type of light treatment called Far-UVC that cannot harm humans. It “zaps airborne viruses” and cuts down on “the person-to-person spread of COVID-19 in indoor public places.” At an outdoor event, would it be effective where crowds form such as in front of a stage? It could be used in enclosed spaces such as your merchandising tent. We will have to watch how this technology progresses. (6) A FINAL NOTE: Select the suggestions that make sense for your event. Add in other precautions. Have a beautiful and rejuvenating festival! My thanks to those who helped with ideas for this article: Mary Cormaci, Roberta Goldberg, Ashley Head, Holly Maniatty, Kayla Harvey Nasca, Todd Oaks, Cody Coelho-Oxley, Ruth Ann Reyna, and Shaneena Woods. You are all brilliant! RESOURCES (1) “COVID-19: People with Disabilities.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 7 Apr. 2020 www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-with-disabilities.html (2) “Hosting a Sensory Friendly Event.” PAAutism.org, an ASERT Autism Resource Guide paautism.org/resource/hosting-sensory-friendly-event/

(3) “Safety and Health Topics / COVID-19” United States Department of Labor. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, www.osha.gov/SLTC/covid-19/controlprevention.html#health (4) “How to Pick an Accessible Virtual Meeting Platform.” Partnership on Employment & Accessible Technology (PEAT), 10 Apr. 2020 www.peatworks.org/content/how-pick-accessible-virtual-meeting-platform (5) “Checklist for Creating Accessible Videos.” Bureau of Internet Accessibility www.boia.org/blog/checklist-for-creating-accessible-videos (6) Cantor, Carla. “Could a New Ultraviolet Technology Fight the Spread of Coronavirus?” Columbia News, 21 Apr. 2020 news.columbia.edu/ultraviolet-technology-virus-covid-19-UV-light 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

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IFEA’s ie: the business of international events 57

STAYING

ENGAGED AND

CONNECTED! By Julia Pannell

In a recent online webinar by IFEA, I was so impressed and inspired by the group talking and giving us as event planners ways to stay ENGAGED! As a volunteer for several nonprofit organizations, I got very excited about moving forward with energy and a renewed enthusiasm for reaching people and staying CONNECTED! I learned not to make decisions for other people, and to not let the current challenges determine what we as event planners do in the future. The future will be a strong, favorable response from people based upon how we, as planners, both respect, react and respond! One of my favorite nonprofit organizations that I work with is called Friends of Memorial Lane. We do 5-6 events a year at our wonderful Memorial Lane, which is a part of the Jim Burks Firefighter Memorial Park here in Granbury. Memorial Lane has the distinction of being the ONLY KNOWN park in the United States that both honors and remembers past, present and future heroes from the Military, Law Enforcement and Firefighter world of servants. All of these events are well attended, expecting over 500 this year on Memorial Day. As the park is a beautiful, but small park, we were having to look at canceling our International Firefighters Event on May 4th, Our National Police Week, May 8-12th (with an opening event on May 7th) and possibly our very large event for Memorial Day on May 25th. NOW! what do we do to let our first responders know (especially during this time) how our

community feels about them. How do we ENGAGE, how do we CONNECT? How do we have a visual impact in front of our community to put out appreciation signs saying “Thank You”. How do we have an impact on our firefighters and law enforcement servants to keep them inspired to do what they do each and every day? The answer came as I remembered one of the IFEA group participants talking about keeping out in front with as much visual as possible.........so... • STEP 1: We are using one of our members, owner of Granbury Multimedia, to use his professional and creative skills to help us create videos for all 3 events. • STEP 2: We are using Green Fox Marketing, our local marketing provider, to send all the videos out just like they would information about our events. • STEP 3: We turned to our Chamber of Commerce and they are going to send the videos out right before each event to more than 1000 recipients. • STEP 4: Visit Granbury, our award-winning tourist information center, has agreed to send the videos out to all of their contacts, allowing us to reach thousands of folks! • STEP 5: All Board Members of this great organization will put it on our Facebook pages, and forward to all our contacts. • STEP 6: We are sending it to all 9 Fire Department Stations in Hood County (ALL are volunteer firefighters - they Summer 2020

don’t have to do this job!) and to all our branches of law enforcement asking them to distribute to all their employees! Our Mayor, Nin Hulett, our regionally-recognized bagpiper, Robert Silvestri, and our vocalist, Brayton Mitchell, all stretched their resources, while keeping safe distancing, to provide beautiful videos to merge with our final products. All this has been done by digital outreach. This has truly been an effort to bring unity to our community! Before you know it, we will be ENGAGED and CONNECTED! While Hood County and Granbury are under a “Stay at Home and Stay Safe” policy; this is a way we can still fulfill our mission of honoring and remembering those who go to the front line each day without question for YOU and ME! Our events this year are powerful videos which are helping our organization to fulfill our mission! Thank You! IFEA for giving me the great ideas that inspired Friends of Memorial Lane to stay ENGAGED and CONNECTED! This year is a time of challenge, and I feel we have met the challenge! Julia Pannell, Chair Person, Friends of Memorial Lane and the founder and vision maker for the Memorial Lane Project. Our Board is made up of strong visionary leaders. She also serves on several committees for Visit Granbury and is the Community in Unity Chair for Forward Training Center.

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events 59

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 CFEE FastTrack® Program, contact Cindy Lerick at cindy@ifea.com or call +1-314-614-7152.

The CFEE Professional Certification Program is Sponsored by

2020 IFEA WEBINAR SCHEDULE

2020 IFEA WEBINAR SE R I ES

Bringing valuable Festival and Event industry education right to you, we’re pleased to present our Online IFEA Webinar Series. IFEA WEBINARS ARE: PROFESSIONAL: Offering online educational sessions hosted by industry leaders and special guests, the IFEA Webinar Series covers a wide variety of topics important to your organization’s success. (If working toward your IFEA CFEE Certification, each individual paid Webinar is eligible for one CFEE Elective Credit.) AFFORDABLE: At $59 each for IFEA Members ($99 for Non-IFEA Members), not only are you able to attend the Webinar presentation, but any and all of your co-workers can gather around to view the presentation as well, for that one low price! CONVENIENT: Webinars are easy to attend. Let us bring the education to you . . . view and listen to the presentation online right at your computer, tablet, smartphone… wherever you may be! No Travel Expense Required. EFFICIENT: With no travel time to and from to attend the Webinar and one easy click to log-in, give us 60 minutes and we’ll give you an hour full of valuable festival and event industry education. What better way to receive great educational information by great presenters, while saving both time and travel expenses! VALUABLE: Get the most out of your registration fee. All paid Webinar Registrations receive access to the live 60-minute Webinar presentation, an interactive Q&A session, copies of the presentation materials and handouts, in addition to the recording of the Webinar.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2020 Effective Sponsor Activations & Pop-Ups Bruce L. Erley, CFEE, ARP, President & CEO Creative Strategies Group, Denver, CO THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2020 Information Matters: Using Your Words to Manage Reasonably Forseeable Risks Steven Adelman, Vice President Event Safety Alliance Adelman Law Group, PLLC, Scottsdale, AZ THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2020 Building Your Brand, Attracting Your Audience & Making the Most of Every Dollar! Ellesor Holder, CFEE, Marketing Strategist South Carolina Festival of Flowers Gray Marketing & PR, Greenwood, SC THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2020 New Online Priorities: Digital Trends You Can Use Jessica Bybee-Dziedzic, Partnership Director Saffire, Austin, TX THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2020 Creating the Better Community Festival Experience Dr. Vern Biaett, CFEE, Assistant Professor / Founding Chair Event Management Department High Point University, High Point, NC THURSDAY, MARCH 12, 2020 Social Media: Turn Every Customer In To An Influencer David Ramirez User Generated Content Evangelist TINT, San Antonio, TX THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2020 Succession Planning for Festivals and Events – How to Survive Change Ira Rosen, CFEE Assistant Professor & Director of the Event Leadership Executive Certificate Program at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA THURSDAY, APRIL 2, 2020 Adding to Your Community Engagement Toolkit with Creative Placemaking Sean King, Principle Aspire Consulting Group, Allentown, PA THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 2020 Location, Location, Location – The Critical Impact of Event Space and Protecting Yours Keli O’Neill Wenzel, CFEE, President & CEO, O’Neill Marketing & Event Management, Kansas City, KS Jim Holt, CFEE, President & CEO, Memphis in May International Festival, Memphis, TN THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 2020 Creating Community for Communities Annie Frisoli, CFEE, Founder & CEO Creating Community, LLC, Goodyear, AZ THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2020 Managing a Multi-Generational Volunteer Base Kaylee Williams, President VolunteerLocal, Des Moines, IA THURSDAY, MAY 7, 2020 Go Bold or Go Home: Get the Most from your Merchandise Program Stephen King, CFEE, Executive Director Des Moines Arts Festival, Des Moines, IA THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2020 Don’t Walk Away from Money on the Table: Revisiting Your Revenue Streams Becky Genoways, CFEE, President Genoways Events, Rockford, IL THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2020 A Lawyer and an Event Producer Walk Into A Bar… Jeff English, CFEE, Sr. Vice President/General Council Kentucky Derby Festival, Louisville, KY THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2020 Tomorrow’s Headlines, Today: Reporting on the Latest Event Trends and Ideas Ted Baroody, President Norfolk Festevents, Norfolk, VA

2020 IFEA

WEBINAR SE R I ES

PURCHASING WEBINARS

WEBINARS

Registration cost is per computer site for as many people as you can sit around your computer. Gather additional staff, volunteers, or board members around your computer so they too can join you for this learning experience at no additional charge!

Webinars are available for purchase via any of the following methods: • Online at the IFEA Store • Faxing, mailing emailing the Webinar Registration Form • Calling the IFEA at +1-208-433-0950 x8140

• INDIVIDUAL WEBINAR COST $59 - IFEA Members $99 - Non-IFEA Members Provides access to the individual 60-minute live IFEA Webinar presentation, an interactive Q&A session, copies of the presentation materials and handouts, in addition to the recording of the Webinar. On-Demand Webinars are also able to be purchased individually at $59 (IFEA Members) or $99 (Non-IFEA Members.) • WEBINAR SUBSCRIPTION A subscription to the IFEA Webinar Series can also be purchased for those looking for year-round Festival & Event industry education. ° Live Webinar Subscription $590 – IFEA Members $990 – Non-IFEA Members Provides access to ALL 15 individual 60-minute live IFEA Webinars for the year, interactive Q&A sessions, copies of the presentation materials and handouts, in addition to the recordings for each Webinar.

On-Demand Webinars are available for purchase online at the IFEA Store.

QUESTIONS? Contact: Nia Hovde, CFEE, Vice President/Director of Marketing & Communications at: nia@ifea.com

Webinar Start Time in Your Time Zone: • • • • • • •

7:00 a.m. Hawaii 9:00 a.m. Alaska 10:00 a.m. Pacific 11:00 a.m. Mountain 12:00 p.m. Central 1:00 p.m. Eastern 6:00 p.m. GMT

Webinar Length: 60 Minutes

HOW TO PURCHASE © Copyright 2020. The presentation, materials and content of these Webinars are the intellectual property of the International Festivals & Events Association (IFEA) and the specific presenter for each webinar. They are presented for the educational use of each paying customer to the IFEA. Any reproduction, rebroadcast or reselling of this webinar, or the content contained within, by an outside party, without the expressed written consent of the IFEA is strictly prohibited.

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2020

EFFECTIVE SPONSOR ACTIVATIONS & POP-UPS Bruce L. Erley, CFEE, ARP President & CEO, Creative Strategies Group Denver, CO

Brand experiences and attendee engagement are driving sponsorship decisions. Organizers must provide the platforms, opportunities and a creative attitude in assisting sponsors to create meaningful activations. This webinar will include key promotional strategies you should employ to assist your sponsors plus a variety of case studies on successful sponsor promotions and engagement activities. 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 which he founded in September, 1995. Creative Strategies Group (CSG) specializes in sponsorship and event marketing consultation as well as forging partnerships between corporations and events, festivals, nonprofit organizations and other properties. In 2012, Erley served as the World Board Chairman of the International Festivals & Events Association (IFEA). He is a 2015 inductee into the IFEA Hall of Fame. He is 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. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2020

INFORMATION MATTERS: USING YOUR WORDS TO MANAGE REASONABLY FORSEEABLE RISKS

Steven Adelman Vice President, Event Safety Alliance Adelman Law Group, PLLC Scottsdale, AZ Most mishaps are the product not of a single error in judgment or execution, but a series of mistakes that form a daisy chain of disaster. This webinar will discuss the power of communication between

event organizers, staff, and patrons to manage the routine risks that snowball into problems when left unattended. It will teach you nothing new – it may strengthen your resolve to do what you already know is right. Steven A. Adelman is the head of Adelman Law Group, PLLC in Scottsdale, Arizona and Vice President of the Event Safety Alliance, an international trade association focusing on safety and security at live events. His law practice focuses on risk management and litigation regarding venues and events throughout North America, and he also serves as an expert witness in crowd-related lawsuits. Steve Adelman is widely recognized as an authority on 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. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2020

BUILDING YOUR BRAND, ATTRACTING YOUR AUDIENCE & MAKING THE MOST OF EVERY DOLLAR!

Ellesor Holder, CFEE Marketing Strategist South Carolina Festival of Flowers Gray Marketing & PR Greenwood, SC This Webinar will provide proven marketing tactics and actionable tips for getting the most out of your marketing resources, budget and relationships. You’ll be introduced to effective and award-winning strategies that get people talking, engaging and attending your event, no matter how big or small.

Festival of Flowers where she made her mark by rebranding, winning industry awards and achieving record numbers. She now runs Gray Marketing & PR where she assist clients with branding, implementing comprehensive marketing strategies, website development and social media integration. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2020

NEW ONLINE PRIORITIES: DIGITAL TRENDS YOU CAN USE

Jessica Bybee-Dziedzic Partnership Director Saffire Austin, TX Is your online presence keeping up with consumer expectations? Are you often left with your head spinning when trying to determine how to spend your time? We’ll help you make sense of it all as we discuss some benchmarks and best practices for your website, social media, mobile presence, email marketing and more, and tell you what you should do this year to take advantage of the online landscape. You’ll leave with specific priorities and a to-do list for “what to do next.” Jessica Bybee-Dziedzic has a comprehensive background in online marketing, social media, and website strategy. In 2007, she joined Wright Strategies, managing online projects for clients including KEEN Footwear, Nike and Frito Lay. Two years later, the Wright Strategies team created Saffire, providing events, venues and destinations with websites and ticketing in a simple integrated platform. Today, the Saffire team serves hundreds of clients nationwide. In her spare time, Jessica and her husband pursue their love of films, as co-owners of an indie film production company and annual film festival.

Ellesor Gray Holder, CFEE is a marketing strategist that works with clients to develop and execute their offline (traditional marketing) and online promotional programs. She is also a Certified Festival and Events Executive through the International Festival and Events Association. She has an extensive background in advertising, marketing and public relations. Most recently, she was Executive Director for the South Carolina Summer 2020

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THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2020

CREATING THE BETTER COMMUNITY FESTIVAL EXPERIENCE

Dr. Vern Biaett, CFEE Assistant Professor / Founding Chair Event Management Department High Point University High Point, NC There are thousands of organizations that include community festivals as part of their programming. Most know how to maximize their revenues and effectively use their events to grab public attention, but how many provide truly great experiences filled with special moments that create transformative memories for their audience? This educational session has one goal … to teach you how to optimize the attendee experience at festivals! Its focuses on understanding the basics of festivity and using this knowledge to design peak experiences. It is time to put your festival attendees into a zone of turbulent ecstasy. Dr. Vern Biaett, CFEE produced events for 30 years, primarily as a manager of major festivals for the cities of Phoenix and Glendale, Arizona. He then became a faculty member at Arizona State University, co-created a special event certificate program, and completed his doctoral studies. In 2014 he relocated to North Carolina to establish a new B.A. in Event Management at High Point University, which to date has over 60 graduates, 140 majors and minors currently enrolled, and been honored with a Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Award as the Best Event Management bachelor’s degree for the past 4 years. THURSDAY, MARCH 12, 2020

SOCIAL MEDIA: TURN EVERY CUSTOMER IN TO AN INFLUENCER David Ramirez User Generated Content Evangelist TINT San Antonio, TX

Your customers are your best advocates. They are constantly taking and sharing photos of their authentic experience. You’ve spent the time place-making, now leverage user generated content to grow your digital and print marketing strategy. People want to buy from real people. Market with your customers, not at them.

the world and he has written extensively on topics ranging from risk management to sponsorship to the financial and operational management of events. He has been a featured speaker at conventions and conferences around the world.

