ie volume 33 issue 2 by International Festivals & Events Association

the business of international events

Volunteerism in 2022 – Strategies to Get Volunteers Back Sponsorship During a Global Can a –“Return to Pandemic How to Build Normal”When Happen Partnerships There in 2021? are ‘Virtually’ No Benefits Event Marketing with a Social Commerce Mindset

the business of international events

Volunteerism in 2022 – Strategies to Get Volunteers Back Sponsorship During a Global Pandemic – How to Build Partnerships When There are ‘Virtually’ No Benefits Event Marketing with a Social Commerce Mindset

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© 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

IFEA VISION A globally united industry that touches

Publisher & Editor Steven Wood Schmader, CFEE, President & CEO

lives in a positive

Assistant Editor Nia Hovde, CFEE, Vice President

way through

Director of Marketing & Communications Advertising

celebration.

Kaye Campbell, CFEE, Director of Partnerships & Programs Art Director Craig Sarton, Creative Director Contributing Writers Gail Lowney Alofsin, Lisa Apolinski, CMC, Robert Baird, Jeremy Eskenazi, Annie Frisoli, CFEE, Laura Grunfeld, Jill J. Johnson, MBA, Jane Cavalier Lucas, Florence May, Diana Mayhew, CFEE, Curt Mosel, S. David Ramirez, Susan Robertson, Robert Wilson, Will Young, Kate Zabriskie Photography Will Young, Jeff Auger, Jennifer Lowney, Laura Grunfeld Uplash, National Cherry Blossom Festival

For association or publication information: IFEA World Headquarters 10400 Overland Rd. #356 Boise, ID 83709, U.S.A. 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.

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events

Summer 2022

+1.208.433.0950 Fax +1.208.433.9812

http://www.ifea.com

Good Times Need Quality Insurance. Festivals are always a fun time, but they do come with their own set of inherent risks. Be proactive and protect your event with Haas & Wilkerson Insurance. Entertain the idea of insurance solutions for your festival including food, music and cultural heritage, art, agriculture, and more. Get traditional property and casualty insurance customized to your unique industry needs. With more than 80 years of experience and access to exceptional markets, we’re able to provide quality solutions that are cost-effective and event-specific.

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.

the business of international events

Volunteerism in 2022 – Strategies to Get Volunteers Back

F E AT U R E S

Sponsorship During a Global Pandemic – How to Build Partnerships When There are ‘Virtually’ No Benefits Event Marketing with a Social Commerce Mindset

On the Cover: The National Cherry Blossom Festival is one of the world’s greatest celebrations of spring. Like springtime and the cherry trees themselves, the Festival symbolizes hope, renewal, and new beginnings. In 2022, the Festival was able to return to traditional in-person events while also incorporating the creativity that sprang from navigating the challenges posed by the pandemic. As a result, the Festival offered even more ways to celebrate the 1912 gift of trees across Washington DC and surrounding areas for four weeks, March 20 – April 17

DEPARTMENTS 10 IFEA President’s Letter 12 IFEA World Board 14 IFEA Foundation Board 20 The Intentional Leader 26 The Sponsor Doc 29 Pinnacle Awards Call for Entries 76 The Digital Life 79 Festival & Event City Call for Entries 94 Hall of Fame Call for Nominations 98 Festivals Without Borders 100 Volunteer of the Year Call for Nominations 102 Small Event, Big Sponsorships 108 Leadership at All Levels 112 The Un-Comfort Zone 114 Everyone’s Invited 120 May I Help You 126 Marketplace Summer 2022, Volume 33, 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.

Volunteerism in 2022 By Will Young

Long-Distance Leadership: Managing a Remote or Hybrid Workforce the Right Way By Kate Zabriskie

Sponsorship During a Global Pandemic By Curt Mosel

Consumer Insight is Crucial to Closing a Complex Sale By Jill J. Johnson, MBA

Empower Your Brand with Enchantment By Jane Cavalier Lucas

106

Old Thinking Won’t Lead to New Ideas By Susan Robertson

110

Put A Spotlight on Your Digital Footprint By Lisa Apolinski, CMC

116

Six Ways to Get Real With Your Employer Brand By Jeremy Eskenazi

122

Event Marketing with a Social Commerce Mindset By S. David Ramirez

124

Rediscovering Spring With the 2022 National Cherry Blossom Festival By Diana Mayhew, CFEE

IFEA PRESIDENT’S LETTER

BY STEVEN WOOD SCHMADER, CFEE

TO NEW

POSSIBILITIES

If you follow our IFEA Event Insider, you were likely as shocked as I was to read and learn that California’s beloved Gilroy Garlic Festival is shutting down “for the foreseeable future.” The festival is one of the most famous food festivals in the United States; a massive, three-day event in the northern California city of Gilroy that celebrates all things garlic; and an industry icon that for 42 years has raised millions of dollars for local charities, while also providing a local tradition embraced by those who call Gilroy home and countless thousands of visitors from across the country and around the globe. According to organizers, the event is no longer feasible because of increased insurance costs and lingering financial uncertainties from COVID-19. The event had also battled the fallout from an active shooter incident in 2019 that left three people dead and 17 others injured. When I think back on my own time in our industry, I have many fond memories of then Executive Director of the Garlic Festival and 1996 IFEA Hall of Fame Inductee, Dick Nicholls. Dick served as Chair of the IFEA World Board in 1994; helped to found the IFEA Foundation; and was a friend and mentor to many in our industry – myself included – before passing away far too early in 2005. Throughout their 42 year history, the Gilroy Garlic Festival went through many happy, exciting, and rewarding years, creating countless memories for generations of attendees, volunteers, suppliers, and staff. They also went through more than their fair share of unexpected and uncontrolled challenges. I am sure that Dick would never have imagined what the future might hold for his festival. Evolution and change and challenges are a part of our world. Some we embrace, while others we do our best to just get through the ride and hope that we come out whole on the other end. Such has been the last several years for our global industry. We have all struggled to adapt and respond to the Covid-19 pandemic; others (including Gilroy) have had to respond to unimaginable tragedies such as mass shootings; vehicle attacks; crowd surges; even war. Many have and continue to struggle with the long term impact of financial loss; staff changes; volunteer challenges; increased pricing across multiple budget lines; labor and supply chain shortages; changing city relationships; and more. But evolution, change and challenges can also make us more resilient, more creative, stronger and better. The IFEA Event Insider has also covered many stories reflecting changes by festivals and events with the end result of expanding community audience reach; embracing new diversity and inclusion programs; creating new events and festivals to serve a world that needs our industry now more than ever to keep us all bonded together; supporting local, national, and international health and humanitarian efforts; and sharing lessons learned from past tragedies, so that they may become a thing of the past in the future. We have seen the resiliency of runners in the Boston Marathon, injured and/or in memory of loved ones lost during the unthinkable bombings of that event in 2013; the addition of new events to highlight, serve and welcome those with disabilities; the coming 10

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events

together of the world to safely and peacefully celebrate the future at the Dubai World Expo 2020 in the United Arab Emirates; new appreciation and support by cities and countries, recognizing the importance that events play in their respective communities and our world; the flexibility and creativity of our peers as they have had to move and reimagine their events to new venues, routes and dates; new focuses on and salutes to the plights and important roles of refugees and immigrants around our world; support from professional peers to ensure the success of everyone in our industry; and much, much more. While challenges will always exist, our evolution and focus as an industry will always be there to meet those challenges and create new opportunities where it sometimes feels like none exist. The organizers of the Gilroy Garlic Festival have said that, while the Festival may no longer exist as we have all come to know it, there are already discussions taking place about new possibilities of how they might reimagine and evolve their event, providing something just as important and magical to their community; paying tribute to the traditions and memories that they have built over so many years. And I have no doubt that they will succeed, nor the support that they will receive from all of their professional IFEA peers around the world. That change, that evolution, that transformation, that ‘Metamorphosis’ into something new, stronger, better, more creative, more resilient, more aware, and better connected, will be the focus at our 65th Annual IFEA Convention, Expo and Retreat, presented by Haas & Wilkerson Insurance, this September 19th-21st in McAllen, Texas, USA. After a long, not of our choosing, break from getting together in-person, we promise an unforgettable and valuable time together with friends and peers. A family reunion. A celebration. A leadership summit. An educational conference. And a united new reset for our global industry. A metamorphosis that will change us all for the better. We look forward to seeing you all there and wish you nothing but success and positive new possibilities in the interim.

Summer 2022

Steven Wood Schmader, CFEE President & CEO

65th Annual IFEA Convention, Expo & Retreat September 19, 20, 21, 2022 McAllen Convention Center McAllen • Texas • U.S.A.

Presented by

CFEE Classes September 16, 17, 18, 2022

n the last two years, the festivals and events industry…our events; our organizations; our teams; our sponsors; our vendors and suppliers; our host communities; and each of us, as industry leaders… have gone through an unprecedented metamorphosis, not of our choosing. A metamorphosis that, while stressful (as metamorphosis can be in all of its forms) has arguably left us stronger; more creative; more resilient; more aware; more connected; and more important to our cities, states, provinces, countries and world, than ever before. As we reflect upon what we have been through, we

have a unique opportunity to continue that metamorphosis – proactively vs. reactively – on our terms. To reimagine our events. To reconnect with our communities. To expand our reach and influence. To become the best version of ourselves, as we move into the future. After a two year Covid-induced hiatus, we are excited to invite each of you, and your professional peers, to the 65th Annual IFEA Convention, Expo & Retreat, Presented by Haas & Wilkerson Insurance. A family reunion. A celebration. A leadership summit. An educational conference. And a united new reset for our global industry.

Plan Now to Join Us For more details, go to www.ifea.com.

A Metamorphosis That Will Change You For the Better! TO CHANGE.

1. A change of the form or nature of a thing or person into a completely different one. 2. A change into something new, e.g. when a caterpillar changes into a butterfly.

TO TRANSFORM.

IFEA WORLD BOARD

BY DIANA MAYHEW, CFEE

WE CANNOT

DO THIS ALONE!

“METAMORPHOSIS”… what a perfect theme for IFEA’s 65th Annual Convention, Expo & Retreat this September. This is what all of us are experiencing, in so many different areas, as we bring our events back in person (not to mention in our personal lives as well). As we wrap up the 2022 National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, DC, bringing an iconic springtime tradition back to an in-person celebration, I have to tell you it felt amazing! The joy and gratitude that we felt throughout the local community, region, nation and even across the globe, has been remarkable. A clear change of mood and spirit! Of course, there were many challenges and bumps in the road during the past year as we transitioned back and faced continued uncertainty. We recruited and rebuilt the festival’s staff; took key learnings and successes from the past two years to incorporate them into new and innovative Festival programs and experiences; while taking into consideration the comfortability levels of attendees to participate; all while keeping safety and health as a key priority. These past few months reminded me, once again, why we do what we do…why it is so important to bring festivals and event back in person, connecting our communities from near and far. Local residents engaged more than ever these last few years and we continued to build on that community spirit to encourage this participation in 2022, communicating that the National Cherry Blossom Festival is not just for tourists, a perception we have been working on changing (starting pre-Covid). As residents and visitors started to come back, the Festival played an important role in the road to Washington DC’s economic recovery bringing businesses together for this city and region-wide springtime celebration. In addition, national brands aligned with us to be a part of this positive sense of renewal and transformation. We could not do this alone. This was my 22nd year leading an amazing team to present the National Cherry Blossom Festival, but still each year comes with new challenges and so much to learn as the world of events 12

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events

continue to evolve, especially through the current environment. I am grateful for our IFEA colleagues who were there to serve as sounding boards, exchange ideas, and provide experience and advice as we worked to navigate through challenges….staffing, vendors, new types of agreements, volunteer programs, unique sponsor needs, logistics, operations, budgets (with increased pricing of EVERYTHING) and keeping safety and health as a first priority!...phew!!! Many times our Festival team and I reached out to our counterparts in the IFEA world for their input and guidance. This is one of the major values of being an IFEA member…the amazing network of rich experiences and backgrounds in which to draw upon. My team and I very much look forward to attending the 65th Annual Convention, Expo & Retreat, presented by Haas & Wilkerson Insurance in McAllen, Texas this September 19 - 21. Yay! Back in person! We look forward to sharing some of our learnings with you and hear from you as well! This is my favorite part of the Convention. Now more than ever, the importance of bringing together industry leaders as well as those new to events to share experiences and challenges, to discuss future vision and how to get to that vision, is critical to our success (and sanity). The workshops and seminar sessions promise to touch on current, relevant and stateof-the-art topics, hearing from leaders across the country and the globe. There is no better place or time to meet and network with event colleagues. We look forward to seeing you in Texas this September! In the meantime, feel free to reach out to any of us on the IFEA World Board, or the IFEA Team, at any time.

Summer 2022

Diana Mayhew, CFEE IFEA World Board Chair President National Cherry Blossom Festival Washington, DC

2 2 0 2 r u o Meet Y

IFEA World Board of Directors

CHAIR DIANA MAYHEW, CFEE National Cherry Blossom Festival Washington, D.C. dmayhew@ncbfdc.org

CHAIR-ELECT KAREN CHURCHARD, CFEE City of Scottsdale Scottsdale, AZ kchurchard@scottsdaleaz.gov

SECRETARY JAZELLE JONES City of Philadelphia Office of Special Events Philadelphia, PA Jazelle.Jones@phila.gov

IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR TED BAROODY, CFEE Norfolk Festevents Norfolk, VA BaroodyT@festevents.org

ALISON BARINGER, CFEE IFEA Foundation Board Chair North Carolina Azalea Festival Wilmington, NC alison@ncazaleafestival.org

BOB BRYANT 500 Festival Indianapolis, IN bbryant@500festival.com

DAVID EADS Pasadena Tournament of Roses Pasadena, CA deads@tournamentofroses.com

WARWICK HALL, CFEE Safety Set Consulting Section 646 Taupo, New Zealand contact@s646.com

STEPHEN KING, CFEE Des Moines Arts Festival Des Moines, IA sking@desmoinesartsfestival.org

SAM LEMHENEY, CFEE Pennsylvania Horticultural Society Pennsylvania, PA slemheney@pennhort.org

CINDY LERICK, CFEE Art of Events, LLC. Fort Myers, FL cindy@artofeventsllc.com

JOHAN MOERMAN Rotterdam, The Netherlands johan@johanmoerman.eu

STEVEN WOOD SCHMADER, CFEE IFEA World Boise, ID schmader@ifea.com

VANESSA VAN DE PUTTE DFEST ® San Antonio, TX vanessa@dixieflag.com

JOE VERA, CFEE City of McAllen McAllen, TX jvera@mcallen.net

KELI O’NEILL WENZEL, CFEE O’Neill Marketing and Event Management Kansas City, MO keli@oneillevents.com

The IFEA World Board of Directors is an elected, non-compensated body of industry professionals responsible for overseeing the successful operations of the IFEA. In addition to approving policy and direction, Board members serve as an active and involved industry leadership advisory source to the President & CEO. Members proactively support IFEA programs and visions through their input, use of their professional networks on behalf of the association, and personal participation in association programs and activities.

IFEA FOUNDATION BOARD

BY ALISON BARINGER, CFEE

DO YOU HAVE 10 MINUTES

TO HELP THE IFEA FOUNDATION?

ome of you may not know the IFEA has two Board of Directors; the IFEA World Board (who functions as the governing body of IFEA), and the IFEA Foundation Board. The role of the Foundation Board is to work hand-in-hand with the IFEA as its primary partner in fundraising. I know, the dreaded F word. Many of us have some role in the fundraising process for our own Festival or Events, and the thought of trying to raise MORE money seems exhausting and daunting. We all already have so much on our plates, I understand. This is my personal plea, as IFEA Foundation Board Chair… please step up and be an extra-ordinary member of IFEA! I’m going to give you a super easy, quick way to do so . . . do you have 10 minutes to help? Each year at the IFEA Annual Convention & Expo, the IFEA Foundation hosts a Foundation Party with Silent Auction. This year, we are thrilled to say this event and auction will be back LIVE and in person on Tuesday, September 20th in McAllen, Texas! This is a night of fun, food, and fellowship… and fundraising! My plea to you today is to commit to donating ONE AUCTION ITEM for this silent auction. For many of you, this is going to be SUPER EASY! Here are some ideas: • Have a favorite local jewelry/art vendor in town that’s doing a 2:1 deal or clearing out stock? Grab one for you and one for IFEA! • Have a festival artisan that wants to expand their market reach? Ask for a donation that will be seen by an INTERNATIONAL audience! • Have a national sponsor (beer, cell phone, etc.) that you want to impress? Tell them about your involvement with the IFEA and how you are committed to furthering your education and that of those in the industry, to make your event better for your sponsors…and ask for a donation for the cause! • Do you have a special hobby, skill, or side hustle? How about creating something especially for the IFEA? (ie. Jewelry, painting, candle, clothing, etc.) • See a big sale or clearance at your favorite store? Grab a few extra items and bundle them into a package. Use your creativity to make it fun! (i.e. Authors of North Carolina book bundle, wines of the West Coast, etc.). Think of things you would like to buy personally. 14

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events

• Does your event have an Artisan or Street Fair? Ask your vendors at registration if they would be willing to donate an item or two for some national exposure. I did this at my 2022 Street Fair this April and had over 30 items donated! As a thank you to these vendors, we did a special social media post promoting their booth space at our event . . . which just promotes our Festival even more as they shared the post on their social media AND demonstrated the depth of artisans at our event. Monies raised through the Silent Auction items go right back to the IFEA; supporting educational scholarships and event programming to further our industry. Through the Foundation’s efforts, the IFEA is able to serve as “The Premier Association Supporting and Enabling Festival and Event Professionals Worldwide,” and to fulfill its mission “To inspire and enable those in our industry to realize their dreams, build community and sustain success through celebration.” You can be a part of that mission today and support your industry. If you’re able to donate an item, Click Here to complete the Auction Donation Form. Our goal is to have 100 items in by June 1, 2022. Will you help us reach our goal? PS. Although the IFEA Foundation Silent Auction will be LIVE and in-person this year, bidding will take place online. So, if you’re not able to join us for the IFEA Convention in McAllen, TX, you will still have the chance to bid early and bid often on all your favorite items! PSS. Oh – and don’t forget – to help us increase the number of bidders at the Auction, please feel free to share, share, share the Auction site link with your friends and family, and on your social platforms. Stay tuned as the Online Auction link will be live a few weeks before the start of the Annual Convention.

Summer 2022

Alison Baringer, CFEE IFEA Foundation Board Chair Executive Director North Carolina Azalea Festival Wilmington, NC

2 2 0 2 r u o Meet Y

INTERNATIONAL FESTIVALS & EVENTS ASSOCIATION

IFEA Foundation Board of Directors

CHAIR ALISON BARINGER, CFEE North Carolina Azalea Festival at Wilmington, Inc. Wilmington, NC alison@ncazaleafestival.org

CHAIR-ELECT CASSIE DISPENZA Saffire Austin, TX cassie@saffire.com

SECRETARY KAT PAYE, CFEE National Cherry Festival Traverse City, MI kat@cherryfestival.org

IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR KEVIN GROTHE Memphis in May International Festival Memphis, TN kgrothe@memphisinmay.org

DAVE BULLARD The Great New York State Fair Syracuse, NY dave.bullard@agriculture.ny.gov

LUANN CHAPMAN The Gatts Group Grapevine, TX luchap@aol.com

ERIN FORTUNE, CFEE Music for All Indianapolis, IN erin.f@musicforall.org

ANNIE FRISOLI, CFEE Creating Community, LLC Goodyear, AZ anniefrisoli@gmail.com

JESSICA KAMINSKAS The Parade Company Detroit, MI jkaminskas@theparade.org

DAVID KNUTSON City Of Santa Clarita Santa Clarita, CA dknutson@santa-clarita.com

CURT MOSEL ArtsQuest Bethlehem, PA cmosel@artsquest.org

COLEEN MURPHY Des Moines Arts Festival Des Moines, IA cmurphy@desmoinesartsfestival.org

DAVID RAMIREZ TINT San Antonio, TX david.ramirez@tintup.com

IRA ROSEN, CFEE Temple University Philadelphia, PA irosen@temple.edu

BRUCE SMILEY KALIFF, CFEE Kaliff Insurance San Antonio, TX bas@kaliff.com

STEVEN WOOD SCHMADER, CFEE IFEA World Boise, ID schmader@ifea.com

DIANA MAYHEW, CFEE Chair - IFEA World Board Of Directors National Cherry Blossom Festival Washington, D.C. dmayhew@ncbfdc.org

The IFEA Foundation Board of Directors is an elected, non-compensated body of industry professionals responsible for overseeing the successful operations of the IFEA Foundation. Members proactively work to raise and secure important funding that helps to support and protect the educational mission of IFEA World.

VOLUNTEERISM

IN 2022: Strategies to Get Volunteers Back! By Will Young

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events

Summer 2022

In 2020, the event industry was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Most event professionals pivoted to virtual events and then later, social-distanced events throughout the year. A major part of these events was missing. Volunteers. Volunteers are one of the most important and sometimes most overlooked pieces of the festival and event industry. Volunteers help make our events run but also assist making our attendees feel welcome. During the past two years, this sector of the festival and event profession has changed for the foreseeable future. Events are seeing low volunteer numbers and high numbers of volunteer no-shows. 2021 offered most event planners a glimpse of what the future of events might look like. Some events got back to normal quickly. Some events opened with social distancing and capacity limits and throughout the year started to reopen slowly. This opened the door for volunteers to return to events. For some events, it has been a struggle. In Greenville (South Carolina), City events such as Sound Check or Main Street Fridays rely on around 20 volunteers per event. During the 2021 event season, these events were excited to get five to 10 volunteers. The city relies on a mix of individual volunteers and non-profits groups that volunteer so they can receive tip money that is raised during the event. There were only two groups that signed up to be volunteer beneficiaries for the events in 2021. For 2022, no groups have expressed interest. These events also saw high no-show rates in 2021. At the Bank of America Fall for Greenville Festival in Greenville, SC, there was over a 25% no-show rate. These numbers were echoed from other event professionals around the United States. Ira Rosen, Associate Professor of Event Management at Temple University, mentioned similar no-show rates with the PHS Philadelphia (PA) Flower Show in 2021. Volunteerism has seen fluctuation in participation levels like this throughout the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. The question for 2022 and beyond will be, how do planners get volunteers back at their events? How can events expand on recruitment strategies without redefining the position of volunteers? All festivals are looking for solutions moving

forward and want to make their events attractive to volunteers. The following four recruitment strategies described below are potential solutions that festivals and events might investigate for the 2022 event season. These strategies are not

Summer 2022

necessarily new, but each event may see different benefits from them. Group Recruitment Festivals have typically recruited professional groups, non-profits, and corporations to supply volunteers in the past. These groups volunteer for festivals or events and receive tip money or donations following the event. With restrictions looming large during the COVID-19 pandemic for those in the working environment, this has proven more difficult. For example, some corporations are still working from home, so it’s hard for them to require or ask personnel to volunteer at a festival. Same goes for non-profits. The local boy scouts or neighborhood associations might not be meeting in person, so it would be hard for them to recruit volunteers for an in-person event. One direction for festivals and events to go is to increase their monetary donations to the groups. Some events that have returned to in-person format have seen large numbers of attendees and with that have seen increases to their income. Festivals should review their bottom line and see if they could donate more to groups that are willing to volunteer.

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events 17

Another approach is getting group leaders more involved on the front end of festival and event planning. Festivals typically depend on group organizers to lead their groups onsite and during the events. Incorporating volunteer group leaders in the pre-planning stages would help them have a better idea on what positions they are recruiting for. These leaders have typically volunteered in previous years and have a better understanding of what is required to fill a position. Volunteer Benefits Historically, events have offered event tickets, merchandise, parking, access to the VIP area or after-festival events and special meals throughout their events. Fall for Greenville has offered event tickets, a free t-shirt and parking for volunteers that serve a certain number of hours. An issue that arises with perks like these is that they are finite. In volunteer surveys taken post-event, a lot of volunteers have said that they would like more tickets or more available parking. In the end, the festival only has so much it can give away. One item some festivals could investigate is better food options. Snacks and food tickets are nice perks for volunteers. But most festivals can do more. Festivals could explore prepared meals for volunteers that work a certain number of shifts. Incorporating food vendors or local chefs that have ties to the festivals could be an added plus for seasoned volunteers. Although it’s more work on festival staff to 18

make this happen, it would be an added benefit to the volunteers. Another option could be volunteer shuttles or preferred parking close to the event site. A major complaint at some of Greenville’s festivals in 2021 was lack of parking for volunteers. Multiple volunteers explained that they were late or chose not to fill their shift due to parking and traffic issues. Offering satellite parking with shuttle service might make it easier for volunteers to get to the event. It also would make it one less thing the volunteer has to worry about. One more option would be to host pre or post volunteer specific events to their service. Participating vendors typically love to support volunteer programs especially if it’s also supporting the festival. Engaging these vendors to give back to the volunteers that help run the festival would be a good promotional opportunity. Creating festival awards to award volunteers at post event activities could be a nice addition. This would promote another reason for volunteers to participate. It keeps volunteers engaged post event and creates a lasting memory. Better Training and On-Site Assistance A constant piece of feedback from volunteer surveys that our city has received is “better training opportunities”. In the past, we hosted in-person training opportunities for certain positions leading up to the festivals. Over the years, these became less and less attended by the volunteers. Prior to the COVID-19

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events

Summer 2022

pandemic, we shifted to pre-recorded videos for training for most positions. The festival still offered in-person training for the leadership positions such as block and beverage captains. Better on-site training would be a great way to help volunteers without requiring them to also attend another training outside of the normal event hours. Typically, we recruit volunteer leaders called “Block Captains”. These captains oversee checking in on each volunteer station in a required block. But when the festival gets going, it’s difficult to train volunteers on site. The festival has now started asking for vendor assistance with training volunteers on-site. In 2021, Fall for Greenville has worked with beverage vendors or hired full-time staff to be stationed under certain tents to help with the training process. Another training option is virtual trainings. One positive outcome from the pandemic is the availability and the awareness of virtual meetings and software. It offers volunteers easier opportunities to access staff. These trainings also allow the volunteers to watch training videos and follow up with questions. When you have large in-person trainings, it can be harder to get some questions answered. Lastly, using social media to help train volunteers or workers is a growing phenomenon. We have communicated with multiple festival vendors that have shifted to Tik Tok as a training resource. These quick, short videos are easy to record and easy to process if you are a

volunteer, learning quick tasks. There are multiple platforms that videos like this can be utilized moving forward. Community Engagement Another way some festivals are looking to increase volunteerism is creating committees for community engagement. Most events are made up of committees or board of directors that are volunteers themselves. One way to find new volunteer groups would be to empower these committees in the community and promote some of the volunteer opportunities. Promoting volunteer opportunities to companies is not a new strategy. Creating attractive volunteering opportunities for specific groups could be a way to encourage more groups to participate. For example, some festivals recruit smaller groups to fill entire booths. This gives the groups “team-building” exercises and lets them experience the festival together. This strategy could be a great way to get volunteers in “hard-to-fill” time slots. Also, creating a volunteer committee made up of core volunteers or group leaders is a positive way to engage volunteers and make them part of the volunteer process. Creating positions, timeslots, position descriptions and benefit packages should

involve stakeholder input from volunteers themselves. Incorporating volunteers in festival planning and letting them have a say in position descriptions and even placement might encourage them to recruit volunteers. They also might be able to select specific volunteers for certain positions. On a recent IFEA Volunteer Virtual Affinity Group, professionals from Wisconsin and California mentioned committees of lead volunteers and how helpful they’ve become. What’s Next? There is a lot still to learn about this new phase of event volunteerism. 2022 could be a year that most events feel as close to “normal” as they have since the beginning of the pandemic. Will volunteer numbers return to “normal” levels as well? Event planners are hopeful that instituting some of the strategies above will help bring these key positions back. It will be harder to recruit volunteers in the current climate. A lot of people have not had volunteer opportunities since 2019 or early 2020. These volunteers have found new hobbies or new ways to give back to the community. Finding new volunteers and new volunteer recruitment strategies is a must for festivals and events across the country.

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Recruitment strategies have evolved throughout the years of volunteerism at festivals and events. Event planners must adjust their old recruitment strategies to get new volunteers. Recruiting groups, better volunteer benefits, better training opportunities, and engaging the community are just a few steps that will help in this area. Event planners are constantly adjusting their event sites and layouts to figure out how best to utilize their event infrastructure. It is time now to start thinking about how best to utilize and recruit volunteers. Planners should be meeting with volunteer leaders, forming volunteer committees and get their opinions on how best to manage a volunteer program. Will Young is the Tourism Administrator for the City of Greenville in Greenville, SC. Since 2009, he has served as an Event Coordinator, Special Event Manager and Downtown Project Manager for the City. Will oversees five divisions, Event Management, Sales & Marketing, Downtown Projects, Public Art and the Unity Park Welcome Center.

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THE INTENTIONAL LEADER

WITH ANNIE FRISOLI, CFEE

HUMANITY IN THE WORKPLACE

BECOMING A LEADER VS. BOSS

irst, I would like to thank a fellow IFEA member for the inspiration behind this particular column. An IFEA member and I had a chat this past week to discuss upcoming training initiatives for their team, but we also took a moment to have a great conversation about a leadership strategy they had used recently. The strategy they shared was simply about bringing humanity into the workplace and the profound impact it had on their team. It was also about them continuing to challenge themselves as a leader and recognizing the way we interact with those we lead can have a major impact on morale and productivity. The conversation we shared sparked some thoughts around the age-old concept of boss vs. leader. Thus, I thought why not brainstorm some of the differences.

like to be a leader! Here are a few thoughts to elevate your role.

Difference #1: Bosses say what needs to improve, but leaders inspire it. It’s the boss’s job to get people to improve. However, a leader makes people want to improve. Leaders build strong connections and get people eager to tackle new strategies and solve problems. They get their teams on the same page and excited about positive change. That translates to incredible teams who work well together and are willing to go above and beyond in their projects.

Embrace different strengths and believe in your team. Be okay with your team functioning at different levels. They won’t all be able to excel at everything, however, they all excel in different areas - learn to delegate effectively based on individual’s abilities. A great leader sees individual potential and develops a plan to help their team grow based on the different strengths each person brings. Don’t try to micromanage everything your team does. Give them room to figure things out on their own and let them know they can come to you when they need assistance.

Difference #2: Bosses are in a different league, but leaders are approachable. Look, it can be tough being a boss. People can be afraid of their boss or don’t feel they can trust them. On the other hand, leaders are generally liked by everyone on their team. Instead of using scare tactics, leaders choose kindness, encouragement, and to lead by example. This motivates people to strive harder and makes them comfortable thinking outside of the box. It also means they’re willing to seek out help and talk through their ideas, which is vital for a healthy and productive workplace. Difference #3: A boss tells people what to do, but a leader opens communication. Bosses say, “We need to accomplish this, this, and this by this day.” Leaders explain why new initiatives matter, connect to their audience, and open communication so that everyone can get on the same page.

Spend time getting to know each person on your team. There’s nothing more frustrating for an employee than not knowing how they’re doing. However, many employees are hesitant to reach out to their supervisor, especially in the first few months at a new job. Make it easy for your team to talk to you by initiating conversations weekly. When you spend time talking to people about their lives, the small problems they’re having, and their little wins, you open the door for conversations about goal setting and how to go after bigger projects.

Celebrate And Motivate If you were responsible for winning a $15,000 grant for your agency or a major sponsor for an event, how would you feel if you opened emails praising your boss for all YOUR hard work? A leader isn’t concerned with gaining points from their team member’s successes. Instead, they celebrate their team’s accomplishments. Leaders acknowledge people’s hard work and show appreciation for their time, commitment, and knowledge. The role of a leader is to lead, not to take credit for the work their team produces. By celebrating your team’s accomplishments, you encourage each member to continue doing their best work. Who doesn’t like recognition when it’s due? Feel free to keep in mind some of these thoughts to transition from a boss to a leader.

Difference #4: A boss wants to look good, but a leader cares about the work they do. Bosses are preoccupied with data and finding ways to prove themselves. Leaders care deeply about the company’s mission, values, and culture. They find ways to improve their company culture so that everyone is committed to doing their best work. Which are you? Now that you’ve read four key differences between bosses and leaders… which would you rather be? I’m hoping you said you’d 20

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Annie Frisoli is Founder & CEO of Creating Community, LLC. She hosts leadership workshops for individuals and organizations, staff retreats to build cohesive teams, and strategic planning sessions for teams and board members. She is a popular speaker and adds energy to any space she arrives. Annie (CFEE), is also a faculty member at the IFEA/NRPA Event Management School and serves on the IFEA Foundation Board. For more information: www.anniefrisoli.com

BOARD PROFILE

David Eads Joined IFEA World Board in 2022 Description of Event/Business: The Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association annually produces “America’s New Year Celebration” - The Rose Parade presented by Honda and the Rose Bowl Game. The Association’s 935 volunteer members work year-round to organize the events of the Association, with the support of 35 professional staff members.

