From Festivals to Foursomes… Staying on Course During COVID-19

By Mary Jo DiSalvo and Cathy Witchey

Teeing It Up

Irish attitude is all you need to experience the Dublin Irish Festival in Dublin, Ohio, USA. For 33 years, the first weekend in August has been reserved for what is now the largest three-day Festival on the planet. More than 100,000 guests are expected to attend. With 7 stages, 65 acts and more than 575 performers, there is something for everyone. The Dublin Irish Festival is produced by the City of Dublin. The primary source of funding for the Festival is Dublin’s Hotel/Motel tax and the support of sponsors. All proceeds for the Festival support community events and activities that enhance the resident and visitor experience in Dublin. Economic impact was estimated to be $8.5 million in 2017.

When large scale events were cancelled this year, our team embraced the idea of a golf outing as a socially-safe way to gather and keep our brand top of mind. We needed to stay connected with our Dublin Irish Festival friends and hosting a golf outing provided a way for us to do that while raising money for our college scholarship fund.

Due to the COVID-enhanced popularity of golf outings and our late decision to get in the game, golf courses were booked and dates were extremely limited. In addition, we learned that we would be competing with several other local outings no matter what date we secured.

A handicap for us was that we don’t play golf. In addition, many people told us that planning a golf outing was a lot of work. With a combination of naivety and arrogance, we asked each other, “How could planning a golf outing for a maximum of 144 participants be hard when we were professionals used to planning events of more than 100,000 guests?”

Getting in the Game

Our target market consisted of key stakeholders including Dublin City Council members, our City Manager, Honorary Chairs, sponsors, vendors and volunteers. Because we use action plans for all events, we created one for the Golf Outing so that we could organize information and keep track of our progress.

Once a contract was signed and the deposit was paid, we did what all professional event planners do…we googled Golf Outings, learned golf terminology, talked to golf mentors and created a budget. After making a list of what we needed, we projected our expenses to determine the amount of money required to break even. We decided on a price per foursome that would be affordable for our stakeholders and competitive with other golf outings in our area.

Rather than send emails and letters seeking donations for the auction, we decided to pick up the phone and call our key stakeholders to see if they were interested in participating in a foursome, donating an auction item or both. It proved to be a very successful approach. Not only was everyone happy to hear from us, their enthusiasm exceeded our expectations. We secured a Hole-in-One sponsor without even trying. This added a degree of excitement to our event even though no one won.

Getting Out of the Rough

During the course of planning the event, there were more than a few times when we felt we had landed in a sand trap. First, we learned we were competing with other local golf outings and had few dates from which to choose. We decided not to seek cash sponsors and have a silent auction to avoid sponsor fatigue.

We used resources including The City of Dublin Risk Manager to be sure we complied with all COVID safety guidelines. Dublin’s City Attorney was consulted more than once to keep us out of the rough. We asked him questions such as whether or not a silent auction could be held and what, if any, guidelines we needed to follow. We also asked about liability/insurance when we were offered a hole-in-one prize. We asked about alcohol policies and 50/50 raffles.

Scrambling for Tee Gifts and Prizes

Tee gifts, we learned, are expected and appreciated at Golf Outings. A golf mentor recommended a vendor who could help. We were fortunate to learn he had a surplus of golf umbrellas and we got an incredible deal. This same vendor beat all other competitors on the price of branded golf balls and tees. We packaged gift bags including Dublin Irish Festival swag, lip balm, hand sanitizer, pens, stickers, coupons from partners, balls, and tees.

On-course competitions featuring prizes for men’s and women’s categories are popular at Golf Outings. Our contests were longest drive, closest to the pin, longest putt, and the hole-in-one. Winners of the skills contests received gift cards we purchased from our restaurant partners. Gift certificates to the golf course pro shop were awarded to the top three teams.

Well Under Par… Communications and Branding

Emails were sent to Dublin City Council, City Manager, Dublin staff members, Dublin Irish Festival Sponsors, Honorary Chairs, Committee members and more inviting them to purchase a foursome, participate in the Silent Auction and /or make a direct contribution to the Scholarship fund.

Our team is lucky to include a media expert who recommended that the on-site auction be online to increase participation and exposure. We chose 32auctions. com for its ease and affordability. A benefit to having an online auction was the opportunity to tap into our 45,000 Dublin Irish Festival Facebook Fans. This made it possible to reach many people that may not play in the tournament yet might support the Festival’s scholarship.