David Ramirez is a User-Generated Content Researcher and Evangelist at TINT. With his background in special events and marketing strategy, he helps businesses across industries leverage the power of User Generated Content. He serves on the board of the San Antonio River Walk Association, as a guest marketing instructor at the University of Texas at San Antonio Institute for Economic Development, and is a marketing mentor at the Break Fast and Launch Culinary Accelerator. Mostly, he’s a nerd; talk to him about movies or marketing.

ADDING TO YOUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT TOOLKIT WITH CREATIVE PLACEMAKING

THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2020

SUCCESSION PLANNING FOR FESTIVALS AND EVENTS – HOW TO SURVIVE CHANGE

Ira Rosen, CFEE Assistant Professor & Director of the Event Leadership Executive Certificate Program at Temple University Philadelphia, PA What happens when a key leader, either staff or volunteer, leaves your organization? Whether it is an emergency departure or a planned one, organizations that don’t plan for this can find themselves in deep trouble. This webinar will discuss specific steps you can take to avoid disaster. Ira L. Rosen; CFEE is an Assistant Professor with Temple University’s School of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management. He teaches several event management courses and is the Program Director for the School’s award-winning Event Leadership Executive Certificate Program. Additionally, for over thirty years he has owned and operated Entertainment On Location, Inc. (EOL), a full-service event consulting company based in New Jersey. EOL has done extensive production and consulting work for major events and clients throughout the world. Ira has spoken and done training programs around

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TH U RSDAY, APR IL 2, 2020

Sean King Principle, Aspire Consulting Group Allentown, PA Over the past 5 years, the Cultural Coalition of Allentown has introduced the concepts of creative placemaking and the creative economy to the business, government and artistic leaders of the region and has grown from a budget of $0 to potentially $350,000 in 2020 projects. The session will take attendees through the highs and lows of educating your community on the elements of the creative economy to build a sustainable implementation strategy incorporating festivals, events and other projects. Session participants will learn tips and techniques needed to build a community-wide program including issues such as Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility, Funding / Financial impacts from Creative Placemaking Initiatives, Economic development, and Youth opportunities. Sean King is a Principle at Aspire Consulting Group in Allentown, PA and has been consulting with small businesses and non-profit organizations for over 20 years. He also blogs regularly at www. artsmarketingblog.org. You can follow Sean on Twitter @skingaspire or contact him at: sking.aspire@gmail.com.

TH U RSDAY, APR IL 9, 2020

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION – THE CRITICAL IMPACT OF EVENT SPACE AND PROTECTING YOURS Keli O’Neill Wenzel, CFEE, President & CEO, O’Neill Marketing & Event Management, Kansas City, KS Jim Holt, CFEE, President & CEO, Memphis in May International Festival, Memphis, TN Especially for long-running events, but even for some shorter-run festivals, sporting events, and others, it is easy for both stakeholders and attendees to quickly get ‘settled in’ to their site. A known commodity, with anticipated repetition that allows us to focus more of our creativity, time and resources on programming, F&B, decorations, et al., is a plus for everyone. So what happens when someone decides that your site is no longer your site, or to ‘rearrange things’ in a way that negatively impacts your event, attendance, revenues and more? Come hear from two events that have found themselves in just such a scenario, weigh both the positives and the negatives, and the emphasize the importance of thinking ahead to protect your own location and needs. Keli Wenzel O’Neill, CFEE is the President/Managing Partner of O’Neill Marketing & Event Management. She is the creator and orchestrator of many of Kansas City’s most successful civic, corporate and entertainment events. She serves as the founding Executive Director of the highly successful Kansas City Irish Fest. She is co-founder and Producer of the Jiggle Jam Family Music Fest, as well as executive producer of Boulevardia Craft Beer and Music festival and Kansas City RiverFest (KC’s largest Independence Day Celebration). Other recent projects include VIP coordination for Amway Global Presents the Tina Turner Tour, planning and management for the opening of the National WWI Museum at Kansas City’s landmark Liberty Memorial, opening events for the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, director of Kansas City’s City-Wide

Events committee for the 2012 MLB All Star Game, marketing and communication liaison for the Big 12 Championships. Jim Holt, CFEE has directed one of the United States’ largest and most successful annual civic festivals, Memphis in May International Festival, since 1998. During his tenure, Holt has driven organizational and program expansion, generated festival asset growth from $10,000 to over $3 million, with an economic impact in 2019 of over $149 million. Under his leadership, Memphis in May International Festival has received over 200 prestigious Pinnacle Awards from the IFEA. Jim also has been accredited with his Certified Festival and Event Executive (CFEE) from the IFEA in addition to serving on the IFEA World Board of Directors for seven years and chairing the Board in 2014. Prior to joining Memphis in May International Festival, Jim spent nearly two decades in the entertainment industry with Memphis and Nashville agencies and through his own business, promoting and directing headline concerts, special events, music festivals, and managing recording artists and touring properties regionally and nationally. THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 2020

CREATING COMMUNITY FOR COMMUNITIES Annie Frisoli, CFEE Founder & CEO Creating Community, LLC Goodyear, AZ

Community can be defined as the experience of connection a n d membership between individuals within a group. Event professionals, more than most other professions, create community EVERY DAY. By engaging in this session, participants will have the opportunity to gain knowledge on the founding principles of community, increase knowledge on core research concepts related to community, discuss barriers to creating community, discuss inclusive practices and ultimately develop their own strategies to build community. Annie Frisoli, CFEE is a former university faculty member of nearly 20 years within parks and recreation management. Annie is now Founder & CEO of Creating Community, LLC and hosts training and Summer 2020

speaking engagements on topics related to community building, group development, design thinking, and inclusion in order to positively impact teams and communities. Annie earned her bachelor’s degree from The University of Toledo and her Master’s degree from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Annie is also a Certified Festivals & Events Executive (CFEE), gaining her certification through the IFEA/ NRPA Event Management School. Annie has worked and volunteered on several event teams including the Volvo Car Open (formerly known as Family Circle Cup Tournament), St. Louis Art Fair, non-profit development and awareness events for the Alzheimer’s Association, and campus-wide events at a variety of universities. Finally, as a current adjunct faculty with Arizona State University and Ohio University, she still enjoys having an impact on future recreation and event professionals. THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2020

MANAGING A MULTI-GENERATIONAL VOLUNTEER BASE Kaylee Williams President, VolunteerLocal Des Moines, IA

In this webinar, we’ll bring to light (and challenge) some of our commonly held assumptions about the generational differences between us. What is the best way to “thank” a Millennial for their time (and attention)? Are Boomers actually your biggest advocates for new technology on-site? How can we recruit more bright-eyed youngsters to complement our more seasoned volunteer base? The most productive volunteer recruitment and retention strategies are those that are intentionally designed to be adaptive and inclusive. Join us to learn how you can (re) build your volunteer programs for long-term success with multiple generations. Kaylee Williams is the President of VolunteerLocal, a volunteer registration and scheduling platform for festivals and events of all sizes, all over the world. Passionate about music and the arts, Williams has leveraged partnerships with hundreds of festivals, fairs and parades to help them streamline their volunteer programs. She is a triathlete, bass guitar player and home-brewer.

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T H U R S DAY,

M AY

2020

GO BOLD OR GO HOME: GET THE MOST FROM YOUR MERCHANDISE PROGRAM

Stephen King, CFEE Executive Director Des Moines Arts Festival Des Moines, IA Merchandise programs can be about slapping LogoFest on the back of a t-shirt. Or, they can be about revenues and brand advancement. With an eye towards fundamentally changing the way you think about and execute your merchandise program, this session will explore how to add dollars to your bottom line and prestige to your brand. Stephen M. King, CFEE, is the executive director of the Des Moines Arts Festival® in Des Moines, Iowa and currently serves on the IFEA World Board of Directors. He chaired the organization in 2017. Projects throughout his career in events have garnered more than 300 industry awards from organizations like the IFEA, TFEA, and the International Downtown Association. Before turning his full attention in July, 2011 to the Des Moines Arts Festival, King led the Downtown Events Group from 2006-2011, served as President/CEO of Celebrate Fairfax, Inc. in Fairfax, VA and was the Director of the festivals and events division of Downtown Fort Worth, Inc. in Fort Worth, Tx, where he produced the MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival. Stephen also is a past director of the National Association of Independent Artists, IFEA Foundation Board of Directors, and is a founding member of ZAPPlication™, the art fair industry’s universal online application system. King is a regular speaker and contributor to the various festival, event and sponsorship conferences and conventions and faculty member of the IFEA/NRPA Event Management School. T H U R S DAY,

N OV

DON’T WALK AWAY FROM MONEY ON THE TABLE: REVISITING YOUR REVENUE STREAMS

Becky Genoways, CFEE President Genoways Events Rockford, IL 66

2020

Far too often we are focused on chasing the money that we don’t control. In this important session we’ll visit those areas that you do control and how to use some common sense approaches that can result in substantial dollars being added to your bottom line. Take the time today to ensure that you are not leaving money on the table. Becky Genoways, CFEE is a 30-year veteran of the festivals and events industry, a Certified Festival & Event Executive (CFEE), past Chair of the International Festivals & Events Association World Board of Directors and a member of the IFEA Hall of Fame. She is a leading industry consultant, educator and producer. Becky has produced events of all sizes, from a local market with weekly attendance of 3,500 to a major music festival that attracted over 300,000 people. She is the former President and CEO of On the Waterfront, Inc., a multiple-event production company located in Illinois. Her current projects include overseeing the food and beverage programs for the Saint Louis Art Fair and Fair Saint Louis, executing the beverage program for the Sausalito Art Festival, and managing the volunteer, food, merchandise and beverage programs for Memphis in May International Festivals. Her main areas of focus are maximizing revenue and enhancing the event experience. Becky has presented numerous professional training seminars and Certified Festival and Event Executive programs throughout North America, in the Middle East and New Zealand and teaches at the IFEA/NRPA Event Management School annually. TH U R SDAY, NOV 12, 2020

A LAWYER AND AN EVENT PRODUCER WALK INTO A BAR ...

Jeff English, CFEE Sr. Vice President/ General Council Kentucky Derby Festival Louisville, KY While the punch line will make more people roll their eyes rather than laugh, there are plenty of things for these two to discuss over a drink! Things like contracts, trademarks, insurance clauses and certificates, by-laws, risk management, and indemnification! As the General Counsel for the Kentucky Derby Festival, I work daily on the legal issues that face the festival and event industry. Through 13 years of putting out

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fires, I’ve learned how to both protect our organization if we face litigation and how to keep it from getting to that point. I look forward to sharing some war stories and key legal principles that will keep your festival from seeing the inside of a courtroom! Jeff English, CFEE is the Senior Vice President and General Counsel for the Kentucky Derby Festival. After graduating from Washburn University School of Law in Topeka, Kansas in 2004, Jeff worked in politics and practiced law before joining the Festival staff in 2007. He is charged with overseeing all of the Festival’s legal issues and serving as its risk management officer. He also manages the Merchandise Department and serves as the President of the Kentucky Derby Festival Foundation, the 501(c)3 charitable arm of KDF. He was named a member of the 2014 class of Louisville Business First’s Forty Under 40. TH U R SDAY, NOV 19, 2020

TOMORROW’S HEADLINES, TODAY: REPORTING ON THE LATEST EVENT TRENDS AND IDEAS

Ted Baroody President, Norfolk Festevents Norfolk, VA Newspapers may be a thing of the past, but good ideas are always in fashion! Join us as we write the headlines for 2021! Benefit from the research, interviews and resources that were the best of 2020. Covering the hottest stories in sales, marketing, programing and sponsorship, we will fact check all that is trending for the year ahead and publish tomorrow’s headlines “today”. Ted Baroody is a graduate of North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. After college he moved to Norfolk, Virginia to start his own small sports marketing company, Victory Promotions. After a couple of years of power boat racing production under Victory Promotions, he served as Marketing Director for a group of local radio stations in Virginia Beach, Virginia for 5 years. From 1996 to 2011 he was the Director of Development of the not-for-profit event marketing company, Norfolk Festevents, Ltd. known as “Festevents,” and is now the President of Festevents. Ted also works with many non-profit organizations as a volunteer, event coordinator and as a board member and serves on both the IFEA World and IFEA Foundation Boards of Directors.

Upcoming Live Webinar Presentation Registration Form REGISTRATION CONTACT INFORMATION Webinar Participant: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Webinar Participant Email: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Organization: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Address: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ City, State/Province, Zip Code: ______________________________________________________________________ Phone: _________________________ PURCHASE INFORMATION

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2020 UPCOMING LIVE WEBINARS: To register please make your selection by checking (√) from the webinars below: ❍

Thursday, January 30, 2020 Effective Sponsor Activations & Pop-Ups Bruce L. Erley, CFEE, ARP, President & CEO Creative Strategies Group, Denver, CO

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Thursday, February 6, 2020 Information Matters: Using Your Words to Manage Reasonably Forseeable Risks Steven Adelman, Vice President Event Safety Alliance Adelman Law Group, PLLC, Scottsdale, AZ

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Thursday, February 13, 2020 Building Your Brand, Attracting Your Audience ❍ & Making the Most of Every Dollar! Ellesor Holder, CFEE, Marketing Strategist South Carolina Festival of Flowers Gray Marketing & PR, Greenwood, SC Thursday, February 20, 2020 New Online Priorities: Digital Trends You Can Use Jessica Bybee-Dziedzic, Partnership Director Saffire, Austin, TX Thursday, March 5, 2020 Creating the Better Community Festival Experience Dr. Vern Biaett, CFEE, Assistant Professor / Founding Chair Event Management Department High Point University, High Point, NC

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Thursday, March 12, 2020 Social Media: Turn Every Customer In To An Influencer David Ramirez, User Generated Content Evangelist TINT, San Antonio, TX

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❍ Thursday, March 19, 2020 Succession Planning for Festivals and Events – How to Survive Change Ira Rosen, CFEE Assistant Professor & Director of the Event Leadership Executive Certificate Program at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA ❍ Thursday, April 2, 2020 Adding to Your Community Engagement Toolkit with Creative Placemaking Sean King, Principle Aspire Consulting Group, Allentown, PA

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Thursday, April 9, 2020 Location, Location, Location – The Critical Impact of Event Space and Protecting Yours Keli O’Neill Wenzel, CFEE, President & CEO, ❍ O’Neill Marketing & Event Management, Kansas City, KS Jim Holt, CFEE, President & CEO, Memphis in May International Festival, Memphis, TN Thursday, April 23, 2020 Creating Community for Communities Annie Frisoli, CFEE, Founder & CEO Creating Community, LLC, Goodyear, AZ

Thursday, April 30, 2020 Managing a Multi-Generational Volunteer Base Kaylee Williams, President VolunteerLocal, Des Moines, IA Thursday, May 7, 2020 Go Bold or Go Home: Get the Most from your Merchandise Program Stephen King, CFEE, Executive Director Des Moines Arts Festival, Des Moines, IA Thursday, November 5, 2020 Don’t Walk Away from Money on the Table: Revisiting Your Revenue Streams Becky Genoways, CFEE, President Genoways Events, Rockford, IL Thursday, November 12, 2020 A Lawyer and an Event Producer Walk Into A Bar . . . Jeff English, CFEE, Sr. Vice President/General Council Kentucky Derby Festival, Louisville, KY Thursday, November 19, 2020 Tomorrow’s Headlines, Today: Reporting on the Latest Event Trends and Ideas Ted Baroody, President Norfolk Festevents, Norfolk, VA

Registration cost is per computer site for as many people as you can sit around your computer. Once your registration has been submitted, you will receive an email from the IFEA confirming that you have been registered for the Webinar. The week before the scheduled Webinar, you will receive an email with specific instructions on how to log in for the Webinar. You will receive this email again, 2 days before the Webinar and 2 hours before the scheduled Webinar. Payment must be received in full at time of registration to participate in Webinars. No refunds on webinar registration unless notified 24 hours prior to start of webinar.