FACTS ON FILE Years in the Festival/ Event Business: 35 Years at Current Place of Employment: 5 Years

In Conversation

Highest Level of Education: MBA

How did you get into the Festivals/Events Industry? My first job out of college was working in destination marketing for a convention & visitors bureau, which introduced me to the world of events. I’ve been fortunate to have events as part of my job responsibilities over the past 35 years of my career.

Degree Received: MBA in Marketing

What has been your biggest Professional Challenge? My biggest professional challenge has been navigating the COVID-19 pandemic that hit the world in early 2020. The pandemic forced the Tournament to cancel the Rose Parade for only the second time in its 130+ year history. In addition, the Rose Bowl Game was relocated to Arlington, Texas due to the status of COVID in Southern California. Out of challenges like these come opportunities, and for the first time ever the Association produced its own two-hour television special, “The Rose Parade’s New Year Celebration” which was carried on ABC, NBC, Univision, Hallmark Channel, RFD-TV and locally in Southern California by KTLA-5.

Year Graduated: 1986

What is the best advice you’ve ever received? I think the ability to listen and understand is key to anyone’s success in the business world, and this was imparted on me by a mentor early in my career. He always told me we have “two ears and one mouth”... do the math. If you are not growing, you are dying. Whether personally or professionally, we need to challenge ourselves and our organizations to improve every day. What advice would you give the younger version of yourself as you started out in the Festivals & Events Industry? Be patient, do great work, and opportunities will come to you. What do you do to relax? I’m a big outdoors person, so living in Southern California I love to go to the beach, hike in the mountains, run and bike and ski in the winter. What is your personal philosophy? Carpe Diem! Seize the Day! 22

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Graduating University: Wichita State University

Family Details: Bohdi the pug Last Book or Business Book Read: Unbroken Last Movie Watched: King Richard Last Festival Attended (that wasn’t your own): SXSW Favorite Festival Food / Drink: Funnel Cake and Lemonade David Eads Executive Director & CEO Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association America’s New Year Celebration - The Rose Parade and Rose Bowl Game Pasadena, CA, United States 626.817.9350 deads@tournamentofroses.com www.tournamentofroses.com

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LONG-DISTANCE LEADERSHIP: Managing a Remote or Hybrid Workforce the Right Way By Kate Zabriskie Managing people who work from home is nothing new for many leaders, but getting the mechanics right can be another matter. With a few smart moves, anyone can learn to manage a remote workforce effectively. Move One: Recognize that you may have been thrown into the deep end of the pool without much of preparation. A lot of leaders who are managing remote or hybrid teams didn’t get much warning about their new normal. People were in the office one day and gone the next. Although everybody did the best they could at the time, fast answers and actions don’t always equal good management. If your remote or hybrid team isn’t running like a well-oiled machine, take a hard look at why, and don’t use location as an excuse. Move Two: Stop trying to make remote work function as in-person work does. In much the same way that apples are apples and oranges are oranges, remote work is different from an in-person experience. Accept an embrace the differences. Yes, people working remotely may move laundry from the washer to the dryer in between meetings. Yes, they may answer the doorbell during work hours. No, you’re not going to run into them in the cafeteria. And just because they will answer email at 9:00 pm doesn’t mean that you should accept that behavior as a given. Remote is remote, and onsite is onsite. Think about how you should adjust your style and behaviors to enable people to give you their best in each environment. Move Three: Plan better. Managers without a plan and routines often survive in an onsite environment. Their charm, personalities, and quick thinking saves the day. When work goes remote, however, many of those people stumble. Leading at a distance requires deliberate calendaring and regular checkin meetings.

Some people check in at the beginning or end of each day, others meet ever other day, and some schedule virtual lunches. Regardless of the specifics, what’s consistent is a contact pattern. To keep your remote group in the loop, build routines and stick with them. In uncertain times, this is one area where you can nail it simply by having a plan and executing it. Move Four: Be specific about expectations. Strong managers know that clear expectations are an essential element in the equation for getting what they want, and remote work amplifies the requirement. In other words, if you are not clear, don’t be surprised when you are disappointed. Ask yourself a lot of questions. Do you expect people to be available at certain hours? Do you expect them to shut work off at a certain time? Have you told your team what you want in terms of quantity and quality of work? What about milestones and status updates? Move Five: Resist the urge to micromanage. “Even though she says she works best late at night and our work doesn’t slow down if she keeps odd hours, I don’t care. I want her focused from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, just as if she were in the office.” While there are plenty of reasons to zero in on how work is done, ask yourself if you’re too deep in the weeds. For instance, if your direct report has a kid’s soccer game at 3:00 in the afternoon but he started working at 6:00 in the morning, does that schedule shift affect the work in any material way? If not, and you can’t flex, you’re not doing yourself any favors. Most people dislike working for control freaks and will get away from them when the opportunity presents itself. Move Six: Spend more time connecting the dots and explaining why. “Rebecca, you are in a customer-facing role. Because our clients may need to reach you during our core hours, it’s important that you are available to them Summer 2022

between 9:00 and 5:00 each day.” A why explanation communicates not only the expectation but the reason behind it. When a reason is missing, people draw their own conclusions about why, and sometimes they get it wrong. “Rebecca, we need you to be available between 9:00 and 5:00.” In the second example, Rebecca may conclude that her core hours requirement is due to micromanaging instead of a genuine business need – a false conclusion, but nevertheless the one at which she arrived. Move Seven: Help the team make connections with each other. Good remote managers have strong relationships with their direct reports. Great remote managers do the same, and they help their people connect with each other. In practical terms, this means scheduling watercooler time and deliberate team building. Move Eight: Ask for feedback. Thanks to technology advances and shifting norms, the remote workplace is constantly evolving. What worked two years ago may not work today, and what’s working now probably won’t be the perfect fit in the future. Periodically take stock and ask your team for feedback. Do you get enough guidance? Do you get too much? Do you feel connected with your coworkers? What can we do to improve? What should we stop doing? If you ask good questions, you’ll learn a lot. Leading at a distance is a skill anyone can develop. What’s your next move? Kate Zabriskie is the president of Business Training Works, Inc., a Maryland-based talent development firm. She and her team provide onsite, virtual, and online soft-skills training courses and workshops to clients in the United States and internationally. For more information, visit www.businesstrainingworks.com.

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THE SPONSOR DOC

WITH BRUCE L. ERLEY, APR, CFEE

REFLECTIONS ON A CAREER

SELLING SPONSORSHIP (PART I) Dear Readers: At the end of this year, I am trading my sales hat for sponsorship consulting. I’ve enjoyed more than 40 years representing many different organizations and events in their quest for sponsors, but it’s time to pass that torch to a younger generation. I was asked to share some of my thoughts and reflections on a career selling sponsorship. Frankly, it’s too long for one column so this is Part I. I hope you find it helpful. So, after more than four decades in sponsorship sales, what have I learned? First it starts with your Sales Philosophy. What is your fundamental understanding and approach to selling sponsorship? Why would someone want to spend money on your event? • Sponsorship is a Marketing relationship. Many events are nonprofit and have a philanthropic mindset, that sponsorship is a version of fundraising. It is NOT. Sponsors are spending dollars with events to advance their marketing and communications goals, not their corporate contributions objectives. • It’s All about the Audience. You need to know all you can about the audience your festival delivers. Sponsors are buying access to your audience, and they want to be sure they will find their target customer at your event. Demographic information is the minimum of what you need to provide. If you can add lifestyle or future buying habits, even better. • You must provide a positive value proposition Like any purchase decision, you must be able to demonstrate that you are providing a positive return on investment. More and more, sponsorship packages are being “scored” by sponsors or their marketing agencies. Proposals and post event reports must include the necessary metrics to reflect the positive ROI the sponsor receives. • Sell the “Why” not the “What” Too often, events spend all their time describing their event, what they accomplish, and how they will use the sponsor support. Instead, you must address the “why.” Why should the prospect be interested in a partnership with you? Why does your event excel other opportunities they are likely reviewing? How are you going to help them achieve their goals?

ful picture of how they will benefit from alignment with you? Can you effectively forecast the positive results they will receive? • Organization & Preparation – You must be ready to sell! Do your homework. Research your prospect on Google and LinkedIn. Have your proposals buttoned-up and ready to go. Know your event so well that you can answer questions or address objections quickly and easily. • Discernment – How effective are you at understanding a sponsor’s needs? Can you distinguish between what they are saying and what they are meaning? Is their body language revealing what they might be thinking? Can you effectively express back to them what you are hearing? • Innovation & Creativity – Sponsorship is a creative medium. I love coming up with solutions that are unique and outside the box. Often these are the ideas that secure a positive decision to move forward with a sponsorship. • Problem Solving – In our business, stuff happens. You must be an effective problem-solver. I never bring a problem to a sponsor without a solution already in mind. “Make goods” are essential to keeping relationships strong. Finally, I’ve found that sponsorship salespeople need to have a “fire in the belly.” I get so pumped when I put together a deal that meets the sponsor’s goals as well as those of the events I represent. These win-wins give me a high that is hard to replace. In the next issue, I’ll cover other reflections including consultative sales, relational sales, how to get deals done, and the role your attitude plays. Until then, The Sponsor Doc

Next you need to be sure you have the right Personal Skill Sets to sell sponsorship. To some people these skills come naturally. Others develop “sales chops” over time with training and professional development. I have found these skills to be essential to a successful career selling sponsorship. • Solid communications skills – You must be able to effectively represent yourself and your property in both the spoken and written word. Clear, articulate, compelling and succinct communications skills are a must. • Persuasion – Frankly, this has more to do with listening than talking. Without “puffing” or deceiving someone, can you convince them to see your perspective? Can you paint a power26

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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

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

2022 IFEA / HAAS & WILKERSON PINNACLE AWARDS COMPETITION

GAIN THE RECOGNITION YOUR EVENT DESERVES…

ach year, the International Festivals & Events Association recognizes outstanding accomplishments and top-quality creative, promotional, operational and community outreach programs and materials produced by festivals and events around the world, with the Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Awards Competition. This prestigious awards competition strives for the highest degree of excellence in festival and event promotions and operations, and in doing so, has raised the standards and quality of the festivals & events industry to new levels.

From events large or small, cities, festivals, chambers, universities, parks & recreation departments, vendors & suppliers, and everything in between, events and promotions of nearly every type and size will have the opportunity to be recognized, as entries are categorized into organizations with similar sized budgets. From best Event Poster, T-Shirt, Hat, Promotional Brochure, Website, TV Promotion and Social Media site to best Volunteer Program, Green Program, Sponsor Follow-Up Report and Media Relations Campaign, there’s a place for almost every element of your event to be recognized. The IFEA / Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Awards have provided many outstanding examples of how event producers can use innovation and creativity to achieve a higher level of success. One of the goals of the IFEA is to promote the professionalism of our members and the festivals and events industry as a whole. Therefore, to add further impact to the winning organizations, the IFEA will provide your organization with a press release template for you to distribute to your media list explaining the award and the competition. Your organization will be recognized for taking part in raising the level of professionalism throughout the industry, while at the same time improving your community.

RECOGNIZING THE PAST FEW YEARS

Over the past few years, the festivals and events industry has been faced with challenges that we never could have imagined, let alone prepared for. Those unprecedented challenges called for unprecedented responses so we adapted, we ‘pivoted’, we went virtual, we postponed and sometimes, we had to cancel. Through it all though, the past few years have reminded us of the critical importance that festivals and events play in our communities, countries and across the globe. With all this in mind, as you prepare your entries for the 2022 IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Awards Competition, please be sure to address not only your successes in your entries, but also the challenges that you have gone through that have brought you to where you are today. Your entries will be so much richer and stronger for it.

NEW THIS YEAR

As the world took giant leaps in the virtual world over the past couple of years, we took a big jump ourselves and made the decision to take the IFEA/ Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Awards Competition virtual too! What does that mean? It means: All entries will now be submitted in digital format only. No more printing out your entries. No more sending in your last merchandise item. No more 3 ring binders. And… no more shipping your entries to the IFEA Office by the final deadline! Simply create digital versions of all your entries, enter them through our online entry form, and pay for them all at one time! (For more details on specific format types accepted, how to name the file names of your entries and how to submit online, keep reading!) So, what are you waiting for? Start creating your entries TODAY! Complete the online entry form, upload or provide a link to your entries and then click SUBMIT, so they can be judged against the best of the best, in the festivals and events industry. Then get ready to hear your organization’s name announced at the next Annual IFEA Convention, Expo & Retreat when we once again get to say… “And the winners are… !” Summer 2022

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THE CONTEST NEW All entries must be SUBMITTED and PAID FOR on line. Please review and follow the guidelines in this brochure on how to format, submit and pay for your entries in addition to reviewing the entry require ments for each category. When you are ready to submit an entry online, go to: www.ifea.com/p/industryawards/pinnacleawards/ thisyear/EnterHere Questions: Please contact Nia Hovde, CFEE at nia@ifea.com. DEADLINES All entries must be submitted and paid for, ONLINE*, by the following dates: • EARLY BIRD ENTRY DEADLINE: 5:00 p.m. (MST), MONDAY, MARCH 7, 2022 Entries received on or prior to 5:00 p.m. (MST), Monday, March 7, 2022 will receive the Early Bird rate of $35 per entry or $125 per Grand Pinnacle Entry. • WITH TIME TO SPARE ENTRY DEADLINE: 5:00 p.m. (MDT), MONDAY, MAY 2, 2022 Entries received between Tuesday, March 8, 2022 and 5:00 p.m. (MDT), Monday, May 2, 2022 will receive the With Time to Spare Entry Deadline rate of $40 per entry or $150 per Grand Pinnacle Entry. • FINAL ENTRY DEADLINE: 5:00 p.m. (MDT), MONDAY, JUNE 27, 2022 Entries received between Tuesday, May 3, 2022 and 5:00 p.m. (MDT), Monday, June 27, 2022 will receive the Final Entry rate of $45 per entry or $200 per Grand Pinnacle Entry. ELIGIBILITY • Must be an IFEA Member to enter. • Entries must have been produced and / or used for the first time between July 16, 2019 and June 27, 2022. ° If you produced an event each year, you are able to enter your events for each year with the understanding you would compete against yourself if you entered in the same category. ° If you plan to enter MULTIPLE ENTRIES of the SAME CATEGORY, you must Check Out and Pay for the 1st entry of that category, before the 2nd entry of the same category can be entered. Failing to do so, will cause the 2nd entry of the same category, to over-ride the 1st entry. • Entry(ies) must be submitted, received and paid for, by the above deadline dates to be eligible. • An online entry form must be completed in its entirety for each entry being submitted. • The number of entries must equal the number of categories entered. One entry | One online entry form. • Judges will not refer to items in other categories, nor will they transfer items already judged in other categories. • Entries and online entry forms must be submitted in English. 30

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PAYMENT OF ENTRIES • Entry(ies) must be paid for in-full, online* when submitting entry(ies). ° *If you need to pay by check or be invoiced for your entries, please contact Nia Hovde, CFEE at nia@ifea.com, BEFORE you start your entry process. • Please consider the processing of your payment for your Pinnacle entries, notice that your entries were received and processed. However, please don’t hesitate to contact Nia Hovde, CFEE at nia@ifea.com to confirm or ask questions. NEW All entries must be submitted in digital format. (No physical entries will be accepted). Please review and follow the below guidelines for how to save the file name for each of your entries, in what file format and how to submit your entries. ENTRY FILE NAME FORMAT For Categories 1, 1373, please save the file name for your entry, using the following format, with no spaces aside from three dashes: • Beginning of every Pinnacle entry file name: 2022IFEAPinnacles • Middle of every Pinnacle entry file name: Category Number C# Budget Number B# (Replace # with actual category number and Budget Number.) (So, it should read: C27B3 – for Category 27, Budget 3) • End of every Pinnacle entry file name: Your Organi zation NameYour Event Name (So, ABCOrganiza tionDEFFestival) ° Note: If entering more than one entry of the same category – please add the number 1, 2, 3 etc. after your Festival name, to clearly identify each entry. • File extension: (.pdf | .jpg | .png) An example of an actual file name would be: 2022IFEAPinnaclesC27B3ABCOrganization DEFFestival (.pdf | .jpg | .png) ENTRY FILE TYPE FORMATS Please save your entry(ies) in the following formats: • For Category 1 ° Save as one (1) PDF file to include ALL entry information and supporting materials. ° Document page size must be no greater than 8.5 inches x 11 inches (or A4 size paper) ° Preferred layout to be white background with black text. ° Font size for any written text must not be smaller than 11pt. ° Entry must be submitted in English. • For Categories 2-12 ° Submit each entry in a digital format by providing a separate direct Online Link for each entry to be viewed online / downloaded. Link must remain active until October 31, 2022.

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• For Categories 13-15 ° Save each entry as a single PDF, JPG or PNG file. • For Categories 16 – 19 ° Save each entry as a single PDF file. • For Categories 20 – 37 ° Save each entry as a single PDF, JPG or PNG file. See category details for complete image requirements. • For Categories 38-72 ° Save each individual entry as one (1) PDF File to include ALL entry information and supporting materials. ° Document page size must be no greater than 8.5 inches x 11 inches (or A4 size paper) ° Preferred layout to be white background with black text. ° Font size for any written text must not be smaller than 11pt. ° Entry must be submitted in English. For questions on entry format, Contact: Nia Hovde, CFEE, nia@ifea.com. SUBMITTING ENTRIES: All entries must be submitted in a digital format on the online entry form by either: OPTION 1: UPLOAD A PDF, JPG or PNG FILE of each entry on the online entry form. ° Categories 1, 13-73 eligible for this option. ° NOTE: File upload size limit is 20 MB per entry. The larger the file size, the longer your entry will take to upload. OPTION 2: PROVIDE A DIRECT LINK on the online entry form, to view / download each entry. ° For Categories 2-12 – Submit link to YouTube (or similar) / Social Media page / Website, etc. ° For Categories 1, 13-73 – Submit a direct link to a PDF, JPG or PNG file of your entry that has been uploaded to YOUR online storage site (Dropbox, Google Drive, WeTransfer, etc.) • If selecting this option, make sure your share settings allow “Anyone with the Link” to access the file – no password required. Link must remain active until October 31, 2022. OPTION 3: SAVE ALL ENTRIES TO A SINGLE USB Thumb Drive and MAIL to the IFEA World Headquarters Office. ° If selecting this option • An online entry form must be completed for each entry. • Payment must still be submitted online for entry(ies) unless other arrangements have been made. • Please contact Nia Hovde, CFEE, Vice President/Director of Marketing & Communications at nia@ifea.com, to coordinate arrangements.

° Please clearly label USB Drive with your Organization Name. ° MAIL USB DRIVE TO: International Festivals & Events Association Attention: Pinnacle Awards 10400 Overland Rd. #356 Boise, ID 83709, USA YOUR EVENT/ORGANIZATION LOGO • After submitting your entries, please also submit ONE (1) high-resolution copy of your Organization OR Event logo. • Please email to nia@ifea.com - Subject: Logo for 2022 Pinnacle Entry for “Your Event Name / Organization Name.” • Only one logo will be used. Please send your preferred logo. THE JUDGES Entries are judged by recognized professionals in the fields of radio, television, website development, social/multi/ print-media, graphic design, photography, promotions, public relations, marketing, advertising and festival & event planning and management. SCORING SYSTEM • Categories 1, 38-73 will be judged using a point system for each individual entry. Each entry is scored separately. Scores will not be combined. • A possible total of 100 points may be awarded to each entry. • Be sure to answer and include all necessary information for each entry. • If a required element within an entry is not applicable to your event, please state so within your entry to avoid being marked down on points and/or indicate what element you have instead. • The scoring system is not applicable to TV, Radio, Multimedia, Print & some Merchandising categories. • Scores are available upon request. • Failure to meet all requirements or answer / provide all necessary information will result in a deduction of points. THE WINNERS • Gold, Silver and Bronze Awards will be given in each of the budget categories listed below within a specific category so like sized Festivals/Events/Organizations are judged against each other. Judges may combine budget categories within a specific entry, if the number of entries warrants it. ° Each Pinnacle Category is divided into the following budget categories based on the Organization’s Event Expense Budget (USD, include all cash outflows) (See Pinnacle FAQ at ifea.com for definition): • Under $100,000 (Budget #1) • $100,000 to $750,000 (Budget #2) • $750,000 to $2 Million (Budget #3) • Over $2 Million (Budget #4)

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• For all entries, each winning festival/event receiving a Gold, Silver or Bronze award is selected from those festivals and events who enter the IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Awards Competition and are judged on the overall excellence of a festival / event based on the specific criteria and requirements of the specific category(ies) being entered, within each of the four separate budget categories. Festivals / Events recognized as an “IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Award Winner”, are entitled to use that specific language in sharing the news about a Pinnacle win, for the specific category(ies) won. Language declaring a Festival / Event as the “Best Festival / Event in the World by the IFEA”, is not correct or in line with the nature of the competition and will not be supported or endorsed by the IFEA. • All winners for the IFEA / Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Awards will be notified by email by Date TBA. Notification will go all contacts listed on the Awards entry form. If you have not received a notification email, please contact nia@ifea.com. • The 2022 IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Award winners will be announced at the next Annual IFEA Convention & Expo. • All winners will receive an email on the evening of the Awards Presentation which will include a complete list of winners, press release, logos, etc. This email will go to ALL contacts listed on the Pinnacle Awards Entry Form. • A complete list of winners will be posted on the IFEA Website the evening of the Awards Presentation. • If you are not able to be present at the IFEA Awards Presentation to accept your award(s), they will be mailed to you 3 weeks after the IFEA Annual Convention. ° Awards will be shipped via the United States Postal Service (USPS) and may take up to 4 weeks to arrive at their destination, once shipped (depending on location). ° If you would like the IFEA to ship your awards via UPS or FedEx, in order to arrive faster, please indicate that preference on the entry form so we can coordinate the shipment of your awards. You will be responsible for all shipping fees. • Organizations submitting entries for the Grand Pinnacle category must register at least one person for the Annual IFEA Convention & Expo, or arrange for a representative to accept any award won on your behalf. • Winning entries will be posted online on the IFEA Member Only section of ifea.com for other IFEA Members to view after they have been announced.

° Confirm you have the rights, licenses, permissions and consents to enter the specific Festival / Event in to the competition. ° Confirm that all information within each of your entries is true and accurate to the best of your knowledge. ° Confirm you acknowledge that entering the competition does not automatically guarantee you will win an award. ° Acknowledge your entry/ies are not returnable or refundable. ° Your entry into the competition is acknowledgement of these terms. • As a not-for-profit 501 (c) 6 organization the IFEA reserves the right to refuse entries from any individual or organization who, at its sole discretion, may represent / display unprofessional, unlawful, unethical, unsafe or other actions/ positions deemed contrary to the best interests of the IFEA and our global industry. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS As you prepare your entries, you will have many questions. To help answer many of your questions, we have posted our most frequently asked questions on the IFEA website at www.ifea.com/p/industryawards/pinnacleawards/ pinnacle-faqs. Check back often as we’ll continue to post questions and answers as they come in. TIPS AND POINTERS If you have never participated in the IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Insurance Pinnacle Awards Competition before, be sure to take a look at some helpful tips and pointers on how to enter that we have gathered from fellow members over the years, to point you in the right direction. They can be found at www.ifea.com/p/industryawards/pinnacleawards/pinnacle-tips--pointers. QUESTIONS? Contact: Nia Hovde, CFEE, Vice President/Director of Marketing & Communications at Email: nia@ifea.com.

RELEASE & USAGE • By submitting your entry to the IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Awards Competition, you automatically: ° Grant the IFEA the right to use any materials and/or photos from your entries for editorial, analytical, promotional or any other purpose without additional compensation or permission. 32

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THE GRAND PINNACLE 1) GRAND PINNACLE

The Grand Pinnacle is the highest award given by the IFEA in recognition of those Festivals and Events* who have a balance of all the elements necessary to ensure a successful event. *Award Winners will be selected from those festivals and events who enter the IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Awards Competition and are judged on the overall excellence of a festival / event within each of the four separate budget categories based on the specific criteria and requirements of the Grand Pinnacle category. Festivals / Events recognized as an “IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Grand Pinnacle Award Winner”, are entitled to use that specific language in sharing the news about a Grand Pinnacle win. Language declaring a Festival / Event as the “Best Festival / Event in the World by the IFEA”, is not correct or in line with the nature of the competition and will not be supported or endorsed by the IFEA.

ENTRY INFORMATION:

Submit entry as one (1) PDF file to include ALL entry information and supporting materials. Complete sections 1-3 in the order listed below, in addition to providing Supporting Materials throughout your entry. Points will be awarded to the individual sections of your entry, in addition to the overall Judges Criteria. New: Entry to be submitted online. Please review page size/font requirements, file entry formats, file size, file name format procedures and how to submit entry on pages 2-3 of this brochure.

Supporting Materials: (10 Points)

As applicable, please include any necessary supporting materials for the festival/event, limiting materials to no more than 5 examples for each occurrence, throughout sections 1 and 2 of your entry. Place supporting materials within their specific section.

1. Introductory Information: (10 points)

Within a maximum of 4 pages (total), provide an overview of the following information (a-k) for your event, in the order listed below. Please title each section as noted below: a. A one (1) paragraph promotional overview of your Festival / Event. b. A brief history and description of your Festival / Event. c. Purpose / Mission d. Event Dates e. Types of Activities Included Under the Festival / Event Umbrella f. Overall Revenue and Expense Budget g. Estimated Economic Impact h. Attendance Numbers & Demographics i. Volunteer Count & Demographics j. Staffing Numbers and Positions k. Founding / Incorporation Date and Management System (i.e.: 501(c)3 Non-Profit staff & volunteer board; city managed; profit-making partnership, etc.)

2. Additional Requirements: (40 Points)

Provide a detailed overview for each of the sections listed below (a-e*) for your festival / event, using no more than two (2) pages for each section. *Be sure to clearly identify each section in order assist the judging process. If your festival / event does not have something that is asked for listed below, please address why your event does not include that element, or what you provide instead, so as not to lose points from the judges. a. Overall Marketing Campaign & Media Outreach Includes, but not limited to an overview of your: • Media Relations, Multi-Media and Social Media Campaigns • News Stunts / Press Kits • Promotions • Advertisements

b. Overall Sponsorship Program Provide an overview of your overall sponsorship program including: • Who and how many sponsors, and what did they sponsor? • Total sponsorship funds • Sponsor activation examples c. Critical Component Programs: Provide no more than one (1) page description for each of the following programs* *Be sure to clearly identify each program in order to assist the judging process. If not applicable, please state as such and/or what your festival / event has in its place.) • Merchandise Program • Volunteer Program • Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Plan • Accessibility Program • Entertainment Program (music, artists, theatre, performers etc.) • Virtual Programming • Food & Beverage Program • Green Program • Educational Program • Children’s Program • Community Outreach Program • Health & Safety Plan • Emergency Preparedness Plan d. Descriptions of any other Special Programs unique to your event.

3. Supporting Questions: (10 points) Please answer the following

questions (a-d). (Maximum of 1 page per question) a. What did you do to update / change the event from the year before? Were your updates / changes successful? Please provide measurable results / examples. • If the event is a new event, please answer the following question instead: “What challenges / obstacles did you foresee / encounter in creating the event, and how did you handle them?” Please provide measurable results / examples. b. What adaptations and modifications did you make to this Festival/ Event due to the Pandemic? c. What makes the event stand out as an internationally recognized event? d. Why should the event win the IFEA / Haas & Wilkerson Grand Pinnacle Award?

Judging Criteria: (30 points)

In addition to being judged on the information provided in Sections 1-3 above, the Grand Pinnacle entry will be judged based on the criteria listed below. The following Judging Criteria is applicable to both the individual entry and the overall event. • Is the entry / event professional and easy to understand? • Is the message clear, concise, organized and informative? • Is the entry / event designed and laid out well? • Is the entry / event creative and / or display originality? • Is the entry / event compelling enough to engage an audience? • Does the entry relay the image of the event? • What is the overall impression? • Have all supporting materials and measurable results been provided? • Does the entry match the purpose / mission for the event? • Have all requirements been met?

Additional Notes:

• Be sure to answer and provide information for every item requested in Sections 1-3. Failure to provide information requested will result in a deduction of points. If a required item is not applicable to your event, please state as such and/or what your festival / event has in its place. • Grand Pinnacle entry must score a minimum of 60 points or higher to be considered as a Gold, Silver or Bronze winner. • This entry is separate from all other categories and divisions. Judges will not refer to, or transfer items from other categories. • Organizations submitting entries for the Grand Pinnacle category must register at least one person for the next Annual IFEA Convention & Expo or arrange for a representative to accept any award your behalf.

CATEGORIES TELEVISION & RADIO CATEGORIES Includes TV/ Radio items used to promote a Festival / Event / Organization. ENTRY INFORMATION FOR CATEGORIES 25: • For categories 2-5, entries will be reviewed online by judges. • Entries must be submitted in a digital format by providing a separate direct online link for each entry, to be viewed / downloaded. • Link must remain active until October 31, 2022. • Please make sure the link works, before you submit. • These are standalone items and no written information is required. New: Entry to be submitted online. Please review page size/font requirements, file entry formats, file size, file name format procedures and how to submit entry on pages 2-3 of this brochure. Judging Criteria: Each entry will be judged based on the below criteria. • Does the entry relay the image of the event? • Is the entry creative and / or display originality? • Is the entry compelling enough to engage an audience? • Does it have visual impact? • Is the message clear, concise, organized and informative? • What is the “Usability” factor? • What is the overall impression?

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BEST TV PROMOTION

BEST FULLLENGTH TV PROGRAM

BEST VIDEO PROMOTION

BEST RADIO PROMOTION

Summer 2022

For an Ad Spot or PSA used to promote a Festival / Event. Submit link to view video online.

For a Local / National / Syndicated TV Program used to promote a Festival / Event. Submit link to view video online.

For any kind of video promotion used to promote a Festival / Event. Submit link to view video online.

For an Ad Spot or PSA used to promote a Festival / Event. Submit link to hear radio online.

CATEGORIES MULTIMEDIA CATEGORIES Includes multi-media items used to promote a Festival / Event / Organization. ENTRY INFORMATION FOR CATEGORIES 612: • For categories 6-12, entries will be reviewed online by judges. • Submit categories 6-12, in a digital format by providing a separate direct Online Link for each entry to be viewed online / downloaded. Link must remain active until October 31, 2022. • Be sure the website link goes to exactly where you wish the judges to go first. • Refer to any additional entry information listed next to each category. • These are standalone items and no written information is required.

BEST MOBILE APPLICATION

BEST MULTIMEDIA COMPONENT

BEST EVENT WEBSITE

BEST ORGANIZATION WEBSITE

New: Entry to be submitted online. Please review page size/font requirements, file entry formats, file size, file name format procedures and how to submit entry on pages 2-3 of this brochure. Also available to enter: Category #61 - Best Virtual Festival/Event Category #62 - Best Hybrid Festival/Event Category #63 - Best Festival / Event Adaptation Category #67 - Best Social Media Campaign Judging Criteria: Each entry will be judged based on the below criteria. • Does the entry relay the image of the event? • Does it have visual impact? • Is the entry organized and easy to navigate? • Does the entry have exceptional design features and display originality? • Is the entry creative and / or display originality? • Is the entry compelling enough to engage an audience? • What is the “Usability” factor? • What is the overall impression?

Includes mobile applications or mobile responsive websites for a Festival / Event. Submit web address for where to obtain mobile application or view website.

Includes, but is not limited to items such as: Screen Savers, Electronic Billboards, Podcasts, Interviews, Educational/Instructional videos, Montage videos, etc. used to promote a Festival / Event. Does NOT include items that could be entered into categories 2-11 or 13-15. Submit link to view item online. Only one multimedia item per entry. For a Festival / Event specific website. Different from main organization website. Submit Web Address Only. For an Organization Website who produces many Festivals / Events specific. Different from specific Festival / Event website. Submit Web Address Only.

NEW 10) BEST FACEBOOK SITE

For a Festival / Event / or Festival Organization Facebook site. Submit Social Media Site Address Only.

NEW 11) BEST TWITTER SITE

For a Festival / Event / or Festival Organization Twitter site. Submit Social Media Site Address Only.