Since we are better communicators and marketers than golfers, we came in well under par promoting our brand on the course. We chose an Irish theme, “Cead Mile Failte,” which is Gaelic for “One Hundred Thousand Welcomes.” Branding examples included:

• A large banner spanning a 30’ distance between two trees welcoming guests to the outing

• A program providing the schedule, the skills contests, and a list of foursomes by company name

• Three large sandwich boards placed near the registration area with COVID safety guidelines, the schedule of the day, and a thank you sign

• Tee markers repurposed from 5K and Kids Dash medals glued to small landscape stakes

• The Dublin Irish Festival branded 10’ x 10’ tent and branded tablecloths at the registration area

• Our Dublin Irish Festival branded inflatable arch welcoming golfers into the Event Center after they finished their round of golf

• Beverage signs for the beverage carts featuring the logos of our beverage partners

• A four-foot tall mobile tee and golf ball sculpture constructed for the 2013 President’s Cup held in Dublin at Muirfield Village painted with major landmarks and long-standing Dublin traditions

• Dublin Irish Festival trashcans

• The banquet hall and patio showcasing silent auction items on branded tablecloths next to signs describing each item.

A Hole-in-One

From registration to awards, we found creative and resourceful ways to offer an experience on par with the Irish Festival. Players were welcomed to the Safari Golf Club by a live bagpipe performance. Each cart displayed golfers’ names and included a program and scorecard.

Following golf, players were welcomed by popular zoo animals from The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. At the dinner and the awards banquet, four Irish fiddlers performed. To ensure social distancing, tables were placed inside and outside on the patio. Dinner was served buffet-style by golf course staff. A fire pit added to the outdoor ambiance.

Expenses for the golf outing were approximately $9,000 and included tee gifts and bags, balls, tees, deposit to golf course, player fees, 12 prizes, 5 gift certificates for contest winners and centerpieces. Our per player fee not only paid our bills, but resulted in a $4,000 base for 2021 expenses. Silent auction revenue of $5,000 for the scholarship fund went directly to the Dublin Foundation. An additional $3,500 went to the foundation through direct scholarship contributions.

A volunteer photographer was given a shot list and a golf cart to go out on the course after play began. After the event, we shared her photos with golfers electronically with a word of thanks. Personal hand written notes were sent to each silent auction contributor and all of our volunteer entertainers.

SurveyMonkey was used to gather feedback from participants so that we could make improvements for the future. Eighty-eight percent of our respondents rated the event as excellent and said they would recommend it to a friend or family member. As event planners, we were pleased to learn what survey respondents liked most about the event was that it was very well organized. We were not surprised to learn that dinner was what respondents liked least about the event. As a result, our “Irish-themed” menu will be replaced in favor of the most popular basic golf course food options. A few of the comments we received included:

• “What a great outing! It was a lot of fun and very well coordinated. Kudos to you!”

• “Great group of people and great pace of play.”

• “It was great being with dear friends and supporting the Dublin Irish Festival.”

The Winners and Champions

As expected, everyone took credit for the weather since it was one of the most beautiful fall days of the year. In addition, we achieved our goal of gathering safely and reconnecting with our Dublin Irish Festival family. A special highlight was having with us one of the two 2020 scholarship winners. We announced his presence and offered our collective congratulations. After all, the future of the Dublin Irish Festival is in his hands and the hands of all past and future scholarship recipients.

Plans are underway to bundle the 2021 golf outing into one of our Dublin Irish Festival sponsorship packages. Our date for next year will most likely be late September again and probably not on a Monday based on survey comments. If time permits and the weather holds out, our team may even head to the driving range as a team building exercise. FORE!

Mary Jo DiSalvo has served as an Event Administrator for the City of Dublin for over 20 years. Having received a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from Bowling Green State University and a Master of Arts in Communications from the University of Dayton, she has spent her career working extensively in public and media relations, brand marketing, and corporate sponsorship.

As an Event Administrator, Mary Jo serves as the Sponsorship Manager for the City’s Division of Community Events. She also coordinates hospitality opportunities across the Festival, and oversees the selection of VIPs and dignitaries, among many other roles that help market and promote the City of Dublin. In 2018, Mary Jo was awarded “Marketer of the Year” by the Columbus Chapter of the American Marketing Association. She is the chapter’s only dual recipient of this prestigious award.

Cathy Witchey having lived and worked in Dublin for over 30 years, Cathy Witchey’s transition from educator to Event Coordinator was easy. She specializes in lead generation, sponsor management, tracking, and retention. Cathy holds a master’s degree from The Ohio State University and her effective communication skills, insatiable curiosity, and positivity have produced tangible results. Whether guiding students or sponsors, she has a unique, inspired vision and places high value on helping people know themselves and become their very best. Luckily, being a teacher-like working on the Events Team for the City of Dublin-is profoundly fulfilling. You know how much what you are doing matters to those you serve.

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