If working towards your CFEE Cerification, each individual webinar is eligible for one CFEE Elective Credit.

International Festivals & Events Association • 2603Summer W Eastover Terrace • Boise, ID 83706 - U.S.A. 2020 IFEA’s ie: the business of international events 67 Questions: Contact Nia Hovde, Director of Marketing & Communication at nia@ifea.com or Phone: +1-208-433-0950 ext: 8140, Fax: +1-208-433-9812 • www.ifea.com

CONNECTING THROUGH THE CAMERA AND KEYBOARD 10 SUCCESS STRATEGIES FOR MANAGING MEETINGS IN THE VIRTUAL WORLD By Kate Zabriskie

As the world finds itself rapidly adopting virtual meetings, many people struggle while attempting to translate the in-person experience to an online format. Luckily, there are some tried and true actions neophytes can take to have their online gatherings running like clockwork. By following ten strategies for surviving in the virtual world, a newbie can perform like a pro in record time. Strategy One: Know What You Want to Accomplish Just as it’s important to have a game plan for an in-person meeting, it’s essential 68

that you have a goal for any online get-together. Are you informing, gathering information, looking for opinion, making a decision, or something else? If you don’t know, your meeting is not going to feel as tight as it could, and you won’t look as put together as you might had you done some thinking in advance. Once you know the goal, it should inform the meeting’s length, number of attendees, and desired level of interaction.

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For example, if you’re discussing your company’s new telecommuting rules and short-term business plans, you’re probably not seeking opinion but instead providing information and perhaps answering questions. Given the one-way nature of the bulk of that gathering, you can probably accommodate far more people than you could if your goal were to elicit opinion and seek input.

Strategy Two: Communicate Your Expectations Most people will do what you ask them to do if you ask them to do it and you model the behavior. Be specific and direct. If you want people to share their cameras, have a slide outlining your request as people join the meeting. If you want them to raise their hands to answer a question, raise your hand when you ask it. If you want people to type something in the chat box, you should type as they are typing. The more deliberate you are in your instruction and actions, the better your chances of seeing what you want to see. Strategy Three: Share a Roadmap Just as an in-person meeting can benefit from an agenda, virtual meetings need a roadmap or itinerary. Furthermore, in the virtual world it is helpful to show the agenda several times during the meeting and point out where you are on the schedule. An agenda check refocuses people who may have drifted off and it gives them an easy onramp back to the meeting. Furthermore, acknowledging where you are in the process gives people a sense of movement (or lack of movement, for that matter) and helps the group stay on task. Strategy Four: Recognize Technology Diversity When it comes to technology, the virtual world is not equal. In a typical meeting, some participants will have equipment and bandwidth worthy of a Hollywood production, while others will appear to have a dial-up line reminiscent of equipment from the previous century. For that reason, it’s important to think about what could go wrong and how to troubleshoot potential problems before they occur. For example, will you record and post the meeting for people who have difficulty joining? Do you have a dial-in number for those attendees who can’t get VoIP technology to work correctly? Will you send slides in advance for people who have difficulty logging in altogether and must rely solely on a PDF? The more you prepare for problems, the easier they are to deal with should they arise. Strategy Five: Arrive Early and Start on Time If at all possible, it’s a good idea to arrive to your virtual meeting well in advance of your participants. The time you have in the virtual room before it fills will give you an opportunity to troubleshoot your technology, get comfortable in your seat, and welcome early birds as they enter the room. Your

early arrival also allows you to avoid having participants wait in a lobby. In principle, the lobby is a neat concept. In practice, it can work against you. If participants arrive to a lobby, they will more than likely work on other tasks as they wait for you, and you’ll have to work harder to get the full attention they were initially prepared to give you.

a private chat.” The variety of avenues offered in that example accommodate people who like to talk, those who prefer to write, and others who are less comfortable speaking up in public.

Strategy Six: Accept You Are in a Competition for Attention Nothing says multitasking opportunity like a web-based meeting. Even the most effective presenter competes with a participant’s inbox, other work, and just about any activity that is potentially more interesting. You will have to double or even triple your efforts to keep virtual attendees involved. Putting yourself on camera and asking participants to appear on camera is only the first step. Next, you have to think about ways to keep people’s eyes on the screen or handout and their hands busy about every two minutes. Two minutes? Yes! People want to be engaged. If they don’t engage with you, they will engage with something else. Strategy Seven: Add Variety The longer your meeting, the more important it is for you to add variety. If you are taking a poll, for example, consider conducting one using one that uses fingers held up to screen, another that uses the systems polling function, one that requires people to stamp a shape on a Likert scale displayed on a slide, and another that requires attendees to type a number in the chat box. The idea is to avoid becoming predicable. Slide, slide, poll; slide, slide, poll; slide, slide poll equals BORING. Strategy Eight: Balance Conversation Just as people participate in in-person meetings at various levels, the same thing will happen in the virtual world. A good meeting facilitator will take action to add balance. For instance, “I’m going to throw this next question to the people I see in the second row on my screen. That’s Jane, Josh, and Juan.” In that example, nobody is individually put on the spot. However, those three participants know that at least one of them is on deck to speak next. In addition to calling on a few people, you should also consider directing people to different channels. “If you would like to answer in the chat box, do that. If you would prefer to open your microphone, go ahead. If you would like to send a message just to me, send Summer 2020

Strategy Nine: Consider Using a Production Team It takes time to master a virtual meeting program, and even the pros can find it difficult to wear half a dozen hats at once. If you are running a large meeting or new to the process, consider assembling a team. For example, designate someone to troubleshoot tech problems for attendees, assign a chat monitor to bring anything to your attention you don’t see right away, and so forth. Strategy Ten: Limit Your Time and Use it Wisely No adult wants to sit for more than two hours at a time, and this is especially true in the virtual world. If you plan to move a six-hour meeting online and leave the agenda essential as is, think again. For meetings that are essentially information-sharing exercises, consider limiting yourself to one-hour blocks. For interactive conversations, as a rule of thumb, you should be able to get away with two hours at a time. Rarely, if ever, should you schedule more than four hours a day. And those four hours should include a generous break if possible. If you need more hours to accomplish everything you need to, consider running smaller meetings with fewer people, spreading a long meeting over several days, or sharing video recordings instead of bringing people together if they would accomplish the same result. It’s a new world for many people taking the plunge into the world of virtual meetings, and now is the time to get comfortable. Take the time now to leverage a few simple strategies that will get you on solid footing. Paying attention to what you do and don’t like that others do in their meetings will help you grow. Asking for feedback from your attendees will further accelerate the process. May your next online meeting be a smashing success. Kate Zabriskie is the president of Business Training Works, Inc., a Maryland-based talent development firm. She and her team help businesses establish customer service strategies and train their people to live up to what’s promised. For more information, visit www.businesstrainingworks.com.

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A FEW TIPS & POINTERS THAT HAVE COME IN HANDY By John Haak 70

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Bam! Your event was on track to break records in ticket sales this year and then, Whaa? What do we do . . . Cancel? Postpone? Hopefully, you have never had to do this type of thing before, but after assisting over 4,000 outdoor events over the past 17 years, I have, unfortunately, had to cancel/ postpone more than a few events so I thought I’d share a few tips and pointers that have come in handy each time. #1. Your Patrons are ALREADY EXPECTING a Refund People usually see the world in a way that benefits their interests most so they believe that you will offer them an instant refund because it’s the best plan for them. They literally expect it. Obviously, that is not best for you or them in the long run, but after being cooped up in their own homes, teaching their own offspring, eating their own cooking and listening to the news 14 hours a day, their only focus is making it to bed time. #2. Inform . . . Quickly No time for the whole story (try to get the elongated version on your website), but give some simple facts (no more than 4). Let them see your passion and remind them why they bought their ticket is the same reason that you have made this your mission to provide. #3. Be Transparent You don’t need to invite 1,000 ticket holders to your next finance meeting, but feel free to let them know how many meetings and how many years of experience are working on the best solution to create the rebooted event. If you have already arrived at the new solution, then share it, but do not wait to communicate if you have not. #4. Offer Options Once you have submitted your case on how you are working on offering options for the very thing they purchased, a ticket, offer your patrons options. Bad news sucks, getting to choose how I acclimate to bad news sucks less. a. Ask them to consider it a donation to the cause for your event to continue (note if you are a tax-deductible donation).

Offer 100% or even 110% toward your next event. Trust me it is worth the extra 10% and this is incredibly easy for your ticketing provider to manage for online renewals/upgrades. b. Offer a refund. Beat them to the credit card company. If you initiate the refund, your credit card costs are less. If the patron initiates the refund, there are substantial fees added on. If a refund is requested, do it as fast as possible and do it in the exact same mode as it was received. Never send a check or give cash for a credit card purchase. When you refund via a credit card, the credit card company sees it and counts it as a closed issue. If you refund by check in the mail and the fan “forgets” the check is in the mail and issues a chargeback through the credit card company, the money will be pulled from your account (with additional chargeback fees on top) all while your check was in the mail. You can almost guarantee that the check, when received in the mail, will also get cashed and you will be out twice as much or more. Your ticket provider has an automated way to issue instant credit card refunds that will close the issue with the credit card companies and protect you from those chargeback fees. If I were an event producer (I am not) I would word my COVID-19 email something like this: Dear Fred Fan (use real name) As a valued (patron/fan) of our event, we wanted to take a special minute to inform you of some options that have been set up for the current situation with the “ABC EVENT”. As you have heard, due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, the local health authorities have banned any events comprised of more than 10 attendees. Our event certainly exceeds that number. We are working hard to reschedule the event for the soonest date possible, while still offering the quality of show that you are used to attending. We know this schedule change was not in your plans and honestly, it was not in ours either. Asking thousands of our friends to change their plans is painful fo all involved. We have been able to Summer 2020

succeed in presenting a fantastic (festival, airshow. concert, race, etc.) for the past XX years and we are not going to let the Coronavirus break that record! To do this, we need your help. In order for us to have the ability to plan the rescheduled event, we would like for you to consider donating your ticket price to our organization’s foundation. Once we get everything rescheduled, we will send you a very special ‘Thank You’ Invitation with an offer representing more than your actual ticketed amount to participate in the rescheduled event. We certainly hope that you see the value in this offer. If you would prefer a refund for your ticket, please reply to this email with “Refund” in the subject line and we will process a refund for the purchase associated with your email address above within 24 hours of your request. Thank you again for your continued support. We look forward to seeing you at our rescheduled event! Stay Healthy! Sincerely, Actual person’s name (not generic “Show Management Team”) While not a complete list of tips and pointers, I hope at least one point has helped you as you navigate these unchartered waters of event cancellation/ postponements. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me directly if you need clarification on any of this or have questions on what else you can do. John Haak is a Co-Owner of Eventsprout which is a customized ticketing and admissions system provider. John earned his CFEE in 2018 and has assisted over 4000 events with their admissions systems. Over the past 18 years John has assisted some of the largest paid events in North America including The Indy 500, AirVenture, Barrett-Jackson, Canadian National Exhibition, National Cherry Festival and NASCAR). John serves on the board of the International Council of Air Shows, is president of the Southwest Council of Air Shows and has been a speaker on ticketing and security issues at several national conventions.

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events 71

MAY I HELP YOU?

WITH FLORENCE MAY

SEEING VOLUNTEER MANAGEMENT CLEARLY

DURING THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

ust a few months ago, a pandemic shutting down the global economy and isolating most people in their homes would have been the plot for a big Hollywood movie. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), Social Distancing and Zoom meetings were outlandish concepts. And we were all eagerly preparing for the 2020 event season. Unfortunately, the realities of the COVID-19 outbreak have quickly become a stark reality for event managers large and small. Over the past six weeks, hundreds of clients have called to tell the TRS staff that treasured events have been cancelled or postponed. Some clients are converting live events to virtual events but many are unable to make that leap. All are understandably disappointed with the situation and share in the frustration brought on by the uncertainty. Our clients are justifiably focused on the financial implications of the pandemic with sponsors, vendors and hard costs all weighing heavily on their shoulders. The same questions are repeated multiple times a day: • How long will the social distancing need to continue? • Will the virus re-emerge if we don’t remain homebound? • How do we plan for the future when we have such dubious timelines? • Will participants, vendors and volunteers return in these circumstances? Volunteer Reality And how do our event volunteers fit in this mix? Will volunteers want to come back to live events within the next year? Could they be nervous and take the “wait and see” approach? Or on the flip side, will our volunteers feel tremendous need for socialization and excitedly return to get our events back on solid ground? How many volunteers will simply be anxious to re-engage with helping hands in the communities they love? None of us knows the answers right now. But you can be assured it is the time to be fully engaged with your volunteers. In the midst of the enormous changes over the past few weeks, we discovered that many of our clients have yet to reach out to the very people who are so often the face of their community events. Can I Hear You Now? Volunteers want to hear the voice of community boosters and event leadership. They need to know you consider them an important part of the team. They need to hear that you are checking on their health and wellbeing. Naturally, volunteers want to know you are considering the best course of action, not just the event but the entire community. 72

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If event volunteers are going to return, it will likely be with several items in mind: 1. Trust. Do I feel confident that appropriate consideration and precautionary measures have been taken by event leadership?z 2. Safety. Am I comfortable working with my fellow volunteers? Are these people I know? Am I surrounded by co-workers, family and/or friends? 3. Community Spirit. Is the event re-emerging in a form that lifts the community? Is the event in the best interest of our community? Do I feel engaged in this process? Time to Motivate! In crisis situations, there are many items beyond our control. Now is the time to consider what items are within your control and to consider an action plan that helps build camaraderie with the event staff and your volunteer team as we build toward re-emerging events. Meet your volunteers where they are right now. Some are very busy and others are so very bored. Are they seeking engagement (Hello, thinking of you.) or projects (I’m looking for help.)? Collaboration: You can reach out to organizations that need assistance right now and build shared projects. Example? Winterfest was cancelled but the organizers heard the food bank needed help. Requests for meals tripled in less than two weeks. Winterfest partnered with the American Legion and Community Action Network to bring needed assembly manpower and additional space for storage. Most of the volunteers were excited to help. Virtual Volunteers: You can form virtual volunteer teams to take on specific projects. Support your virtual event with virtual cheerleading? Need that website updated? Opportunity to get that twitter or instagram account set up? Organize a sidewalk chalk brigade to draw motivational messages around town? Create a series of videos? Ask! Many people have time right now. Challenges: Consider your mission. Can you engage your volunteers with a health & well being challenge? Is there a community need to tackle? Share motivational stories and photos? Send personalized notes to virtual event participants? Have a contest and gather the best ideas from your volunteers! The above items take time but they are also an investment in staying connected with your volunteers and growing your