NEW 12) BEST INSTAGRAM SITE

For a Festival / Event / or Festival Organization Instagram site. Submit Social Media Site Address Only.

ENTRY INFORMATION FOR CATEGORIES 1315: • • • •

For categories 13-15, entries will be reviewed online by judges. Submit categories 13-15, each as a single pdf, jpg, or png file. Refer to any additional entry information listed next to each category. These are standalone items and no written information is required.

New: Entry to be submitted online. Please review page size/font requirements, file entry formats, file size, file name format procedures and how to submit entry on pages 2-3 of this brochure.

13) BEST SINGLE DIGITAL/SOCIAL AD

For a single ad posted on any social media channel/platform used to promote a Festival / Event. Submit one (1) ad as a single pdf, jpg or png file.

14) BEST DIGITAL/SOCIAL AD SERIES

For an ad series posted on any social media channel/platform used to promote a Festival / Event. Submit a maximum of 5 ads to be viewed as a single pdf, jpg or png file.

15) BEST EVENT / ORGANIZATION ENEWSLETTER For an emailed newsletter used to promote a Festival / Event / Organization. Submit 3 consecutive e-newsletters. All issues to be combined and submitted as a single pdf, jpg or png file.

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CATEGORIES PROMOTIONAL PRINTED CATEGORIES ENTRY INFORMATION FOR CATEGORIES 16-29:

• Submit categories 16-29, each as a single pdf, jpg, or png file. • Refer to any additional entry information listed next to each category. • These are standalone items and no written information is required. New: Entry to be submitted online. Please review page size/font requirements, file entry formats, file size, file name format procedures and how to submit entry on pages 2-3 of this brochure.

Judging Criteria:

Each entry will be judged based on the below criteria. • Does the entry relay the image of the event? • Is the message clear, concise, organized and informative? • Is the entry creative and / or display originality? • Is the entry compelling enough to engage an audience? • Is the entry designed / laid out well and have visual impact? • Is the entry usable / functional? • What is the overall impression?

16) BEST EVENT PROGRAM

For Festival / Event programs that are provided to be used during the Festival / Event. Submit as a single pdf. Include all pages.

17) BEST NEWSPAPER INSERT / SUPPLEMENT

For Festival / Event inserts included in a newspaper that are provided to use during the festival or event. Submit as a single pdf. Include all pages.

18) BEST PROMOTIONAL BROCHURE

For brochures that are sent out prior to the Festival / Event to promote the event. Submit as a single pdf. Include all pages.

19) BEST PRINTED MATERIALS (MULTIPLE PAGE)

Includes, but not limited to: direct mail brochures, cookbooks, annual reports, etc. used to promote a Festival / Event. Does NOT include event programs, newspaper insert/supplement, promotional brochures or invitations. Submit as a single pdf. Include all pages. Only one item per entry.

20) BEST PRINTED MATERIALS (SINGLE PAGE)

Includes, but not limited to direct mail pieces, rack cards, fliers, maps, etc. used to promote a Festival / Event. Does NOT include cover designs, posters, billboards or invitations. Submit no more than two (2) photos/images (Front/Back) of item as a single pdf, jpg, png or digital file. Only one item per entry.

21) BEST COVER DESIGN

For the covers from items such as Magazines, Newspapers, Brochures, Programs etc. used to promote a Festival / Event. Submit one (1) photo/image of cover only as a single pdf, jpg, png or digital file.

22) BEST SINGLE NEWSPAPER DISPLAY AD

For a single Festival / Event advertisement in a newspaper. Submit one (1) photo/image of ad only as a single pdf, jpg, png or digital file.

23) BEST SINGLE MAGAZINE DISPLAY AD

For a single Festival / Event advertisement in a magazine. Submit one (1) photo/image of ad only as a single pdf, jpg, png or digital file.

24) BEST AD SERIES

For a series of Festival / Event advertisements in a magazine or newspaper. Submit a maximum of 5 ads as a single pdf, jpg, png or digital file.

25) BEST PROMOTIONAL POSTER

For posters used for promotional purposes to promote Festival / Event. Poster is not for sale at event. Submit one (1) photo/image of poster only as a single pdf, jpg, png or digital file.

26) BEST COMMEMORATIVE POSTER

For posters specifically for sale at Festival or Event. Submit one (1) photo/image of poster only as a single pdf, jpg, png or digital file.

27) BEST PROMOTIONAL PHOTOGRAPH

For photos used to promote Festival / Event, or those that capture the essence and spirit of the Festival / Event. Submit one (1) photo only as a single pdf, jpg, png or digital file.

28) BEST OUTDOOR BILLBOARD

For outdoor billboards used to promote Festival / Event. Submit no more than four (4) photos/images of billboard only as a single pdf, jpg, png or digital file.

29) BEST INVITATION

For Single or Multiple Page invitations used to invite guests and attendees to a Festival / Event. Submit no more than four (4) photos/images of invitation only as a single pdf, jpg, png or digital file. IFEA’s ie: the business of international events Summer 2022

CATEGORIES EVENT DÉCOR & AMBIANCE CATEGORIES Includes onsite décor items at your Festival / Event. ENTRY INFORMATION FOR CATEGORIES 3031:

• Submit categories 30-31, each as a single pdf, jpg, or png file. • Refer to any additional entry information listed next to each category. • These are standalone items and no written information is required. New: Entry to be submitted online. Please review page size/font requirements, file entry formats, file size, file name format procedures and how to submit entry on pages 2-3 of this brochure. Judging Criteria: Each entry will be judged based on the below criteria. • Does the entry relay the image of the event? • Is the message clear, concise, organized and informative? • Is the entry creative and / or display originality? • Is the entry compelling enough to engage an audience? • Is the entry designed / laid out well and have visual impact? • Is the item usable / functional? • What is the overall impression?

30) BEST STREET BANNER

For Festival / Event banners used on-site or within the city to promote Festival / Event. Submit one (1) photo/image of banner only as a single pdf, jpg, png or digital file.

31) BEST ONSITE DECOR

Includes, but is not limited to: directional signage, stage backdrops, entryways, flags, inflatables, photo area, selfie station, etc. used on-site to at a Festival / Event. Submit no more than four (4) photos to illustrate single décor area. Submit as a single pdf, jpg, png or digital file. Only one décor area per entry.

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CATEGORIES MERCHANDISE CATEGORIES Includes merchandise sold at Festival / Event / Organization. ENTRY INFORMATION FOR CATEGORIES 32-37:

• Submit categories 32-37, each as a single pdf, jpg, or png file. • Refer to any additional entry information listed next to each category. • These are standalone items and no written information is required. New: Entry to be submitted online. Please review page size/font requirements, file entry formats, file size, file name format procedures and how to submit entry on pages 2-3 of this brochure. Judging Criteria: • Does the entry relay the image of the event? • Is the message clear, concise, organized and informative? • Is the entry creative and / or display originality? • Is the entry compelling enough to engage an audience? • Is the entry designed / laid out well and have visual impact? • What is the “Usability” factor? • What is the overall impression?

32) BEST T-SHIRT DESIGN

For T-Shirts sold before/during/after Festival / Event and/or to promote Festival / Event. Does NOT include Tank Tops, Long-Sleeve T-Shirts or Collared/ Polo Shirts. Submit no more than two (2) photos of T-Shirt (Front/Back) as a single pdf, jpg, png or digital file.

33) BEST PIN OR BUTTON

For Pins sold before/during/after Festival / Event and/or to promote Festival / Event. For Single Pins Only. No Pin Sets. Submit one (1) photo of Pin/Button as a single pdf, jpg, png or digital file.

34) BEST HAT

For Hats sold before/during/after Festival / Event and/or to promote Festival / Event. Submit no more than two (2) photos of Hat as a single pdf, jpg, png or digital file.

35) BEST FESTIVAL / EVENT MERCHANDISE

For Festival / Event merchandise sold before/during/after Festival / Event and/or to promote Festival / Event. Includes all other merchandise that you have for sale at your festival/event. Does NOT include T-Shirts; Pins; Hats; Sponsor Gifts; Give-Away Items. Submit no more than four (5) photos of single Merchandise item as a single pdf, jpg, png or digital file. Make one of your photos a photo of the item next to a ruler to illustrate the size of the item.

36) BEST SPONSOR GIFT

For gifts a Festival / Event gives to a specific sponsor of their Festival / Event as a thank you gift. Submit no more than four (5) photos of Sponsor Gift as a single pdf, jpg, png or digital file. Make one of your photos a photo of the item next to a ruler to illustrate the size of the item.

37) BEST GIVE-AWAY ITEM

For merchandise items that are given out at Festival / Event and are not for sale, i.e. - Race medals, T-Shirts, Beverage Mugs, etc. DOES NOT include items that are raffled/auctioned off at Festival / Event. Submit no more than four (5) photos of Give-Away item as a single pdf, jpg, png or digital file. Make one of your photos a photo of the item next to a ruler to illustrate the size of the item.

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CATEGORIES MERCHANDISE CATEGORIES 38) BEST OVERALL MERCHANDISING PROGRAM

Entry should focus on the overall merchandising program for the entire Festival / Event / Organization.

ENTRY INFORMATION: Submit entry as one (1) PDF file to include ALL entry information and supporting materials. Complete sections 1-2 in the order listed below, in addition to providing Supporting Materials throughout your entry. Points will be awarded to the individual sections of your entry, in addition to the overall Judges Criteria. New: Entry to be submitted online. Please review page size/font requirements, file entry formats, file size, file name format procedures and how to submit entry on pages 2-3 of this brochure. Supporting Materials: (30 Points) • Please include photographs/images of merchandise items available in your merchandise program in addition to merchandise displays. 1. Overview Information: (30 Points) Please provide a detailed overview explaining the following information (a-i), in the order listed below, using no more than one (1) page to explain each section. Please title each section as noted below. a. Introduction & description of event b. Name (if applicable) and description of merchandising program. c. Overall revenue and expense budget for merchandise lines d. Target market for merchandise program (population / location) e. Marketing efforts tied to merchandise program f. Community support in selling / distributing merchandise g. Outlets for selling merchandise (Festival Store Front/Online Store, Grocery Stores, etc.) h. Measurable results (Including number / variety of items; number of outlets selling items, etc.) i. Overall effectiveness of merchandise program 2. Supporting Questions: (10 points) • Please answer the following questions (a-b) using no more than one (1) page. a. What did you do to update / change this program from the year before? Were your updates / changes successful? Please provide measurable results / examples. • If the program is a new program, please answer the following question instead: “What challenges / obstacles did you foresee / encounter in creating the program, and how did you handle them?” b. What adaptations and modifications did you make to this program due to the Pandemic? Judging Criteria: (30 points) Your entry will also be judged based on the below criteria. • Is the entry / program professional and easy to understand? • Is the message clear, concise, organized and informative? • Is the entry / program designed and laid out well? • Is the entry / program creative and / or display originality? • Is the entry / program compelling enough to engage an audience? • Does the entry / program relay the image of the event? • Does the entry / program match the purpose / mission for the event? • What is the overall impression? • Have all supporting materials and measurable results been provided? • Have all requirements been met?

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CATEGORIES SPONSORSHIP CATEGORIES 39) BEST TARGETED SPONSOR SOLICITATION PROPOSAL

40) BEST INDIVIDUAL SPONSOR FOLLOWUP REPORT

ENTRY INFORMATION: Submit entry as one (1) PDF file to include ALL entry information and supporting materials. Complete section 1 in the order listed below, in addition to providing Supporting Materials throughout your entry. Points will be awarded to the individual sections of your entry, in addition to the overall Judges Criteria.

New: Entry to be submitted online. Please review page size/font requirements, file entry formats, file size, file name format procedures and how to submit entry on pages 2-3 of this brochure.

Supporting Materials: (50 points) • Please include a sponsor solicitation package that was used to target a specific sponsor along with any other additional materials/ images of items that were sent with the proposal. (Okay to substitute name of sponsor for generic name for confidentiality, however please make it clear on your entry you are doing this.)

Supporting Materials: (50 points) • Please provide a sponsor follow-up report sent to a specific sponsor with any other additional materials/images of items that were sent with the report. (Okay to substitute name of sponsor for generic name for confidentiality, however please make it clear on your entry you are doing this.)

1. Overview Information: (20 points) Please provide a detailed overview explaining the following information (a-c), in the order listed below, using no more than one (1) page per section: a. Introduction and description of main event. b. Name of Sponsor c. Introduction, effectiveness and success of Sponsor Solicitation Package

Entry should focus on actual Sponsorship Proposal that was used to target a specific sponsor for your Festival / Event.

Judging Criteria: (30 points) Your entry will also be judged based on the below criteria. • Is the entry / proposal professional and easy to understand? • Is the message clear, concise, organized and informative? • Is the entry / proposal designed and laid out well? • Is the entry / proposal creative and / or display originality? • Is the entry / proposal compelling enough to engage an audience? • Does the entry / proposal relay the image of the event? • Does the entry / proposal match the purpose / mission for the event? • What is the overall impression? • Have all supporting materials and measurable results been provided? • Have all requirements been met? • Would you recommend or support this opportunity if in a position to do so?

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events

Entry should focus on actual Follow-Up Report that was generated for a specific sponsor for your Festival / Event.

Judging Criteria: (30 points) Your entry will also be judged based on the below criteria. • Is the entry / report professional and easy to understand? • Is the message clear, concise, organized and informative? • Is the entry / report designed and laid out well? • Is the entry / report creative and / or display originality? • Is the entry / report compelling enough to engage an audience? • Does the entry / report relay the image of the event? • Does the entry / report match the purpose / mission for the event? • What is the overall impression? • Have all supporting materials and measurable results been provided? • Have all requirements been met? • Would you recommend or support this opportunity if in a position to do so?

Summer 2022

CATEGORIES SPONSORSHIP CATEGORIES 41) BEST SPONSOR PARTNER

Entry should highlight a specific sponsor of a Festival / Event that stands out above all others.

ENTRY INFORMATION: Submit entry as one (1) PDF file to include ALL entry information and supporting materials. Complete section 1 in the order listed below. Points will be awarded to the individual sections of your entry, in addition to the overall Judges Criteria. New: Entry to be submitted online. Please review page size/font requirements, file entry formats, file size, file name format procedures and how to submit entry on pages 2-3 of this brochure. 1. Overview Information: (70 points) Please provide a detailed overview explaining the following information (a-g), in the order listed below, using no more than one (1) page per section: a. Introduction & description of main event b. Name of Sponsor c. Description of sponsor; level of sponsorship (cash/in-kind); details of benefit package and length of sponsorship/ partnership d. Quantity and quality of support to event by sponsor e. Goals and success of relationships for both event and sponsor f. How the sponsor stands out over all other sponsors. g. Activation of Sponsorship by Sponsor Judging Criteria: (30 points) Your entry will also be judged based on the below criteria. • Is the entry professional and easy to understand? • Is the message clear, concise, organized and informative? • Is the entry designed and laid out well? • Is the entry creative and / or display originality? • What is the overall impression? • Have all requirements been met?

NEW 42) BEST SPONSOR ACTIVATION

Entry should focus on activation of a sponsor/sponsorship during a Festival / Event.

ENTRY INFORMATION: Submit entry as one (1) PDF file to include ALL entry information and supporting materials. Complete section 1 - 2 in the order listed below. Points will be awarded to the individual sections of your entry, in addition to the overall Judges Criteria. New: Entry to be submitted online. Please review page size/font requirements, file entry formats, file size, file name format procedures and how to submit entry on pages 2-3 of this brochure. Supporting Materials: (10 points) Please include any necessary supporting materials for the program throughout your entry. Please limit your supporting materials to those actually sent / used with sponsor: • Images of Printed materials (brochures / programs etc.) • Images of Promotion / marketing / media materials • Supporting photographs • Measurable results: tangible & intangible 1. Overview Information: (50 points) Please provide a detailed overview explaining the following information (a-g), in the order listed below, using no more than one (1) page to explain each section: a. Introduction & description of main event. b. Introduction & description of sponsor, level of sponsorship (cash/inkind); details of benefit package; length of sponsorship/partnership c. Description and purpose of Activity/Program at event, that the Sponsor is sponsoring. d. Describe the roles of the Event/Sponsor in the creation of the activation efforts. (i.e. – Did the event create everything, did the sponsor, or both?) e. Explain the originality of the activation efforts (i.e. – are the activation efforts unique to your event, or does the sponsor use the same activation for all events they sponsor?) f. Describe the overall sponsor activation in detail. g. Describe the overall effectiveness / success of the sponsor activation. 2. Supporting Questions: (10 points) Please answer the following questions (a-b) using no more than one (1) page. a. What did you do to update / change this activation from the year before? Were your updates / changes successful? Please provide measurable results / examples. • If the activation is new, please answer the following question instead: “What challenges / obstacles did you foresee / encounter in creating the activation, and how did you handle them?” b. What adaptations and modifications did you make to this activation due to the Pandemic? Judging Criteria: (30 points) Your entry will also be judged based on the below criteria. • Is the entry / activation professional and easy to understand? • Is the message clear, concise, organized and informative? • Is the entry / activation designed and laid out well? • Is the entry / activation creative and / or display originality? • Is the entry / activation compelling enough to engage an audience? • Does the entry / activation relay the image of the event? • Does the entry / activation match the purpose / mission for the event? • What is the overall impression? • Have all supporting materials and measurable results been provided? • Have all requirements been met? • Would you recommend or support this opportunity if in a position to do so?

CATEGORIES SPONSORSHIP CATEGORIES 43) BEST SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM FOR INDIVIDUAL SPONSOR

44) BEST OVERALL SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM Entry should focus on the entire sponsorship program for all sponsors, for the entire Festival / Event.

Entry should focus on an activity or program within a Festival / Event that was created for a specific sponsor.

ENTRY INFORMATION: Submit entry as one (1) PDF file to include ALL entry information and supporting materials. Complete section 1 - 2 in the order listed below. Points will be awarded to the individual sections of your entry, in addition to the overall Judges Criteria. New: Entry to be submitted online. Please review page size/font requirements, file entry formats, file size, file name format procedures and how to submit entry on pages 2-3 of this brochure. Supporting Materials: (10 points) Please include any necessary supporting materials for the program throughout your entry. Please limit your supporting materials to those actually sent / used with sponsor: • Images of Printed materials (brochures / programs etc.) • Images of Promotion / marketing / media materials • Supporting photographs • Measurable results: tangible & intangible 1. Overview Information: (50 points) Please provide a detailed overview explaining the following information (a-e), in the order listed below, using no more than one (1) page to explain each section: a. Introduction & description of main event b. Name of Activity/Program created and name of Sponsor c. Description and purpose of event/program being sponsored d. Description of sponsor; level of sponsorship (cash/in-kind); details of benefit package and length of sponsorship/ partnership e. Overall effectiveness / success of the program 2. Supporting Questions: (10 points) Please answer the following questions (a-b) using no more than one (1) page. a. What did you do to update / change this program from the year before? Were your updates / changes successful? Please provide measurable results / examples. • If the program is a new program, please answer the following question instead: “What challenges / obstacles did you foresee / encounter in creating the program, and how did you handle them?” b. What adaptations and modifications did you make to this program due to the Pandemic? Judging Criteria: (30 points) Your entry will also be judged based on the below criteria. • Is the entry / program professional and easy to understand? • Is the message clear, concise, organized and informative? • Is the entry / program designed and laid out well? • Is the entry / program creative and / or display originality? • Is the entry / program compelling enough to engage an audience? • Does the entry / program relay the image of the event? • Does the entry / program match the purpose / mission for the event? • What is the overall impression? • Have all supporting materials and measurable results been provided? • Have all requirements been met? • Would you recommend or support this opportunity if in a position to do so?

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events

ENTRY INFORMATION: Submit entry as one (1) PDF file to include ALL entry information and supporting materials. Complete section 1 - 2 in the order listed below. Points will be awarded to the individual sections of your entry, in addition to the overall Judges Criteria. New: Entry to be submitted online. Please review page size/font requirements, file entry formats, file size, file name format procedures and how to submit entry on pages 2-3 of this brochure. Supporting Materials: (10 points) Please include any necessary supporting materials for the program throughout your entry. Please limit your supporting materials to those actually sent / used with sponsor: • Images of Printed materials (brochures / programs etc.) • Images of Promotion / marketing / media materials • Supporting photographs • Measurable results: tangible & intangible 1. Overview Information: (50 points) Please provide a detailed overview explaining the following information (a-i), in the order listed below, using no more than one (1) page to explain each section: a. Introduction & description of main event b. Description of overall Sponsorship Program c. List of all current sponsors for event; levels of support; longevity of each d. Available benefit packages and valuation formulas e. Description of sponsor research targeting and sales process f. Description of sponsor service team and steps taken when new agreement is signed. g. Describe current sponsor renewal process & retention rate h. Overall effectiveness / success of the program i. Supporting Materials: Please provide a copy of Sponsor Agreement Sales Packet / Proposal; a copy of Sponsorship Follow Up Report and a sample of Sponsor Agreement 2. Supporting Questions: (10 points) Please answer the following questions (a-b) using no more than one (1) page. a. What did you do to update / change this program from the year before? Were your updates / changes successful? Please provide measurable results / examples. • If the program is a new program, please answer the following question instead: “What challenges / obstacles did you foresee / encounter in creating the program, and how did you handle them?” b. What adaptations and modifications did you make to this program due to the Pandemic? Judging Criteria: (30 points) Your entry will also be judged based on the below criteria. • Is the entry / program professional and easy to understand? • Is the message clear, concise, organized and informative? • Is the entry / program designed and laid out well? • Is the entry / program creative and / or display originality? • Is the entry / program compelling enough to engage an audience? • Does the entry / program relay the image of the event? • Does the entry / program match the purpose / mission for the event? • What is the overall impression? • Have all supporting materials and measurable results been provided? • Have all requirements been met?

Summer 2022

CATEGORIES CRITICAL COMPONENT CATEGORIES 45) BEST VOLUNTEER PROGRAM

Entry should focus on the overall Volunteer Program for a Festival / Event / Organization.

2. Supporting Questions: (10 points) Please answer the following questions (a-b) using no more than one (1) page. a. What did you do to update / change this program from the year before? Were your updates / changes successful? Please provide measurable results / examples. • If the program is a new program, please answer the following question instead. “What challenges / obstacles did you foresee / encounter in creating the program, and how did you handle them?” b. What adaptations and modifications did you make to this program due to the Pandemic? Judging Criteria: (30 points) Your entry will also be judged based on the below criteria. • Is the entry / program professional and easy to understand? • Is the message clear, concise, organized and informative? • Is the entry / program designed and laid out well? • Is the entry / program creative and / or display originality? • Is the entry / program compelling enough to engage an audience? • Does the entry / program relay the image of the event? • Does the entry / program match the purpose / mission for the event? • What is the overall impression? • Have all supporting materials and measurable results been provided? • Have all requirements been met?

1. Overview Information: (50 points) Please provide a detailed overview explaining the following information (a-q), in the order listed below, using no more than one (1) page to explain each section, together with applicable examples: a. Introduction and description of main event b. Name of Volunteer Program (if applicable) in addition to description and purpose / objective of Volunteer Program c. Target audience / attendance / number of participants of Volunteer Program d. Duration of program (start to finish) and years program has been part of event e. Volunteer demographics (age, gender, individuals, charities, schools etc.) f. Volunteer job descriptions for each position. g. Explain and describe Recruitment methods / materials / applications h. Explain Communication methods / materials used with Volunteers i. Provide examples of Training guides / programs / handbooks / materials j. Provide Organization & schedule information / materials k. Explain Volunteer perks / benefits l. Highlight Volunteer Appreciation / recognition methods/ materials m. Describe Volunteer Retention methods / materials n. Provide description of sponsor / charity / volunteer / school / other group involvement with program and benefits to each (if applicable) o. Overall revenue/expense budget of program p. Overall effectiveness / success of program q. Measurable results: ratio of volunteers to guests; # of volunteers; # of volunteer hours; # of volunteers in database; estimate of the financial value of your volunteers.

Summer 2022

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events 43

CATEGORIES CRITICAL COMPONENT CATEGORIES 46) BEST GREEN PROGRAM

Entry should focus on the overall green/recycling program and the implementation of that program at a Festival / Event.

1. Overview Information: (50 points) Please provide a detailed overview explaining the following information (a-o), in the order listed below, using no more than one (1) page to explain each section: a. Introduction and description of main event b. Name of Green Program (if applicable) in addition to description and purpose / objective of Green Program c. Target audience / attendance / number of participants d. What “Green” initiatives were used at event (i.e. – recycling; alternative methods of transportation; renewable energy etc.) e. How were initiatives promoted to the public? Include marketing materials. f. Education programs pertaining to green program (for public, sponsors, volunteers etc.) g. How was green program enforced / encouraged, tracked, and staffed? h. Who assisted green program (vendors, volunteers etc.)? i. Measurable results – how much was recycled; savings / cost of Green program; carbon footprint reduction j. Non-tangible results: education; awareness; involvement etc. k. Duration of program (start to finish) and years program has been part of event l. Description of sponsor / charity / volunteer / school / other group involvement with program and benefits to each (if applicable) m. Tie-in of program to main event n. Overall revenue/expense budget of program o. Overall effectiveness / success of program

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events

Summer 2022

CATEGORIES CRITICAL COMPONENT CATEGORIES 47) BEST PARADE

Entry should focus on either a stand-alone Parade or a Parade that is part of a larger Festival / Event.

Judging Criteria: (30 points) Your entry will also be judged based on the below criteria. • Is the entry / parade professional and easy to understand? • Is the message clear, concise, organized and informative? • Is the entry / parade designed and laid out well? • Is the entry / parade creative and / or display originality? • Is the entry / parade compelling enough to engage an audience? • Does the entry / parade relay the image of the event? • Does the entry / parade match the purpose / mission for the event? • What is the overall impression? • Have all supporting materials and measurable results been provided? • Have all requirements been met?

Supporting Materials: (10 points) Please include any necessary supporting materials for the program throughout your entry limiting materials to no more than 5 examples for each area listed below (if applicable). • Printed materials (brochures, handbooks, Recruiting materials, evaluation forms, signage, etc.) • Promotional / marketing / media materials • Merchandise materials • Information provided to participants / volunteers / sponsors / students / charities etc. • Supporting photographs • Measurable results: tangible & intangible 1. Overview Information: (50 points) Please provide a detailed overview explaining the following information (a-l), in the order listed below, using no more than one (1) page to explain each section: a. Name, introduction, description, purpose and objective of Parade b. Introduction and description of overall festival/event, if Parade is part of a larger festival/event (if applicable) c. Tie-in of Parade to main festival/event (if applicable) d. Target audience / attendance of Parade e. Number and type of entries in Parade f. Overall revenue and expense budget of Parade g. Duration of Parade (start to finish) and years Parade has been in existence h. Activities planned before, during and after Parade i. Description of sponsor / charity / volunteer / school / other group involvement with Parade and benefits to each (if applicable) j. Community involvement and impact of Parade k. What makes the Parade unique and creative? l. Overall effectiveness / success of Parade 2. Supporting Questions: (10 points) Please answer the following questions (a-b) using no more than one (1) page. a. What did you do to update / change the parade from the year before? Were your updates / changes successful? Please provide measurable results / examples. • If the parade is new, please answer the following question instead. “What challenges / obstacles did you foresee / encounter in creating the parade, and how did you handle them?” b. What adaptations and modifications did you make to this parade due to the Pandemic?

Summer 2022

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events 45

CATEGORIES CRITICAL COMPONENT CATEGORIES 48) BEST EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM

Entry should focus on an educational component built into the Festival / Event programming.

Judging Criteria: (30 points) Your entry will also be judged based on the below criteria. • Is the entry / program professional and easy to understand? • Is the message clear, concise, organized and informative? • Is the entry / program designed and laid out well? • Is the entry / program creative and / or display originality? • Is the entry / program compelling enough to engage an audience? • Does the entry / program relay the image of the event? • Does the entry / program match the purpose / mission for the event? • What is the overall impression? • Have all supporting materials and measurable results been provided? • Have all requirements been met?

Supporting Materials: (10 points) Please include any necessary supporting materials for the program throughout your entry limiting materials to no more than 5 examples for each area listed below (if applicable). • Printed materials (brochures, handbooks, Recruiting materials, evaluation forms, signage, etc.) • Promotional / marketing / media materials • Merchandise materials • Information provided to participants / volunteers / sponsors / students / charities etc. • Supporting photographs • Measurable results: tangible & intangible 1. Overview Information: (50 points) Please provide a detailed overview explaining the following information (a-l), in the order listed below, using no more than one (1) page to explain each section: a. Introduction and description of main event b. Name (if applicable), description and purpose / objective of Educational Program c. Target audience / attendance / number of participants d. Provide a detailed description of the education program / curriculum e. Who provided the education and in what setting? f. Involvement by local educational institutions and professional education (if any) g. What was the take-away for attendees / participants? h. Duration of program (start to finish) and years program has been part of event i. Tie-in of program to main event j. Overall revenue/expense budget of program k. Description of sponsor / charity / volunteer / school / other group involvement with program and benefits to each (if applicable) l. Overall effectiveness / success of program 2. Supporting Questions: (10 points) Please answer the following questions (a-b) using no more than one (1) page. a. What did you do to update / change this program from the year before? Were your updates / changes successful? Please provide measurable results / examples. • If the program is a new program, please answer the following question instead. “What challenges / obstacles did you foresee / encounter in creating the program, and how did you handle them?” b. What adaptations and modifications did you make to this program due to the Pandemic?

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events

Summer 2022

CATEGORIES CRITICAL COMPONENT CATEGORIES 49) BEST ACCESSIBILITY PROGRAM

Entry should focus on the accommodations and programming that are available that make a Festival / Event accommodating and accessible to people of all abilities.

1. Overview Information: (50 points) Please provide a detailed overview explaining the following information (a-j), in the order listed below, using no more than one (1) page to explain each section: a. Introduction and description of main event b. Target audience / attendance of Festival/Event c. Name (if applicable), description and purpose / objective of Accessibility Program d. Provide a description of the types of accessibility arrangements that have been made at festival/event (1 page each), including but not limited to: • Information listed online about your Accessibility Program • How your website and other online applications have been changed/updated to meet accessibility standards. • What services your event has for attendees with mobility disabilities • What services your event has for attendees who are deaf or hard of hearing • What services your event has for attendees who are blind or have low vision • What arrangements your event has made for service animals • What services your event has for attendees with Alzheimer’s • What services your event has for attendees with Autism. • What services have been made in regards to medical considerations for attendees with disabilities. • Any other services for attendees with disabilities (visible/non-visible) e. Describe behind the scenes efforts made to implement accessibility program (signage/training etc.) f. Overall revenue and expense budget for Accessibility Program (if available and applicable) g. Duration of Accessibility Program (i.e.: all year, just at the event?) and years Program has been in existence h. Festival activities accessible to attendees with disabilities, including those only available to attendees with disabilities i. Description of sponsor / charity / volunteer / school / other group involvement with Accessibility Program and benefits to each (if applicable) j. Overall effectiveness / success of Accessibility Program Summer 2022

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events 47

CATEGORIES CRITICAL COMPONENT CATEGORIES NEW 50) BEST DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION PLAN

Entry should focus on the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) efforts made by a Festival / Event.

Judging Criteria: (30 points) Your entry will also be judged based on the below criteria. • Is the entry / plan professional and easy to understand? • Is the message clear, concise, organized and informative? • Is the entry / plan designed and laid out well? • Is the entry / plan creative and / or display originality? • Is the entry / plan compelling enough to engage an audience? • Does the entry / plan relay the image of the event? • Does the entry / plan match the purpose / mission for the event? • What is the overall impression? • Have all supporting materials and measurable results been provided? • Have all requirements been met?

New: Entry to be submitted online. Please review page size/font requirements, file entry formats, file size, file name format procedures and how to submit entry on pages 2-3 of this brochure. Supporting Materials: (10 points) Please include any necessary supporting materials for the plan throughout your entry limiting materials to no more than 5 examples for each area listed below (if applicable). • Printed materials (brochures, handbooks, evaluation forms, signage, etc.) • Promotional / marketing / media materials • Information provided to attendees. • Supporting photographs 1. Overview Information: (50 points) Please provide a detailed overview explaining the following information (a-j), in the order listed below, using no more than one (1) page to explain each section: a. Introduction and description of main event b. Target audience / attendance of Festival/Event c. Name (if applicable), description and purpose / objective of DEI Plan d. Provide an outline of the DEI Plan that has been made at festival/event e. Describe behind the scenes efforts made to implement DEI Plan (signage/training etc.) f. Overall revenue and expense budget for DEI Plan (if available and applicable) g. Duration of DEI Plan (i.e.: all year, just at the event?) and years Plan has been in existence h. Festival activities specifically focused on DEI efforts i. Description of sponsor / charity / volunteer / school / other group involvement with DEI Plan and benefits to each (if applicable) j. Overall effectiveness / success of DEI Plan 2. Supporting Questions: (10 points) Please answer the following questions (a-b) using no more than one (1) page. a. What did you do to update / change this plan from the year before? Were your updates / changes successful? Please provide measurable results / examples. • If the plan is a new plan, please answer the following question instead. “What challenges / obstacles did you foresee / encounter in creating the plan, and how did you handle them?” b. What adaptations and modifications did you make to this plan due to the Pandemic?

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events

Summer 2022

CATEGORIES CRITICAL COMPONENT CATEGORIES 51) BEST CHILDREN’S PROGRAMMING

Entry should focus on specific programming for Children at a Festival / Event.

Supporting Materials: (10 points) Please include any necessary supporting materials for the program throughout your entry limiting materials to no more than 5 examples for each area listed below (if applicable). • Printed materials (brochures, handbooks, Recruiting materials, evaluation forms, signage, etc.) • Promotional / marketing / media materials • Merchandise materials • Information provided to participants / volunteers / sponsors / students / charities etc. • Supporting photographs 1. Overview Information: (50 points) Please provide a detailed overview explaining the following, using no more than one (1) page to explain each section: a. Introduction and description of main event b. Name (if applicable), description and purpose / objective of Children’s Program c. Target Audience / main target age group d. Attendance / number of participants e. Activities /entertainment provided f. Local School involvement g. Tie-in of program to main event h. Overall revenue and expense budget of specific program / event i. Description of sponsor / charity / volunteer / school / other group involvement with event / program and benefits to each (if applicable) j. Duration of program (start to finish) and years program has been part of event k. What makes the program unique and creative? l. Overall effectiveness / success of program 2. Supporting Questions: (10 points) Please answer the following questions (a-b) using no more than one (1) page. a. What did you do to update / change this program from the year before? Were your updates / changes successful? Please provide measurable results / examples. • If the program is a new program, please answer the following question instead. “What challenges / obstacles did you foresee / encounter in creating the program, and how did you handle them?” b. What adaptations and modifications did you make to this program due to the Pandemic?

Summer 2022

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events 49

CATEGORIES CRITICAL COMPONENT CATEGORIES 52) BEST OVERALL ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAM Entry should focus on the overall entertainment programming at a Festival / Event. Includes, but not limited to: Stage/Wandering/Children’s/specialty entertainment/performers; impromptu/ unexpected entertainment; other miscellaneous entertainment features.

New: Entry to be submitted online. Please review page size/font requirements, file entry formats, file size, file name format procedures and how to submit entry on pages 2-3 of this brochure. Supporting Materials: (10 points) Please include any necessary supporting materials for the program throughout your entry limiting materials to no more than 5 examples for each area listed below (if applicable). • Printed materials (brochures, handbooks, Recruiting materials, evaluation forms, signage, etc.) • Promotional / marketing / media materials • Merchandise materials • Information provided to participants / volunteers / sponsors / students / charities etc. • Supporting photographs • Measurable results: tangible & intangible 1. Overview Information: (50 points) Please provide a detailed overview explaining the following information (a-h), in the order listed below, using no more than one (1) page to explain each section: a. Introduction & description of main event. b. Description of all Entertainment efforts at Festival/Event including, but not limited to, Stage/Wandering/Children’s/specialty entertainment/performers; impromptu/ unexpected entertainment; other miscellaneous entertainment features. c. Overall revenue and expense budget for Entertainment Programming; any sponsor involvement; free vs. ticketed entertainment. d. Target market for overall Entertainment Programming in addition to each area of programming if different from overall. e. Marketing efforts tied to Entertainment Programming. f. Community involvement in promoting and/or selling tickets. g. Measurable results (including attendance numbers if available) h. Describe the overall effectiveness / success of the Entertainment Program. 2. Supporting Questions: (10 points) Please answer the following questions (a-b) using no more than one (1) page. a. What did you do to update / change this program from the year before? Were your updates / changes successful? Please provide measurable results / examples. • If the program is a new program, please answer the following question instead. “What challenges / obstacles did you foresee / encounter in creating the program, and how did you handle them?” b. What adaptations and modifications did you make to this program due to the Pandemic?

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events

Summer 2022

CATEGORIES CRITICAL COMPONENT CATEGORIES 53) BEST COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROGRAM

Entry should focus on programming done throughout the year by a Festival / Event to benefit and help include all parts of the community, while enhancing the image and brand of the Festival / Event/ Organization throughout the year.

New: Entry to be submitted online. Please review page size/font requirements, file entry formats, file size, file name format procedures and how to submit entry on pages 2-3 of this brochure. Supporting Materials: (10 points) Please include any necessary supporting materials for the program throughout your entry limiting materials to no more than 5 examples for each area listed below (if applicable). • Printed materials (brochures, handbooks, Recruiting materials, evaluation forms, signage, etc.) • Promotional / marketing / media materials • Merchandise materials • Information provided to participants / volunteers / sponsors / students / charities etc. • Supporting photographs • Measurable results: tangible & intangible 1. Overview Information: (50 points) Please provide a detailed overview explaining the following information (a-i), in the order listed below, using no more than one (1) page to explain each section: a. Introduction and description of main event b. Name (if applicable), description and purpose / objective of Outreach Program c. Target audience / attendance / number of participants d. Impact program had on the community e. Tie-in of program to main event f. Duration of program (start to finish) and years program has been part of event g. Overall revenue/expense budget of specific program h. Description of sponsor / charity / volunteer / school / other group involvement with program and benefits to each (if applicable) i. Overall effectiveness / success of program 2. Supporting Questions: (10 points) Please answer the following questions (a-b) using no more than one (1) page. a. What did you do to update / change this program from the year before? Were your updates / changes successful? Please provide measurable results / examples. • If the program is a new program, please answer the following question instead. “What challenges / obstacles did you foresee / encounter in creating the program, and how did you handle them?” b. What adaptations and modifications did you make to this program due to the Pandemic?

Summer 2022

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events 51

CATEGORIES CRITICAL COMPONENT CATEGORIES 54) BEST EVENT / PROGRAM WITHIN AN EVENT TO BENEFIT A CAUSE

Entry should focus on any fundraising or awareness programs done by Festival / Event, to raise funds or awareness for a specific cause, other than their own Festival / Event.

New: Entry to be submitted online. Please review page size/font requirements, file entry formats, file size, file name format procedures and how to submit entry on pages 2-3 of this brochure. Supporting Materials: (10 points) Please include any necessary supporting materials for the program throughout your entry limiting materials to no more than 5 examples for each area listed below (if applicable). • Printed materials (brochures, handbooks, Recruiting materials, evaluation forms, signage, etc.) • Promotional / marketing / media materials • Merchandise materials • Information provided to participants / volunteers / sponsors / students / charities etc. • Supporting photographs • Measurable results: tangible & intangible 1. Overview Information: (50 points) Please provide a detailed overview explaining the following information (a-i), in the order listed below, using no more than one (1) page to explain each section: a. Introduction and description of main event b. Name (if applicable), description and purpose / objective of Event/ Program c. Description of selected cause and why/how it was selected d. Target audience / attendance / number of participants e. Tie-in of program to main event f. Duration of program (start to finish) and years program has been part of event g. Overall revenue/expense budget of specific event/program h. Description of sponsor / charity / volunteer / school / other group involvement with event / program and benefits to each (if applicable) i. Overall effectiveness / success of program 2. Supporting Questions: (10 points) Please answer the following questions (a-b) using no more than one (1) page. a. What did you do to update / change this event / program from the year before? Were your updates / changes successful? Please provide measurable results / examples. • If the event / program is new, please answer the following question instead. “What challenges / obstacles did you foresee / encounter in creating the program, and how did you handle them?” b. What adaptations and modifications did you make to this event / program due to the Pandemic?

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events

Summer 2022

CATEGORIES CRITICAL COMPONENT CATEGORIES 55) BEST EVENT (WITHIN AN EXISTING FESTIVAL) Entry should focus on a specific event that is held during the course of a larger Festival / Event.

Supporting Materials: (10 points) Please include any necessary supporting materials for the program throughout your entry limiting materials to no more than 5 examples for each area listed below (if applicable). • Printed materials (brochures, handbooks, Recruiting materials, evaluation forms, signage, etc.) • Promotional / marketing / media materials • Merchandise materials • Information provided to participants / volunteers / sponsors / students / charities etc. • Supporting photographs • Measurable results: tangible & intangible 1. Overview Information: (50 points) Please provide a detailed overview explaining the following information (a-i), in the order listed below, using no more than one (1) page to explain each section: a. Introduction and description of main event b. Name (if applicable), description and purpose / objective of Event within Festival c. Target audience and attendance / number of participants d. Overall revenue/expense budget of event e. Tie-in of program to main festival f. Duration of program (start to finish) and years program has been part of event g. Description of sponsor / charity / volunteer / school / other group involvement with event and benefits to each (if applicable) h. What makes the event unique & creative? i. Overall effectiveness / success of program 2. Supporting Questions: (10 points) Please answer the following questions (a-b) using no more than one (1) page. a. What did you do to update / change this event from the year before? Were your updates / changes successful? Please provide measurable results / examples. • If the event is new, please answer the following question instead. “What challenges / obstacles did you foresee / encounter in creating the event, and how did you handle them?” b. What adaptations and modifications did you make to this event due to the Pandemic?

Summer 2022

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events 53

CATEGORIES CRITICAL COMPONENT CATEGORIES 56) BEST EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS & RISK MANAGEMENT PLAN

Entry should focus on the overall risk management / emergency preparedness plan for a specific Festival / Event with specific focus on the physical safety of attendees in the event of inclement weather, active shooter, crowd surges etc.

New: Entry to be submitted online. Please review page size/font requirements, file entry formats, file size, file name format procedures and how to submit entry on pages 2-3 of this brochure. Supporting Materials: (30 points) Please include any necessary supporting materials for the program throughout your entry limiting materials to no more than 5 examples for each area listed below (if applicable). • Printed materials (brochures, handbooks, evaluation forms, signage, etc.) • Promotional / marketing / media materials • Information provided to participants / volunteers / sponsors / students / charities etc. • Supporting photographs • Measurable results: tangible & intangible • Please submit a detailed documentation of the security plan used at your event. Please note, if entry wins an award, it will be posted on the Member Only section of ifea.com for other members to view. 1. Overview Information: (30 points) Please provide a detailed overview explaining the following information (a-h), in the order listed below, using no more than one (1) page to explain each section: a. Introduction and description of main event b. Name (if applicable), description and purpose / objective of plan c. Agencies consulted and/or responsible for plan d. Roles & responsibilities of individuals involved with implementing plan e. Depth and scope of plan f. Overall revenue and expense budget of plan g. Description of sponsor / charity / volunteer / school / other group involvement with plan and benefits to each (if applicable) h. Overall effectiveness / success of Plan 2. Supporting Questions: (10 points) Please answer the following questions (a-b) using no more than one (1) page. a. What did you do to update / change this plan from the year before? Were your updates / changes successful? Please provide measurable results / examples. • If the plan is new, please answer the following question instead. “What challenges / obstacles did you foresee / encounter in creating the plan, and how did you handle them?” b. What adaptations and modifications did you make to this plan due to the Pandemic?

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events

Summer 2022

CATEGORIES CRITICAL COMPONENT CATEGORIES NEW 57) BEST HEALTH & SAFETY PLAN

Entry should focus on the overall health and safety protocol plan created for a specific Festival / Event in response to the Pandemic with specific focus on the physical health of attendees.

New: Entry to be submitted online. Please review page size/font requirements, file entry formats, file size, file name format procedures and how to submit entry on pages 2-3 of this brochure. Supporting Materials: (30 points) Please include any necessary supporting materials for the program throughout your entry limiting materials to no more than 5 examples for each area listed below (if applicable). • Printed materials (brochures, handbooks, evaluation forms, signage, etc.) • Promotional / marketing / media materials • Information provided to participants / volunteers / sponsors / students / charities etc. • Supporting photographs • Measurable results: tangible & intangible • Please submit a detailed documentation of the health and safety protocol plan used at your event. 1. Overview Information: (30 points) Please provide a detailed overview explaining the following information (a-i), in the order listed below, using no more than one (1) page to explain each section: a. Introduction and description of main event b. Name (if applicable), description and purpose / objective of plan c. Agencies consulted and/or who provided input on plan d. Roles & responsibilities of individuals involved with implementing plan e. Health & safety requirements implemented by Festival vs. those required by City f. Depth and scope of plan g. Overall revenue and expense budget of plan h. Description of sponsor / charity / volunteer / school / other group involvement with plan and benefits to each (if applicable) i. Overall effectiveness / success of Plan 2. Supporting Questions: (10 points) Please answer the following questions (a-b) using no more than one (1) page. c. What did you do to update / change this plan from the year before? Were your updates / changes successful? Please provide measurable results / examples. • If the plan is new, please answer the following question instead. “What challenges / obstacles did you foresee / encounter in creating the plan, and how did you handle them?” d. What adaptations and modifications did you make to this plan due to the Pandemic?

Summer 2022

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events 55

CATEGORIES CRITICAL COMPONENT CATEGORIES 58) BEST FOOD & BEVERAGE PROGRAM

Entry should focus on the overall food and beverage opportunities available during the course of a Festival / Event.

ENTRY INFORMATION: Submit entry as one (1) PDF file to include ALL entry information and supporting materials. Complete section 1 – 2 in the order listed below. Points will be awarded to the individual sections of your entry, in addition to the overall Judges Criteria. New: Entry to be submitted online. Please review page size/font requirements, file entry formats, file size, file name format procedures and how to submit entry on pages 2-3 of this brochure.

Supporting Materials: (10 points) Please include any necessary supporting materials for the program throughout your entry limiting materials to no more than 5 examples for each area listed below (if applicable). • Printed materials (brochures, handbooks, Recruiting materials, evaluation forms, signage, etc.) • Promotional / marketing / media materials • Merchandise materials • Information provided to participants / volunteers / sponsors / students / charities etc. • Supporting photographs • Measurable results: tangible & intangible 1. Overview Information: (50 points) Please provide a detailed overview explaining the following information (a-l), in the order listed below, using no more than one (1) page to explain each section: a. Introduction and description of main event b. Name (if applicable), description and purpose / objective of Food & Beverage Program c. Number and types of vendors d. Site Plan (i.e.: Food Courts, Crowd Flow etc.) e. Cash Management Process f. Fee Structures g. Alcohol Beverage Training/Control h. Vendor Application Process i. Festival/Event Controlled Products & Services (i.e.: Festival-only controlled product sales, Vendor required product use, etc.) j. Promotional activities to drive business k. Power/Water Access l. Waste Disposal 2. Supporting Questions: (10 points) Please answer the following questions (a-b) using no more than one (1) page. a. What did you do to update / change this program from the year before? Were your updates / changes successful? Please provide measurable results / examples. • If the program is a new program, please answer the following question instead. “What challenges / obstacles did you foresee / encounter in creating the program, and how did you handle them?” b. What adaptations and modifications did you make to this program due to the Pandemic?

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events

Summer 2022

CATEGORIES CRITICAL COMPONENT CATEGORIES 59) BEST NEW FESTIVAL OR EVENT

60) BEST NEW PROMOTION ACTIVITY

New: Entry to be submitted online. Please review page size/font requirements, file entry formats, file size, file name format procedures and how to submit entry on pages 2-3 of this brochure.

1. Overview Information: (50 points) Please provide a detailed overview explaining the following information (a-h), in the order listed below, using no more than one (1) page to explain each section: a. Introduction and description of main event b. Name, description and purpose/objective of new Festival/Event c. Target audience and attendance / number of participants d. Overall revenue/ expense budget of Festival/Event e. Duration of Festival/Event (start to finish) f. Description of sponsor / charity / volunteer / school / other group involvement with Festival/Event and benefits to each (if applicable) g. What makes the Festival/Event unique & creative? h. Overall effectiveness / success of Festival/Event

1. Overview Information: (50 points) Please provide a detailed overview explaining the following information (a-k), in the order listed below, using no more than one (1) page to explain each section: a. Introduction and description of main event/organization b. Name (if applicable), description and purpose / objective of Promotion c. Description of what was being promoted (merchandise, event, company, entertainment; etc.) d. What makes this promotion different from any other promotions? e. Target audience for promotion f. Attendance / number of participants (if applicable) g. Tie-in of promotion to main event/organization h. Overall revenue and expense budget of specific promotion i. Duration of promotion (start to finish) j. Description of sponsor / charity / volunteer / school / other group involvement with event/organization and promotion and benefits to each (if applicable) k. Overall effectiveness / success of promotion

Entry should focus on a Festival / Event, created from scratch for the first time, between July 16, 2019 and June 27, 2022, that is not part of a larger Festival / Event.

2. Supporting Questions: (10 points) Please answer the following questions (a-b) using no more than one (1) page. a. What challenges/obstacles did you foresee/encounter in creating the new Festival/Event, and how did you handle them? b. What adaptations and modifications did you make to this new Festival/Event due to the Pandemic? Judging Criteria: (30 points) Your entry will also be judged based on the below criteria. • Is the entry / event professional and easy to understand? • Is the message clear, concise, organized and informative? • Is the entry / event designed and laid out well? • Is the entry / event creative and / or display originality? • Is the entry / event compelling enough to engage an audience? • Does the entry / event relay the image of the event? • Does the entry / event match the purpose / mission for the event? • What is the overall impression? • Have all supporting materials and measurable results been provided? • Have all requirements been met?

Entry should focus on a specific promotion created and implemented by a Festival / Event / Vendor / Supplier in order to promote a product, service, event, company, entertainment, etc.

2. Supporting Questions: (10 points) Please answer the following questions (a-b) using no more than one (1) page. a. What challenges/obstacles did you foresee/encounter in creating the program/activity/idea, and how did you handle them? b. What adaptations and modifications did you make to this program/ activity/idea due to the Pandemic? Judging Criteria: (30 points) Your entry will also be judged based on the below criteria. • Is the entry / promotion professional and easy to understand? • Is the message clear, concise, organized and informative? • Is the entry / promotion designed and laid out well? • Is the entry / promotion creative and / or display originality? • Is the entry / promotion compelling enough to engage an audience? • Does the entry / promotion relay the image of the event? • Does the entry / promotion match the purpose / mission for the event? • What is the overall impression? • Have all supporting materials and measurable results been provided? • Have all requirements been met? Summer 2022

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events 57

CATEGORIES VIRTUAL / ADAPTED PROGRAMMING CATEGORIES NEW 61) BEST VIRTUAL FESTIVAL / EVENT

NEW 62) BEST HYBRID FESTIVAL / EVENT

New: Entry to be submitted online. Please review page size/font requirements, file entry formats, file size, file name format procedures and how to submit entry on pages 2-3 of this brochure.

Supporting Materials: (10 points) Please include any necessary supporting materials for the event throughout your entry limiting materials to no more than 5 examples for each area listed below (if applicable). • Printed materials (brochures, signage, etc.) • Promotional / marketing / media materials • Merchandise materials • Information provided to participants • Supporting photographs • Measurable results: tangible & intangible

Supporting Materials: (10 points) Please include any necessary supporting materials for the program throughout your entry limiting materials to no more than 5 examples for each area listed below (if applicable). • Printed materials (brochures, signage, etc.) • Promotional / marketing / media materials • Merchandise materials • Information provided to participants • Supporting photographs • Measurable results: tangible & intangible

1. Overview Information: (50 points) Please provide a detailed overview explaining the following information (a-h), in the order listed below, using no more than one (1) page to explain each section: a. Introduction and description of main event b. Name, description and purpose/objective of Virtual Festival/Event c. Virtual platform(s) used for Virtual Festival/Event d. Target audience and attendance / number of participants e. Overall revenue/ expense budget of Festival/Event f. Duration of Virtual Festival/Event (start to finish) g. Description of any sponsor / charity / volunteer / school / other group involvement with Virtual Festival/Event and benefits to each (if applicable) h. What makes the Virtual Festival/Event unique & creative? i. Overall effectiveness / success of Virtual Festival/Event

1. Overview Information: (50 points) Please provide a detailed overview explaining the following information (a-h), in the order listed below, using no more than one (1) page to explain each section: a. Introduction and description of main event b. Name, description and purpose/objective of Virtual Festival/Event c. Virtual platform(s) used for Hybrid components d. Target audience and attendance / number of participants e. Overall revenue/ expense budget of Festival/Event f. Duration of Festival/Event (start to finish) & duration of virtual component g. Description of any sponsor / charity / volunteer / school / other group involvement with Hybrid Festival/Event and benefits to each (if applicable) h. What makes the Hybrid Festival/Event unique & creative? i. Overall effectiveness / success of Hybrid Festival/Event

2. Supporting Questions: (10 points) Please answer the following questions (a-b) using no more than one (1) page. a. What did you do to update / change this Virtual Festival/Event from the year before? Were your updates / changes successful? Please provide measurable results / examples. • If the Virtual Festival/Event is new, please answer the following question instead. “What challenges / obstacles did you foresee / encounter in creating the Virtual Festival/Event, and how did you handle them?” b. What adaptations and modifications did you make to this Virtual Festival / Event due to the Pandemic?

2. Supporting Questions: (10 points) Please answer the following questions (a-b) using no more than one (1) page. a. What did you do to update / change this Hybrid Festival/Event from the year before? Were your updates / changes successful? Please provide measurable results / examples. • If the Hybrid Festival/Event is new, please answer the following question instead. “What challenges / obstacles did you foresee / encounter in creating the Hybrid Festival/Event, and how did you handle them?” b. What adaptations and modifications did you make to this Hybrid Festival/Event due to the Pandemic?

Judging Criteria: (30 points) Your entry will also be judged based on the below criteria. • Is the entry / event professional and easy to understand? • Is the message clear, concise, organized and informative? • Is the entry / event designed and laid out well? • Is the entry / event creative and / or display originality? • Is the entry / event compelling enough to engage an audience? • Does the entry / event relay the image of the event? • Does the entry / event match the purpose / mission for the event? • What is the overall impression? • Have all supporting materials and measurable results been provided? • Have all requirements been met?

Entry should focus on a Festival / Event that took place on a virtual platform vs. an-in-person Event.

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events

Entry should focus on a Festival / Event that took place both in-person and virtually, or in-person with virtual components.

Summer 2022

CATEGORIES VIRTUAL / ADAPTED PROGRAMMING CATEGORIES NEW 63) BEST FESTIVAL / EVENT ADAPTATION

Entry should focus on a Festival or Event that altered, adapted, changed or transformed from their original intended version due to unexpected circumstances.

New: Entry to be submitted online. Please review page size/font requirements, file entry formats, file size, file name format procedures and how to submit entry on pages 2-3 of this brochure. Supporting Materials: (10 points) Please include any necessary supporting materials for the festival/event throughout your entry limiting materials to no more than 5 examples for each area listed below (if applicable). • Printed materials (brochures, handbooks, signage, etc.) • Promotional / marketing / media materials • Merchandise materials • Information provided to participants • Supporting photographs • Measurable results: tangible & intangible 1. Overview Information: (50 points) Please provide a detailed overview explaining the following information (a-h), in the order listed below, using no more than one (1) page to explain each section: a. Introduction and description of main event – original intended version b. Introduction and description of main event – adapted version c. Name, description and purpose/objective of Festival / Event Adaptation d. Virtual platform(s) used for any components e. Target audience and attendance / number of participants f. Overall revenue/ expense budget of Festival/Event Adaptation g. Duration of Festival/Event Adaptation (start to finish) & duration of virtual component if any h. Description of any sponsor / charity / volunteer / school / other group involvement with Festival / Event Adaptation and benefits to each (if applicable) i. What makes the Festival/Event Adaptation unique & creative? j. Overall effectiveness / success of Festival/Event Adaptation 2. Supporting Questions: (10 points) Please answer the following questions (a-b) using no more than one (1) page. a. What did you do to update / change this Festival/Event Adaptation from the year before? Were your updates / changes successful? Please provide measurable results / examples. • If the Festival/Event Adaptation is new, please answer the following question instead. “What challenges / obstacles did you foresee / encounter in creating the Festival/Event Adaptation, and how did you handle them?” b. What adaptations and modifications did you make to this Festival/ Event Adaptation due to the Pandemic?

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IFEA’s ie: the business of international events 59

CATEGORIES MEDIA RELATIONS CATEGORIES For effective media campaigns that generated news coverage, instead of paid or donated advertising time. 64) BEST PRESS / MEDIA KIT

Entry should focus on the effectiveness and use of a Press / Media Kit by a Festival / Event / Organization to promote the Festival / Event / Organization. In addition to providing a digital version of your press/media kit (include photos as necessary), also provide information for questions listed below.

ENTRY INFORMATION: Submit entry as one (1) PDF file to include ALL entry information and supporting materials. Complete section 1 - 2 in the order listed below. Points will be awarded to the individual sections of your entry, in addition to the overall Judges Criteria. New: Entry to be submitted online. Please review page size/font requirements, file entry formats, file size, file name format procedures and how to submit entry on pages 2-3 of this brochure. Supporting Materials: (10 points) Please include any necessary supporting materials for the program throughout your entry limiting materials to no more than 5 examples for each area listed below (if applicable). • Printed materials (press releases, news clippings, etc.) • Promotional materials • Video / audio documentation (Please limit to 1 example – provide written explanation of further examples) • Supporting photographs 1. Overview Information: (50 points) Please provide a detailed overview explaining the following information (a-e), in the order listed below, using no more than one (1) page to explain each section: a. Introduction & description of main event b. Target audience / demographics for the media c. Target location (communities / cities / states) for media d. Types of mediums used for media outreach e. Measurable results indicating: • Number of publications / cities / states targeted • Percent of distribution that covered news • Longevity of media coverage • Increase / decrease in media from previous years 2. Supporting Questions: (10 points) Please answer the following questions (a-b) using no more than one (1) page. a. What did you do to update / change this kit from the year before? Were your updates / changes successful? Please provide measurable results / examples. • If the kit is a new promotion, please answer the following question instead. “What challenges / obstacles did you foresee / encounter in creating the kit, and how did you handle them?” b. What adaptations and modifications did you make to this kit due to the Pandemic? Judging Criteria: (30 points) Your entry will also be judged based on the below criteria. • Is the entry / kit professional and easy to understand? • Is the message clear, concise, organized and informative? • Is the entry / kit designed and laid out well? • Is the entry / kit creative and / or display originality? • Is the entry / kit compelling enough to engage an audience? • Does the entry / kit relay the image of the event? • Does the entry / kit match the purpose / mission for the event? • What is the overall impression? • Have all supporting materials and measurable results been provided? • Have all requirements been met?

65) MOST CREATIVE / EFFECTIVE NEWS STUNT Entry should focus on the publicity generated through a media stunt by a Festival / Events/ Organizations to promote their event / cause etc.

ENTRY INFORMATION: Submit entry as one (1) PDF file to include ALL entry information and supporting materials. Complete section 1 - 2 in the order listed below. Points will be awarded to the individual sections of your entry, in addition to the overall Judges Criteria. New: Entry to be submitted online. Please review page size/font requirements, file entry formats, file size, file name format procedures and how to submit entry on pages 2-3 of this brochure. Supporting Materials: (10 points) Please include any necessary supporting materials for the program throughout your entry limiting materials to no more than 5 examples for each area listed below (if applicable). • Printed materials (press releases, news clippings, etc.) • Promotional materials • Video / audio documentation (Please limit to 1 example – provide written explanation of further examples) • Supporting photographs 1. Overview Information: (50 points) Please provide a detailed overview explaining the following information (a-e), in the order listed below, using no more than one (1) page to explain each section: a. Introduction & description of main event b. Name (if applicable) and a detailed description of the news stunt c. How did the news stunt fit in to the overall media campaign for your event? d. Sponsor / charity involvement (if any) and why e. Was there an increase in media coverage for your event as a result of the stunt? 2. Supporting Questions: (10 points) Please answer the following questions (a-b) using no more than one (1) page. a. What did you do to update / change this stunt from the year before? Were your updates / changes successful? Please provide measurable results / examples. • If the stunt is new, please answer the following question instead. “What challenges / obstacles did you foresee / encounter in creating the stunt, and how did you handle them?” b. What adaptations and modifications did you make to this stunt due to the Pandemic? Judging Criteria: (30 points) Your entry will also be judged based on the below criteria. • Is the entry / campaign professional and easy to understand? • Is the message clear, concise, organized and informative? • Is the entry / campaign designed and laid out well? • Is the entry / campaign creative and / or display originality? • Is the entry / campaign compelling enough to engage an audience? • Does the entry / campaign relay the image of the event? • Does the entry / campaign match the purpose / mission for the event? • What is the overall impression? • Have all supporting materials and measurable results been provided? • Have all requirements been met?

CATEGORIES MEDIA RELATIONS CATEGORIES For effective media campaigns that generated news coverage, instead of paid or donated advertising time. 66) BEST MEDIA RELATIONS CAMPAIGN

Entry should focus on the entire media relations campaign for their specific Festival / Event.

Judging Criteria: (30 points) Your entry will also be judged based on the below criteria. • Is the entry / campaign professional and easy to understand? • Is the message clear, concise, organized and informative? • Is the entry / campaign designed and laid out well? • Is the entry / campaign creative and / or display originality? • Is the entry / campaign compelling enough to engage an audience? • Does the entry / campaign relay the image of the event? • Does the entry / campaign match the purpose / mission for the event? • What is the overall impression? • Have all supporting materials and measurable results been provided? • Have all requirements been met?

Supporting Materials: (10 points) Please include any necessary supporting materials for the program throughout your entry limiting materials to no more than 5 examples for each area listed below (if applicable). • Printed materials (press releases, news clippings, etc.) • Promotional materials • Video / audio documentation (Please limit to 1 example – provide written explanation of further examples) • Supporting photographs 1. Overview Information: (50 points) Please provide a detailed overview explaining the following information (a-h), in the order listed below, using no more than one (1) page to explain each section: a. Introduction & description of campaign / event b. Purpose / objective of the media relations campaign c. A detailed outline of your entire media relations campaign for your event. d. Target audience / demographics for the media e. Target location (communities / cities / states) for media f. Types of mediums used for media outreach g. Measurable results indicating: • Number of publications / cities / states targeted • Percent of distribution that covered news • Attendance results based on media outreach / campaign • Income results based on media outreach / campaign • Longevity of media coverage • Increase / decrease in media from previous years. h. Overall effectiveness of the campaign 2. Supporting Questions: (10 points) Please answer the following questions (a-b) using no more than one (1) page. a. What did you do to update / change this campaign from the year before? Were your updates / changes successful? Please provide measurable results / examples. • If the campaign is new, please answer the following question instead. “What challenges / obstacles did you foresee / encounter in creating the campaign, and how did you handle them?” b. What adaptations and modifications did you make to this campaign due to the Pandemic?

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IFEA’s ie: the business of international events 61

CATEGORIES MEDIA RELATIONS CATEGORIES For effective media campaigns that generated news coverage, instead of paid or donated advertising time. 67) BEST SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN

Entry should focus on the overall Social Media Campaign used to promote a Festival / Event.

Supporting Materials: (10 points) Please include any necessary supporting materials for the program throughout your entry limiting materials to no more than 5 examples for each area listed below (if applicable). • Printed materials (press releases, news clippings, etc.) • Promotional materials • Video / audio documentation (Please limit to 1 example – provide written explanation of further examples) • Supporting photographs 1. Overview Information: (50 points) Please provide a detailed overview explaining the following information (a-l), in the order listed below, using no more than one (1) page to explain each section: a. Introduction and description of Main Event b. Description, purpose and objective of Social Media Campaign c. Social Media Platforms used (please provide up to 5 screenshots of each platform used) d. Social Advertising used (please provide up to 5 screenshots of each social advertising used) e. Target Audience for Social Media Campaign f. Editorial Calendar and Timeline for Campaign g. Examples of Hashtags, Contests, Polls & Quizzes etc., used during Campaign h. Additional Media exposure received from Social Media Campaign i. Estimate of revenue and/or attendance increase as a result of Social Media Campaign j. Analytics Overview (Listing Demographics, Impressions, Shares, Mentions etc.) k. What makes the Social Media Campaign unique and creative? l. Overall effectiveness / success of Social Media Campaign 2. Supporting Questions: (10 points) Please answer the following questions (a-b) using no more than one (1) page. a. What did you do to update / change this campaign from the year before? Were your updates / changes successful? Please provide measurable results / examples. • If the campaign is new, please answer the following question instead. “What challenges / obstacles did you foresee / encounter in creating the campaign, and how did you handle them?” b. What adaptations and modifications did you make to this campaign due to the Pandemic?