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Continued on page 107

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

ENTERTAINMENT AS A TOOL FOR ECONOMIC RECOVERY IN BRAZIL By Sérgio Takao Sato

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In a crisis we become aware of what is truly essential in our lives. In a critical and pandemic scenario, we can say that needs take on new configurations and everything that we took for granted is beyond our control, showing that the individual cannot exist without the collective. One of the lessons that the new coronavirus brought to us was precisely to value this community, to rethink our relationships, to understand the value of being together to exchange experiences and emotions. While in this journey of isolation, we found that entertainment has become a key part of the mental health of a large part of the population. Social networks in Brazil have become a fertile ground for events of all kinds, but even with major brands reformulating their marketing and communication plans and investing in digital content, the events and entertainment markets will take a long time to recover from Covid-19 impacts. TASA Eventos is a Brazilian event organizer specialized in planning and organizing huge events, that spreads Japanese culture to all corners of Brazil. Even considered one of the best in the country, this scenario also brought an avalanche of cancellations. Major events such as Costão Matsuri (Costão do Santinho Resort - Florianópolis) among many others had to be postponed. The event industry plays an important role in the Brazilian economy, being responsible for 8% of GDP and 7% of direct and formal jobs. It is certain that the crisis will pass, that we will have an economic recovery, but we do not yet know when and how we get there and how will we survive. It is estimated that our market will have a reduction of at least 30% in the number of events, exhibitors, sponsors and even the public, due to

public fear of great agglomeration. Operating with 60% of its revenue from events, one of our biggest partners, Costão do Santinho Resort, in Florianópolis (SC), had its businesses strongly impacted by the new coronavirus. There were 45 events canceled or transferred between the months of March and July, generating a loss of revenue in the year of approximately US$ 10 million. A loss that will take years to recover. One of these events was our traditional Costão Matsuri, one of the largest festivals of Japanese culture in resorts in Brazil with musical shows, gastronomy, workshops and film shows. Since 2005 it has been held in July and, in 2020, it will take place between 16 and 19 November. By postponing the event, the public, faithful to this event, will stop staying at the resort in July, strongly impacting the business. Another important event produced by TASA, is the Rio Matsuri - Japanese Culture Festival, scheduled for January 2021, in Rio de Janeiro. It also suffers from the impacts of Covid-19. The uncertainty about the extension of the remaining consequences in town, the Brazilian second city with highest number of infected and killed, has increased difficulties in the sale of exhibits, vendors and sponsorships. It is impossible to come across all these festivals without thinking that events will have to reinvent itself. In our new exhibitor manual, some changes are already foreseen, such as, for example, large closed stands giving space for more open environments in order to reduce the risk of contamination. Investment is being directed towards more airy stands, wider corridors, alcohol gel spread throughout the fairs and, most likely, the use of masks for everyone. We will also

have temperature gauges as a preventive action to avoid environments prone to contamination. We have to keep in mind that when the pandemic gets to its end, our way of living has changed for good. So, we will take this as a security measure to protect our customers and the public. The moment is difficult and also an opportunity to unite event organizers. Brazil is one of the major players in South America in events. For its location, its economy, its wealth and its people, attracts people from all over the world for its entertainment and corporate events from the most diverse economic segments. It promotes launches, new knowledge, innovation, networking and a series of benefits for its clients and attendees. After the crisis is gone, I am sure that we will be able to strengthen ourselves and we will once again support the economic, cultural, technological and social growth of our country. As once said, one of the Brazilian greatest leaders, “events will be recognized as a high impact tool to consolidate commercial, cultural and personal relations. We will be the bridge that will lead the activities of the present to the future, from the crisis to the real recovery of the world economy.” Sérgio Takao Sato, CEO of Tasa Eventos is an event organizer specialized in the creation, planning and organization of Matsuris (Japanese Culture Festivals) based in Maringá-PR, Brazil. He is also a Postgraduate Professor of Planning and Event Management at Universidade Positivo (Londrina).”I love and live intensely the challenge of organizing events that enchant people”.www. tasaeventos.com.br

REFLECTION, RE–INVENTION AND RESOLVE How the Edinburgh Festivals May Create Greater Economic and Social Impacts Starting in 2021 By Professor Joe Goldblatt

During times of national disaster, citizens often realise the profound importance of culture in their lives. Now, we are confronted with a crucible moment that appears to drive us apart through self-isolation. A crucible moment is by definition a transformative experience through which an individual comes to a new or an altered sense of identity. These are times when our character is tested. These are times of adversity where great strength is shown. The courage and wisdom the Edinburgh Festival leaders demonstrated this week in agreeing for the greater public good not to conduct their events in 2020, I believe will be regarded historically as one of the most noble actions by any group of cultural leaders. In fact, I believe their decision in fact is an opportunity to experience a much needed and well deserved professional sabbatical for their organisations. A professional sabbatical is something that an individual may earn through long term service, usually in seven year increments to reflect the biblical weekly Sabbath reprieve when individuals pause to reflect and restore their energies to confront the next week. A professional sabbatical for the Edinburgh Festivals is therefore an opportunity for reflection, re–invention and ultimately, resolve. It will provide a unique opportunity to reflect upon 73 years of extraordinary achievement and upon reflection to find 76

opportunities to reinvent their festivals to be of even greater relevance in the twenty–first century. One way to increase this relevance may be through expanding the use of communications technology. What has happened suddenly and in many ways seamlessly, through the use of online communications, to distribute the cultural experience to many more people all over the world, may be further expanded in future years to effectively blend together face to face and virtual audiences and generate even broader potential exposure for our iconic festivals and also produce greater economic impact for Edinburgh and Scotland. Therefore, the Edinburgh Festivals have now chosen, as a result of their noble act, to protect the public good in a path to carry them forward to find ways to future proof our iconic cultural festivals for many years and generations to come. This path is one that was launched this week with great

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wisdom and courage by our cultural leaders and now requires their firm resolve and the increased financial support of their audience members to insure their future success. I am confident that through the exploration of new ways of sharing the cultural experience, including but not limited to the online world, the Edinburgh Festivals shall experience far greater positive economic, social and environmental impacts and sustainability that ever envisioned before. This crucible moment is indeed not unlike the moment after World War II when Sir Rudolf Bing, Edinburgh’s civic leaders and citizens resolved to build a platform for the flowering of the human spirit. That same resolve is needed now. Professor Joe Goldblatt is Emeritus Professor of Planned Events at Queen Margaret University. To explore his other views visit www.joegoldblatt.scot

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THE SPONSOR DOC

WITH BRUCE L. ERLEY, APR, CFEE

PERSPECTIVE

AND ADVICE

Dear Readers: I wanted to put to use my 40+ years of experience in the festival and special events world, having weathered a number of very difficult periods from 9/11 to the Great Recession, to provide some perspective and advice to you as to how we all might respond to these difficult circumstances. Immediate (This Week) • During this “wait and see” period, communicate consistently and clearly with your stakeholders (registrants, guests, vendors, sponsors, volunteers) to assure them you are monitoring conditions and evaluating alternatives. • Prepare for questions about cancellations/postponements. ° It is better to postpone for a date later in 2020 as the possibilities of retaining sponsor revenue is greater than an outright cancellation. ° Determine ticket and/or registration fee policy. If this is already established reinforce with your constituents. ° Review sponsor agreements for termination and force majeure clauses and how that will guide your options with them. Determine your policy regarding sponsor payments, such as: • Set new payment dates for postponed events. • Establish policy regarding full or partial refund if cancelled. • In the event of a full cancellation, offer to apply 2020 payment to next year. Share this response with all staff/board members or other ° representatives of your event so that everyone is sharing a consistent message. • Check out vendor agreements and other commitments for force majeure, cancellation and refund deadlines. (Don’t miss an “out clause” deadline.) Short-term (During 4-8 week quarantine) • With the end of restrictions on public events unclear, producers with events as far out as July 2020, should proactively

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•

• •

•

Summer 2020

determine if they can find alternative dates later in the year to produce event. Consider a pause on all marketing and promotion. ° You also don’t want to appear “tone deaf” with upbeat marketing campaigns at this time. ° Consider amending your messaging, (as applicable) to fit the current conditions Put a hold on making further marketing commitments and investments. During this time of uncertainty and market volatility, anticipate a full-stop to most sponsorship discussions ° Better to wait until there is less uncertainly to reengage than to press for a decision now. (Right now, they will be “no’s”) Current Sponsors ° Expect calls about postponement or cancellation (see above) ° Anticipate a delay of sponsor payments ° Expect a delay in signing outstanding agreements ° Sponsors are going to require the addition of COVID-19 language in Force Majeure paragraph Continue to communicate proactively, transparently and clearly with your constituents about plans for event ° Keep your website and social media updated with current plans for the event ° Use your social media to be encouraging and positive about the current circumstances ° Do NOT share information that has not been verified Communicate with current sponsor leads to keep process moving (albeit slowly)

• Continue to “gently” prospect for new sponsors • Check your insurance coverages for possible claims against losses • Use this slower time to get strategic, long-range planning and housekeeping projects done. (When we come out of this, you will have no time to work on strategic matters) Recovery Period (Hopefully by late May early June) • Unlike the slow recovery in 2008/2009, I am hopeful that the economy will rebound quickly after the “all clear” is sounded • Once social distancing and quarantines expire, I anticipate a pent-up desire for people to reconnect at public gatherings, positively impacting event attendance and engagement. • Brands/Sponsors are going to have to ramp up marketing efforts to rebuild market share. This may actually open the door for new sponsor prospects. ° Identify sponsor business categories to avoid that will likely experience long-term negative impact (e.g. airlines & hospitality) ° Go after sponsor categories that will likely be looking for quick hit marketing opportunities (alcohol, healthcare, technology) ° Are there local corporations that for CSR reasons want to help rebuild community? • Budgets that were not spent during the pandemic shutdown may now be available for new opportunities • Event producers and the sponsorship sales team will need to stay nimble and opportunistic to maximize sponsorship and exhibitor revenue Long-term (September on) • I believe that as an industry, we will emerge from this pandemic wounded, but ultimately stronger.

• Things will look different. Don’t fear this new normal…embrace it! • There will be a negative financial impact, (unrecoverable income, lost opportunities, reduced participation, etc.) Plan for making cuts in expenses from programming, to personnel, to marketing. • Our recovery will depend upon our attitude and our outlook. Have GRIT! We need to keep our eyes up, depend on one another, trust one another, and pull together. Stay well and keep positive! 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

Summer 2020

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events 79

HOW CONVENTION & VISITOR BUREAUS (CVB’S)

S R A E G T SH I F DURING THE COVID-19 CRISIS By Tammy Dooley

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Granbury ducks on the beach looking after things until visitors return https://youtu. be/9e7N7XnjbyM.

A City heavily reliant on tourism and events must shift gears during the COVID-19 crisis to rally the troops and keep motivation high. Of course, no level of preparation can prevent a city from suffering repercussions from loss of revenues event tourism brings to a destination. A Convention & Visitors Bureau, however, can take the lead and be better positioned for the day the “Open for Business” sign reappears. 1. Take the Lead on Event Scheduling Coordinate the event schedule. As most Convention & Visitors Bureaus work closely with city wide event planners, promoters and venues; they are in unique positions to have access to citywide event calendars. This allows Tourism Bureaus to take the drivers seat in helping coordinate event calendar cancellations, postponements and rescheduling. This coordinated effort with event stakeholders can maximize future tourism economic and event revenues. Supporting all city events helps ensure their success as they come back from this crisis. The importance of a coordinated effort toward future event bookings is to increase hotel room generation, to avoid availability conflicts and to mitigate overlapping similar events during the same time period. The City of Granbury, Texas is taking great care to make sure annual car shows cancelling today do not reschedule to future dates that have competing car show events booked. Strategically placing the events on different weekends helps ensure no tourism revenue dollars are displaced. Consideration must also be given to events that may compete for existing sponsorship dollars.

and the coordinating video message. In part, it read “while this national emergency is forcing us to live at a distance, our community spirit is bringing us closer. Changing how we live doesn’t change who we are-people who make the most of every day. Until then, we’ll make the most of McAllen.” Messaging like this unites a community that we are all in this together. Visit Granbury www.visitgranbury.com created the hashtag #granburylove and added it to billboard, print and social media advertising. The campaign was quickly adopted by the entire community. The hashtag went viral and generated thousands of impressions. The #granburylove was picked up by events, restaurant promotions and retail virtual shopping events. Numerous charitable organizations added it to their community support campaigns. Today’s social media conveniences give us the ability to reach out, personally to our community, our visitors and our stakeholders. Daily messages, direct from your tourism team who are experiencing the same struggles, offering messages of encouragement keeps spirits high. Messages of “we will get through together” can do wonders on both staff and community morale. Weekly Email Blasts with positive reinforcement and updates on plans to move forward reassures everyone that you are not waiting until the crisis is over but instead working to be prepared the minute it is over. In a recent Visit Granbury weekly email blast the staff showcased

3. Share Resources Who better to share resources than visitor organizations? Visitor destinations have crucial contacts with City, County and State organizations that offer important resources for community stakeholders. Pool those resources. Maintain a COVID-19 RESOURCE landing page on existing websites with updates frequently. Include links to City, County, Chamber of Commerce and even public health information. Include business funding sources, health resources and industry specific event, travel and tourism resources. Most Chambers of Commerce are directly involved with the Small Business Administration and the U.S. Department of Treasury and provide guidance and loan resources. They provide direct links to these resources https:// covid19relief.sba.gov/#/ or https:// home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/cares/ assistance-for-small-businesses on their websites. Cities and Counties provide valuable essential service updates, closures and governmental directed information. Providing these resources in one convenient location is very valuable to tourism and event partners. Local, State and National industry specific resources can foster trusted future relationships. In Texas some important industry resources include: • TAFE Texas Association Fairs & Events texasfairs.com • TFEA Texas Festival Event Association www.tfea.org • IFEA International Festival Event Association www.ifea.com • TTIA Texas Travel Industry Association www.ttia.org • THLA Texas Hotel & Lodging

2. Be a Motivator Cities who have cultivated tourism and event partnerships and “row their boat” in the same direction look to their Convention & Visitors Bureau leadership for guidance. This crisis presents an opportunity to be that motivation. It is an opportunity to create unifying messaging. Early on, Visit McAllen, Texas, the City of McAllen www.visitmcallen.com, released the campaign #MaketheMostofMcAllen Summer 2020

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increasing event promotion. Cities are also doing this with events and event vendors. Take advantage of staff quality time while working at home. Ask each staff member to create a new idea or plan they have always wanted to implement and present to the team. They can spend time researching and creating concepts that can begin to be implemented from their home office. Give staff the reins to present new ideas and concepts that they may have not had the time to pursue during regular busy week schedules. Provide time at virtual meetings to allow each to promote their ideas.

Association www.texaslodging.com • TRA Texas Restaurant Association www.txrestaurant.org • TACVVB Texas Association Convention Visitors Bureau www.tacvb.org • TABC Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission www.tabc.state.tx.us

can create new and lasting relationships. While any type of direct promotion during this difficult time must be handled with sensitivity, continuing to showcase your brand and the value of your brand is perfectly acceptable. A tourism and event economy rely on the qualities that attract tourism and event-goers into the market. It is imperative these businesses are there and sustainable once the crisis is over.

4. Stay Engaged There has never been a better time to communicate through social media, email campaigns and press releases than during a social distancing directive. While we may not be together in person, we “are” together in this crisis. Stay engaged with your community, stakeholders and visitors. A simple daily post on social media, sharing your #video or #pics or sending support messaging can show you are “engaged.” It shows you are keeping your brand engaged while being sensitive to the crisis at hand. Group emails that target specific groups of event attendees, vendors, even season ticket holders allow you to communicate you are there for them. This connection is invaluable in stakeholder engagement. Event status updates are crucial. Communicating event cancellations, postponements and rescheduling helps everyone make better plans-for-the-future. Setting up Zoom meetings with key tourism and event leaders prevents unforeseen potential conflicts. Showcasing organizations’ generosity by sharing their stories through Convention & Visitor Bureaus’ media channels through press releases has a broader reach than most organizations may have on their own. The goodwill and engagement with stakeholders and media

5. Promote New Ideas As restaurants are forced to close their doors creative thinking has never been more of a challenge. Restaurant establishments have quickly had to shift gears and create takeout, delivery and curbside pickup options. Showcase these new ideas and promote to visitors and locals alike. A Facebook page with “Take Out & Delivery Options” where everyone can participate and upload pictures of great food options, is a great way to show dining partners support and keep them viable until the crisis is over. Many vibrant downtown shopping areas who regularly welcome girlfriend shopping get-a-way weekends and events are struggling to keep shops in business. One way to support shopping events such as “Girls Night Out” is to go virtual. Determine a set date and time frame, have lists of participating shops and how to shop online or via social media. Retailers can offer chances to earn tickets to be drawn at a set time for giveaways from each participating store and then have one grand prize at the end. All this can be done virtually from their home computer or mobile device practicing social distancing and enjoying their favorite beverage. They may also engage by posting pics on social media of their virtual shopping experience. They will also “check-in” the event

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6. Create Partnerships All media, broadcasting, publishing, and digital are also looking for creative ways to engage their audiences even while most of their clients are cutting budgets and cancelling services. This creates a unique opportunity for partnerships. Partner with radio, television, print on promotions they may already be generating during this crisis at little or no cost to you. Promotions that bring the community together on multiple media platforms. KHITS 95.5 Radio in Granbury, Texas partnered with Visit Granbury to create a Granbury Music Playlist. Both Visit Granbury and KHITS 95.5 maximized all their advertising reach to promote the uplifting campaign and engaged the community. The community enjoyed selecting songs that remind them of Granbury. Located along a scenic lake the promotion inspired many boat songs and happy songs that can be downloaded and used in future promotions. Newspapers who have growing social media presence are also getting in the game by covering warm hearted stories featuring the best that is in us. By us sharing and promoting their efforts, they will most likely be generous on future stories about tourism efforts. These partnerships are simply the best. Partnerships simply create a “doubling reach.” You can partner with television stations on showcasing businesses that are exceeding expectations during this time. You will gain new followers and reciprocate interest. Consider partnering with media representatives, downtown associations, chambers of commerce and large charitable organizations. Reaching out to smaller media organizations which you may not have worked with previously is a great way to introduce each organization. This creates new ways to include all media as a resource for your visitor destination or event versus simply paid advertising. In the long run, cooperation is much more valuable to both.