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events

Summer 2022

CATEGORIES EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS OFFERING EVENT MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS 68) BEST EVENT MANAGEMENT CERTIFICATION PROGRAM

Entry should focus on a detailed overview of the Event Management Certification Program at a University/College.

Judging Criteria: (30 points) Your entry will also be judged based on the below criteria. • Is the entry / program professional and easy to understand? • Is the message clear, concise, organized and informative? • Is the entry / program designed and laid out well? • Is the entry / program creative and / or display originality? • Is the entry / program compelling enough to engage an audience? • Does the entry / program relay the image of the school? • Does the entry / program match the purpose / mission for the school? • What is the overall impression? • Have all supporting materials and measurable results been provided? • Have all requirements been met?

Supporting Materials: (10 points) Please include any necessary supporting materials for the program throughout your entry limiting materials to no more than 5 examples for each area listed below (if applicable). • Student recruiting materials • Student application materials • Marketing materials for program • Complete outline and syllabus of course(s) • Reading requirements list for students • Sample testing Materials 1. Overview Information: (50 points) Please provide a detailed overview explaining the following information (a-j), in the order listed below, using no more than one (1) page to explain each section: a. Introduction & History of School/University b. Purpose / objective of Event Management Certification Program c. Date program was founded & time frame course is offered d. Number of staff members & student to staff ratio e. Number of students enrolled / number graduated f. Tuition costs / Financial assistance offered g. Overall revenue and expense budget of program h. Writing/Speaking/Testing/Research requirements for students i. Practical event experience required (internships/assigned event management etc.) j. Overall effectiveness of degree/program - Alumni success (what are alumni of program doing now?) 2. Supporting Questions: (10 points) Please answer the following questions (a-b) using no more than one (1) page. a. What did you do to update/change the Degree from the year before? Were your updates/changes successful? Please provide measurable results/examples. • If the Degree is new, please answer the following questions instead: “What challenges/obstacles did you foresee/encounter in creating the Degree and how did you handle them?” b. What adaptations and modifications did you make to this Degree due to the Pandemic?

Summer 2022

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events 63

CATEGORIES EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS OFFERING EVENT MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS 69) BEST ONLINE EVENT MANAGEMENT TRAINING PROGRAM

Entry should focus on a detailed overview of the Online Event Management Training Program at a University/College.

Judging Criteria: (30 points) Your entry will also be judged based on the below criteria. • Is the entry / program professional and easy to understand? • Is the message clear, concise, organized and informative? • Is the entry / program designed and laid out well? • Is the entry / program creative and / or display originality? • Is the entry / program compelling enough to engage an audience? • Does the entry / program relay the image of the school? • Does the entry / program match the purpose / mission for the school? • What is the overall impression? • Have all supporting materials and measurable results been provided? • Have all requirements been met?

Supporting Materials: (10 points) Please include any necessary supporting materials for the program throughout your entry limiting materials to no more than 5 examples for each area listed below (if applicable). • Student recruiting materials • Student application materials • Marketing materials for program • Complete outline and syllabus of course(s) • Reading requirements list for students • Sample testing Materials 1. Overview Information: (50 points) Please provide a detailed overview explaining the following information (a-j), in the order listed below, using no more than one (1) page to explain each section: a. Introduction & History of School/University b. Purpose / objective of Online Event Management Training Program c. Date program was founded & time frame course is offered d. Number of staff members & student to staff ratio e. Number of students enrolled / number graduated f. Tuition costs / Financial assistance offered g. Overall revenue and expense budget of program h. Writing/Speaking/Testing/Research requirements for students i. Practical event experience required (internships/assigned event management etc.) j. Overall effectiveness of degree/program - Alumni success (what are alumni of program doing now?) 2. Supporting Questions: (10 points) Please answer the following questions (a-b) using no more than one (1) page. a. What did you do to update/change the Degree from the year before? Were your updates/changes successful? Please provide measurable results/examples. • If the Degree is new, please answer the following questions instead: “What challenges/obstacles did you foresee/encounter in creating the Degree and how did you handle them?” b. What adaptations and modifications did you make to this Degree due to the Pandemic?

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events

Summer 2022

CATEGORIES EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS OFFERING EVENT MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS 70) BEST EVENT MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATE DEGREE

Entry should focus on a detailed overview of the Event Management Associate Degree at a University/College.

Judging Criteria: (30 points) Your entry will also be judged based on the below criteria. • Is the entry / program professional and easy to understand? • Is the message clear, concise, organized and informative? • Is the entry / program designed and laid out well? • Is the entry / program creative and / or display originality? • Is the entry / program compelling enough to engage an audience? • Does the entry / program relay the image of the school? • Does the entry / program match the purpose / mission for the school? • What is the overall impression? • Have all supporting materials and measurable results been provided? • Have all requirements been met?

Supporting Materials: (10 points) Please include any necessary supporting materials for the program throughout your entry limiting materials to no more than 5 examples for each area listed below (if applicable). • Student recruiting materials • Student application materials • Marketing materials for program • Complete outline and syllabus of course(s) • Reading requirements list for students • Sample testing Materials 1. Overview Information: (50 points) Please provide a detailed overview explaining the following information (a-j), in the order listed below, using no more than one (1) page to explain each section: a. Introduction & History of School/University b. Purpose / objective of Event Management Associate Degree c. Date program was founded & time frame course is offered d. Number of staff members & student to staff ratio e. Number of students enrolled / number graduated f. Tuition costs / Financial assistance offered g. Overall revenue and expense budget of program h. Writing/Speaking/Testing/Research requirements for students i. Practical event experience required (internships/assigned event management etc.) j. Overall effectiveness of degree/program - Alumni success (what are alumni of program doing now?) 2. Supporting Questions: (10 points) Please answer the following questions (a-b) using no more than one (1) page. a. What did you do to update/change the Degree from the year before? Were your updates/changes successful? Please provide measurable results/examples. • If the Degree is new, please answer the following questions instead: “What challenges/obstacles did you foresee/encounter in creating the Degree and how did you handle them?” b. What adaptations and modifications did you make to this Degree due to the Pandemic?

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CATEGORIES EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS OFFERING EVENT MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS 71) BEST EVENT MANAGEMENT BACHELOR’S DEGREE

Entry should focus on a detailed overview of the Event Management Bachelor’s Degree at a University/College.

Judging Criteria: (30 points) Your entry will also be judged based on the below criteria. • Is the entry / program professional and easy to understand? • Is the message clear, concise, organized and informative? • Is the entry / program designed and laid out well? • Is the entry / program creative and / or display originality? • Is the entry / program compelling enough to engage an audience? • Does the entry / program relay the image of the school? • Does the entry / program match the purpose / mission for the school? • What is the overall impression? • Have all supporting materials and measurable results been provided? • Have all requirements been met?

Supporting Materials: (10 points) Please include any necessary supporting materials for the program throughout your entry limiting materials to no more than 5 examples for each area listed below (if applicable). • Student recruiting materials • Student application materials • Marketing materials for program • Complete outline and syllabus of course(s) • Reading requirements list for students • Sample testing Materials 1. Overview Information: (50 points) Please provide a detailed overview explaining the following information (a-j), in the order listed below, using no more than one (1) page to explain each section: a. Introduction & History of School/University b. Purpose / objective of Event Management Bachelor Degree c. Date program was founded & time frame course is offered d. Number of staff members & student to staff ratio e. Number of students enrolled / number graduated f. Tuition costs / Financial assistance offered g. Overall revenue and expense budget of program h. Writing/Speaking/Testing/Research requirements for students i. Practical event experience required (internships/assigned event management etc.) j. Overall effectiveness of degree/program - Alumni success (what are alumni of program doing now?) 2. Supporting Questions: (10 points) Please answer the following questions (a-b) using no more than one (1) page. a. What did you do to update/change the Degree from the year before? Were your updates/changes successful? Please provide measurable results/examples. • If the Degree is new, please answer the following questions instead: “What challenges/obstacles did you foresee/encounter in creating the Degree and how did you handle them?” b. What adaptations and modifications did you make to this Degree due to the Pandemic?

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CATEGORIES EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS OFFERING EVENT MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS 72) BEST FESTIVAL & EVENT MANAGEMENT MASTER’S DEGREE

Entry should focus on a detailed overview of the Event Management Master’s Degree at a University/College.

Judging Criteria: (30 points) Your entry will also be judged based on the below criteria. • Is the entry / program professional and easy to understand? • Is the message clear, concise, organized and informative? • Is the entry / program designed and laid out well? • Is the entry / program creative and / or display originality? • Is the entry / program compelling enough to engage an audience? • Does the entry / program relay the image of the school? • Does the entry / program match the purpose / mission for the school? • What is the overall impression? • Have all supporting materials and measurable results been provided? • Have all requirements been met?

Supporting Materials: (10 points) Please include any necessary supporting materials for the program throughout your entry limiting materials to no more than 5 examples for each area listed below (if applicable). • Student recruiting materials • Student application materials • Marketing materials for program • Complete outline and syllabus of course(s) • Reading requirements list for students • Sample testing Materials 1. Overview Information: (50 points) Please provide a detailed overview explaining the following information (a-j), in the order listed below, using no more than one (1) page to explain each section: a. Introduction & History of School/University b. Purpose / objective of Festival & Event Management Master’s Program c. Date program was founded & time frame course is offered d. Number of staff members & student to staff ratio e. Number of students enrolled / number graduated f. Tuition costs / Financial assistance offered g. Overall revenue and expense budget of program h. Writing/Speaking/Testing/Research requirements for students i. Practical event experience required (internships/assigned event management etc.) j. Overall effectiveness of degree/program - Alumni success (what are alumni of program doing now?) 2. Supporting Questions: (10 points) Please answer the following questions (a-b) using no more than one (1) page. a. What did you do to update/change the Degree from the year before? Were your updates/changes successful? Please provide measurable results/examples. • If the Degree is new, please answer the following questions instead: “What challenges/obstacles did you foresee/encounter in creating the Degree and how did you handle them?” b. What adaptations and modifications did you make to this Degree due to the Pandemic?

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CATEGORIES EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS OFFERING EVENT MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS 73) BEST FESTIVAL & EVENT MANAGEMENT PHD PROGRAM

Entry should focus on a detailed overview of the Event Management PhD Program at a University/College.

Judging Criteria: (30 points) Your entry will also be judged based on the below criteria. • Is the entry / program professional and easy to understand? • Is the message clear, concise, organized and informative? • Is the entry / program designed and laid out well? • Is the entry / program creative and / or display originality? • Is the entry / program compelling enough to engage an audience? • Does the entry / program relay the image of the school? • Does the entry / program match the purpose / mission for the school? • What is the overall impression? • Have all supporting materials and measurable results been provided? • Have all requirements been met?

Supporting Materials: (10 points) Please include any necessary supporting materials for the program throughout your entry limiting materials to no more than 5 examples for each area listed below (if applicable). • Student recruiting materials • Student application materials • Marketing materials for program • Complete outline and syllabus of course(s) • Reading requirements list for students • Sample testing Materials 1. Overview Information: (50 points) Please provide a detailed overview explaining the following information (a-j), in the order listed below, using no more than one (1) page to explain each section: a. Introduction & History of School/University b. Purpose / objective of Festival & Event Management PhD Program c. Date program was founded & time frame course is offered d. Number of staff members & student to staff ratio e. Number of students enrolled / number graduated f. Tuition costs / Financial assistance offered g. Overall revenue and expense budget of program h. Writing/Speaking/Testing/Research requirements for students i. Practical event experience required (internships/assigned event management etc.) j. Overall effectiveness of degree/program - Alumni success (what are alumni of program doing now?) 2. Supporting Questions: (10 points) Please answer the following questions (a-b) using no more than one (1) page. a. What did you do to update/change the Degree from the year before? Were your updates/changes successful? Please provide measurable results/examples. • If the Degree is new, please answer the following questions instead: What challenges/obstacles did you foresee/encounter in creating the Degree and how did you handle them? b. What adaptations and modifications did you make to this Degree due to the Pandemic?

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IFEA/HAAS & WILKERSON PINNACLE AWARD ENTRY CHECKLIST With so many changes to the Pinnacle Competition this year, please be sure to review the following checklist to make sure you have completed everything before, during and after you enter your entries: ❍ REVIEW all the categories in the 2022 IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Award Brochure (there’s quite a few new ones!) ❍ REVIEW the Eligibility Dates for when items entered need to have been produced and / or used for the first time (it’s expanded for this year!) ❍ REVIEW Entry Deadlines on page 2 of brochure. ❍ DECIDE which categories you want to enter. ❍ REVIEW the specific requirements needed to enter each category. ❍ COMPILE all items needed for the specific category. ❍ CREATE your entry(ies) – be sure to include EVERYTHING that is listed for your category. ❍ PROOF your entry before you submit. ❍ SAVE your entry in the file format required for the specific category (either a png, jpg, pdf or an online link). See page 2-3 of brochure. ❍ SAVE the file name for your entry in the format listed on page 2 of brochure. ❍ SUBMIT your entry by going to this page: www.ifea.com/p/industryawards/pinnacleawards/thisyear/EnterHere ❍ REVIEW “To Submit an Entry” instructions on the above page. ❍ REVIEW “Important Notes” regarding proofing, submitting multiple entries in the same category and payment options. ❍ REMEMBER to contact Nia Hovde, CFEE at nia@ifea.com if you need to pay by check for your entries BEFORE you start entering. ❍ COMPLETE Sections 1, 2 and 3 of the online entry form for EACH entry. ❍ PROOF each entry form before you select submit. ❍ SUBMIT your entry. ❍ SELECT “Continue Shopping” to add more entries, or “Check Out” when you’re finished. ❍ WATCH for an emailed receipt and recap of your entries once submitted. ❍ ENTER more entries as needed at any time until the final deadline. ❍ REMEMBER to email ONE (1) high resolution copy of your Organization OR Event Logo to nia@ifea.com. ❍ TIPS & POINTERS? Review some of the Tips & Pointers we’ve gathered from your peers over the years here: www.ifea.com/p/industryawards/pinnacleawards/pinnacle-tips--pointers ❍ QUESTIONS? Review all the FAQ’s listed here: www.ifea.com/p/industryawards/pinnacleawards/pinnacle-faqs

❍ CONTACT: Nia Hovde, CFEE, Vice President/Director of Marketing & Communications at the IFEA if you have ANY QUESTIONS or ISSUES at nia@ifea.com. Summer 2022

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SPONSORSHIP DURING A GLOBAL PANDEMIC:

Photo by Jeff Auger

mong many industries, the arts and independent venues were hit hard in 2020. Venue after venue, were forced to shut their doors, and all the memories they kept, for good. ArtsQuest is a nonprofit arts and cultural organization located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania at the iconic SteelStacks. Once home to Bethlehem Steel Corporation headquarters, the campus is now a vibrant cultural centerpiece in the heart of the community. In a typical year, ArtsQuest presents more than 4,000 in-person programs and events for the community, including hundreds of free concerts year-round and the nation’s largest free music festival, Musikfest. In March 2020, the team went from planning a busy summer schedule, to not being able to offer a single piece of programming, losing 90 percent of its revenue streams. It was clear, the organization’s survival would depend in part on support from the political and corporate community, as well as individuals. We quickly went to work to generate any revenue we could. In the process, we learned 70

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lessons that can be applied at organizations across the country to help make the shift from survival mode to growth. Relationships Are Key Just like with personal friends and family, it takes work to maintain relationships. Remembering this is key to success in a professional capacity as well. The pandemic impacted everyone in different ways. Checking in, calling and genuinely asking partners how they are faring in their industry can go a long way. Some industries, like health care, were forced to the frontlines. Other industries that once were thriving, were forced to make tough decisions, often including layoffs. During the height of the pandemic, when we spoke with one of our largest longtime supporters Laurie Hackett, head of philanthropy and community relations for Air Products, she said we would have her “full commitment, regardless of what happens with Musikfest.” Promises like that don’t happen out of the blue. They come only after a strong relationship has been built over many

Summer 2022

How to Build Partnerships When There are ‘Virtually’ No Benefits By Curt Mosel

Photo by Jeff Auger

years and through authentic engagement. Yuengling, a worldwide brand headquartered in Pennsylvania, is another one of our largest corporate sponsors. We spoke with our contact Tyler Simpson who informed us while Yuengling lost a fair amount of on-premise business in 2020, their off-premise business was strong and allowed them to continue with their support. This was solidified with subsequent conversations with Wendy Yuengling and our President and CEO Kassie Hilgert, speaking directly with Dick Yuengling. These relationships have blossomed over the years into genuine friendships and the corporation’s support has become invaluable. After a couple conversations with key partners, that momentum led our team to have discussions with other large corporations like B. Braun, PNC Bank, Martin Guitar, Service Electric, Lehigh Valley Health Network and St. Luke’s University Health Network. All of our partners responded differently, but the key was a strong foundation. Some gave small gifts without expenses or requiring benefits. Other gifts were similar to support from previous years.

It is important to lay the groundwork early and often. Let your elected officials and partners know what you deliver, along with your organization’s strengths and weaknesses. Engage regularly, ask about their priorities. Do not wait to have these conversations when you need something. Get to know each other authentically and build trust before times of crisis. Adapt, React, Then Adapt Again ArtsQuest has been committed to providing free and low-cost arts, cultural and educational programming to the region for almost forty years. With in-person events coming to a halt in 2020, our organization shifted gears to offer as many virtual programs as we could. ArtsQuest at Home, presented by BSI, launched in 2020. This collection included livestreamed concerts, movie talks with our cinema staff and livestreamed ‘Improvised Standup’ comedy programming. This series was shared digitally and used the power Summer 2022

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For doing a fraction of the programming in 2021, our organization still did about half of our “normal” sponsorship budget. When planning our flagship festival, Musikfest, in 2021, we created many different iterations of our plans.

Photo by Jeff Auger

of the arts to keep people connected. Musikfest went almost completely virtual in 2020 and provided live concerts thanks to partners Martin Guitar, Service Electric Network and more. Service Electric Network (SEN), our regional cable provider, made a six-figure investment to make 2020 Virtual Musikfest possible. They built an entire infrastructure around opportunities for virtual performances. SEN converted their production truck garage into a full music venue and hosted 40 live musical performances that were televised to fans in lieu of attending the festival in person. This original programming benefitted both organizations leading to some of their best ratings ever and more than two million video views. Our visual arts team also found ways to engage the community. We introduced ArtSmart@Home; an afterschool art enrichment program offered virtually. We created digital exhibitions to promote artists’ work over the pandemic. We also held Virtual Toddler Storytimes and Stay Creative Family Workshops where staff and educators demonstrated ways to stay creative while at home. We 72

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also introduced a Keep Moving Dance Series teaching salsa to help people stay active in quarantine. In 2020, we were all glued to our screens which made virtual programming attractive to our sponsors. For doing a fraction of the programming in 2021, our organization still did about half of our “normal” sponsorship budget. When planning our flagship festival, Musikfest, in 2021, we created many different iterations of our plans. When the state and local government updated restrictions on Memorial Day, we had only a matter of months to adapt and make the call to have the ‘fest in person. In the end, the festival featured approximately 500 free performances from more than 300 musical artists, providing paying gigs for musicians after a challenging year and a half in the industry. Highlights of the ‘fest included headlining acts Darius Rucker, Zedd, Sam Hunt, Shinedown, Phillip Phillips, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Jimmie Allen, Colin Hay Band, The Wood Brothers, Black Violin, Hector Tricoche and Michael Stuart.

Summer 2022

As a nonprofit, our organization delivers more than concerts and events. When we do well, the community does well. Make sure what you are offering is not simply transactional for entertainment purposes only.

Photo by Jeff Auger

Overall, an estimated 1,127,000 people attended the festival and Musikfest had an estimated $67 million impact on the economy in our region of Pennsylvania. The 11-day festival featured 150 corporate sponsors, more than two dozen artisans/ retailers and more than 30 food vendors. It was clear there was an appetite in the corporate community for this event to return. “After spending a year apart, Highmark Blue Shield was thrilled to once again be a supporter of Musikfest and couldn’t be happier to see it return to an in-person celebration in 2021,” Jane Brooks of Highmark Blue Shield said. “We recognize how art and music are vital contributors to the overall health of the community and look forward to seeing this event bring people together for years to come in the future.” Deliver More Than Entertainment As a nonprofit, our organization delivers more than concerts and events. When we do well, the community does well. Make

sure what you are offering is not simply transactional for entertainment purposes only. Guests are buying more than a concert ticket, their spending goes directly back into the community. “Musikfest is a tradition unlike any other and we are proud to partner with ArtsQuest year after year,” Former Bethlehem Mayor Bob Donchez said. “It is an honor to see our community come together once again to support small business, tourism and economic development.” In addition to the economic impact, we work to make sure our programs serve a purpose. During Musikfest 2021, in honor of those impacted by COVID-19, our organization partnered with the local nonprofit New Bethany Ministries to present Poppies of Remembrance, Lanterns of Hope. Performers across dozens of stages were asked to #PauseTheMusik at 7 p.m. on Fri., Aug. 13. Red lanterns illuminated at City Hall and at homes across the community in honor of those we lost, those still struggling and those fighting on the frontlines of the pandemic. The 2021 Summer 2022

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You don’t need a large budget to find ways to thank supporters. We display corporate names and logos throughout our campus on outdoor and indoor digital screens, signage and banners

Photo by Jeff Auger

original Musikfest poster painting, created by Pennsylvania artist Mandy Martin, was auctioned off with all proceeds benefiting The Fund for Racial Justice and Equity (FRJE) powered by United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley. In addition to Musikfest, our organization’s other key events, Oktoberfest in the fall and Christkindlmarkt (our holiday market) in the winter, came back bigger and better than ever. ArtsQuest’s 11th annual Oktoberfest, presented by Lehigh Valley International Airport (ABE), returned to the SteelStacks campus supporting local businesses, performers and vendors. An estimated 42,000 people attended the outdoor festival which took place the first two weekends of October 2021. More than 93,500 people attended our 2021 holiday market, Christkindlmarkt Bethlehem, presented by Univest Financial®. This attendance number is second only to 2019’s record-setting estimated attendance of 95,000. Guests supported the market’s 167 unique craft and retail vendors for five weekends during the holiday shopping season. Indications from vendors at both Oktoberfest and 74

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Christkindlmarkt showed food and beverage sales were up significantly when compared to both 2019 and 2018. During our holiday market, we also introduced new community hours, where entry was free thanks to the generosity of one of our partners T-Mobile. This increased attendance (more than 2,000 guests) led to a significant bump in sales for participating crafters, retailers and vendors. Our organization is continuing to explore opportunities like this in the future to make our programming more accessible, while thanking our generous partners. Find Ways to Say Thank You Our partner’s decision to support ArtsQuest has allowed us to fully reopen and re-engage with the community we serve. In addition to the corporate community, ArtsQuest is always looking for ways to thank elected officials who provided CARES Act funding that kept our doors open. To say thank you, we kicked off Musikfest 2021 with an opening ceremony honoring sponsors and local leaders for everything they did to keep us afloat.

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Throughout the pandemic, something we already knew to be true was even further solidified. Our organization would be nothing without our dedicated and loyal supporters.

Photo by Jeff Auger

You don’t need a large budget to find ways to thank supporters. We display corporate names and logos throughout our campus on outdoor and indoor digital screens, signage and banners. We also tag partners in social media posts and create specific targeted campaigns. In addition to including sponsors in internal and external communications, we also connect supporters with local and national journalists. Whenever we can, we offer up publicity opportunities to key partners on television, radio, print and digital outlets. Corporate sponsors also get the typical shoutouts at the beginning of shows and ticket holds for certain programs and events. For all of our key partnerships, we provide specific return on investment reports highlighting how well sponsors did during set periods of time. While these benefits are important, at the end of the day it all comes down to relationships. The best way to say thank you is one-on-one in person (when possible) or virtually. We cannot say thank you enough! Throughout the pandemic, something we already knew to be true was even further solidified. Our organization would be nothing

without our dedicated and loyal supporters. These supporters were some of the very first voices we heard say that they were staying by our sides to ensure we would make it through this unprecedented time. Although we do not know what the future holds, we will continue to provide all that we can for our community. We hope these lessons can help your organization work toward a brighter future for the entire festivals and events industry.

Curt Mosel is the Chief Operating Officer for ArtsQuest, a nonprofit arts and cultural organization located in Bethlehem, Pa. Mosel has been with ArtsQuest for more than 12 years and has fulfilled various roles in marketing and corporate partnerships. Mosel has an extensive background in advertising, sales and marketing. He has worked for media outlets, the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves franchise and Major League Soccer’s Chicago Fire. Summer 2022

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THE DIGITAL LIFE

WITH SAFFIRE

USING TIKTOK TO

PROMOTE YOUR EVENT

ith roughly 656 million downloads in 2021, TikTok’s popularity has skyrocketed. Its short and engaging videos can suck you in for hours, and it is an incredible platform to promote your upcoming fair or event! Why is TikTok Important for Event Marketing The #foryoupage (#FYP) algorithm is one that hasn’t been cracked yet, but with the right post you can get your content in front of hundreds of thousands (or even millions) of eyes. TikTok has the possibility to give you the biggest possible organic reach, much more so than traditional social media channels like Twitter and Facebook. If you still think TikTok is ‘just for the kids’—consider this: in February 2022 alone, TikTok was (again) the most downloaded app in the world in February with a total of 41 million downloads. Looking to maximize reach while driving engagement? Even if you’ve never made a post before, your content can still be seen by millions of people! Additionally, your window for increased engagement is much larger, with TikTok increasing your content shelf life by 90 days. It’s a great way to start building the hype around your event and engage with potentially new customers. Join a viral trend: The fastest (and possibly easiest) way to get seen is by jumping in on a trend. From popular audios and hashtags, you can put a spin on a current viral trend! Strive for authenticity and find those viral popular 76

trends that would lend well to your event marketing campaign.

hashtag on your different platforms, so your existing audience can get in on the fun!

Host a takeover: Have someone else take over your account for the day! Get some perspectives like backstage access or a “day in the life”. If you’re hosting a state or county fair, you could ask 4H guests to post for an entire day, showing pictures of the animals being shown or results from a competition.

Creating a TikTok Plan Before you post, have a plan in place! As you are planning your promotional campaign for the event, schedule time to film and post TikToks! Before the event, work on building the excitement for attendees and during the event capture what makes your fair or concert so fun. While the average length of a post on TikTok is just 15 seconds, you can take advantage of the 30-second or 1-minute feature to get a bit creative. As a team, brainstorm some fun trends to participate in, and even storyboard out your ideas. That way when it comes to filming, you’ll be more than ready. As social media trends continue to grow and new platforms become popular, it’s important to stay cognizant of engaging opportunities. Start connecting with fans from your events and start your TikTok account today!

Collaborate with an influencer: If there is an influencer in your area, consider reaching out to them. If you can swing it, offer comped tickets in exchange for a post featuring your event. Not only can this introduce your event to their followers, but increased engagement will lead to higher views. Run a contest: Encourage attendees to participate with the promise of a possible prize! Offering something like free or upgraded tickets for the winner can drive engagement while potentially giving you additional content to repost from your account. Don’t Forget Instagram Reels: Born shortly after the rise of TikTok, Reels is Instagram’s take on short, vertical videos. Use the content created for TikTok and upload them to your Instagram account to connect with your existing Instagram audience. Post a personalized hashtag: Post videos with a hashtag unique specifically to this year’s event. Be sure to share this

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Saffire empowers hundreds of clients with beautiful, unique and engaging websites, and integrated SaffireTix ticketing, including online, advance and box office sales, all with amazing real-time reporting. Saffire’s Spark content management system puts live editing power in clients’ hands by making content and tickets easy to update with unlimited help when needed. Social media, email and text marketing are also included to fuel client success. To learn more about SaffireTix, visit www.saffire.com.

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

Is Your Leadership Proactive or Reactive? Build a culture that elevates thinking above sexual misconduct.

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Protect your team, volunteers, and attendees

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During Treefort, no fewer than 10 people hugged and thanked me for using WeVow. — Lori Shandro Outen, Founder / Producer of Treefort Music Festival

A WeVow “Group” for your event includes: ■

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License to leverage WeVow at/on/in your website, ticketing, registration, event programming, social media, and all PR and communication

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3 free counseling sessions + resources for anyone who reports an incident as a victim during your event Training guide for key team members regarding best practices for when incidents are reported White glove service

Contact Matt Pipkin at 208.830.3885 or matt@wevow.com for details.

2022 IFEA WORLD FESTIVAL & EVENT CITY

AWARD PROGRAM “Recognizing the best in city-event leadership and partnerships around the world.”

ABOUT THE

IFEA WORLD FESTIVAL & EVENT CITY AWARD

The IFEA World Festival & Event City Award © was designed and created as a way for the global festivals and events industry to openly encourage, support, learn from and recognize positive local environments for festivals and events worldwide. If you are considering applying for this prestigious award, you already understand the important role that festivals and events play in your community by: • Adding to the quality of life for local residents; • Driving tourism; • Showcasing a positive community brand and image to the media, business community, and visitors; • Creating economic impact that translates into jobs, tax revenues and enhanced infrastructure improvements; • Providing enhanced exposure opportunities for the arts, not-for-profit causes and other community programs and venues; • Promoting volunteerism and bonding the many elements of the community together; • Encouraging community investment, participation, creativity and vision; and • Building irreplaceable ‘community capital’ for the future. To achieve and maximize these important returns for the markets that they serve, we must clearly understand their direct correlation to the partnerships with and support from the local community, at all levels, that is critical to the success and sustainability of existing festivals and events, as well as the ability to attract and encourage new events. Through this special award the IFEA is pleased to recognize those cities and markets who have worked, through concerted efforts, to provide an environment conducive to successful festivals and events. For each year’s selected cities, the IFEA World Festival & Event City Award © provides: • A strong platform from which to recognize the success of current and on-going efforts by every component of your community; • A clear positioning statement to encourage continued infrastructure, policy and process enhancement and expansion; and • A powerful marketing statement for use in recruiting and encouraging new festivals, events and businesses. We look forward to working with you, your city and community partners to recognize the quality efforts and support that you have successfully developed over the years and should be rightfully proud of. Thank you for your continued support of, and partnership with, the festivals and events industry. Best of Luck with your entry!

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RECIPIENT CITIES INCLUDE:

IFEA World Festival & Event Award recipient cities come from all over the globe including such cities as: Sydney, Australia; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; São Paulo, Brazil; Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Jinju City, Gyeonsangnam-do, South Korea; Krakow, Poland; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Greater Palm Springs - CA, USA; Ottawa - Ontario, Canada; Boston - Massachusetts, USA; Maribor, Slovenia; Taupõ - New Zealand; Tucson, Arizona, U.S.A.; Des Moines, Iowa, U.S.A.; New Taipei City, Taiwan; Ballito-KwaDukuza, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, and much, much more. A complete list of winning cities and details about each can be found at www.ifea.com.

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ENTRY INFORMATION Quick Reference Guide

SCORING SYSTEM

• Entry Deadline: 5:00 p.m. (Mountain Time Zone) – Monday, July 18, 2022 • Entry must include completed entry, additional requested details and application form with payment • Due to time constraints in judging, late entries cannot be accepted.

• A possible total of 100 points may be awarded to each entry based upon the individual components listed under Sections 1-6 of the overall entry. • Failure to meet all requirements or answer/ provide all necessary information may impact judging decisions and will result in a deduction of points. • If a section or element does not apply to your City, please state this within your entry (explaining why it does not apply) in order to avoid losing points.

FEES

SELECTION AND NOTIFICATION

DEADLINES

The total cost to enter the IFEA World Festival & Event City Award© is $795 (U.S. Dollars) for IFEA Members and $995 (U.S. Dollars) for non-IFEA Members per entry. Payment may be made using a Visa, MasterCard or American Express credit card or by Check (made payable to the IFEA)

ELIGIBILITY

Applications for the IFEA World Festival & Event City Award © may be submitted by the City itself or by an event(s) on behalf of their City. It is our hope that the application process itself will result in an even closer working partnership and dialogue between the Applicant City and the festivals and events who serve that market. Applicants may re-apply for the IFEA World Festival & Event City Award © each year.

JUDGING

Judging of the IFEA World Festival & Event City entries is done by an international panel of respected event professionals, who have been pleased to discover that there are many amazing programs happening around the world that will help us all to raise the bar for our own communities, showing us what is possible – at every level – when vision and leadership combine. The IFEA World Festival & Event City Award © are presented on an individual basis to exemplary cities around the world that we hope others will emulate. The awards are not designed as a competition of one city against another, but rather to recognize those individual cities that have ‘raised the bar’ for everyone, taking into account the cultural, economic and geographic challenges that they have met, mastered and often changed along the way. For that reason, we may present multiple awards each year, while some will be encouraged to strengthen or make adjustments to

selected components of their entry criteria for reconsideration in future years.

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• Award Recipients will be notified via email by Monday, August 15, 2022. Notification will go to the primary contact listed on the entry application. • The 2022 IFEA World Festival & Event City Award © will be presented during the IFEA’s 65th Annual IFEA Convention & Expo. Each recipient city will be highlighted in a brief video presentation at the award ceremony and on-site throughout the convention. • If you are unable to attend the IFEA’s 65th Annual Convention & Expo to accept your award, please arrange for a representative to accept on your behalf. • If you are not present at the awards presentation to accept your award, it will be mailed to you 4 weeks after the convention concludes at your expense. Please provide a credit card number to charge for shipping fees.

MAXIMIZING YOUR AWARD

Being selected as an IFEA World Festival & Event City is only the beginning of the benefits to be gained from this special honor. The IFEA will help each recipient with ideas on how to maximize and leverage your award, with specific examples from previous recipients. • Each winning recipient of the IFEA World Festival & Event City Award © will receive an engraved award suitable for indoor display and a personal letter of congratulations. • Duplicate IFEA World Festival & Event City awards, flags (for display or flying) and other recognition items are available for purchase by award recipients wishing to share their honor with the many partners who helped them to win. • Winning recipients will be provided with the rights to use the 2022 IFEA World Festival & Event City Award© Winner logo on their websites, press releases and other

appropriate City letterhead, brochures, marketing materials, etc. • The IFEA will announce all IFEA World Festival & Event City Award© recipients in an international press release to the world’s leading media sources, including all local market media contacts provided to the IFEA by selected applicants. • IFEA World Festival & Event City Award© recipients will be featured in a special on-line tribute section at www.ifea.com in perpetuity and in a special section of ie: the business of international events, the IFEA’s industry-leading magazine.

RELEASE & USAGE

By submitting your entry to the IFEA World Festival & Event City Award, you automatically: • Grant the IFEA the right to use any materials from your entry for editorial, analytical, promotional or any other purpose without additional permission or compensation. All materials and photos submitted as part of the application will become the property of the IFEA. • Confirm that all information within your entry is true and accurate to the best of your knowledge. • Acknowledge your entry is not able to be returned. Copies should be made prior to submitting your entry, as desired. Note: Proprietary or sensitive information will not be shared if identified clearly. • Agree that if selected as a winning applicant, the IFEA may use their City name and representative’s photos in all press releases and program marketing materials, both hard copy and electronic versions. • Acknowledge that your entry into the competition is acknowledgement of these terms.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

2. A one (1) paragraph description of your city (to be used for promotional purposes by the IFEA). 3. An email list of your local media contacts in Excel format for IFEA for use to announce the selected recipients. Please limit to your 25 main contacts. 4. An individual photograph representing your city - preferably of a festival setting within your city (at least 300 dpi in size). 5. A three (3) minute video presentation representing your City. (Refer to Important Details section below for video format.) 6. A one (1) page introductory letter stating why your City should be selected to receive the IFEA World Festival & Event City Award. 7. Your overall completed IFEA World Festival & Event City Award© Entry providing responses and supporting information for the following sections. Refer to pages 6-9 for detailed descriptions required for each section. This part of your entry must be submitted as one (1) singular entry piece/ document/PowerPoint/Pdf, etc.: ❍ Section 1: Community Overview ❍ Section 2: Community Festivals & Events ❍ Section 3: City/Government Support of Festivals & Events ❍ Section 4: Non-Governmental Community Support of Festivals & Events ❍ Section 5: COVID-19 Pandemic Support of Festivals & Events ❍ Section 6: Leveraging ‘Community Capital’ Created by Festivals & Events ❍ Section 7: Extra Credit To view examples of past IFEA World Festival & Event City Award© recipient entries, go to: www.ifea.com / Industry Awards / World Festival & Event City Award / Past Recipients.

IMPORTANT DETAILS

• Please submit your main entry (as listed in components 6-7 under Entry Requirements above), as one (1) singular entry piece/document/ PowerPoint/Pdf, etc. Components 1-5 listed under Entry Requirements may be submitted as separate pieces from the main entry, but must be submitted at the same time. • All entry information should be provided in English and typed using 11-point Arial font. • Please submit your overall entry via Email (preferred method of submitting entry.) Please create entry in a Word, PowerPoint, PDF document, tif, jpg or other standard format. If entry must be mailed, please submit your overall entry on a Thumbdrive to the IFEA World Headquarters in the format listed above. • To submit Video portion of entry, please email video file as an MP4, WMF, MOV - or provide a link to an online video location such as YouTube. If mailing video on a Thumbdrive, Summer 2022

please submit video as an MPF, WMF, MOV. (DVD’s should be encoded for Region 1 or Region 0 DVD capabilities.) • Entries over one GB must be provided as a link to a fixed site with no expiration timeframe.

TIPS & POINTERS

• Not all components under a specific section will pertain to everyone. Don’t worry; there are no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answers and our international judging panel will base their decisions on overall impressions after reviewing all of the submitted information. We are all learning from each other, with the goal of strengthening the partnerships, benefits and returns to our respective communities from the festivals and events that are such an important part of the community fabric and we hope to find additional new ideas being implemented from within all of the award entries that we can share in the future. • Responses to the requested information may require a straight-forward numerical answer, or a more descriptive definition. While we have placed no limits on length, we encourage you to provide the most succinct answers possible that clearly make your point. • If you have any questions or need clarification on any criteria, please do not hesitate to contact us. • Support materials, photos, videos, brochures, copies, etc. should be inserted following the responses to each section. • As needed, we may communicate with the primary contact on the application to clarify any questions that may arise.

SEND ENTRIES TO

Please email completed entries, application form and payment to: Nia Hovde, CFEE at nia@ifea.com. Entry, payment and application form may be mailed if necessary. Be sure to provide entry on a disk or a USB Flash Drive in a word, PowerPoint, PDF or other standard format. Please mail to: IFEA World Festival & Event City Award 10400 Overland Rd. #356 Boise, ID 83709, U.S.A.

QUESTIONS?

Contact: • Steve Schmader, CFEE, President & CEO at schmader@ifea.com • Nia Hovde, CFEE, Vice President/Director of Marketing & Communications at nia@ifea.com

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IFEA World Festival & Event City Award

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Working in partnership with local community leadership, festivals, events, organizations and businesses, please provide a clear overview and understanding of the festival and event environment in your City/Market through responses to each of the following sections. The application process in itself is a great opportunity to evaluate internally the areas where your City excels and other areas where you may be able to strengthen your efforts and further support local programs. Please submit the following information: 1. A completed entry form providing contact and payment information. 2. A one (1) paragraph description of your city (to be used for promotional purposes by the IFEA) 3. An email list of your local media contacts in Excel format for IFEA for use to announce the selected recipients. Please limit to your 25 main contacts. 4. An individual photograph representing your city - preferably of a festival setting within your city (at least 300 dpi in size). 5. A three (3) minute video presentation representing your city. (Refer to Important Details section for video format.) 6. A one (1) page introductory letter stating why your City should be selected to receive the IFEA World Festival & Event City Award. 7. Your overall completed IFEA World Festival & Event City Award© Entry providing responses and supporting information for Sections 1-7 below. This part of your entry must be submitted as one (1) singular entry piece/document/PowerPoint/Pdf, etc. Please refer to the Entry Requirements and Important Details sections for specific entry formats and details. To view examples of past IFEA World Festival & Event City Award© recipient entries, go to: www.ifea.com / Industry Awards / World Festival and Event City Award / Past Recipients

Section 1. Community Overview Goal: The information in this section should help provide us with a better understanding of your community and the infrastructure in place to host and/or support those producing and attending festivals and events. • Please provide an overview of your community that will provide us with as many elements as possible, such as: a. Current City Population b. Current SMSA or LUZ Population (Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area or Large Urban Zone) c. Population within a 50 Mile Radius of Applicant City d. Primary Festival and Event Venues Available (Indoor and Outdoor. For example: Theatres, Plazas, Bandshells, Parks, Stadiums, Fairgrounds, Sport Facilities, Convention Centers, etc., including those facilities planned for completion within the next two years. Include Estimated Capacities for each. For outdoor venues, use a formula of 1 person per 3 square feet if no other total capacity numbers are available.) e. Water and Power Accessibility in Outdoor Venues f. Wifi Accessibility throughout Venues in City (signal / affordability) g. Hospital and Emergency Response Availability h. Total Number of Hotel Rooms Available i. Public Transportation Options j. Parking Availability (Paid lots, meters, and free) k. Walking Paths, Bicycle Lanes l. Estimated City Visitors Annually Attributed to Festivals and Events

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Section 2. Community Festivals and Events Goal: The information in this section should provide us with an understanding of the diversity and success of current festivals and events that serve your city residents and visitors throughout the year. • Please provide us with a good overview of the leading festivals and events currently operating in your market. A full-year calendar of events is very helpful as we consider this area. Please provide the following for the ‘Top 10’ festivals or events in your market: a. Festival or Event Name b. Top Executive Contact Information c. Number of Years Festival or Event has been Produced d. Event Dates (Minimally the month held, with days if clearly defined – For example: the last weekend in June. If the event is a series, list the starting and ending dates – For example: Every Wednesday, June through August.) e. Primary Target Audience (For example: Families; Young Adults; Seniors; Children; Specific Cultural Heritage Groups; All Community Segments; Out-of-Market Visitors, etc.) f. Recurrence Cycle (Annually, Every 5 Years, etc.) g. Estimated Combined Aggregate Attendance

Section 3. City/Governmental Support of Festivals and Events Goal: The information in this section should help us to understand the strength and depth of support by the applicant City and other area governmental bodies (County, State, taxing districts, etc.) and demonstrate a clear awareness of event support needs by government agencies and officials. • Please define or describe each of the following elements (a-i) below, as completely and accurately as possible. • Where available and appropriate, please provide examples and copies. • If a section or element does not apply to your city, please state this within your entry and why it does not apply and/or what you may have/use instead. a. Defined and Accessible Public Objectives and Support Statements for Festivals and Events by the City and Other Local Government Agencies b. Direct Funding Support Provided to and/or Budgeted for Festivals and Events from the City or Other Government Agencies c. In-Kind Services Support Provided to and/or Budgeted for Festivals and Events from the City or Other Government Agencies d. Defined Role of the City in Festival and Event Approval e. City-Provided Festival and Event Process Coordination and Assistance Systems (For example: Existence of a City Events Department; ‘One-Stop Shopping’ for Permitting and Municipal Service Needs; Shared Resource Programs for Volunteer Recruitment/Management, Non-Proprietary Equipment Usage/Maintenance, Insurance/Music Licensing Provisions, etc.) f. Participation in Official Capacity by City Department Representatives on Boards and Planning Committees of Local Festivals and Events g. Local Laws, Ordinances, Regulations, Permits and Policies Impacting and Supportive of Festivals and Events (For example: noise ordinances, traffic regulations, curfews, parking fees, fireworks regulations, ambush marketing control, alcohol service requirements, taxes, food safety, insurance requirements, risk management expectations, etc.) h. Green Initiatives: What assistance does the city offer to encourage and support green initiatives by festivals & events? i. City Provided Festival and Event Training Programs (For example: Marketing, Planning, Budgeting, Risk Management, Alcohol Service, City Department Introductions, Professional Certification, etc.) j. Direct Industry Involvement / Memberships by Any of the Above

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Section 4. Non-Governmental Community Support of Festivals and Events Goal: The information in this section should help us to understand the commitment to festivals and events and direct support provided by community individuals and non-governmental organizations. Without this type of support most festivals and events could not achieve the level of success that these important partnerships help to build. • Please define or describe how each of the following elements/organizations (a-l) below (if applicable) lends their support to ensure the success and outreach of local festivals and events completely and accurately as possible. • Answers should be provided as an overview reflective of the entire community versus an individual event/organization, with enough detail to provide a clear picture of support. • If a section or element does not apply to your city, please state this within your entry and why it does not apply and/or what you may have/use instead. a. Volunteer Involvement b. Sponsorship Support (include in your answer a list of the ten (10) most prominent corporate sponsors in your market) c. Media Support d. Chamber of Commerce / Convention & Visitors Bureau Support (Promotion and marketing activities, familiarization tours, travel writer access, material creation, information distribution, grant funding, visitor hosting, etc.) e. Downtown Associations (Support by Downtown merchants and businesses) f. Organizations to Assist Individuals with Disabilities g. Local Event Cooperatives h. Sports Commissions i. Educational Institution Support j. Special Incentives/Discounts Provided to Festivals and Events by Local Venues (For example: special discounted rates for use of a local performing arts venue; provision of ticketing services, etc.) k. Access to Industry Suppliers in the Local Market (For example: banners and decorations; generators; portable toilets; merchandise; generators; stage, lights & sound; golf carts; security; chairs; barricades; ATM’s; communication services; etc.) l. Direct Industry Involvement / Memberships by Any of the Above

Section 5. COVID-19 Pandemic Support of Festivals and Events Goal: The COVID-19 pandemic has been perhaps the largest/longest single challenge that our industry, and the host cities that call them home, have faced in our lifetime, shuttering many festivals and events; creating financial and human resource challenges; health and safety challenges; and a still continuing uncertainty regarding a return to full ‘normalcy’. The information in this section should help us to understand the strength and depth of support by the applicant City (government bodies; non-governmental organizations and agencies; health care services; and others) to support the health and long-term financial sustainability of the festivals and events in your market, as well as their reciprocal support for your community, as a whole, during the pandemic. • Please define or describe each of the following elements (a-d) below, as completely and accurately as possible. • Where available and appropriate, please provide examples and copies. Direct Funding Support Provided to Festivals and Events from the City or Other Government Funds to Help Support the Financial Health of Local Festivals and Events In-Kind Services Support Provided to Festivals and Events from the City or Other Government Agencies to Help Support the Financial Health of Local Festivals and Events 86

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Support Provided by Festivals and Events to Help with Community Awareness/Protection (For example: On-site vaccination locations/coordination; Requirements - as allowed by your city/state governments - for proof of vaccination/negative testing; masks; safe distancing; other increased safety measures by event attendees.) Any New Programs Created to Prepare For/Protect Against Future or Continued Pandemic or Other Unexpected Challenges

Section 6. Leveraging ‘Community Capital’ Created by Festivals & Events Goal: The information in this section should help us to understand how the City and its non-governmental partners maximize the ‘community capital’ created by festivals and events in your market. • Please define or describe how your City uses the branding and marketing images/ opportunities provided by your local festivals and events to leverage return in other areas. • These may include, the items below, among others. • If a section or element does not apply to your city, please state this within your entry and why it does not apply and/or what you may have/ use instead. a. Community Branding (How are local festivals and events used to promote and build upon the positive image of the city?) b. Promoting Tourism (How are local festivals and events used to promote tourism visits?) c. Convention Marketing (How are local festivals and events used to recruit conventions to the city during the times that festival or event activities may serve as an extra incentive for choosing a destination?) d. Corporate Recruiting Efforts (How are local festivals and events used by Economic Development efforts to recruit new businesses to consider choosing your market for their operations?) e. Relocation Packets and Information (How are local festivals and events used in information designed to entice individuals / organizations to relocate to your city?) f. Familiarization Tours (How are local festivals and events used by your City and Convention & Visitors Bureau as part of ‘Familiarization Tours’ for visiting meeting planners, VIP’s, etc.) g. Out-of-Market Media Coverage (How are local festivals and events used to secure interest in coverage from out-of-market media sources, travel writers, etc.?) h. Enhancing Exposure to the Arts and Other Causes (How are local festivals and events used to feature, highlight, expose new audiences to, or drive support for the arts and other causes?) i. Creating Highly Visible Public Relations Campaigns for City Facilities and Services (How are local festivals and events used to drive positive public relations campaigns for things like police image, parks usage, fire safety, EMT roles and support needs, use of local transportation options, marketing of/exposure to local venues, support of local bond issues, etc.?) j. Encouraging Community Bonding, Participation, and Celebration (How are local festivals and events used by the City to bond all of the diverse elements of the community together, encourage community involvement and support, and celebrate who we are when we are at our best?) k. Highlighting or Developing Underused Venues or Sections of the Community (How are local festivals and events used to encourage usage of or exposure to underused venues or city neighborhoods, underdeveloped sections of the City, etc.?) l. Creating Legacies and Images Beyond the Event (How are local festivals and events used to create lasting legacies (venues, programs, infrastructures and images of the City after and in-between events?)

Section 7. Extra Credit This section provides an opportunity to highlight any other programs, services, resources, activities, etc., that may not have been included or covered in the previous sections. Some examples may include the items below, among others, a. Skills Development - Availability of Certificate or Degree Programs in Festival & Event Management through a Local University or Private Provider b. Members of Your Event Community Who Currently Hold a Certified Festival & Event Executive (CFEE) Designation c. Secondary School System Graduation Requirements that Encourage Volunteerism and Community Service during Festivals and Events d. A Festival and Event Shared Resource Program in Your City (For example: shared warehousing, office space, equipment, staff, etc.) e. Defined and used Risk Management Partnerships between the City and Events f. Efforts to Actively Recruit New Events to Your City (Please include reference to any applications made/secured if this area pertains) g. Other Creative Endeavors

Past IFEA World Festival & Event Cities Each year, the International Festivals & Events Association announces the recipients of the IFEA World Festival & Event City Award, at the Annual IFEA Convention & Expo. The IFEA would like to congratulate each winning city. For more information about each winning city - go to: www.ifea.com / Industry Awards / World Festival & Event City Awards / Past Recipients

2019 IFEA World Festival & Event City Award Recipients • • • • • •

Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, Australia Gimje-Si, Jeollabuk-do, South Korea Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States Rotterdam, South Holland, The Netherlands Sydney, New South Wales, Australia West Palm Beach, Florida, United States

2018 IFEA World Festival & Event City Award Recipients • • • • • • • • •

Boryeong-si, Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, Australia Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia Moscow, Russia Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Taichung City, Taiwan Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

2017 IFEA World Festival & Event City Award Recipients • • • • • • • • •

Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, Australia Des Moines, Iowa, United States Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia Hadong-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea New Taipei City, Taiwan Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States Port Macquarie Region, New South Wales, Australia Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Tucson, Arizona, United States

2016 IFEA World Festival & Event City Award Recipients • • • • • • • •

Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, Australia Dubai, United Arab Emirates Greater Palm Springs, California, United States Krakow, Poland Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Taupo-, Waikato Region, New Zealand

• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States • São Paulo, Brazil • Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

2013 IFEA World Festival & Event City Award Recipients • • • • • • •

Boston, Massachusetts, United States Hwacheon-Gun, Gangwon-do, South Korea Nice, Côte d’Azur, France Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Rotorua, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand Salvador, Bahia, Brazil Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

2012 IFEA World Festival & Event City Awards Recipients • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Ballito-KwaDukuza, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa Campos do Jordão, São Paulo, Brazil Denver, Colorado, United States of America Dubai, United Arab Emirates Dublin, Ohio, United States of America Grapevine, Texas, United States of America Hampyeong-gun, Jeonlanam-do, Korea Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, People’s Republic of China London, England Maribor, Slovenia Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, The Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

2011 IFEA World Festival & Event City Award Recipients • • • • • • • • • •

Dubai, United Arab Emirates Gimje-si, Jeollabuk-do, South Korea Indianapolis, Indiana, United States Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa Joinville, Santa Catarina, Brazil Meizhou Island of Putian City, Fujian Province, China Reykjavik, Iceland São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil Shanghai, China Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

2015 IFEA World Festival & Event City Award Recipients 2010 IFEA World Festival & Event City Award Recipients • • • • • • • •

Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, Australia Dubai, United Arab Emirates Jinju City, Gyeonsangnam-do, South Korea Louisville, Kentucky, United States Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States Rotterdam, The Netherlands Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

2014 IFEA World Festival & Event City Award Recipients • Dubai, United Arab Emirates • Dublin, Ohio, United States • Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia

• • • • • • • • • • • •

Boryeong-si, Chungcheongnam-do, Korea Edinburgh, Scotland Geumsan-gun, Chungcheongnam-do, Korea Hidalgo, Texas, United States Jinju-si, Gyeongsangnam-do, Korea Louisville, Kentucky, United States Norfolk, Virginia, United States Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Rotterdam, The Netherlands Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Salvador, Bahia, Brasil Taupo, New Zealand

IFEA World Festival & Event City Award© APPLICATION Entry Deadline: 5:00 p.m. (MDT) Monday, July 18th, 2022 Submit Entries, Entry Form and Payment to: Email: nia@ifea.com (preferred method of receiving entry.) If shipping entry, send to: IFEA World Festival & Event City Award© • 10400 Overland Rd. #356, Boise, ID 83709 USA

CITY APPLICANT INFORMATION (Please print clearly) Applicant City Name (If including information from surrounding market or suburb communities, please note those in parenthesis):______________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ State / Province or Territory: __________________________________________________________________________________________________ Country: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Global Region: (Choose one)

m Africa

m Asia m Australia / New Zealand m Europe m Latin America m The Middle East (MENASA) Note: Politically connected islands and territories should choose the region of their most direct affiliation.

m North America

m Other (If you choose ‘Other’ please clearly specify location below.) __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Population Level (select one):

m Under 1 million m Over 1 million

PRIMARY CONTACT INFORMATION (Please print clearly) The following information should pertain to the primary individual with whom the IFEA should communicate with, as necessary, throughout the award judging and selection process. Name: ___________________________________________________________ Title: __________________________________________________ Organization: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Mailing Address: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ City, State, Country, Postal Code: _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Phone (Business): _________________________________________________ Phone (Mobile): _________________________________________ Fax: _____________________________________________________________ E-Mail: _________________________________________________

RELEASE & USAGE

• Acknowledge your entry is not able to be returned. Copies should be made prior to submitting your entry, as desired. Note: Proprietary or sensitive information will not be shared if identified clearly. • Agree that if selected as a winning applicant, the IFEA may use their City name and representative’s photos in all press releases and program marketing materials, both hard copy and electronic versions. • Acknowledge that your entry into the competition is acknowledgement of these terms.

PAYMENT TOTAL

IFEA Member Non IFEA Member IFEA World Festival & Event City Award©: Number of Entries:_________x m $795 USD Per Entry m $995 USD Per Entry = $_____________

PAYMENT INFORMATION Please select your method of payment:

m VISA

m MasterCard

m American Express m Check (Made payable to the IFEA)

Print Cardholder Name: _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Signature: _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Credit Card Number:________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Expiration Date: _____________________________________________ CVN Code: _________________ (VISA/MC-3 digit code back) (AMX-4 digit code front)

DID YOU REMEMBER TO: m Complete the entry form providing contact and payment information? m Submit a one (1) paragraph description of your city (to be used for pro-

m Submit a three (3) minute video presentation representing your city? m Submit a one (1) page introductory letter stating why your City should

m Submit an email list of your local media contacts in Excel format for

motional purposes by the IFEA)?

IFEA for use to announce the selected recipients? Please limit to 25 main contacts. m Submit an individual photograph representing your city - preferably of a festival setting within your city (at least 300 dpi in size)?

Entry providing responses and supporting information for Sections 1-7? Is this entry submitted as one (1) singular entry piece/document/ PowerPoint/Pdf, etc.? Is this entry provided on a disk, USB Flash Drive or electronically in a Word, PowerPoint, PDF or other standard format?

Consumer Insight is Crucial to Closing a Complex Sale By Jill J. Johnson, MBA

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A sale is classified as complex when it involves a high degree of risk and uncertainty, as well as when it involves a larger number of people in the process than just the final consumer. As more people are involved in a sales decision, the more complex the sale becomes. Complex sales also do not resolve in one single interaction. When there are multiple decision points, the real goal is to keep the conversation moving forward toward the next decision. Recognize there are competing goals at play too. Your goal is to make the sale; their goal is to make the right decision based on their wants, needs and budget. Your prospect also might be considering competitive offerings, so keep the conversations on going with you and what you offer. Psychographics Drive Buying Behavior In target marketing, there are eight different major variables you can use to define your target audience. When you are looking at a complex sale, the most critical component to understand is the psychological make-up of your prospect. This is referred to as the psychographics of your customer. What drives them and what drives their buying behavior? To effectively handle a complex sales situation, a deeper consumer understanding that is matched to decision triggers and promotional strategies is required. These sales situations involve an intricate blend of matching your unique offerings with the competing concerns of multiple decision influencers and stakeholders your prospect brings to the table. Prospects who involve many other people in their decisions are always looking through a different filter. One of the ways they do this is by creating multiple interactions or involving multiple other people. Sometimes these buyers believe they need buy-in or support for their decision from other stakeholders. These stakeholders can be both internal or external to the enterprise. Other times they use other people as a way to more carefully evaluate or vet their decision. Sometimes they will seek approval from others to confirm their decision is the best option. These people can be your best sales allies, or they can be a roadblock to prevent you from achieving the sale and adding them to your long-term customer list. Decision Triggers Move Sales Decisions After you gain a foundational understanding of the characteristics of

your consumer, during a complex sales process, you need to find out what will trigger your consumer to make the final decision to purchase your product or service. It might be a budget issue, a family member or co-worker. Sometimes it will be the involvement or approval of an outside advisor or board of directors. It might be circumstances in the future causing their concern or hesitation. Whatever decision triggers might influence your prospect, be sure you address them in your sales presentation. You need to understand what drives your consumer. Also make sure you engage with anyone who is a decision influencer in your consumer’s life. The most effective way to gain this insight is to ask deep probing questions that go beyond the basics on the surface. Think carefully about the questions you ask your prospects. You need to ask questions that provide you with a thorough understanding of the psychological drivers of your prospect. You also need to understand the psychological drivers and decision barriers of the others who influence them who may be involved in the sales process, even if only behind the scenes. Use the psychographic profile of your typical customer to adjust your sales pitch to leverage the consumer’s emotional responses. Then strategically influence the multiple decision points that you have with your prospect to better leverage the knowledge you gained through the use of probing questions. This process makes your sales effort more professional and effective. Prospect’s Make Many Decisions in a Complex Sale If you are engaged in a complex sale, keep in mind that your prospects are making many decisions during the buying process. The first decision is to talk to you via telephone or email. The next decision would be to come in and meet with you. The third decision might be to bring other people into the discussion with you. The next decision might be that they have to bring the rest of their work team or their spouse. They might need to talk with their internal financial advisors or to their professional advisors such as a banker, accountant or attorney. An additional decision might be to narrow down their competitive alternatives. In sales, your role is to guide them through each of these decision points to give them comfort in moving their next decision toward buying from you. Your goal is to remain the present and focused advisor guiding throughout the sales Summer 2022

process. Make sure you provide them with the right information they need as they move through their sales cycle. Recognize you may not be the right fit for them. You need to stay in play long enough to help your customer understand clearly what you offer, so they can make an effective decision that is right for their needs and circumstances. Final Thoughts Combine decision making triggers with your understanding of your consumer’s psychographics to create a marketing message that will give you the strongest platform for successfully completing the sale. The more consumer insight you have, the better your message. The better your message, the greater chance you have of completing the sale. Once you gain the consumer insight to understand what influence internal psychological factors have on your customer, you will have the foundation to excel at marketing and selling to them. The more you know about what makes your prospect tick, what’s important to them and what they value, the better able you’ll be to incorporate this insight into making your sales pitch more effective. A strong grasp on the psychological drivers of your target market is the best way to develop your sales strategy. This consumer insight will reduce the amount of time it takes you to go from a cold lead to a closed deal. Jill J. Johnson, MBA, President and Founder of Johnson Consulting Services, is a management consultant, accomplished speaker, award-winning author, and Business Hall of Fame inductee. She helps clients make critical business decisions and develop plans for turnarounds or growth. Her consulting work has impacted over $4 billion worth of decisions. She has a proven track record of dealing with complex business issues and getting results. For more information, visit www.jcs-usa.com.

Social Media Links: Website: www.jcs-usa.com LinkedIn: https:/www.linkedin.com/in/ JillJohnsonUSA/ Facebook: https:/www.facebook.com/ JohnsonConsultingServices Instagram: https:/www.instagram.com/ JillJohnsonUSA Twitter: https://twitter.com/JillJohnsonUSA Clubhouse: @JillJohnsonUSA

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events 91

INTERNATIONAL FESTIVALS & EVENTS ASSOCIATION

BOARD PROFILE

Curt Mosel

Joined the IFEA Foundation Board in 2022 Description of Event/Business:

ArtsQuest, a nonprofit located in Bethlehem, PA, provides access to exceptional artistic, cultural and educational experiences. ArtsQuest supports this mission via the presentation of performing/visual arts, film, arts education classes and outreach, youth programming and cultural events. ArtsQuest’s programming reaches more than 1.9 million people annually. This includes Musikfest, the organization’s flagship event, Christkindlmarkt, one of the nation’s top holiday markets, as well as concerts and events at SteelStacks arts cultural campus. The organization’s programs and events, approximately 50 percent of which are free to attend, have a combined economic impact of more than $136 million annually in the region.

In Conversation How did you get into the Festivals/Events Industry? After working in professional sports for 10+ years, I wanted to expand beyond and went to work for a small company that offered ATM Services for festivals and events among other verticals. I actually attended my first IFEA Seminar in South Beach in 2004 or 2005. Needles to say, something stuck and here I am 17 years later, still enjoying. Other Background Experience: I spent 5 years in Ticket Sales and 4 years in Corporate Partnerships with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Lynx along with 2 years as Director of Sales for the Chicago Fire. What has been your biggest Professional Challenge? Without a doubt dealing with Covid 19 has been a challenge for our organization and just about all other events businesses we work with and have relationships with. Having conversations with our peers at organizations like IFEA and IFEA’s leadership has been a tremendous help in navigating and we believe we now see light at the end of the tunnel. What is the best advice you’ve ever received? The importance of networking cannot be stressed enough. Every job I’ve had since I was 10 years old, I got through someone I knew. These opportunities took me to Europe, the NBA, Major League Soccer, Converse and now ArtsQuest. What advice would you give the younger version of yourself as you started out in the Festivals & Events Industry? Network! Do the job no one wants to do and you will separate yourself from those around you and opportunities will come your way. What do you do to relax? Golf, Travel, Pickleball, Movies What is your personal philosophy? Figure out what you love to do and then figure out how to get someone to pay you to do it! 92

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events

Summer 2022

FACTS ON FILE Years in the Festival/ Event Business: 17 Years Years at Current Place of Employment: 12 Years Highest Level of Education: BA Degree Received: Communications Studies Graduating University: University of Iowa Year Graduated: 1991 Family Details: Wife Jamie, Son Carson (13), Daughter Chloe (11) Last Book or Business Book Read: What If I Say the Wrong Thing - 25 Habits for Culturally Effective People Last Movie Watched: Eternals Last Festival Attended (that wasn’t your own): Mardi Gras 2020 Favorite Festival Food / Drink: BBQ / Brisket Curt Mosel Chief Operating Officer ArtsQuest • Musikfest Bethlehem, PA, United States (610) 332-1333 cmosel@artsquest.org musikfest.org

THE VALUE OF PARTNERSHIPS – Through the generosity of our partners below, we are able to strengthen our support of the festivals and events industry and continue to provide high quality, educational programs, products and services to our members. Help us thank them for their support, by first turning to those on this list for the opportunity to earn your business, whenever the need arises. ASSOCIATION ENDORSED PARTNERS

ASSOCIATION SPONSORS

INTERNATIONAL FESTIVALS & EVENTS ASSOCIATION

ASSOCIATION SUPPORTERS | BENEFIT PROVIDERS

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

2022 IFEA

IT’S TIME TO RECOGNIZE THE LEADERS OF OUR INDUSTRY Board of Directors, will review all nominations and select one or more individuals to be honored in to the IFEA Hall of Fame.