Engage Travel Writers with the same concept. Many are looking for stories to feature. Create current Blogs supporting foodies and entertainment. Granbury and Austin are wonderful examples https:// www.visitgranbury.com/blog/post/ calling-all-foodies-top-takeout-spots-ingranbury/, https://www.austintexas.org/ austin-insider-blog, partnerships with musicians, chefs and local shop owners will become lifelong relationships. Advertising agencies are also being dramatically affected as clients reduce advertising budgets. A partnership may give an agency the opportunity to create a video or campaign at little or no cost to show support in a united message. GreenFox Agency www.greenfox.io did just that to promote the Granbury is Great Because of You Video #granburylove https://youtu.be/6X7LUcZKK3A. 7. Plan Now New campaigns on how to return to business, and how to do so safely, should already be in the plans for tourism destinations and returning events. Plans for messaging on “how to” plan for upcoming vacations, future travel into your markets and attending events must be determined now. Incentivize plans to buy now. Offer incentives to purchase gift cards, advance tickets, season tickets, hotel discounts to put much needed dollars in stakeholders’ hands. Enlarge your photo and video databases. Do not miss the beautiful spring and summer season to capture resources that

can be used in upcoming promotions. Contracted photographers and videographers are also searching for ways to continue working. Spring in Texas is a beautiful time to photograph wildflowers, animals, livestock and of course scenic areas for promotion. Ecotourism will take on a new significance as people seek safe travel to appreciate the beauty of nature. Events should consider incorporating nature as much as possible especially if social distancing becomes the norm. Monitor website activity. Noticeably many websites are seeing increased traffic with interest in parks, trails and outdoor activities. Returning to normal may take longer than anticipated and this information will be valuable to visitors making plans to come to your destination or event. Plan new itineraries for driving tours, walking and biking tours and even boating or fishing information. Include resources such as water levels and fishing reports to make itineraries complete. Create maps of each on your website. Plan in new formats. Create Zoom Backgrounds or Digital Swag. Implement the new seasonal photos acquired. Consider developing phone wallpapers or social stickers. Create a music playlist. Create printable activities for kids to do at home. Install a new webcam from your most visible attractions and feature the sunrise or sunset daily. Include hashtags and links. The possibilities are limitless. As we all move forward in these unchartered waters, we can all agree Summer 2020

that sharing our experiences and supporting each other will be our best accomplishment. Coordinate events, motivate your community, share resources, stay engaged, facilitate partnerships and plan for the future. Reopening for business and welcoming tourists and large events back will be more exciting than ever. It will be a time to reflect, a time of growth and celebrations. Travel and attending events, something pre-COVID-19, once just an everyday occurrence, is now cherished. – April 19, 2020

Tammy Dooley, CFEA is the Executive Director of VISIT GRANBURY - City of Granbury, Texas Convention & Visitors Bureau & Lake Granbury Convention Center - She previously co-owned Dooley Management Company - A Full-Service Venue & Event Management Company for 25 years serving as Vice President Marketing and Promotions while also serving as the Executive Director of the Midland County Fair. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Texas Association Fairs and Events. She is a graduate of Tarleton State University. You may contact Tammy at tdooley@ granbury.org or 254-897-9533 (cell).

Photo credits: Shad Ramsey, Lamar Outdoor Advertising, Historic Granbury Merchants Association, Visit Granbury

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FESTIVALS WITHOUT BORDERS

WITH ROBERT BAIRD

UNDERSTANDING THE EFFECTS OF

COVID-19 ON CONTRACTUAL ARTIST COMMITMENTS

iven the cancellations and closures consequent on world-wide measures to stop the spread of COVID-19, artists and festivals everywhere are feeling the effects on their operations and livelihoods, effects which include loss of income, expenses incurred in promotion, travel and accommodation which may not be able to be recovered, and uncertainty as to their future. This article will consider how best to cope with contractual commitments when an event is cancelled and what can be done in fairness to everyone involved. Any closure or cancellation caused by COVID-19 falls under the provision of force majeure in any contract. Check your contract for termination and/or force majeure specifics. In general, you are not obligated to fulfil the contract (artist) or honor the contract (festival) in this situation and, as long as there has been no action taken in regard to the contract (no deposit, no travel booking, etc.) then you are under no obligation to complete the contract. For many festivals, the decision was taken to postpone the event for a year and possibly retain any contractual arrangements which had been made. All of the clauses in the contract were maintained, including any advance payments made or to be made, and the artists would perform at the festival the following year. For some festivals, the event was cancelled, including any contractual arrangements which had been finalized. This meant that advances which were paid would be required to be re-paid and that the artists had effectively lost work which they had been counting on for their livelihood. How should such a cancellation be resolved? First of all, the terms of the contract should be revisited to see what exactly the responsibilities of both parties are in the event of a cancellation. Does the contract contain a force majeur clause which can be implemented? Does the festival have an insurance policy which can cover this situation in terms of any losses incurred, or any commitments which have to be honored in the contract? If you are facing cancellations or closures for a booking where you have received or given a deposit and where travel booking has taken place, then the parties to the contract should talk about the possibilities for the return of all or part of the deposit, and how to handle expenses already incurred. Try to accept fair responsibility for the consequences of the situation for all parties involved. Secondly, the festival and the artists should work together to see if there is a possibility of re-booking the artist for a future 84

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date. If there is an economic consideration, in that the festival will have loss of income and/or reduced income moving forward, then discussions might focus on re-negotiating the terms of the booking contract and both sides should be prepared to negotiate in good faith, recognizing the realities of the impact of COVID-19 on both the festival and the artist. The realities for festivals and artists are particularly daunting. Many festivals have seen their budgets severely impacted by the cancellations and closures and may not have the resources to recover from a cancelled event. Staff has had to be laid off or have their salaries reduced significantly if the organization is to survive. Uncertainty as to the long-lasting effects of COVID-19 or what the reality of social interactions will be make planning for the future mere speculation at this point. For artists, the reality is that many of them have had to seek other employment, if possible, to survive, since their main source of income, live performance, has been completely curtailed. They may be able to eke out a living utilizing other sources of income but those are usually not enough. And those who do survive will be facing a much-altered world of performance. There will be fewer opportunities and fewer resources to fund performances at current levels. The good news is that arts organizations and governments at all levels are doing their best to recognize the plight of the performing arts and are taking steps to provide bridge financing in many forms to allow festivals and artists to be able to continue once the current pandemic has run its course. The most important thing to remember is that we are all working towards the same goal: to entertain people and enrich their lives through the arts and to do that we must support and respect each other. Stay safe and take care.

Summer 2020

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

WAITING FOR THE LIGHTS TO CHANGE TO

GREEN By Gerry Reynolds

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Like most of us, I first heard of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in January 2020 and I know exactly where I was. I was sitting in a hotel room in Barcelona, Spain with my wife watching the news while we were waiting to join a Cruise around the Mediterranean. I was not too concerned. It was such a long way away. During the first few weeks following our return from our Cruise, we watched with horror as the pandemic erupted in three of the countries we had visited. France, Spain and Italy, before starting to spread here in the United Kingdom. Not long afterwards, we went into Quarantine, or “Lockdown” as the media prefer to call it. Like everywhere else, suspending our city’s programme was a depressing no brainer. My first task was to cancel the summer events that I was personally managing; and then try to work out just how far into 2020 that we might be looking at before we would be able to try to resume staging our events again. I want to be optimistic, but I am currently writing off everything before November in my head, and if I am wrong, well, that will be a happy bonus! Sadly, some folk still think that the peak of infections, whenever that is, will see the end of the Quarantine; but I keep telling folk not to forget that what goes up must come down. So, if it takes 3 months to reach the peak of this pandemic in our area, then my view is that it will take 3 months and then some if we are lucky to go back down. The truth is, as I write this, I have no idea how long it will be before the vaccine that we are all going to need to get anywhere close to normality, will become available on a global scale. After cancelling the events that I had been organising, I also had to help folk cancel the many events that we, as the Council in Inverness, Scotland, were supporting behind the scenes. As you can imagine, Councils have many roles when it comes to events and it was such a shame to see so many months of work by so many folk, evaporating overnight. We also had to encourage folk to stay safe within our city, so it was not too long before all our city’s attractions and public spaces were closed until further notice. When it comes to future events, everything has been suspended. No licences will be issued until we are told that it is safe to do so by the Government. It feels so strange that nothing is happening until further notice, but I do not think that we are even close to the halfway point as far as this pandemic is concerned. I think that once we get to the end of Quarantine,

even if the Government tells us that they are happy to announce an all clear, folk will proceed cautiously. I think the majority of folk will be scared and will be waiting to see if the epidemic flares up again. After a week of applying the brakes to everything that I was planning, I was transferred to our Region’s project to support the groups that we refer to over here as “Shielded”. They are the vulnerable folk who MUST stay at home and will desperately need support for many months. That list of folk needing help is getting bigger. So many elderly or vulnerable folk have lost the support networks that enabled them to cope on a day to day basis. Thankfully an army of volunteers have registered in Scotland to do their best to help, and it is already clear that we will need every one of them. Once I closed the book on my day job, I was given the task of creating a food distribution network as soon as the government announced it would be sending out food packages, for however long the pandemic lasts. “Create a food what?” was my reaction! After I changed my underpants, I approached this task by treating it as no big deal. I told myself it was no more than writing the schedule for constructing an event site. For me it was important to treat this task as being vaguely familiar. It was a bit daunting at first, but I reminded myself that everybody knows Event Managers can all move any mountain, one stone at a time. The same would apply to moving a mountain of food. One parcel per hungry household at a time. Keep calm. Work it out. So, I researched how warehouses work and then I wrote an event plan which explained how to set one up in addition to explaining how our central hub would be feeding 9 smaller hubs distributing dry and frozen food which would then be delivered via an army of volunteers. OK, there is a wee bit more to it than that, but that is what we do as Event Managers. Make the complicated so simple that everybody thinks that they can do our job. Anyway, the network is now live and so far, so good. Teamwork is busy making the dream work as usual! Currently, I am working from home trying to figure out what the hell happens post pandemic to our city’s events plan. My thoughts are that we, the countries and regions and cities and towns and villages and promoters and event managers and suppliers, are going to be fighting simultaneously for audiences that may be reluctant to attend travel or attend mass gatherings, however much they say that they will now. Because we will all be restarting simultaneously, let’s be honest, it is going Summer 2020

to be brutally competitive out there. Start thinking about it. As for how many event management businesses or jobs will evaporate in the post pandemic recession that will inevitably follow, the truth is that nobody knows at the moment, and given how vast and loosely connected our industry is, I fear we never will. It is also too early for many folk in our industry to see what is really important. We need to appreciate that simply surviving this pandemic without losing a loved one will be the greatest blessing of all. Jobs are replaceable. People you love are not. When I first posted a version of this article on Facebook, the virus had not touched my family. A week later, we had lost my 91 year old Aunt who had been happily living in a care home and looking forward to celebrating her 100th birthday with us. Sadly, none of us will get the chance to attend her funeral. The virus would like the opportunity to exploit the thousands of funerals that are taking place. Work wise, I believe that it is still too early for the vast majority of folk to accept what a game changer or perhaps more accurately (for some), game killer this is. However, we must remember that being Event Managers does place us in a unique position. Collectively we all have a habit of turning our visions into ideas and our ideas into actions, which can earn us a living. Nobody expects it to be easy, but once the pain turns to numbness and the tears finally dry, folk are going to need us to put a smile on their faces in the middle of the most shattering economic recession the world has ever seen. Stay safe folks. Nothing else matters. Gerry Reynolds works in local government in Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. As well as supporting numerous concert and event promoters throughout the year, Gerry manages a number of major annual events including the Inverness Highland Games and “The Red Hot Highland Fling” Hogmanay Show. A veteran of the events industry with over 40 years’ experience, Gerry gained a Master’s Degree in International Event Management in 2011 after discovering that he needed to find out what he was supposed to be doing while attending the IFEA European Conference in Iceland in 2008. Despite being English, Gerry was inducted into the International Highland Games Hall of Fame in 2014. He has only worn a kilt once in his life.

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CYBER SECURITY: Stay lost in the music, not in the cloud

Cyber resilience for festivals & events in today's uncertain world

KNOW THE BEAT: Cyber Criminal Risks and Threats Cyber attacks are a persistent threat to the global festival and events industry. IT systems, networks and data are vulnerable to a wide range of risks both physical and cyber from sophisticated cyber-criminals and other malicious actors with intent to exploit vulnerabilities and seek opportunities to steal data, commit fraud or disrupt IT networks and systems.¹

RANSOMWARE

INSIDER THREATS

SOCIAL ENGINEERING

Malicious software (through phishing emails) designed to encrypt or deny access to computer systems or data; payment of a ransom is required to regain access

Insiders abuse your trust to maliciously disrupt operations, corrupt data, steal sensitive information for profit or compromise IT systems, causing loss or damage.

Cyber-criminals employ social engineering techniques: gaining trust through deception to access to sensitive data, exploit and compromise business email accounts or seek fraudulent payments

KNOW THE SCORE: Cyber Threat Disruptions

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Summer 2020

accounts or seek fraudulent payments

KNOW THE SCORE: Cyber Threat Disruptions

43% of data breaches average time to 34% of involved small business identify a data victims � - average breach 196 days; cyber attacks can cost $3.9 million average 17 days lost be contributed to insiders productivity

average cost ransomware attack $133,000; 33% of victims paid the ransom demand

CHANGE THE TUNE: Best Practices for Cyber Resilience 1

2 60%

STOP & THINK before you CLICK on any email or social media link or connect to an insecure public Wi-fi network

LONG AND STRONG use stong, complex passwords; never use social media passwords for business accounts

peter.ashwin@ermsglobal.com

SHARE WITH CARE - be cautious when asked to share sensitive or personal information online or by phone

WHEN IN DOUBT, CAST IT OUT delete suspicious emails, texts or online posts SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING: report any suspicious behavior in the workplace or unusual emails and attachments to IT, Security or your manager Report stolen finances or identities and other cyber crimes to the Internet Crime Complaint Center www.isee3.gov and local law enforcement

Summer 2020

www.ermsglobal.com

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TRYING TO STAY FLEXIBLE DURING A PANDEMIC By Jenessa Hansen-Evans

IFEAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ie: the business of international events

Summer 2020

There is no doubt that Covid-19 has changed the world and the events that happen in our communities. With people itching for everything to get back to normal, we as event managers need to rethink what the experience of our events might become. When drastic change comes into our lives, humanity mourns for the ways of the past. As the world and community begins to heal from the pandemic, we will be an outlet for that process. As event managers, we need to maintain empathy and compassion as we move forward in our industry, ensuring our patrons feel safe and secure as they attend our events. I am in a unique position because my career is split into three, sometimes overlapping, realms. One of these is my work as a yoga instructor, where I have for 6 years encouraged others to try to be flexible not only physically, but mentally. Another aspect of my world is working as an arts administrator for our local government here in Boise, Idaho. And the last third of my work is running an event consulting and event management business that I started in 2018. These latter two worlds crossover frequently, and I am able to share my event management experience with my department. During this pandemic, all three of my work lives have harmonized in unexpected ways. I have been teaching yoga for 6 years. It is odd to not be in the studio seeing the familiar faces, moving together and breathing together. Throughout the pandemic, I have held online classes where I can see the blurry familiar faces and I’ve been able to form a sweet at-home practice that I can share with my students. This year in my government job, we planned a year-long event: So We Did. A campaign celebrating Women’s Suffrage at 100. Our events included “Herstoric” walking tours, Spill the Tea lectures, open exhibits, film screenings, etc. Once the pandemic hit our community, the department quickly pivoted to create ways to continue to provide this event programming at a distance. We began to look for low hanging fruit, easy wins that we could accomplish quickly. We are working on taking printed booklets we’d created for these events (“The Little

Book of Boise Suffrage”) with coloring pages and educational information about the suffrage movement in Boise, Idaho and making them into a printable booklet online for tired homeschooling parents and high energy children to participate in. Other portions of our event programming will be postponed to a later date or can move forward virtually. One aspect of this campaign that continues to move along somewhat normally is our public art piece being installed sometime in 2020 to showcase the story of “So We Did”. Though some of our programs must be cancelled, I find myself asking how they can be replaced. Can different, more manageable programs accomplish the same goal? Can we reinvent these programs to fit the current needs of our community? How does content need to shift in response to what’s happening in the world? These are just a few of the questions I mull over as I move through my day-to-day. In my world of consulting and event management, consulting has jumped to the forefront where I am sharing and guiding. A mantra I am repeating is when the opportunity presents itself, air on the side of being flexible. Being able to delay an invoice or change a scope of work could mean helping a client be successful or it could mean an event will be cancelled. I have relationships with my clients and I desire to see their success –if my client is successful, I am successful. I did not get into the world of events for predictability. By nature, event managers are quick, creative problem solvers. We love the adrenaline rush of having to strategically solve a problem in a matter of minutes. Right now, we have an opportunity as event managers to slow down and strategically plan our next move. This can be extremely hard for our fast-paced personalities, but exercising being pushed out of our comfort zone will only make us better at what we do. Some of my events can be put into a virtual platform, however, I know that people attend events, in part, for the sense of community. They attend events to see the culture of a town, to gain a better understanding of what makes up a town or city. How do we translate this feeling into the online platform? Can we partner Summer 2020

with local restaurants and entertainers to create a unique at-home experience? Or maybe host an online auction as a fundraiser for a local charity? This struggle of creating an online community will take time to build especially as our communities phase in and out of stay at home orders, but these are questions we must contemplate. As we all begin to imagine parts of our community re-opening, we also must imagine how these communities will react. Polarizing reactions of anxious extroverts needing exciting personal interactions, cautious introverts requiring calm 6-foot surroundings, and those in between are likely. We may see few to zero free events. Ticketed events could be on the rise with desire to be in smaller, curated gatherings. With more ticketed events, will this activity be for the elite only, leaving large groups of our community out of event interaction? Taking note from rooftop culture in New York, where you can see break dancers practicing and outdoor offices forming, can we create spaces for us all to safely come together? The list of potential logistical nightmares is endless. All of my thoughts are pure speculations. Moving through this new atmosphere, I am hyper-focused on how I can recreate events to reach my community. I do not know the answer at this moment, but I do know that if we all put our heads together, the answer will organically reveal itself. I am excited to work my creative muscles and I take comfort in knowing I have colleagues I can rely on during this pandemic—event managers who can share experiences and ideas. In the meantime, I will continue to work towards being flexible both physically and mentally. Jenessa Hansen-Evans has been working in the event industry for 5 years. Her career started managing 15 annual events and a Saturday market for a small-town government agency in Idaho. In 2018 she started in her own Event Management and Consulting business, Great Gert Events. Continuing to bring communities together through festivals and events.

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Thailand Brings Global Festivity Cheers to the Hearts at Home By the Department of Mega Events and World Festival, Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau The Thai community is renowned for being social. To help reduce the spread of COVID-19, residents of Thailand are staying home until the end of May while shifting to online platforms to connect with one another. The celebratory and hospitality spirit is not dampened. Some chose ‘gratitude in silence’ whilst others created online family and friends dine-together ‘zoom’ sessions to commemorate Songkran 2020. With an in-depth understanding of audience behavior, Thailand’s festival organizers tapped onto their creativity to encourage fans to stay home to be entertained. STAY ENGAGED With Puppets From Across the Globe Sema Thai Marionette, a renowned artist group, has successfully transformed its shows to the online called ’Harmony World Puppet Channel.’ According to Mr. Nimit Pipithkul Festival Director of Harmony World Puppet Puppet Festival, the channel launched with an impressive music video curated collaboratively by artists based in 15 countries across Asia and Europe. The company engages the audience by addressing social issues through the art of storytelling. STAY ACTIVE With Virtual Running Courses CEO of Move Asia, Mr. Boonperm Intanapasat, said that his company also transformed their Mass Participation Event into a virtual experience called the ‘Home Marathon 10km’. The whole intention is to encourage active living wherever one lives. The participants can access home-based professional training programs during the 3 months. STAY ENTERTAINED With Live Music and Performing Arts Bangkok Music City and Bangkok International Performing Arts Meeting are the two international showcase and conference platforms for their artistic and business communities in Bangkok. The COVID-19 challenges inspired featured artists to think and act outside the box. Fungjai - a co-organizer of BMC launched ‘At Home Festival’ earlier in April to curate a 7-hour long live music session to give fans some ‘cabin fever’ relief. This initiative evoked thousands in attendance during the event’s Facebook and YouTube live streaming – enabling the organizers to successfully raise funds to support those in financial need. Other initiatives, including new online experiences like ‘In Own Space’, which features 16-daily live performances by artists from different genres and disciplines.

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STAY TOGETHER With Support From the Government The Mega Events and World Festival department of Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) has been working closely with the festival organizers in the country since the early sign of the outbreak. TCEB provides continuous support and encouraged organizers to publish their content online to keep their fans engaged. Organizers can now access TCEB MICE Intelligence Centre’s ‘Virtual Meeting Space,’ a well-equipped platform that accommodates up to 10,000 online participants in a single session. The platform promotes communication between organizers from sharing best practices to sourcing collaboration opportunities. Department of Mega Events and World Festival, Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) is a public organization under the supervision of the Office of Prime Minister, the Royal Thai Government. The bureau is tasked with the development and promotion of the Business Events industry, including the Mega Events and World Festivals. A part of TCEB’s key roles is the national Bidder of the global-scale events to take place in Thailand and is also a leading supporter of home-grown festivals and scale-up to the international level.

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ADELMAN ON VENUES

WITH STEVEN A. ADELMAN

“A CATASTROPHE OF LAWYERS” INITIAL LEGAL RESPONSES TO CORONAVIRUS During a virtual happy hour recently, my friends asked if a bunch of crows is called a murder, what do you call a big group of lawyers? I instinctively quipped, “a catastrophe.” The next day, I saw a lawsuit in which a restaurant sued its insurer for denying a “business interruption” claim and refusing payment for losses caused by a mandatory coronavirus-related closure. Over the next week, I read several more cases against insurance companies, as well as lawsuits arising from other aspects of COVID-19. Unquestionably, this virus is a global health catastrophe. Although social distancing slows the legal process, the search for justice continues. Over just the last two weeks, numerous lawsuits have been filed that have implications for the rights and responsibilities of most Adelman on Venues readers. With the goal of applying the lessons of these lawsuits to your own circumstances, let’s survey the landscape as it exists as I write this column on Sunday, April 12, 2020. (I am specifically noting the date because within a few weeks, this could all be different, if not irrelevant or completely wrong. I’m a lawyer, not a soothsayer.) Insurance Cases: What Is “Direct Physical Loss?” For me, it started with an insurance coverage case called Big Onion Tavern Group, LLC v. Society Insurance, Inc., filed on March 27, 2020 in federal court in Illinois. Big Onion and the other named plaintiffs operate restaurants and bars in and around Chicago. They were all shut down by Executive Orders issued by Illinois’ governor on March 15 and March 20. Within days, the restaurant owners filed claims under their respective business interruption policies, which were all issued by Society Insurance. Society denied coverage. The restaurants were not happy. They sued on March 27, 2020 for a declaration that Society Insurance owed them coverage for their lost business. According to the Complaint, Society based its denial of coverage on a typical interpretation of business interruption policies - in order to be a covered claim, there must be some “direct physical loss” causally related to the closure. In this instance, Big Onion offered at least three arguments to address the physical loss requirement. First, the plaintiffs cited an Illinois asbestos case for the proposition that a dangerous substance in a property could constitute a physical loss. Personally, I think Society could distinguish that situation fairly easily - the presence of asbestos was the direct cause of the closure, and it had to be physically removed as a condition of reopening, neither of which seems quite true for the restaurants here. Next, Big Onion noted that the insurance policies did not 94

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expressly exclude coverage for losses caused by a virus, arguably giving the insured restaurants a reasonable expectation that their policies would cover losses caused by COVID-19. This might be a compelling claim, but only if there is coverage for a virus notwithstanding the absence of an asbestos-style physical loss in the first place. Later in the Complaint, Big Onion notes that “emerging research on the virus and recent reports from the CDC” suggest that this virus can stay alive on surfaces as long as 17 days, rendering that property potentially unsafe. I don’t know the merits of Big Onion’s claim, but I know that addressing it in court would require both sides to pay their own scientists, who would offer conflicting testimony regarding the epidemiological evidence of coronavirus’ effect on physical objects. My first impression was that this does not seem like the path to a quick or inexpensive resolution. Nonetheless, this may become a well-traveled path for disappointed business operators and their insurers. On April 2, 2020, a restaurant called Prime Time Sports Grill, Inc. raised essentially the same claims as Big Onion, suing the insurance syndicate Lloyd’s of London in federal court in Tampa, FL to compel coverage for losses sustained when Florida’s governor finally ordered all bars and restaurants to close for thirty days. Show Me the Contract That same day, a different kind of case arising from economic losses caused by coronavirus was filed in federal court in Wisconsin. McMillan v. StubHub, Inc. is a class action filed by purchasers of tickets on the secondary market web site who were denied refunds they claim to be entitled to under StubHub’s FanProtect policy. Lead plaintiff Matthew McMillan bought tickets on StubHub to see the NHL Minnesota Wild play on March 20, 2020. On March 12, 2020, the hockey season was suspended. McMillan contacted StubHub for a refund pursuant to the company’s FanProtect policy, which StubHub denied. The Complaint argues that “[u]ntil March 25, 2020, the FanProtect guarantee promised that if a StubHub user purchased tickets to any event through StubHub, and the event was cancelled, the user would receive a full, money-back refund for their purchase.” StubHub then changed its policy so “if the event is canceled and not rescheduled, you will get a refund or credit for use on a future purchase, as determined in StubHub’s sole discretion (unless a refund is required by law).” [Emphasis added.] In their Complaint, McMillan argues that the policy was part of the ticket purchase contract which StubHub cannot unilaterally change. In other words, plaintiffs say StubHub breached its contract and defrauded every ticket purchaser to whom it offered

Summer 2020

a 120% credit towards a future show in the next year while denying them a refund. This lawsuit has potentially enormous implications for the way the secondary ticket market is currently financed, and therefore the economic viability of the current model. The next day, on April 3, 2020, a group of theaters in Houston sued their Lloyd’s insurer in Texas federal court, alleging that they were effectively denied coverage despite having paid for a “Pandemic Event Endorsement” in their insurance contract. According to its Complaint, plaintiff SCGM had purchased a business interruption policy through Lloyd’s, and it paid to add a separate endorsement to cover financial damage from business interruptions during pandemics. On March 17, 2020, a local judge ordered restaurants to provide only carry-out or delivery service, leading SCGM to close its locations. Two days later, the Governor issued a Public Health Disaster Declaration that prohibited Texans from gathering in groups of ten or more. Meanwhile, on March 18, 2020, a Lloyd’s agent sent SCGM’s insurance broker the following message: As a reminder, there is no coverage under the based TNR policy given Coronavirus COVID-19 is not a food borne illness, it’s a respiratory illness. Additionally, it is not covered under the Pandemic Event Endorsement as it is not a named disease on that endorsement. The Complaint proceeds to quote the Lloyd’s endorsement, however, that the endorsement specifically listed “Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-associate coronavirus (SARS-CoV) disease,” which covered “mutations, or variations” of specifically-listed pathogens. Unlike the Big Onion and Prime Time restaurant cases that will rely on factually complicated scientific testimony, the McMillan and SCGM courts are relatively well-equipped to determine the meaning of written contracts. Words we can handle. The same day as the Houston lawsuit, Indiana’s largest non-profit theater company sued its insurer on largely the same grounds. Indiana Repertory Theatre, Inc. had purchased an “all risk” insurance policy from The Cincinnati Casualty Company. Once again, the insurer preemptively declared that coronavirus because it caused no “property damage” as insurance companies interpret that term - was not covered even under a policy that expressly was supposed to cover all risks except those which were specifically excluded. As above, the insured entity seeking coverage referenced studies that “found that SARS-CoV-2 can survive on surfaces for extended periods,” and the Complaint recounted a series of local orders, in this case by the Mayor of Indianapolis, culminating in a stay-at-home order that forced the theater to close its doors and lose the rest of its performance season. The theater’s policy with Cincinnati Casualty provided coverage for “Building and Personal Property” and “Business Income and Extra Expense.” But the insurance company tentatively denied coverage based on the absence of “direct physical loss.” At the threshold, there must be direct physical loss or damage to Covered Property caused by a covered cause of loss in order for the claim to be covered.… Direct physical loss or damage generally means a physical effect on Covered Property, such as a deformation, permanent change in physical appearance or other manifestation of a physical effect. Your notice of claim indicates that your claim involves Coronavirus. However, the fact of the pandemic,

without more, is not direct physical loss or damage to property at the premises. [Emphasis added.] In its Complaint, the theater offers three arguments in response: (1) the requirement of “deformation, permanent change in physical appearance or other manifestation of physical effect” appears nowhere in the policy; (2) the theater’s complete loss of use does constitute a “direct physical loss” by any reasonable definition; and (3) if Cincinnati Casualty wanted to exclude coverage for loss due to a virus, it could have included a virus exclusion. Doubtless there will be many more such cases. I offer this snapshot to show that the battle lines appear already to have been drawn. To people who read insurance policies and are familiar with insurers’ interpretation of their (often difficult) language and organization, the requirement of a “direct physical loss” in order to trigger business interruption coverage is perfectly familiar. Whether it will be upheld as consistent with the bargain struck with its insureds is a question that will simultaneously work its way through multiple court systems, which could easily yield conflicting results and lead to appeals that could last for years. Some Good News About Covered Claims, at Least In the U.K. Not everyone is fighting with their insurer over coverage. The All-England Lawn Tennis Club, which added infectious disease coverage to its policy after the 2002 SARS outbreak, is insured for about half its losses from the cancelled 2020 Wimbledon Tennis Championships. The Club’s $2 million annual premium for pandemic coverage looks like a bargain now that their $34 million investment over the last 17 years will yield an insurance payment of about $141 million. Likewise, the 2020 British Open golf tournament is also covered by pandemic insurance, which eased its decision to cancel. A Consideration Before You Reopen At the risk of ending this legal review on a bleak note, I have one final lawsuit for event professionals to consider as they anticipate the blessed day of reopening. Evans v. Walmart, Inc. was filed in state court in Chicago by the family of a Walmart employee who died from coronavirus-related complications within days after several other workers allegedly showed “signs and symptoms of COVID-19.” The Complaint argues that the retailer violated its duty to provide safe and healthy premises through various acts of both omission and commission. Specifically, plaintiffs say Walmart ... [K]new or should have known that individuals at the store were at a very high risk of infection and exposure due to the high volume of individuals present at and circulating throughout the store on a daily basis. I know nothing about the merits of this lawsuit either. But I bet we will see this argument being recycled - once local officials start to lift their bans on public gatherings - on behalf of people who visit newly reopened stores, restaurants, clubs, and other public places and then get sick. The temptation will be strong to blame the venue for being unreasonably unsanitary, for allowing too many people to stand too close, failing to reasonably screen people for symptoms of the virus before being allowed to enter. The causal connection will be hard to prove - viruses don’t leave footprints, and privacy concerns still keep us from using existing technology to track people - but you can count on the willingness of desperate people to sue anyway. Continued on page 107

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CONCORD LIVE! A RESPONSE TO COVID-19 By Lisa Potvin, CFEE

This past September, at the 64th Annual IFEA Conference Expo and Retreat, one of our amazing speakers stated, “Events are the fabric that ties our communities together.” This statement has stayed with me ever since, and I believe that now, more than ever, our community needs to come together. As the Shelter in Place orders restrict us physically, we must find ways through the virtual realm to make this possible. Furthermore, as many of our members are government agencies, chambers of commerce, and visitors’ bureaus, we have a greater duty to help our local businesses and homebound seniors. 96

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The City of Concord is located just 29 miles east of San Francisco. The largest city in Contra Costa County, Concord took the lead early. On March 13th, our City Manager, with support of City Council declared a Local Emergency, initially lasting through May 1st. As an agency that produces events in-house as well as supporting city-sponsored and permitted events, we have already had to cancel or postpone 10 events in this initial period. Although disappointing (especially if you are like me, one month into a new management role overseeing said events…) the exciting part is that our city, within two weeks of this announcement, put three new initiatives into place to help the community and local businesses.