It’s time to present the IFEA’s most prestigious honor. It’s time to induct someone into the IFEA Hall of Fame for 2022. Who will it be? Will it be your own Executive Director? Will it be one of your mentors? Will it be a colleague you’ve met at an IFEA Annual Convention? Will it be . . . you? Who that person will be is up to you. Now is the time to submit a nomination for that leader and recognize them for their outstanding achievements and contributions to the festivals and events industry. ABOUT THE AWARD: Known as the associations most prestigious honor, the IFEA Hall of Fame recognizes those outstanding individuals who, through their exceptional work and achievements, have made a significant contribution to the Festivals and Events Industry and a profound difference in the communities they serve, both locally and internationally. The International Festivals & Events Association is now accepting nominations from its members for those individuals who meet this to be inducted into the IFEA Hall of Fame. NOMINATION CRITERIA: Nominations must represent a current or past IFEA member who has made substantial achievements and/ or contributions to the festivals and events industry. Nominees can be retired and represent any facet of our industry (i.e. vendor, supporter, senior professional, etc.). (Current IFEA World Board of Directors, IFEA Foundation Board of Directors and IFEA Staff Members are not eligible to be nominated*). *Exceptions may be made at the discretion of the IFEA Hall of Fame Committee. HOW INDUCTEES ARE SELECTED: Once nominations have been received, the IFEA Hall of Fame Committee, comprised of members of the IFEA World

HONORING THE INDUCTEE: The Honoree (s) will be the guest (s) of the IFEA on an all-expense* paid trip to the next Annual IFEA Convention & Expo, where they will be inducted at the IFEA Awards Luncheon, in their honor. *Includes 2 nights hotel, airfare and Convention registration.

PAST NOMINATIONS: To view a complete list of past inductees and their stories, go to the Awards Section at www.ifea.com. NOMINATION DEADLINE: Nominations should be submitted no later than 5:00 PM (MST) Monday, June 6th, 2022 ENTRY FORMAT: Please EMAIL your nomination in a Word document. SUBMIT ENTRIES TO: Nia Hovde, CFEE, Vice President/Director of Marketing & Communications at nia@ifea.com. QUESTIONS: Please contact: Nia Hovde, CFEE – nia@ifea.com

THE NOMINATION PROCESS Please submit the following information for your nomination: A. INDIVIDUAL SUBMITTING NOMINEE 1. Name • Organization • Address • City • State Zip • Phone • Fax • Email 2. If your nominee is selected, will you be willing to help ensure that they attend the luncheon? 3. If your nominee is selected, will you be willing to assist the IFEA and the inductee in gathering materials to prepare their induction video? B. NOMINEE INFORMATION Name • Position • Address • City • State • Zip Phone • Fax • Email C. NOMINATION QUESTIONS Please submit a general overview of your nominee’s career, including IFEA involvement; organizations they have worked for, positions held, awards, etc., highlighting how your nominee has had an international impact and made a difference in the festival and events industry.

International Festivals & Events Association

IFEA World

LEADERSHIP LEGACY

RECOGNITION PROGRAM The IFEA 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 IFEA 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 IFEA’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. 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.

Empower Your Brand with

t n e m t an h c n 6 Characteristics of an Enchanted Brand By Jane Cavalier Lucas

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events

Summer 2022

When people face a world that is too complex to understand, constantly changing in unexpected ways and unclear, they put up barriers of distrust and caution. This environment creates debilitating distress, and most people don’t have the tools or training to deal with it. This affects decision making and can lead to irrational choices driven by fear. Sound familiar? From the cancel culture to the mass resignation, people are acting in ways never anticipated. In ancient times, people created myths to explain what they could not understand and the rise in conspiracy theories today is not much different. As people scramble to find ways of coping in the VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous) world, the Enchanted Brand offers a positive path (inspiring thinking that transcends reality) with tangible tools (the branded product/service), so people activate to carve their own rewarding path forward. Enchanted brands are the next paradigm in branding to help organizations thrive in a VUCA world. These are brands that serve people rather than sell goods, and in doing so forge a strong, trusted partnership. Rather than tell people how to think and feel, these brands inspire new thinking by stimulating the imagination. Instead of prescribing, they open choices and empower people to create their own desires (out of enchantment). This personal, creative decision making is what makes an Enchanted Brand compelling. People are sparked to imagine something they desire - their own personal view of it. They lean in to buying the branded product as a way to pursue that dream, because the brand is part of the source code and linked to achieving it. On a foundational level, the Enchanted Brand possesses these six characteristics: 1. Intention: Has a clear, relevant point to make. The Enchanted Brand has an emotional and practical outcome it aims to achieve in the life of everyone who touches it. It should inspire specific thinking and action, and help people overcome the challenges of a VUCA world. It should stand for an idea with a high level of meaning. Chanel is an Enchanted Brand that wants you to experience the thrill of divine, feminine

beauty so you can cultivate your own version of it. No matter what happens in the world or in your day, you can always have this gift in your life. 2. Engaging: Must entertain and arouse curiosity. An Enchanted Brand is designed to make people “feel good” and stimulate new thinking. If the brand doesn’t evoke positive feelings, it is not an Enchanted Brand. It also challenges people so they move into the imagination. This is what sparks curiosity – a strong desire to know or learn something. To that end, the brand presents something new or unfamiliar in an inviting way. The John Deer brand engages you in the fantasy of American farming, although you may have never set foot on a real working farm. 3. Enriching: Stimulates the imagination and clarifies emotions. The Enchanted Brand seeks to open the aperture of life by opening the mind to new possibilities associated with positive emotions. Rather than fear something new, people gravitate and embrace it. The brand enriches life like a great book, poem or TV show. Many people feel enriched by the level of creativity that the Apple brand makes possible for them. 4. Authentic: Tethered to a compelling truth. Although Enchanted Brands are about fantasy, the fantasy has relevance because it is based in truth. Just like great comedy. You laugh, because it is so true! The truth can be found in many places - in what people are facing or even in what the branded/product can actually do. A Range Rover can go off-road for 4,000 miles which might inspire someone to feel the rugged adventure of it all. This truth helps validate the fantasy. Summer 2022

5. Aligned: Attuned to anxieties and aspirations of the real world. Historically, brands have sugar-coated the world and not recognized the real human difficulties at work. This is why many lose relevance. The Enchanted Brand maps to endure human challenges by providing an antidote to specific anxieties associated with them. The Johnson & Johnson brand provides a profound level of trust, embedded in the mother-baby bond which is the essence of the brand, to alleviate the high anxiety presented by complex, risky health care solutions that require a leap of faith. 6. Enabling: Promote self-confidence and personal value. The Enchanted Brand is designed to create more personal agency in the world. The purpose of the brand is to counteract the disabling effects of the VUCA world and to strengthen the sense of personal power that is being overwhelmed. This is how the Navy Seal brand helps courageous warfighters persevere in extreme VUCA circumstances, as they are driven by high ideals that can never be compromised. Imagine if just a small fraction of the hundreds of millions of dollars spent annually on brands in our culture was spent on creating Enchanted Brands rather than on brands that pollute, dilute or refute our personal identities. During this time of epic change where people face the de-humanizing effects of revolutionizing technologies in work, life and society every day, we need to strengthen what it means to be human. The Enchanted Brands bring in the power of art, ideas that touch people in deep ways and elevate them to a higher place. This mental power is what will propel people to try and buy products, work hard, invest in the future and stay loyal. Jane Cavalier Lucas, CEO and Founder of BrightMark Consulting, is a nationally recognized brand strategist, board member, blogger and author of The Enchanted Brand (Amazon). She helps organizations conquer a changing world with powerful brands and reputations. Recognized for creating breakout brands like Snapple and Qwest, Jane has worked with over 100 organizations including American Express, ExxonMobil and the U.S. Navy. For more information, visit www. brightmarkconsulting.com.

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events 97

FESTIVALS WITHOUT BORDERS

WITH ROBERT BAIRD

RE-ATTRACTING

YOUR AUDIENCE

hile the pandemic is still with us, we need to be aware of the many changes in lifestyles and attitudes which have been a direct result of what we have all experienced over the past two years. The pandemic forced many of these changes on us and some of them caused a re-evaluation of our lives, of our relationships, of our work habits and much, much more. We stayed home and developed new ways of working, of interacting, and of dealing with the restrictions on us in new and creative ways. And now that the pandemic is easing, some of these new realities continue to appeal to us and many of us want to retain them and not simply go back to the way things were. Festivals certainly need to be aware of audience preferences and motivations moving forward if they want to win back their patrons. Here are several things to consider: 1.

People are staying home more. That commute to the office has now become that walk from the kitchen to the computer – no getting dressed up, no suit or tie, no long traffic crawl. Our time is now our own to organize. People at home tend to use the internet more and can conveniently choose how to spend their leisure time from a vast number and variety of options. Marketing strategies need to be more personalized and targeted in order to compete against fierce competition. We need to have specific and convincing reasons to get out of the house and anyone hoping to attract an audience for anything needs, perhaps, to re-think its appeal and work assiduously to provide enough benefits to make that trip absolutely essential.

People are spending a lot more time online and if we want to connect with them, we need to reach out online to them and provide an online experience comparable to their every other online experience. If your page doesn’t load in seconds, if it is difficult to navigate your website, if there is not enough engagement on your site, then people tend to impatiently move on.

games, contests, and special reasons to attend your events in person. The ease of use of technology needs to ensure that ticket or merchandise purchases are completed seamlessly and customer service protocols need to ensure that any and all enquiries are answered promptly and completely. 4.

Any organization can capitalize on its audience appeal by offering online and in-person opportunities to experience what it has to offer. When faced with the hassle of getting to an event (travel, parking, perhaps accommodation, baby-sitters, time spent, etc.) and feeling that there is nothing new about the event, then the choice might be to stay home. If your organization offers an “at-home” alternative, it will continue to attract modern audiences. In either case, you need to be welcoming, interesting, and fun, and present a “special occasion” in all that you do. We have to focus our strategic marketing and provide relevant programming and experiences that our audiences will be inspired by our commitment, compelled to put on their “going out clothes” and opt for attending our event.

Digital engagement needs to be a priority. Your site should be user-friendly and include as many bells and whistles as you can possibly conjure up – information, IFEA’s ie: the business of international events

Digital content needs to include a Facebook page that is continually updated and all of your digital content needs refreshing constantly. The internet can be used to make people aware of your mission, to present interesting background information on what you do, to feature staff bios with personal anecdotes, to stream performances and/or other notable events and to engage in more educational (in the “funnest” sense) activities.

Summer 2022

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

Stay Informed – Stay Connected With the IFEA! The IFEA is here to support you, share resources with you, help educate you, provide important information updates to you, help establish and strengthen your industry connections, and so much more! Gain access to important and valuable member benefits and resources.

JOIN the IFEA Today! RENEW Your IFEA Membership Today!

2022 IFEA

GIVE THANKS TO THOSE WHO SELFLESSLY GIVE SO MUCH TO YOUR EVENT Take a moment to think about all your hard-working volunteers that will be with your event this year, or have been with you for many years. Would your event be possible without their hard work and dedication? They all deserve to be recognized just for the fact that they’re volunteering, but is there anyone who stands out above the rest; goes that extra mile to help you and your event? Someone that makes your life easier, just by volunteering to help your event! You thank your volunteers every day for all their hard work, but wouldn’t it be great if they could be thanked by the entire events industry with the IFEA Volunteer of the Year Award? After all, for all they do for your event - what’s a few moments of your time to jot down a few nice things about them and submit a nomination.

2022

Do something amazing today and submit a nomination for that hard-working volunteer to the 2022 IFEA Volunteer of the Year Award. Nominations are currently being accepted for the 2022 IFEA Volunteer of the Year Award. ABOUT THE AWARD: Whether an individual acts as a volunteer administrator of an event or contributes his or her time and resources in support of a larger, multi-event organization with a paid staff, the efforts that are put forth by volunteers to our festivals and events deserve our heartiest congratulations and recognition. It is for that reason that the IFEA Volunteer of the Year Award was created. The IFEA Volunteer of the Year Award recognizes those outstanding event volunteers whose unselfish and dedicated service to a member festival or event has made a significant difference in their community and mirrors the commitment to success in our professional ranks.

NOMINATION CRITERIA: To be eligible for consideration for the IFEA Volunteer of the Year Award, the nominee shall: • Be a current volunteer of an IFEA member organization • Have provided significant enthusiasm, organizational assistance and specific expertise • Be a volunteer of the nominating festival or event for at least 3 years • Have shown initiative and leadership in his or her efforts • Have a positive attitude • Have exemplified his or her dependability • Have a significant depth of involvement • Have made a difference to the festival or event • Have received no remuneration for services directly associated with his or her volunteer duties HOW THE WINNER IS SELECTED: Once nominations have been received, the IFEA Volunteer of the Year Committee, comprised of members of the IFEA World Board of Directors, will review all nominations and select the Volunteer of the Year winner from all of the candidates submitted. Volunteer nominations submitted for the 2018 and 2019 Awards may be carried over into the 2022 competition with the permission of the nominator. The nominator will have the option to re-write the nomination if desired. HONORING THE WINNER: The winner of the 2022 IFEA Volunteer of the Year award will be honored at the next Annual IFEA Convention & Expo at the IFEA Awards Luncheon. As the guest of the IFEA, the winner will receive an all expense* paid trip to the convention to accept their award. Additionally, the winner will be promoted through local and national media releases, be featured in an issue of “ie” magazine, on the IFEA Website and in email promotions. *Includes 2 nights hotel, airfare and Convention registration. Each semi-finalist will receive a certificate of recognition and will be highlighted in an upcoming issue of “ie” magazine. PAST WINNERS: To view a complete list of past winners and their nominations, go to the Awards Section on www.ifea.com NOMINATION DEADLINE: Nominations should be submitted no later than 5:00 PM (MST) Monday, June 6, 2022 ENTRY FORMAT: Please EMAIL your nomination in a Word document.

SUBMIT ENTRIES TO: Nia Hovde, CFEE, Vice President/Director of Marketing & Communications at nia@ifea.com. QUESTIONS: Please contact: Nia Hovde, CFEE – nia@ifea.com

THE NOMINATION PROCESS

Please submit the following information for your nomination: A. INDIVIDUAL SUBMITTING NOMINATION INFORMATION: Name • Organization • Address • City • State • Zip • Phone • Fax • Email B. NOMINATION INFORMATION: Name • Address • City • State • Zip • Phone • Fax • Email C. NOMINATION QUESTIONS: Please provide a response for each of the questions below, indicating which question you are answering. Please include specific examples for each. Points will be awarded for each question. Points awarded are listed below. 1. Explain your volunteer’s significant depth of involvement. (20 points) 2. Show specific examples of your volunteer’s roles and responsibilities. (10 points) 3. Describe how your volunteer has provided significant enthusiasm, organizational assistance and specific expertise. (10 points) 4. Explain how your volunteer has shown initiative and leadership in his or her efforts. (20 points) 5. Tell how your volunteer has exemplified his or her dependability. (10 points) 6. Describe your volunteer’s positive attitude. (10 points) 7. Describe how your volunteer has made a difference to the festival or event. What impact has your volunteer had on your festival/event? What void would there be without him or her as a volunteer? (20 points) D. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Please also submit the following with your nomination. 1. A high-resolution photograph of the volunteer you are nominating. (300 dpi or higher) 2. A local media list (up to 15 contacts) in order for IFEA to send Press Releases to your media. • Please submit in Excel format. • Please include: Name; Organization; City; State; Email

BIG

SMALL EVENT,

SPONSORSHIPS

WITH TERESA STAS

WHY AUDIENCE DATA IS THE

LIFEBLOOD OF YOUR SPONSORSHIPS

When looking for sponsors, a lot of small and mid-sized events make the mistake of mass calling or emailing any and all businesses in their area. They typically have no real rhyme or reason when doing so. They are playing it like it’s a numbers game. As in, “The more people I ask, the better results I’ll get.” This theoretically can be true, but it is by no means the most effective and efficient way to go about sponsorships. The most efficient and effective way is to start with prospects who are actually a fit for your event. Now, you may be asking, “How do I know what’s a good fit?” You know by looking at your audience data. This data derives from these questions: • Who is your audience? • Where are they coming from? • What are their interests? • What are they looking to purchase in the next year?

• Conducting a survey is one of the easier ways to get the information that is most important to you or your sponsors. This can be done either online or on-site. To get the best results, I suggest providing an incentive. Maybe it’s a free gift like a hat or t-shirt, or you could also give a chance to win experience upgrades, ticket packages, or a discount code prior to the event. You may be wondering what to put in this survey. Don’t worry. We will cover that next! • Finally, you can invest in a third party to poll demographics for you. For example, you can hire a company to actually come out to your event and collect this information for you. If you do not know what to do or need more in-depth information, then I would suggest having professionals come out and implement it for you. This is helpful to get a really good understanding of what your patron demographics are, even if you only do it every few years.

Letting your audience data lead you to your prospects ensures you find sponsorships that are a good match for your audience. When you match potential sponsors with your audience, you will not only experience greater success in signing sponsors, but your sponsorships will be more successful. Trying to squeeze a sponsorship into an event for the sake of the money almost never leads to successful results for the sponsor, and in turn, doesn’t lead to the sponsor re-signing for the next year. Knowing your patron data is the lifeblood of selling sponsorships. It’s a very important component many events ignore. In this day and age, when data is so readily available to sponsors, those who don’t take this aspect seriously will be left behind.

If you choose to survey on your own, try to keep your survey to ten questions or fewer. I suggest doing multiple choice answers when possible. This increases the chance your patrons will fill it out completely and helps to make sure all your answers compare to each other. Use platforms like Survey Monkey or Google form to manage those responses in easy-to-read reports. Once you have collected your data, then it’s essential you take the time to assess it and understand what it is telling you. As an event producer or sponsorship person, you may instinctively associate your event patron with yourself. You may think to yourself, “I have two kids, so having a kids’ zone at the event would be awesome,” or, “I’m 55 years old, I don’t want to stand at concerts anymore, so we should have seating.” Self-identifying with the patron is VERY common, and most of the time it can be helpful, but it can also hinder you when you assume who your audience is and you don’t actually look at the data. What happens when you see the data and you discover less than 20% of your audience has kids in their household or your average audience age is 25? What you want and who your audience actually is can be very different. I often come across events that pitch sponsorships to companies they think are a good fit, not to those who match their audience. When this happens, it either results in a prospect not buying a sponsorship or if they do, the event and the sponsor don’t get the results they were looking for. Make sure to match with prospects who want your audience. When this is done correctly, it usually results in success.

How to Obtain Audience Data for Your Event I’m hoping you have already collected your audience data for your event. If you have then this metaphorical “High Five” is for you! If you haven’t, then don’t stress. I’m going to walk you through some ways to start the process! • You can use past ticket sales for zip code information to determine where your patrons are coming from. • Pull demographics from social media. This is not foolproof but will give you a good sense of who is at least interested in your event and who is following your branding message. It may not tell you who is showing up at your event, but it will give you a good idea of your audience and their interests. If you do not have any data, this is a great place to start. You can go to your Facebook or Instagram insights and pull analytics of your fans instantly. There are many tutorials on how to do this online. • Ticketing platforms have become increasingly better at being able to collect audience data upon purchasing. Ask your ticketing platform what kinds of data you can collect. Many of them can integrate with patrons’ social media and pull even more data like age, gender, job, and other important information. Some can even allow you to ask a couple of questions upon purchase of tickets. 102

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Teresa Stas is a national speaker, author, and CEO of Green Cactus Live Event Sponsorship agency. Her book “Sell Your Event!” was named one of the best new sponsorship books to read in 2022 by BookAuthroity. 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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INTERNATIONAL FESTIVALS & EVENTS ASSOCIATION

LEGACY SCHOLARSHIPS These 20 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, Presented by Haas & Wilkerson Insurance, is scheduled for September 19-21, 2022 in McAllen, Texas, 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. One application can be used to apply for multiple scholarships.

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. NEW – The Gayle Hall Memorial Scholarship The scholarship will provide support to a deserving individual who exemplifies a “get it done” attitude and who is looking to grow their knowledge and industry training, while currently employed in a festival / event industry job. The Bill & Gretchen Lofthouse Memorial Scholarship Providing support to a deserving individual/ organization currently struggling with shortterm economic or start-up challenges.

INTERNATIONAL FESTIVALS & EVENTS ASSOCIATION

Supporting and Educating the Festivals & Events Industry Since 1993

APPLI C

2022

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The Mampre Media International Scholarship Providing support to a deserving individual working with media/marketing responsibilities for an event.

The Bruce & Kathy Skinner Scholarship Providing support to young/new professionals currently completing their education or with less than three years in the industry.

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 John Stewart Memorial Scholarship Providing support to a deserving individual working with technology responsibilities supporting an event(s).

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 IFEA’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. *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 IFEA’s Certified Festival & Event Executive (CFEE) designation.

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.

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.

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OLD THINKING WON’T LEAD TO NEW IDEAS 5 Tips to Instantly Become More Innovative By Susan Robertson When you really need new ideas or fresh thinking or a creative solution to a challenge, a typical, day-to-day approach in your thinking is not the optimal process. Using the same old thinking will simply lead you to the same old ideas you’ve already had or tried before. Instead, you need to do something different -- that will stimulate your brain in diverse ways and shift your perspective on the issues. Here are some ways to ensure you (and your team) shake up your thinking so that you actually come up with the fresh, new ideas you need. 1. Change your environment. Get outside your own conference room or office. Debrief the latest research results or industry report in an art museum. Or take your team to the zoo with the objective of coming back with new ideas. Depending on what part of the country you’re in, you could send your teams to the Mall of America, Walt Disney World, or a trendy area of Manhattan to look for inspiration and new ideas. If you can’t physically get out of the office, then find a way to get out metaphorically. Ask people to imagine how they would solve the problem-at-hand if they lived in Antarctica, or if viewed from the perspective of a submarine captain. 2. Bring outsiders in. Overtly invite other perspectives into your discovery and idea generation processes. For example, for a project on new packaging and product ideas for a beverage company, invite a boat designer, a rain-water management expert, a sculptor, and a water-park designer (among others). Your project team will be amazed at the range and diversity of new ideas that come when they are exposed to new perspectives on their challenge. They’ll think of ideas they’ll agree they never would have arrived at on their own— due to their own embedded assumptions about the topic. 3. Truly engage with your customers. Don’t rely solely on second-hand data to understand your customers’ needs. You need to actually talk to them. Go to their

homes or offices to see the problems they need solutions for. All too often teams looking for an idea generation project will say, “We don’t need to do any discovery in advance because we already have ‘lots of data.’” This should always make you wary, because it usually means they have numerous reports with reams of statistics about customers. Unfortunately, it rarely means they have discovered any real new insight into customer needs. If you’re expecting your team to understand the customer by reading a deck or attending a Power Point presentation, challenge yourself to find a more engaging and interactive process. It will be far more effective to immerse your team in real customer understanding. 4. Question everything. Do some specific exercises that force people to confront and challenge their subconscious assumptions about the topic. An easy way to do this is to first ask for ideas that the team thinks would solve the problem, but they probably couldn’t implement for some reason. Then, ask them to reframe each idea by saying “We might be able to implement this idea IF…..” What comes behind the “if’s” will help surface a lot of assumptions people have that may or may not actually be barriers. Of course, some of the barriers will turn out to be real, in which case, don’t spend more time on those ideas. But in every case that I’ve ever done this with client teams, they also discover many supposed barriers that they could actually solve for. 5. Let some crazy in the room. The academic definition of creative thinking is “the process of coming up with new and useful ideas”. The only way to get new ideas is to start with seemingly crazy ideas. Every truly innovative idea seems a little crazy at first. If you only start with ideas that are comfortable or clearly easy to implement, they’re probably not very new. So, encourage people to throw in extremely wild ideas. Then, play a game Summer 2022

called “If We Could.” Instruct the team to temporarily let go of the problems in the idea and ask “If we could implement this idea, what would be the benefit(s)?” Once you have identified the benefits of each crazy idea, narrow down to the most promising few and ask the team to look for possible solutions to the barriers. A team was on the verge of killing a truly original idea for a new kids’ cereal, because they didn’t know how to create the critical component. However, after “If We Could”, they agreed the idea was so interesting and unique that they needed to explore it. The R&D team made a few calls to other experts, and within a few weeks, they had solved it. This idea resulted in the most successful new product launch in the brand’s history! It is unfortunately all too easy to simply approach every new challenge using our typical day to day thinking. It feels familiar, it’s easy to access that type of thinking, and it works on most daily challenges. So, you subconsciously assume it will work on any challenge. But it’s incredibly helpful to do some meta-analysis on your thinking. For example, think about how you’re thinking. Not every problem will benefit from the same type of thinking. Once you recognize that this new situation needs new thinking, it’s fairly easy to do some things to shift to a more productive mode for this particular challenge. Then shift back to the more familiar day to day thinking for your daily tasks. Susan Robertson empowers individuals, teams, and organizations to more nimbly adapt to change, by transforming thinking from “why we can’t” to “how might we?” She is a creative thinking expert with over 20 years of experience speaking and coaching in Fortune 500 companies. As an instructor on applied creativity at Harvard, Susan brings a scientific foundation to enhancing human creativity. To learn more, please go to: https://susanrobertson.co/

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LEADERSHIP AT ALL LEVELS

THE POWER OF

WITH GAIL LOWNEY ALOFSIN “This new day has greeted us with no rules, unconditional opportunity. Do not dilute the power of this new day with the hardship of yesterday. Greet this day the way it has greeted you; with open arms and… endless POSSIBILITY.”

Steve Maraboli

POSSIBILITY a positive mindset. When we focus on positive thinking, we are searching for the silver lining of a matter. Possibility thinking focuses on reality. Only you can decide if you want to attempt an audacious effort towards a seemingly impossible goal. Do you want to lose weight, exercise more, purchase a home, find a new job, address a challenging situation in your life?

Yes You Can! Is your mind stuck? Are your thoughts getting in the way of your success or enhancing your life? What do you want to achieve or acquire? What is the barricade? When we feel that something is truly impossible, it is time to re-evaluate. What are the possibilities within the problem? Think possible as in – Yes, I Can! The first step is believing you can. Visualize achieving your goal. How would it feel? How would it effect your life? How might it impact the lives of others? When you focus on the possibilities in lieu of the problems, your future is filled with limitless opportunity. Envision your success and accomplishments in the future and keep your focus there.

There is a famous entrepreneurial story about two sales associates from competing companies. Both are sent to assess the opportunity for shoe sales in a foreign country, back at the turn of the 20th century. After evaluating the situation, the first sales associate sent a telegraph back to corporate headquarters asserting: “No one is wearing shoes here, there is no possibility of shoe sales.” The second associate sent a telegraph stating: “BIG opportunity here -no one is wearing shoes!” How do you look at a potential opportunity? Do you see the possibility within the obstacle? In life, it is always easy to avoid attending a meeting or event, dismiss a maverick idea or say no to a new venture. We think of reasons something will not be possible. When we have no fear or barriers, the possibilities are endless. Your determined mind coupled with your strong will and desires opens your world to a great deal of possibility.

Action Plan Once you have a potentially viable solution; create a plan and break the action steps into smaller pieces. Tackle one piece at a time. What can you do next? The things that seem impossible become very doable when you break them into smaller assignments. Keep your goal or list of goals where you can see them. You may want to use a whiteboard or a simple sheet of paper within your view. Refer to it daily. Adjust Your Lens If you want to achieve results you did not think are possible, you must think in ways you have never thought before. Avoid setting your world view through the lens of lack, disappointment, and limitation. This only serves to amplify the impossible. Search for a solution. When you focus on what has already been accomplished and adjust your lens to the possibility, your world will change. View your work, home, friendships, and activities through the lens of abundance. Choose the lens of limitless versus limitation. Yes, it’s possible!

Possibility Thinking A small sign on my desk reads: “What plans would you have if you knew you could not fail?” This quote has welcomed colleagues and guests to my office for over two decades; a reminder that a mindset of possibility is productive, enlightening, and inspiring. Possibility thinking is the willingness to see possibilities instead of limitations. Many people confuse a possibility mindset with 108

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Gail Lowney Alofsin is the Director of Corporate Partnership & Community Relations for the Newport International Boat Show, a division of 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. Gail can be reached: gail@gailspeaks.com or 401-640-4418. For more information: gailspeaks.com

Stay Connected When You Can’t Connect in Person Through IFEA’s Virtual Affinity Groups!

eaturing participant discussion between some of the top professionals in our industry today, IFEA’s Virtual Affinity Groups provide an online platform on ZOOM* to keep the connections, brainstorming and networking going. Join us to participate-in these valuable discussion groups and network with your peers. Be sure to come with questions and professional experiences to these valuable open-topic dialogue sessions taking place each month as we’ll be discussing current trends, issues, challenges and opportunities.

FIRST TUESDAY OF THE MONTH

IFEA SPONSORSHIP VIRTUAL AFFINITY GROUP Meets at 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. MT Moderated by: Patrick Merna Vice President of Strategic Partnerships 500 Festival IFEA ART EVENTS VIRTUAL AFFINITY GROUP Meets at 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. MT Moderated by: Cindy Lerick, CFEE IFEA World Board Member President at The ART of Events, LLC

SECOND TUESDAY OF THE MONTH

IFEA CITIES, CVB’S & TOURISM VIRTUAL AFFINITY GROUP Meets at 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. MT Moderated by: David Knutson IFEA Foundation Board Member Arts & Events Administrator for the City of Santa Clarita Moderated by: Mandy Watson Special Events Manager Dept of Parks, Recreation & Tourism City of Greenville IFEA MARKETING & PR VIRTUAL AFFINITY GROUPS Meets at 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. MT Moderated by: Dave Bullard IFEA Foundation Board Member Public Relations and Marketing Manager The Great New York State Fair

IFEA’s Virtual Affinity Groups are available to current IFEA Members as one of the many valuable benefits for being a member of the IFEA. If you’re interested in networking and brainstorming with your peers in the virtual networking Affinity Groups, we encourage you to join the IFEA to participate, in addition to receiving many more great benefits.

LEARN MORE | REGISTER HERE www.ifea.com/p/resources/ifea-affinity-groups

THIRD TUESDAY OF THE MONTH

IFEA VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS VIRTUAL AFFINITY GROUP Meets at 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. MT Moderated by: Alex McNulty Manager, Member Services Pasadena Tournament of Roses Moderated by: Erin Jackson Marketing & Events Specialist Gravina, Smith, Matte and Arnold Marketing & PR Firm IFEA Parades Virtual Affinity Group Meets at 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. MT Moderated by: Ed Bautista, CFEE Chief Creative and Strategic Officer Bautista Event Specialists Team

FOURTH TUESDAY OF THE MONTH

IFEA DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION (DEI) VIRTUAL AFFINITY GROUP Meets at 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. MT Moderated by: Steve Schmader, CFEE President / CEO International Festivals & Events Association IFEA OPERATIONS VIRTUAL AFFINITY GROUP Meets at 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. MT Moderated by: Becky Genoways, CFEE President Genoways Event Management Moderated by: Ira Rosen, CFEE IFEA Foundation Board Member Associate Professor / Director of the Event Leadership Executive Certificate Program Temple University IFEA CEO VIRTUAL AFFINITY GROUP Meets at 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. MT Moderated by: Jazelle Jones IFEA World Board Member Deputy Managing Director / Director of Operation City of Philadelphia Office of Special Events

PUT A SPOTLIGHT ON YOUR DIGITAL FOOTPRINT TYPES OF DIGITAL ENGAGEMENT THAT HAVE LONGEVITY TO SHINE By Lisa Apolinski, CMC Most people cannot imagine a world without the internet. But the start of public access, the digital world dates back only to 1989, when the first internet providers hit the scene, according to RetroComputingStackExchange.com. Flash forward to today, where internet users account for nearly 60 percent of the world population, or close to 5 billion people. With that many people, there has also been an increase in number of internet users. Year over year, digital adoption has grown just over 7 percent for 2021, according to the same global overview report from datareportal.com. While the average time on social media has nearly doubled in 5 years, the overall increase in average hours on social media has slowed in growth to less than one percent year over year increase, according to reports from Global Web Index. This is an interesting dilemma: more internet users but not as dramatic of an average time increase on social platforms meant to share digital content. A key question arises from this data – how do companies spotlight their digital content so as to have longevity for years to come, when there seems to be possible downward pressure on engagement? The answer lies in the type of digital engagement used to capture user attention fully when they are online. Consider these three times of digital engagement as an organization’s new staple to put a spotlight on their digital footprint. Live Stream Video & Audio: One great way to incorporate digital engagement is to have it in real time. Live streaming of either video or audio allows the audience to comment, share and engage as the conversation progresses. This is also a great way to move the conversation to one that is more relevant in the moment for the audience members. This can be a scary endeavor as companies do not have full control over the content as it is being created. However, in those unscripted moments, true and amazing digital engagement can be found. And because the live streaming allows for audience engagement, the

impact of the content will resonate for those audience members. Giving up control of how the content unfolds has risk but so much more reward. Involving your audience in your content is a great way to make the content relevant in that moment and for future audiences who will be listening to great live engagement. PRO TIP: Limit live stream to 30 minutes or less to keep the conversation in the intended lane. User Generated Content: Some of the best content that can be generated is content that is generated by customers and clients. User generated content provides prospects with information that is highly applicable because it comes from a similar viewpoint. User generated content can also answer questions and concerns that companies are not aware of and in a way, that provides the appropriate type of information future customers want to know. User generated content allows customers to become company advocates. This type of free publicity also provides different voices in an organization’s digital content and some amazing perspectives can be provided. What’s more, content that is created by happy customers can provide alternate points of view and new messaging that might not have been considered. Most user generated content will be limited to social media posts, images and video. However, any user generated content can be repurposed and shared on other digital channels, which provides additional content options. PRO TIP: Ask customers to share their user generated content on the company socials. Virtual Events & Communities: Allowing for virtual events and communities as additions or alternatives to in person options provide a platform for customers to engage exclusively with one another. This is an important consideration, as many organizations want to insert themselves directly into conversations when stepping aside and allowing authentic connection can be exactly what customers need. Summer 2022

These types of virtual engagements allow companies to be a proverbial fly on the wall. Seeing the types of conversations customers have with one another can show the current concerns of the day. This can provide future opportunities to create solutions for the customer base, and expand into untapped product and services areas. Virtual events and communities can also provide the support customers need as they learn how to use these products and services, from basic 101 guides to ingenious hacks. Being aware of the types of questions as well as answers can provide additional content ideas, such as cheat sheets, videos that address common issues and tips and tricks to get the most out of the purchased products and services. PRO TIP: Resist the urge to be an active participant in the virtual conversations unless invited. There is one theme that appears with each of these types of content – the audience is in the creation driving seat. By allowing customers to create the digital content, they will also be much more inclined to engage with that content, including comments and sharing. Content that is developed from the customers’ perspective dramatically increases the chance of that content being highly relevant. Relevant content will have a much longer shelf life in the digital world and allow more eyes to see it. Strong digital engagement can provide the spotlight organizations need on their digital footprint. Bring these types of digital engagement into a regular rotation to create longevity in digital content. Lisa Apolinski, CMC, is an international speaker, digital strategist, author and founder of 3 Dog Write. She works with companies to develop and share their message using digital assets. Her latest book, Persuade With A Digital Content Story, was named one of the top content marketing books in the world by Book Authority. For information on her agency’s digital services visit www.3DogWrite.com.