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The City immediately teamed up with the Concord Chamber of Commerce and the local tourism bureau, Visit Concord, to make three initiatives happen as quickly as possible: Concord Eats, Concord Cares and Concord Live! “Concord Live!” a virtual event series, was created to give our community’s adults something fun to do while they were at home. The series kicked off on April 2nd at 6 p.m. from the City of Concord’s Facebook page, and will be running weekly on Thursdays. The live, virtual events are designed to highlight local businesses and keep them engaged with the community, while boosting the overall morale for the City of Concord. The first week featured a local gym, who hosted an at-home full body weight workout. Future Thursdays will include a cooking demo with the Chef of Luna Ristorante, a mixologist lesson from Lima, our local Peruvian

Restaurant, an at home concert by Daniel Morris, and a “Sip and Paint” class by the Concord Art Association. The community has been excited to take part in these live events and we are being approached by businesses weekly looking for ways to be involved. ConcordEats is a marketing campaign to help offset the foreboding long-term impact that the Shelter in Place order will have on our local restaurants. We immediately wanted to help. Together, the three agencies compiled a list of all the restaurants that were staying open for take-away and delivery. Being one of the first to initiate, we spoke with Postmates and DoorDash, requesting that fees be waived for new businesses to join. This is something that is now common practice. Through cross promotions, we are building excitement and updating the list daily as restaurants continue to be added to the program. Concord Cares, initiated by our Mayor and supported by the city, works with volunteers to deliver groceries and meals that are prepared at a local high school to homebound seniors. Concord Live! will continue for as long as our community is Sheltering in Place. Although some of these initiatives are not entirely inventive, we wanted to utilize our platform to create a free one-stop-shop and take the opportunity to highlight local business. As a larger agency, we know that we have a greater reach on social media than an individual entity. The City and its Special Events program are constantly looking at ways to help our local businesses stay afloat and engaged during these uncertain times, while bringing our community together and pulling them away from Tiger King, for a least one hour a week. Lisa Potvin, CFEE is currently the Downtown Program and Event Manager for the City of Concord, CA where she oversees citywide permitted and produced events. Prior to this she was the Event Coordinator for the City of Santa Clarita and the Special Events Coordinator for the City of Allen where she produced Market Street Allen USA Celebration a 90,000-person event held in the suburbs of Dallas, Texas. Lisa has worked on many partner events including IMG’s Bear Grylls Survival Challenge, NCAAII LSC Basketball Championship and Amgen Tour of California. Summer 2020

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SAFELY DOES IT

THE WORLD IS

A STRANGE PLACE

s an immediate side-note, on looking through my previous columns in this magazine, I noted that the last column I wrote began with the words ‘The world is an evil place’. Good to know I’m as consistent as the world is both evil and strange. I’m going to be brutally honest here – I have ZERO idea what the Event Industry we all love so much is going to look like ‘after’ COVID-19. I can make reasonably educated inferences from what we know and what we are seeing but nobody knows what our industry will look and feel like in 12, 18, 24, 48 months. Personally, I’ll just be happy to be still working in it and helping keep people safe while they enjoy themselves. The ‘New Normal’ What I am confident enough in saying is that it’s likely we will be back running events, albeit with some changes and precautions, before we are all vaccinated against COVID-19 and effectively have it in our collective rear-view mirrors. That being the case, I wanted to use this column to look at something I haven’t seen too many industry colleagues looking at so far – the Build and Break periods of events when we get back to running them. Most of us (quite understandably) are thinking about the event itself. We’re trying to work out how our events can work. Just this week, here in Ireland, we’ve had the organisers of Europe’s Largest Outdoor Event, the National Ploughing Championships, state categorically that there is no way they can enforce ‘social distancing’ / ‘physical distancing’ at their event, with 70,000 people a day in attendance. I want to look at the Build and Break and look at what I think should be our Core Principles in planning our event work sites, considering the COVID-19 risk. Some Context I’m not some outlier genius. Here in Safe Events we have been considering this largely as we’ve been working with the Irish Government to develop Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and Risk Assessments for temporary infrastructure builds during the height of the COVID-19 restrictions here in Ireland. Temporary hospital facilities, drive-through testing centres, 98

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media-relations centres, Command and Control Centres etc. A Little Disclaimer From the jump, these are not all necessarily applicable to all events. We all still need to do our event-specific Risk Assessments to help us establish what precautions we need to take. With that in mind, I’ve sought to keep this as helpful and generic as possible in the hope that it serves to prompt you to consider certain things. You might quickly decide they are not applicable to your event or an issue for you and that’s just fine. It’s also all based on what we currently know about COVID-19. I fully accept that the strange world may well have gotten stranger by the time you’re reading this. Hopefully not, though. Core Principles I’ve put together 5 Core Principles I feel should guide your development of procedures for your event site. They are: 1. Minimisation of the total number of supplier / contractor personnel on site simultaneously. 2. Strict adherence to ‘social distancing’ / ‘physical distancing’ guidelines between individual contractor teams on site. 3. Strict adherence to ‘social distancing’ / ‘physical distancing’ guidelines within individual contractors’ teams in as much as reasonably practicable on site. 4. Implementation on site of recommended hand-washing and hand-sanitising measures. 5. Continued implementation of established Health & Safety provisions of individual contractors’ own SOPs for their respective activities. A Key Consideration I believe point number 5 should be of particular interest. For me, there is an inherent risk in dealing with something like COVID-19 that we will become overly-focused on COVID-19. We have seen this happen with vehicle-as-a-weapon (VAW) attacks here in Europe, resulting in Hostile Vehicle Mitigation (HVM) being positioned in some inexplicable locations. By way of illustration, a lighting supplier with a Method Statement outlining that hanging certain equipment at height is a two-person operation, should ensure it remains a two-person

Summer 2020

WITH MARK BREEN

operation. There is no scope for the exact same operation to suddenly become a one-person operation, simply so that people are not within the 2 metre distancing guidelines. The Bottom Line Our Risk Assessments and Method Statements (RAMS) need to be adapted and augmented to appropriately account for the risks posed by COVID-19 but they should not be compromised because of COVID-19. It’s important that we maintain focussed on ALL the risks inherent in planning and managing our event site and not just the most obvious one – even if that obvious one IS a global pandemic. #EventInsight Webinar Series We are launching a series of webinars where subject-matter expert Event Professionals introduce us to what they do and how they do it. The webinars will begin in May and likely run for a few months, based on the uptake we have had from experienced international colleagues looking to share their expertise. The Mailing List for the webinar series has over 500 people on it so far and you can join them at www.bit.ly/eventinsights

Mark Breen is Director of Safe Events as well as Cuckoo Events based in Dublin, Ireland. He is an award-winning event Safety Officer and one of the most experienced and qualified event & crowd safety practitioners in Ireland. He is a Specialist Member of IIRSM, as well as being a member of IOSH, EPS and ESA. He writes and speaks regularly on all things event-related, particularly event & crowd safety. He is a Graduate Member of the Marketing Institute of Ireland and holds a Postgraduate Diploma in PR & Event Management. He is currently among a small class pursuing the world’s first MSc in Crowd Safety and Risk Analysis, and already has specialist qualifications in Spectator Safety Management and Crowd Science. Mark and the Team at Safe Events and Cuckoo Events are passionate about helping people run safer events and devote a lot of time to doing so. Mark is very active on Twitter @ mark_breen, @SafeEventsIE and @CuckooEvents. The multiple award-winning Cuckoo Events website can be found at cuckoo.ie and the Safe Events website is at safeevents.ie.

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BEYOND SPONSORSHIPS! How Individual Donors Can Help Your Event During COVID-19 By Elizabeth Grisby, CFRE

There is no doubt that corporate sponsorships are an integral part of the festivals and events industry. We depend upon both small and large businesses to provide the financial backing to make our events a reality. But what happens when those businesses can’t provide that support anymore? Unfortunately, that might be a new reality because of COVID-19. Experts are estimating tens of thousands of businesses will permanently close because of the virus and it will take at least three years for the economy to recover. (1) So, what do we do in the meantime? We need to look beyond corporate sponsorships for sources of long term, sustainable funding of our events. The Challenge of Sponsorships I will never forget the excitement of landing my first title sponsorship. After months of work, I had finally convinced a large telecommunications company that they should be the title sponsor of my fine arts festival. The joy! The ecstasy! The thrill! I thought if I just did a great job for them at the event, they would sign on to be the title sponsor next year and then the year after. I could see it now! They would support us forever! But, unfortunately, it didn’t happen. We did do a great job for them at the event – and they loved it – but shortly thereafter they merged with another company and that was it for my sponsorship. And I think that is something that we all experience with corporate sponsorships. Things change and they usually change quickly, unbeknownst to us. Businesses merge, relocate, and close all the time. Then of course there is the ever-revolving door of sponsorship decisionmakers and changes in sponsorship priorities. Toss in an unexpected global pandemic and you have the perfect storm. The Power of the Individual Donor Many would be surprised to know that only 5% of charitable giving comes from corporations. And that usually these are the hardest dollars to secure because everyone is asking too. What an eye opener! But it makes sense if you think about it. Need someone to sponsor the t-shirts for your child’s Little League team? Go hit up the bank, or the grocery store, or the sporting goods store. It is the natural, easy go-to for money and it happens all day, every day in our communities. But there is an alternative! A much more lucrative, not nearly as sought-after option. The individual donor. When it

John Smith April 13, 2020 123 Main Street Lubbock, TX 79401 Dear John: Today I am reaching out to you as a friend of the Lubbock Arts Alliance and Lubbock Arts Festival. For the first time in 42 years, the Lubbock Arts Festival will not be held this month. After decades of producing a high quality, award-winning event, we are devastated to be sidelined by an unexpected COVID-19 crisis. We were only a month away from opening the doors when our government officials announced the “Public Health Emergency” and “Declaration of Disaster” prohibiting mass public gatherings across Lubbock and Texas, and we support their decisions. Unfortunately, the Lubbock Arts Alliance has incurred $130,881 in costs toward producing the 2020 Arts Festival and our event cancellation insurance covers everything except infectious diseases. We have requested refunds for services that have not yet occurred, and some can be moved to next year; however, expenses such as printed materials, graphic design, advertising, supplies, reimbursements to participating artists and exhibitors, continuing administration, and others must be paid and cannot be regained. We are asking our devoted friends like you to consider your Lubbock Arts Festival ticket purchase as a donation in support of minimizing the financial impact caused by the unprecedented situation. Your donation will allow the Lubbock Arts Alliance to: • Minimize the financial impact on our non-profit organization. • Prepare for a bold, dynamic 2021 Arts Festival that attracts even more attention to Lubbock. • Remain a vibrant organization that sponsors the Lubbock Cultural District, continues our outreach to families regardless of age, race and ethnicity and especially to children who would not have opportunities to experience the arts. We know that everyone has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic; however, we hope that many of our supporters will agree to give their ticket purchase as a gift. If you agree that your purchase can be a gift, no further action is required on your part, and we will send you a gift receipt. However, if you need a refund, we will do so. To request a refund, please call our office or send us an e-mail by May 31, 2020. We thank you for your support of the Lubbock Arts Alliance, and we hope that you and your family will stay safe during the virus. We look forward to your involvement in the Lubbock Arts Festival scheduled for April 16-18, 2021. It will be an exciting arts extravaganza! The Arts Are for All! With Best Regards,

Elizabeth (Regner) Grigsby Executive Director

comes to giving money, the largest slice of charitable gifts comes from individuals, almost 70%. In 2018 that totaled $287 billion dollars. (2) And the best thing is that if an individual donor likes you, likes your event, and is treated well, they will continue to give no matter what is going on in the economy! They may give you less during a pandemic, they may give you more, but they will give! So How Do You Find These Individuals? Surprisingly, you already know who they are! Your donors are your attendees, volunteers, vendors, Board of Directors (past and current) and many others. Anyone who knows and likes your event is a candidate to give you a donation. You should have their contact information on mailing lists, Summer 2020

e-mail lists, ticket purchases, and social media. And when I am talking about a donation, I am talking about any amount of money with no expectation of anything in return. A gift to support you and your event or festival because it is important to them! All you have to do is have a compelling case and ask. Ask for their help. Ask them for their investment. Ask them to make a difference. How to Make “THE ASK” The tried and true method of asking an individual for a donation is via direct mail, but this will work for e-mail and social media. Your appeal doesn’t have to be anything fancy. Just a letter from your CEO, Executive Director, or Board President talking about the following: Why your festival or event is important to the community. Is it a decades long

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Make sure you have a non-profit entity to receive the donations so that dollar amounts given can be acknowledged for tax purposes. tradition that exemplifies the very best of your city? Is it an economic engine which generates an impact of millions of dollars? Does it preserve a specific culture or provide an educational opportunity for those that attend? Really think about both the tangible and intangible benefits that your festival or event provides each year. Be honest about the situation. There is absolutely no shame in saying that you need help, and this is the reason why. Certainly, the big reason now is COVID19, but it could be something else like a tornado, hurricane or other natural disaster. Or maybe you lost your event location or were unable to secure the amount of sponsorships that you needed to produce the event. Whatever the reason is, just say it! You will be surprised how understanding and sympathetic people can be especially when unforeseen circumstances fall upon those they care about. Tell them what their donation will be supporting. It is perfectly alright to say that their donation will be used for operational expenses, absorbing costs that have already been incurred, or loss of income because your event didn’t take place. You can also talk about how this effects your plans whether that be downsizing the event or possibly not having it at all. On this page is an example that we sent out to those that purchased tickets asking them to become individual donors when our marquee event, the Lubbock Arts Festival was cancelled by COVID-19 in April. Do the Following to Ensure Success: • Make sure you have a non-profit entity to receive the donations so that dollar amounts given can be acknowledged for tax purposes. If your organizations is already a 501 (c) 3 as determined by the IRS, great! You are set to go. If you work for a governmental organization, consider forming a non-profit group which exists solely for the purpose of supporting your event. It could be “Friends” group like Friends of the Public Library or Friends of the Animal Shelter. • Personalize the letter. Don’t make it out 102

to “Dear Friend” or “Dear Patron” make it personal and use their name and address. I would also highly encourage you to sign each letter and write a small note thanking them for their consideration. • Response form/online mechanism which captures their name, address, telephone number, e-mail, amount of their donation and method of payment (check, credit card, via website). • For direct mail, enclose a pre-addressed envelope. It does not have to be stamped! But make it easy on your donor just to fill out the response form, enclose payment, and drop in the mail. Same thing for online. Provide a “GIVE NOW” button which links to credit card processing service. • Thank them for their time and ask them to respond by a certain date. You want to create a sense of urgency by having a deadline. What to Do After the Donation is Made? • Acknowledge the gift. Be sure to write an “official” letter so they can use it for their federal income tax. Somewhere in the letter should be the following statement: Please let this letter serve as an official receipt for your gift in accordance with Section 170 of the Internal Revenue Code. No goods or services were given in exchange for this gift. Check # 001 - $100 Cash - Received on April 15, 2020. • Say thank you in multiple ways, multiple times. This can be anything from a handwritten thank you card to a telephone call expressing your appreciation. Anything that shows the donor that you made a special effort to recognize their gift to your organization. • Continue to keep your donors informed about your event. Be sure to add them to your e-mail and mailing list. Invite them to join you on your social media channels. Keep them involved in your event with ongoing communication. Do not be the charity that asks them to give a gift and they don’t hear from you again until you need more money.

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IT TAKES TIME. You should expect to receive a 20% return on your first appeal letter with 90% of the money coming from 10% of your donors. Cultivate those 20% that give to you and keep looking for others who like your event and have the capacity to give a financial contribution. ASK AGAIN. The #1 reason why people do not give is because they have not been asked. Do not make this fatal mistake. If someone has given you a donation, chances are that they will give again if you engage them in ongoing communication and make the “ask.” Our Success Story with Individual Donations Shortly after losing my first title sponsorship, we had the Great Recession of 2008. I knew that we needed to diversify our event’s income and could no longer solely depend upon sponsorships and ticket sales like we had in the past. We actively started pursuing individual donations as another source of reoccurring funding. Over the past 12 years we have managed to accumulate a base of donors whose total annual gifts surpass what we raise in sponsorships. And now with the COVID-19 forcing us to cancel our Arts Festival, our individual donors have stepped up once again and provided us with the funding we need to make it to 2021 in better shape than before the global pandemic. Resources: (1) Oliver, Laura. “It Could Take Three Years for the US Economy to Recover from COVID-19.” WorldEconomic Forum www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/03/ economic-impact-covid-19/. (2)

“Giving USA 2018: Giving Reached over $400 Billion!” The Curtis Group, 13 June 2018, curtisgroupconsultants.com/givingusa-2018-giving-reached-over-400billion/. Elizabeth (Regner) Grigsby, CFRE, has been the Executive Director of the Lubbock Arts Alliance since 2004. Under her leadership, annual attendance at the Lubbock Arts Festival has reached record levels to become the largest fine art, fine craft event in West Texas. She is a Certified Fund-Raising Executive (CFRE) and currently serves in a leadership capacity in several organizations.

WITH SEAN KING

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 sponsorship 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

Continued from Small Events, Big Sponsorships page 32

Continuing to Work with Current Partners A lot of the feedback we received was regarding how brands are handling their current partnerships. Many expressed a strong commitment to working with them as much as possible.

“The other thing is that we’ve heard from some of the events we sponsor that they are moving ahead as if the event is going to happen, and when we press them on “what if” scenarios they come off like they don’t need them because their event is going to take place. This is off-putting because most of us in the business world are constantly dealing with situations that come up that impact our business and require us to make alternate arrangements or adjust our plans. What those kinds of responses tell me is that these folks don’t have a plan. That may not always be the case, but if someone can’t articulate their plans, whether that’s monitor and adjust or, we’ll cancel if it isn’t cleared up by X date, or whatever it is then that’s where you have the opportunity to create issues between properties and their sponsors. Another reason why communication is so important.”

“We are supporting events best we can in rescheduling and working with them to have the best experience for their patrons when things do return to normal.” They are keeping track of the changing situation as best they can while also focusing on their own business. As events begin to reschedule or cancel, it is important that they communicate and provide updates as soon as possible. “If events are looking to reschedule, they need to keep in mind the timing. There is going to be a large demand for already limited event resources. I suggest communicating with all sponsors and suppliers to ensure everything that the event needs to be successful will be available to them.” The biggest fear was that events do not have a plan for the future. Because there is so much uncertainty, having multiple contingency plans and options is important. At this point, everyone should prepare for the worst, especially if their event is scheduled for the summer. There is no confirmed date on when mass gathering bans will end so it is a good idea to create multiple plans and establishing a timeline of when hard decisions have to be made.

Communication is Key Probably the most important theme we found from their responses was the emphasis on open and active communication. Even if an event does not have all the answers they need to reach out to their partners and have a conversation about the situation. “Events should do their best to stay in contact with companies. Updates, even if they are negative will only help both parties move forward the best way possible. Lack of communication can be extremely frustrating and can impact future sponsorship opportunities.” As mentioned before, having multiple plans of actions and communicating that with brands is very important for maintaining the relationship. It not only shows that the event is prepared but also that they care about their partners and are looking out for their best interests. Overall, many brands are very conscious about the volatility of the current situation. They understand that it’s a rapidly changing environment and are committed to working with their current partners. Unfortunately, they are not looking to commit to new relationships, but some are still open to proposals. The most important thing is for events to have a plan (or multiple) in place and communicate that with current and future partners. 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.

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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 President’s Letter page 8

suppliers and sponsors at the ready; operational and marketing plans in place; all systems were ‘good-to-go’. But in early March (February 27th was the last IFEA Event Insider issue not solely focused on the impact of the COVID-19 Coronavirus), we all started to feel the ‘drop in cabin pressure’ and watched a little closer the news of this new and quickly evolving pandemic. Our ‘loud bang’ was perhaps on March 6th when the South by Southwest (SXSW) Festival in Austin, Texas was cancelled by their city officials, followed it seemed, very quickly, by many more global postponements and cancellations of festivals and events – small and large - as the world, and our industry, worked to wrap their arms around this new challenge.

‘Failure is not an Option.’ – Gene Kranz And in our own mission scenario, while we are still working together with our global professional peers to define the right combination of duct tape, socks and plastic bags that will get us safely through this stressful and trying time in history, I also reflected on the famous quote by Apollo 13 NASA Flight Director for Mission Control, Gene Kranz, who pointed out clearly to everyone that “failure is not an option.” Nor is it now. And just as the crew of Apollo 13 and the team of Mission Control were a testament to the human spirit and

incredible ingenuity of their peers and profession, I believe, with no hesitation or doubt, that we and all of our global professional peers are up to this challenge. (You will read about some of their insights throughout this issue of ‘ie’) As we continue to collect and share information, with an eye on returning our events and communities ‘back home,’ if we rely on our experience; rely on our global peers and partners; and rely on our unparalleled creativity, ingenuity, and leadership; we will succeed in surviving this crisis, no matter the length of the journey. And just as the crew of Apollo 13 planned to use the moon’s orbit to ‘slingshot’ themselves back to earth, I believe that our collective efforts will strengthen all of our events and all those in our industry, making us better prepared, more resilient, more creative, and with a larger and more active global network than ever before, effectively ‘slingshotting’ our industry into the future. And following our safe return through the unimaginable whatever the world we return to may look like, for both events and communities - we all know that the first thing people will want to do is to celebrate. And we will be ready for launch. The IFEA will be here for all of you and your events and communities throughout this challenging time, as we work to negotiate our own successful path, just as you are doing. Please share with us your creativity and successes, as well as your needs and challenges, along the way. Your continued membership and support are appreciated.

Continued from Event Planners: The Few, The Proud! page 35

Calendar to find out all the celebrations (often wacky) to various people, places, things, activities, and much more. You might be surprised at what seemingly bizarre connections can be made. This is not a program or activity, but one thing we have experienced tremendous success with is pictures of nature. In particular any cute little baby animal photos. It is spring so there are lots of growing families stretching their brand-new legs or wings. In one of our parks there are two new twin baby sandhill cranes. We have been posting period updates with the hashtag #cranekids. Recently, there has been a mama duck with about 10 baby ducklings waddling around another park. A few months back there was even a bald eagle sighting. We weren’t able to get the best pictures but it was still really exciting. The joke among some staff has been to post an adorable puppy or rascally kitten picture with all our various marketing to save on “boosting” or “promoting” costs. Just like those incredible Marines, event planners can work effectively and efficiently in all combat (event) conditions. We are highly trained machines capable of overcoming the enemy (a wide variety of issues such as volunteers not showing up or leaving early, ATMs not working, inclement weather, etc.) to achieve the mission objectives. They have “Semper Fidelis” which means “Always Faithful” and we have “Semper Festivalis” which loosely translates to “Always Events” or “one way or the other the show must go on”. We are better together but safer apart. Get creative and continue to try and connect with your community and your customers. We need to do it and they expect us to. The few, the proud, the Event Planners. Improvise, adapt, overcome. Ooh-rah! Sean Fitzgerald, CPRP, CPO is the Recreation Event Manager for the City of Oviedo in Oviedo, FL 106

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Continued from Adelman on Venues page 93

Continued from May I Help You page 70

I hope you weren’t expecting a big ray of sunshine from a review of recently filed lawsuits. Coronavirus, and most nations’ response to it, is the real catastrophe, not the lawyers who are trying to hold people to their promises. Time will tell who is on the right side of the promises in these cases. As with coronavirus itself, the one certainty is that we will never do business the same way again. Be safe out there.

capacity. These may very well be sustaining programs that extend beyond this difficult year. Communications: Provide weekly event updates, short videos and motivational messages from your living room couch. Don’t let your volunteers feel disconnected by a communications void. I’m writing this column during National Volunteer Thank You week but it is never too late to send out an appreciation message to your most committed supporters! Don’t let the Corona Virus cloud your vision. Remember your community is at the heart of your event. This is an opportune moment to lift-up your mission and your volunteers. Stay healthy. Stay Safe.

The Grand Reopening Since this Adelman on Venues is so long already, I’m going to only tease the next major initiative from the Event Safety Alliance. There is obviously no roadmap for what comes next. There’s no road, or at least none that I can see or that our “leaders” agree on. But one day, probably within the next two months, at least some doors in some places will reopen. It’s time to plan. ESA has started an initiative we’re tentatively calling The Event Safety Alliance Guide to the Grand Reopening. So far, it’s a Google Doc on which we’re throwing every idea we can think of. By “we,” I mean that any event industry friend who wants to think seriously about the risks of reopening is welcome to join us. We are big believers in collaboration, what I like to think of as “the smart kids’ table.” This will be the biggest, and most important project we have ever undertaken. If you want in, we can use all the smart kids we can get. For Continued Adelman on Venues For continued Adelman on Venues by Steve Adelman, check out his video presentation on YouTube from April 22nd, 2020 as he addresses four current legal questions about how the Coronavirus affects the interest of event and venue professionals.

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.

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.

GET A QUOTE | 1-866-997-2469 | VORTEXINSURANCE.COM

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MARKETPLACE SEARCH MORE VENDORS AT EVENTRESOURCEMARKETPLACE.COM ATTRACTIONS

ENTERTAINMENT

ARTIFICIAL ICE EVENTS/FALL FEST EVENTS - Unique Winter and Fall attractions for rent nationwide. Available for short-term or long-term needs. Synthetic ice rinks to haunted houses! Contact: Michael Lawton; Address: 147 Summit St. Unit 3A, Peabody, MA 01960 USA; Phone: 800-275-0185; Email: m.lawton@ppentertainmentgroup.com; Website: www.artificialiceevents.com

DEGY BOOKING INTERNATIONAL – Degy Entertainment is a worldwide talent buying agency specializing in customer service and professionalism. Contact: Evan Schaefer, CSEP, CFEE; Address: 9826 Montpelier Dr., Delray Beach, FL 33446 USA; Phone: 732-818-9600; Email: evan@degy.com; Website: www.degy.com

BANNERS/FLAGS

EXPOCAD BY A.C.T. - EXPOCAD® is the professionals’ choice for dimensionally accurate graphical exhibition and exhibitor marketing software. It’s the administrator for all behind-the-scenes needs of show management, sales and operations teams. We recently introduced security technology for events to stay ahead of growing threats domestic and abroad. Ask us about ELI. Contact: Wendy Freiwald; Address: 69 S LaSalle St., Aurora, IL 60505 USA; Phone: 630-896-0084; Email: wendy@expocad.com; Website: www.expocad.com

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.

EVENT SOFTWARE / APPS

INFLATABLES CASH MANAGEMENT FIRST DATA / CLOVER – Cloud-based point of sale and full business solutions for cash or cashless events. Clover is uniquely designed to be customized to fit your business needs. Clover accepts all payment types - EMV/ Chip, Card Swiped, Keyed and Apple Pay/Google Pay. Clover’s product line is available with WIFI, ethernet, or 4G/LTE data connectivity and can be leased, purchased or rented month-to-month. First Data has exclusive pricing for hardware and card processing for the festivals and events industry. Contact: Tina Hollis; Address: 8812 Crosswood Ct., Riverview, FL 33578 USA; Phone: 239-287-8221; Email: tina.hollis@firstdata.com; Website: www.firstdata.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. 108

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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.

Summer 2020

VORTEX INSURANCE AGENCY - Vortex Insurance provides weather index insurance to help minimize revenue loss due to rain, heat, cold, snow or a combination of weather elements. Contact: Andrew Klaus; Address: 7400 W 132nd St., Ste. 260, Overland Park, KS 66213 USA; Phone: 913-253-1215; Email: aklaus@guaranteedweather.com; Website: www.vortexinsurance.com SAFETY/SECURITY 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

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. TRAVEL PLANNING (by Groups) 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. WEBSITE DESIGN

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. SPECIAL EFFECTS ZAMBELLI FIREWORKS - America’s leading manufacturer and premier exhibitor of domestic and international fireworks. Spectacular custom designed indoor and outdoor productions, choreographed to music. Contact: Kim Ceyrolles; Address: 120 Marshall Dr., Warrendale, PA 15086 USA; Phone: 724-658-6611; Email: kceyrolles@zambellifireworks.com; Website: www.zambellifireworks.com TICKETING

Tickets & Wristbands PROUDLY MADE IN THE USA · Thermal ticket stock · Wristbands; Tyvek, plastic, vinyl & hi-res · Plastic cards & credentials · Parking passes · Roll, strip, & sheet tickets · Bar coding, QR codes, magnetic stripes & encoding available

INDIANA TICKET COMPANY - Design, quality and security describe our dedication to manufacturing tickets for every venue imaginable, as well as wristbands, credentials and specialty printing. Contact: Bill Owen; Address: 645 N. Longview Pl., Longwood, FL 32779 USA; Phone: 407-788-1029; Email: bowen645@ yahoo.com; Website: www.indianaticket.com NATIONAL TICKET COMPANY – In business for over a century, National Ticket Company offers wristbands made of TYVEK®, vinyl, plastic and hi-res materials, RFID wristbands, redemption tickets, roll and raffle tickets, plastic cards and much more! Contact: John Conway; Address: 5562 Snydertown Rd., Paxinos, PA 17860 USA; Email: ticket@nationalticket.com ; Website: www.nationalticket.com

5562 Snydertown Road, Paxinos, PA 17860 Phone 570.672.2900 | 800.829.0829 www.nationalticket.com | ticket@nationalticket.com Summer 2020

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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.

ie volume 31 issue 2

Articles inside

BEYOND SPONSORSHIPS!

Safely Does It

CONCORD LIVE!

Adelman on Venues

Thailand Brings Global Festivity Cheers to the Hearts at Home

TRYING TO STAY FLEXIBLE DURING A PANDEMIC

CYBER SECURITY: Stay lost in the music, not in the cloud

WAITING FOR THE LIGHTS TO CHANGE TO GREEN

Festivals Without Borders

How Convention & Visitor Bureaus (CVB’s) Shift Gears During the COVID-19 Crisis

The Sponsor Doc

REFLECTION, RE–INVENTION AND RESOLVE

ENTERTAINMENT AS A TOOL FOR ECONOMIC RECOVERY IN BRAZIL

A FEW TIPS & POINTERS THAT HAVE COME IN HANDY

CONNECTING THROUGH THE CAMERA AND KEYBOARD

Staying ENGAGED and CONNECTED!

IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE

English 101

THE RIGHTSHOLDERS’ GUIDE TO SPONSORSHIP IN A PANDEMIC

EVENT PLANNERS: THE FEW, THE PROUD!

SMALL EVENT, BIG SPONSORSHIPS

From Best New Event to COVID Cancellation: The True Story of the 2020 DSM Book Festival

Marketing Events After the Virus is Gone: The Good News in the Bad News

#EventPermit

PROGRAMMATIC 101 Don Draper Didn’t Know About Programmatic Advertising, But Now You Will

May I Help You?

The Un-Comfort Zone

Leadership at all Levels

EVERYONE’S INVITED INCLUDING PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

IFEA Partners With Enigma Research

IFEA Foundation Board

IFEA President’s Letter

IFEA World Board