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THE UN-COMFORT ZONE

WITH ROBERT WILSON

DEALING WITH CHANGE

YOU DON’T WANT

Here are nine things to do when change is forced on you.

n this column I’ve written about embracing change because it prepares you to think more creatively, and it’s part of the Innovator’s Lifestyle. I’ve also written about accepting change even if you’re not completely comfortable with the idea because of the potential for emotional and intellectual growth. But, I haven’t written about sudden unexpected change, and how to deal with that - so that is the topic of this month’s column. Now, I’m not talking about an unexpected change that comes with a lottery win or other good fortune. Those are situations that expand your choices and options in a positive way. I think we can all happily deal with that sort of change. Instead, I’m interested in how to deal with an unexpected change that means a loss of some kind has occurred. It might be a change that will lead to more prosperity and growth down the road, but at first you only notice the loss. A loss can mean so many things: loss of a job, a home, a loved one, money, time, etc. It could be a loss you caused, unintentionally or not, or it could’ve been an accident. The bottom line is that you are uncomfortable and you want to get back to your comfort zone. Here are nine things you can do to help overcome your loss and become at ease with your new situation: 1.

Rest and relax. Take a deep breath and don’t react; and don’t make any quick decisions. You need time to evaluate the situation; time to get past your emotions, and think rationally. So do something fun just for you; go for a massage or an ice cream sundae.

Grieve. You’ve lost something that was valuable to you. Let your emotions flow. Feel the pain. So that you can get past it. Don’t numb it with drugs or alcohol - that will only delay the inevitable and retard your growth.

Lean on the people you love for support. Your friends and family will help you get through this. Let them know; don’t keep it to yourself. Talking things out will make you feel better, and your support group may have some good suggestions for you on what to do next.

Assess and assimilate the new information. After you’ve finished grieving, don’t look back and wonder what you could have done differently. Resistance is costly, or - if you ask the Borg - futile. Look instead to see what you can learn from this situation, and start to determine how you’ll move forward.

Meditate. Find the stillness and calm your mind because this will allow you to achieve some clarity in your thoughts and feelings. You need clarity to help you choose your next direction.

Focus on your goals, or your purpose in life. You can best maintain these by knowing that the path to reaching them may change, but that doesn’t mean you have to change your goals.

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Count your blessings. Take some time to remember your accomplishments and what you still have. Pat yourself on the back because you’ve done a lot with your life.

Keep a positive attitude. Look at change as an opportunity. You’ll learn new stuff, do new activities, and when you’re experiencing new things - you are opening new channels of thought in your brain. You’re creating new electrical connections between your brain cells. You’ll have more information with which to be creative. All the while stimulating the dopamine receptors in your brain which make you feel good.

Live in the now. When you live in the present and focus on what you can do right now, you can’t at the same time dwell on the past or freak out about the future. Thinking about the past - what was lost - leads to depression. Thinking about the future - worrying about what might happen - leads to anxiety. Think only about what you need to do today and work on it, and you’ll get through and past your pain.

Life is full of surprises and unanticipated events, and it’s impossible to avoid them. Life is dynamic; it’s never static. But you can prepare somewhat for the unexpected. For example, when making plans, plan for possible change; have an alternative action in mind - a “Plan B” in place. Better yet, become acclimated to the unexpected by being spontaneous whenever possible - make spur of the moment plans - and do something new that you’ve never done before. Best of all, you can get mentally ready for change by introducing small, low-risk variety into your life on a regular basis. Here are some ideas: if you always drink coffee, drink tea instead for several days; if you always listen to pop music, listen to country, jazz, or classical music instead for a week or two; if you always watch conservative news programs, watch a liberal news program instead for a month; if you always eat the same foods, taste a new cuisine, or seasoning, or ethnic food each week for a year. Getting in the habit of experiencing change enables you to adapt when the unexpected occurs. Get out there today and do something new!

Summer 2022

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.

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 enables 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

EVERYONE’S INVITED

WITH LAURA GRUNFELD

INCLUDING PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

GUIDE TO MAKING SIGNS FOR

TEMPORARY OUTDOOR EVENTS egress must be visually accessible. Stacy Hart from the New England ADA Center says “However, we would recommend that all signs be visually accessible. After all, you are paying to make the sign anyway. It’s not going to cost you any more to choose a font and contrast that is accessible to everyone.” She said that if the signage is not accessible then the event is still obligated to provide access in another way such as staff assistance. Do you have enough staff to help people if they need it? In this article we will talk about the factors that the ADA identifies as making signs visually accessible to people with low vision. It just so happens that these are the same things that make the signs easier for everyone to read! Ultra-ornate fonts, small font sizes, signs installed so low they are covered when someone walks in front of them, little contrast between the lettering and the background, there are all sorts of problems that make signs difficult to read. Let’s make legibility the number one priority when we design our signs.

Ali McGee (L) and Cheyenne Umbreit (R) are expert sign installers with Deluxe Design, Inc. Photo by Laura Grunfeld

This week, as I write this, I am preparing signage requests for upcoming events. I bet you are too! Signage is a key form of communication with both your patrons with disabilities and those without disabilities. We want to make sure that our signs are legible, attractive, and that they reflect the aesthetic of the event. Many of us focus on making sure that the signage directing people to elements of our Access Program is accessible. After all, we want people with low vision to be able to find the accessible entrance, the Access Center, the raised viewing platforms and so forth. Your event may have oodles of services and facilities for your patrons with disabilities but if the location of these services remains a secret, your fans will have a less than wonderful experience, and it is all about fan experience! What about the rest of your event’s signage? Don’t we want everyone to be able to read the price of lemonade, that you are selling t-shirts, that the water stations are over there, and everything else that you are communicating with your signage? WHAT IS REQUIRED? The Guidance on the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design, clarifies that temporary “signs used for seven days or less” do not need to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The exception to that is that signs for accessible parking, accessible portable toilets and showers, and points of 114

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VISUALLY ACCESSIBLE DESIGN FEATURES: Style: • To avoid glare, stay away from shiny surfaces for both the lettering and the background. • Make the lettering contrast with the background – either light on dark, or dark on light. Typical for signs regarding accessibility is blue lettering on white background or white lettering on blue background. This is not required, however. • Upper case or lower case or a combination of the two is permissible, although all upper case can be difficult to read when there is a lot of lettering. • Use a sans serif font. Do not use script, decorative, italic, or other fonts. • Don’t use especially narrow, fat, tall, or wide lettering. • Don’t crowd the individual letters or lines nor spread them too far apart. Positioning: • To determine the size of the lettering, consider how high the sign is and how far the viewer is from the sign. See Table 703.5.5, “Visual Character Height,” in the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design. • The bottom line of characters should not be lower than 40” and in our outdoor settings we will usually install signs much higher. • Because this is an outdoor, temporary event, Braille and raised lettering are not required. However, where there are permanent rooms and spaces in a permanent structure, those guidelines will come into play. For more information about these regulations, refer to the 2010 Americans with Disabilities Act Standards, sections 216 and 703.

Summer 2022

Tips From the Field: • A complaint I hear is that the lettering is too small to read. I have especially received complaints about way-finding signage and menu signs on food vendor’s booths but apply this caution to all signs. • Light lettering on a dark background can often help the sign stand out from a cluttered background. • An exception to the rule about not using shiny surfaces is with roadside signage. If your event is open after dark, use reflective signs to help drivers find their way. • Use arrows that are easy to read – many arrows are too short, too skinny, or the pointer tip too hard to see. • It can be helpful to attach the arrow to the sign with Velcro so that it is easy to change the direction. The direction of the arrow may change from year to year, or the installer may discover a better placement once he or she is on site and needs to change the direction of the arrow. An alternative to using Velcro is to make the sign but leave space for the arrow. Make the arrows out of adhesive vinyl and affix the arrow on site. • Hang the signs where all patrons can see them. Especially consider the point of view of patrons using wheelchairs, traveling through a crowd with people standing upright all around them and blocking the view. This often means hanging a sign higher than first thought. This instruction may seem obvious, but it is a common mistake and not always easy to accomplish. • When identifying our accessible portable toilets with the wheelchair symbol, I place a large vinyl adhesive sign, smack dab in the middle of the door, so that the people without disabilities who are standing in line at this accessible toilet because they want to use the larger space, are clear that they are taking advantage of people with disabilities. (See Summer 2019 for my column discussing Accessible Portable Toilets).

• Keep it simple. The fewer words the better. Sometimes all you need is a wheelchair symbol (the universal symbol of accessibility), and maybe an arrow. • Sarah Presley, Accessibility Specialist with the US Access Board, tells me we should be on the lookout for a new guide about signage that the Board will be publishing soon. https:// www.access-board.gov/ • You’ve got this! Resources • 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design (See Sections 216 and 703): https://www.ada.gov/regs2010/2010ADAStandards/2010ADAstandards.htm# • A fascinating read about fonts: https://geniusee.com/single-blog/ font-readability-research-famous-designers-vs-scientists • Disability Access symbols: https://graphicartistsguild.org/ downloadable-disability-access-symbols/ • A newer wheelchair symbol: https://accessibleicon.org/ 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, April 2022.

Streamline your sponsorship management workflow into one simplified, easy-to-use platform that can be fully customized to fit your festival and event needs and offers end-to-end control of your program. Access substantially discounted rates through your IFEA membership! To Find Out More and Start Using Your SponsorCX IFEA Member Benefit, Contact: Jeff Hicks at jeff@sponsorcx.com or 801-867-5215

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Summer 2022

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Six Ways to Get Real With Your Employer Brand By Jeremy Eskenazi

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Employer branding is the external perception of what it’s like to work at your company. It has always existed in some form, but recently, it has not only become more planful, but it’s also become a lot more important. Employees always have choice, let’s remember that first. It means that if the experience of working at your company is not good, they have as much ability to leave as you do to end their employment. It will likely be a lot easier for them to find a new role than it will be for you to replace them, and their experience does not end when they leave. Employees are your most important source of distinguishing your employer brand – both positively and negatively. A manufactured employer brand is very easy to spot – it’s high polish, very diverse, and has a lot of smiling people. This may be false representation, but where a lot of creative agencies have made their money. Fast forward now to Employer Branding 2.0. Nobody is buying the lie! Employer Branding 2.0 starts with authenticity and transparency of what it’s really like to work at your company. To help avoid costly recruiting cycles, or a lack luster pipeline of interested candidates because people are reading or hearing that working for your company is terrible, remember that employer branding has a very long reach. Here are the six top ways to get real with your employer branding (if you care about things like retaining your top people and attracting more who can knock it out of the park!): 1. Let your employees do the talking – even if it’s not always positive. You and your creative agency, or small team focused on recruiting cannot possibly know what it is like to work in various parts of your company. You don’t know the manager experience, how the technology works, and how the policies help or hinder people when they need them most. The voice of your actual employees is important. Seriously consider how you can encourage people to speak up positively – and authentically. This will help you, and your potential candidates understand what the real day-to-day is like and the highlights and lowlights of their role. This means real voice and real employees. 2. Tell the story of why someone should not work at your company. It’s OK, and even highly respected to be honest about who fits into your culture as

well as who may not. This will help you get the right talent and save both sides a lot of time in the interviewing process. If you work at an incredibly fast pace and can break and re-build process as you go, you may not be the right place for someone who need structure and repetition to thrive at work. It’s OK to admit that some people will likely not be successful at your organization – and it’s something a lot of companies don’t say. This story is as powerful as who do you want to invite to work at your organization. 3. Don’t try to make it picture perfect. Lose the taglines and images of happy diverse people, and silly hashtags. You’ve probably cringed a few times at those and if you have a lot of negative employee reviews that can easily be found online, this type of campaign can backfire in a big way. You do not want to become a meme! Stay away from slick and salesy glossy ads that don’t represent the people who work at your company. You don’t need it to be perfect, you need to be real. 4. Don’t waste your time on sanitized social media. Throwing money on the problem can’t fix a bad employer brand. If you have treated employees badly, you have a toxic culture, or you reward bad behavior constantly, no amount of money or campaigning will hide that. With the number of public and anonymous places for employees to post their experience, ask about salaries and offers, exchange horror stories, and dispel myths you try to put out, this fluff is often an immediate flush of funds to nowhere. In not making it picture perfect, you may need time to make changes to improve the experience, and then perception of your company. Candidates are far more willing to explore a role at a place that can admit they have work to do, and point to improvements. 5. Don’t hide your failures. There is good and bad in this world – and we can learn a lot from the bad. It’s important not to hide, or pretend you’ve never had an issue (especially if it’s very obvious that you have!) It’s OK to have Summer 2022

some messages that are negative – your report card may not be perfect and that’s fine. If you have a theme of things you are not doing well from current or former employees, but sure you’re clear on the path to improvement and help your team talk about what you are addressing and what you learned from different experiences – remember, we’re all a work in progress. 6. Encourage and trust your employees. The list started with giving employees a voice – we’ll end with giving them the space and trust to share that voice. Showing them you have confidence in how they show up for the company will produce the most authentic content - don’t do it if you’re not ready to give your trust. This means no retaliation for someone sharing an experience that was not ideal or revealing that the company has opportunities in certain areas. They may even say they’ve considered leaving. That’s not the point. The point is that you support authentic expression and you’re ready to do the work to address their feedback where you can – and that matters. If you haven’t already, stop posting your sugar-coated posts gushing about how your most attractive ‘employees’ (aka stock image models) love working at your company. Take a step back and read the environment – we’re in a digital age where people can and do speak freely and want to know what they might be in for at work before they sign your offer. Any sniff of a toxic workplace, a lack of support, or that the experience is the opposite of what you’ve been promising can mean disaster for your talent attraction and retention efforts. Don’t create a poster for what your brand can be – allow your employees to be the billboard of what you actually are! Jeremy Eskenazi, SPHR, SHRMSCP, CMC, is the founder of Riviera Advisors, a boutique talent acquisition optimization consulting firm. Riviera Advisors does not headhunt, it specializes in recruitment training and strategy consulting, helping global HR leaders transform how they attract top talent. From best practice recruiting, to improving speed to hire, to candidate experience, Riviera Advisors is a go-to place for strategic talent advisors. For more information, visit www.RivieraAdvisors.com.

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INTERNATIONAL FESTIVALS & EVENTS ASSOCIATION

BOARD PROFILE

S. David Ramirez Joined IFEA Foundation Board in 2022 Description of Event/Business: TINT helps brands discover, display, and capture social content. You’ll see our technology deployed as digital signage, social media walls, social projections, and hybrid digital experiences.

In Conversation How did you get into the Festivals/Events Industry? My family was really active in Scouting. They ran summer camps all over west Texas and Southern New Mexico. I caught the bug for large-scale organization and programming watching them create such impactful and memorable experiences for people. As a freshman in college, I had the opportunity to work at the university alumni relations office. There, I got practical experience planning activations like alumni weekend, easter egg hunts, and breakfast with santa. I started gigging in festivals as a sophomore, and haven’t stopped since. Other Background Experience: I’ve spent a lot of time doing marketing and operations for “nerd” events. I’ve had the pleasure of working anime conventions, science-fiction conferences, renaissance faires, and even a horror film festival. Despite my nerdy focus, I still have found time to work arts, cultural, and music festivals along the way. What has been your biggest Professional Challenge? My biggest professional challenge was producing a 13k attendee anime and Japanese culture conference in 2021. We had to deal with an ever-changing slate of local, state, and federal rules. We had a limited war chest to fund the endeavor after not hosting the conference in 2020. We had changes in vendors, staffing, and volunteers due to COVID. It felt like I had to pull out every trick, call in every marker, and still hustle to make the show happen. I learned more about health protocols and pandemic policy than I thought possible. It was an enormous lift, but seeing the happy attendees made it all worth it. What is the best advice you’ve ever received? “Don’t be scared.” That was the best advice as a marketer and event planner I ever received. My first marketing professor said that it is the #1 rule for this industry. Things will always change. Technology will always evolve. You will face new challenges. But don’t be scared, jump in with both feet, and keep an open mind. What advice would you give the younger version of yourself as you started out in the Festivals & Events Industry? Volunteer or staff a show, in as many positions as possible. I’ve had to learn different roles on the fly. I wish I could have tried working them earlier when the stakes were a little lower. What do you do to relax? I’m a huge reader, mostly science fiction and fantasy. I get through a novel every two weeks. When not reading, my partner and I are foodies. We love to travel, explore, and find interesting eats along the way. What is your personal philosophy? Events are at the heart of a culture. They mark the changing seasons, the passage of time, and celebrations of life. We, as event professionals, have a responsibility to honor these celebrations by making them fun, inclusive, diverse, and unique.. 118

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FACTS ON FILE Years in the Festival/ Event Business: 15 Years Years at Current Place of Employment: 3 Years Highest Level of Education: Bachelor’s Degree Received: Bachelors of Multidisciplinary Studies, Communication and Marketing Graduating University: University of Texas at El Paso Year Graduated: 2013 Family Details: Christian Molina. Pet: Melinda (Mindi) the Chi-Weenie Last Book or Business Book Read: Providence by Max Barry Last Movie Watched: Batman Last Festival Attended (that wasn’t your own): Lubbock Arts Festival Favorite Festival Food / Drink: Chicken on a Stick (with a Jalapeno Topper) S. David Ramirez Sr. Marketing Manager TINT San Antonio, TX, United States 915-497-0233 david.ramirez@tintup.com www.tintup.com

MAY I HELP YOU? | THE VOLUNTEER

WITH FLORENCE MAY

APRIL IS VOLUNTEER

APPRECIATION MONTH!

April is Volunteer Appreciation Month! It is that special time to celebrate the very people who make our events happen each year. This is the moment to honor the contributions of volunteers who donate their time and talents to your community event. So, you’ve thrown that appreciation party with a local celebrity emcee, pizza and a thoughtful gift for each volunteer? Was it personalized merchandize with a thank you note? A framed quote? A cute bag of pretzels with the message: “We would KNOT succeed without you”? Perhaps you went the extra mile featuring your sponsors and partners in the volunteer award program while highlighting volunteer acts of inspiration and extraordinary service to your event. But maybe you didn’t. Perhaps inflation is impacting your budget. Maybe you didn’t have the capability to communicate with all your volunteers. Or are you (like everyone else) still trying to figure out the best way to maneuver the corona chaos? Whether you went all out or you are trying to get the basics together, the act of recognizing our volunteers in a social manner is important. Recognition builds connection and is part of a good retention program. Volunteers (like all of us) appreciate a personal pat-on-the-back with notice that you see their efforts. You and your entire organization want those positive relations.

the goal to make regular contact with your volunteers throughout the year? Once a month? Sounds like a lot but contacts don’t have to be time consuming. Here are a few ideas: • Begin an Inspiration Honor Roll for acts of service, kindness and/or civic engagement. Ask your volunteers and fellow staff to make nominations. • Pick a volunteer to feature on social media each quarter. Ask volunteers why they volunteer and to share their favorite volunteer memories and photos. • Recognize volunteers with online awards. Make the awards fun and creative. • Gifts for your most dedicated volunteers. Who works the most hours? Who works the hardest jobs? Who has been volunteering for the longest period of time? Are you using your volunteer platform to track? • Invite volunteers to post a positive vision on a creative wall space in your office. • Discover volunteers with special talents to feature (e.g. musical, artistic, athletic, gardening) in your programming. • Partner with Sponsors to start “A Good Deed Day!” Work with partners to host an outdoor clean-up day or to do spring plantings to improve your event site and show appreciation to your community. • Get a big group photo with all of your volunteers to share. • Send birthday or valentine cards to your volunteers. Make that personal touch. • Tell the volunteer story. Document and share what impact the volunteers are making for your event and your community. Volunteers who feel needed and appreciated are likely to continue their service. And they are likely to share their experiences with others. Remember that Word of Mouth recommendations and invitations from trusted volunteers are the best recruiting tools! So, let’s extend the volunteer recognition program to a year round activity. It feels good to say Thank You!

Plan B A party or a gift during volunteer appreciation month is a nice touch. But there are many more opportunities. What if you made 120

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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.

September 19 & 20, 2022

McAllen Convention Center McAllen Texas • U.S.A. Connect with buyers in person and keep your company’s name top of mind when it comes time for them to spend. Don’t miss the highly anticipated return of the IFEA’s live Annual Convention & Expo!

Reserve Your Space & Find More At www.ifea.com

EVENT MARKETING WITH

A SOCIAL COMMERCE

MINDSET

By S. David Ramirez

Even before the pandemic, much of the buyer’s journey had found its way online. The COVID lockdowns accelerated the adoption of technology, social platforms, delivery systems, and content channels. There were significant shifts in social user-bases: boomers started their Instagram journey, Millennials invaded TikTok, and Gen Z saw the rise and fall of platforms like Dispo. In the past, social was a channel that drove traffic to websites. People would hear about an event on social, research that event on websites and listing pages, then buy tickets from a ticketing portal. 122

They’d likely end up on an email list and get marketing year-round. Times have changed. Prospective attendees are living their entire customer journey on social media. Discovery, engagement, and conversion are all happening online. Recruitment of volunteers, vendors, and sponsors takes place in Facebook and LinkedIn groups. Fundraising and advocacy campaigns are driven by social momentum. Enter Social Commerce. Social Commerce is a marketing strategy that considers the full buyer’s journey from a social-first perspective. That’s not to

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say that Social Commerce discounts more traditional marketing channels like print or radio. It is a process that seeks to accelerate the journey by ensuring that there is appropriate social content available to help prospects make good decisions like attending your event. Discovery Discovery is always the first step in the journey. A person can’t attend the event if they don’t know it exists. Word of mouth from previous attendees or media buzz is a common pathway into discovery. Social Commerce Strategy

looks to e-word of mouth to help buyers take those initial steps. Discoverability online has different requirements and needs depending on the platform. It could be something as simple as ensuring that you are properly hashtagging your content, putting appropriate tags for your community, geography, industry, and niche. It could be tapping into the networks of influencers of all sizes, letting them share the good word with their followers. Paid discoverability is another common placement, using affinity advertising or lookalike audiences to create low-cost awareness campaigns. Discovery is the top of the funnel. The top of the funnel is wide. You’ll need to cast a wide net and luckily the myriad of social platforms makes that easy if you have the time, content, and money. Those without time or money will need to lean on their understanding of their attendee-base. You should have personas already created that will guide which platforms you’ll focus on. Remember: marketing is about experimentation and change. People have shifted platform preference in the last few years. If you haven’t updated personas or targeting data since 2020, the time is now.

Conversion The cutting-edge practitioners of Social Commerce never have their prospects leaving their social channel of choice. Shoppable Social is becoming increasingly the norm for everything from apparel to beauty to travel. Tap-to-buy makes it easy for consumers to quickly purchase then get back to scrolling. Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok have all released shoppable features. Some are widely available, some are only for power-users, and some require specialized eCommerce software to execute. Keep Shoppable Social on your radar, even if it is currently unavailable to you. If tap-to-buy is presently out of your grasp, then you’re back on content distribution work. Conversion is about helping the prospect turn into a customer. This is where you tout the various ticket tiers, VIP programs, and special experiences available to attendees. Social media is an amazing place to create FOMO. Missing Out, especially for younger generations, is tantamount to tragedy. Conversion content can drive this by counting down days until the event, number of specialty tickets left, and days until early bird specials expire.

Engagement In Social Commerce, consideration is now the engagement phase. You can’t get someone to consider you unless you’ve properly engaged them. This requires content that speaks to the specific value or uniqueness of your event. What do you have that other similar, or regional, events don’t? Why should they come to your event rather than doing anything else? Some organizers find this phase to be the easiest since it focuses on features of the event. You could talk about the band lineup, the size of the midway, the deepfried awesomeness that is your spotlight food product. You can show that you’re the event for families, or singles, or rockers, or dancers, or any other community. As with the Discovery Content, this should all be appropriately tagged for maximum discoverability. A recent study showed that 5 – 7 hashtags is the most effective number for posts on Instagram. Make all your content easy to find. Once people are engaged and excited, they’ll be more likely to share the event with their networks. This is the goal, to have a perpetual motion machine that is fueled by content and engagement. You create engaging content, people engage and share, new folks enter the mix and start at the top.

Retention and Advocacy Retention and Advocacy are often when the event stops producing the content and instead leans on its stakeholders to create content. The best retention and advocacy content is often going to be produced by your attendees. By using content created by your attendees you can provide an authentic perspective and social proof that is much more endearing than a brand-created narrative. This can also start a recursive content conversation. You share content created by attendees. Attendees see that you’re spotlighting people like them. They share content to be part of the conversation. And you have more content that you can share. As always, be respectful and legal when resharing content. Native reshare features like on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest are almost always kosher. Pulling down content and reposting it requires the express legal permission of the content creator. You can read more about rights management of user-generated content in my previous articles and webinars. Social Requires You To Be Social Don’t forget that social requires you to be social. People are going to ask questions, make remarks, and use social media Summer 2022

as it is intended to be used. You cannot use social as a one-way communication tool. Reply as much as possible. Comment when people tag you. Accept criticism and reviews. Reply to messages or launch a chatbot that will do it for you. Be social. Off-Network Social Commerce Social Commerce also has a place off-network. Think outside the feed and consider places where social wouldn’t normally go. You can drive action by incorporating social elements in unexpected places. • Include comments, reviews, or status updates in your print media. Use user-generated content to provide social proof anywhere it could be valuable. • Add reviews to ticketing sites or anywhere a prospect moves through the consideration phase of their journey. Multiple studies have shown that exposing prospects to reviews and testimonials can increase conversion rates and speed up the decision to buy. • Send people to your Instagram or Pinterest. If you know certain marketing collateral is likely to reach specific audiences, then drive them to social platforms they like to engage with. This can be particularly useful if your website is not mobile-friendly. • Include tweets, posts, and pins in your email blasts. This is an opportunity to show the community that has grown around your event, create a sense of FOMO, and provide social proof. Shifting Your Mindset The Social Commerce Mindset is a new way of thinking, and not one that is often intuitive for those who are not digital natives. It requires work and open-mindedness to make the mental shift. But with Gen Z entering the workforce and Gen Alpha on the horizon, it is one that will keep your digital marketing efforts fresh, relevant, and effective. It’s a brave new social-first world out there. Happy Marketing.

S. David Ramirez is a digital -mar keter and events manager at TINT, the world’s most trusted platform for adding authenticity to your digital media. He is the Executive Director o San Japan, an annual convention that brings 20,000 people to downtown San Antonio. David presents and facilitates workshops worldwide on topics like digital marketing, social media, and user-generated content. Mostly, he’s a nerd. Talk to him about movies or video games.

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REDISCOVERING SPRING With the 2022 National Cherry Blossom Festival By Diana Mayhew, CFEE, President and CEO, National Cherry Blossom Festival

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The National Cherry Blossom Festival is one of the world’s greatest celebrations of spring. Like springtime and the cherry trees themselves, the Festival symbolizes hope, renewal, and new beginnings. And the trees at the Tidal Basin – a gesture of goodwill from Tokyo to Washington, D.C., 110 years ago – are a constant reminder of the importance of unifying communities and sharing in the celebration of peace and international friendship. In 2022, the Festival was able to return to traditional in-person events while also incorporating the creativity that sprang from navigating the challenges posed by the pandemic. As a result, the Festival offered even more ways to celebrate the 1912 gift of trees across Washington DC and surrounding areas for four weeks, March 20 – April 17. The Festival team worked with the board of directors to bring together more than 100 amazing sponsors and supporters, including Leadership Circle sponsors Amazon and Events DC; dozens of partners and supporting organizations, more than 1,000 enthusiastic volunteers from across the D.C. region; and dozens of local and national celebrities and performers, such as Grammy award nominees Nick Carter, Taylor Dayne, and Freddie Jackson, actor Laz Alonzo, online viral sensations The Sharpe Family Singers, and DC Go-Go band Rare Essence to assemble an amazing lineup of activities to accommodate a variety of comfort levels with in-person events. The celebration truly went beyond the Tidal Basin – starting at doorsteps, blooming throughout neighborhoods, and embracing D.C. and surrounding areas. Here are 12 ways the community celebrated spring with the 2022 National Cherry Blossom Festival. 1. The giant cherry blossom sculptures from 2021 returned in 2022 to permanent locations in neighborhoods throughout D.C, and beyond. Visitors could walk, bike, scooter, or even drive around to visit the Art in Bloom sculptures, presented by Amazon, for the first time or rediscover their favorite in its permanent home. 2. The community got into the spirit of spring the second year in a row by decorating their porches, yards, windows and balconies with all things pink and petals for Petal Porches presented by Amazon – an idea borrowed from another IFEA organization, the Portland Rose Festival. This year, the Festival worked with local Instagram influencers to increase program engagement on social media. 3. The Opening Ceremony, co-presented with the Japan Foundation, an

artistic celebration to commemorate the 110th anniversary of the gift of trees from Tokyo to D.C., featured special performances from acclaimed artists with ties to both countries at the famous Warner Theatre and via YouTube livestream on March 20, the first official day of spring. Over 100 restaurants across Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia participated in Cherry Picks, which returned for its 20th year to showcase the region’s diverse dining scene. New this year was Cherry Night, an exclusive nightlife showcase on March 31, with drink specials, free entertainment, and attendees encouraged to dress in pink. The Blossom Kite Festival returned to the National Mall for the first time since 2019 on March 26. Thousands of attendees enjoyed kite flying during peak bloom, with kite-making, competitions, demonstrations, and a stunt kite performance. For those who preferred a smaller celebration, attendees were encouraged to visit any of the 12 Featured Parks across Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia that hosted their own neighborhood kite fly celebrations. Attendees could bring their furriest family member to the Festivities too. The Paws & Petals program presented by Mars Petcare ensure most Festival events were pet-friendly, offering pet comfort stations with treats and giveaways as well as Yappy Hours. The National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade, presented by Events DC returned to Constitution Avenue on April 9 and featured award-winning performers, grand colorful helium balloons including Peppa Pig and Clifford the Big Red Dog, elaborate floats, marching bands from across the country, and more. The Parade is now being nationally syndicated on more than 200 stations through June. On April 16, the Festival took over D.C.’s Capitol Riverfront neighborhood with Petalpalooza presented by Chase. The day-long event featured music, activities, games, and more during the fun Festival finale event. The Petalpalooza Art Walk, part of Art in Bloom presented by Amazon, extended the fun leading into and during the event, with ten “Instagrammable” immersive art installations throughout the community April 4 – 17. DC sports teams truly embraced the cherry blossom spirit by collaborating to unveil special cherry blossom-themed uniforms during the 2022 Festival. Summer 2022

The NBA Wizards previewed their City Edition uniforms that they will wear next season during the Cherry Blossom game on March 29, and the Nats proudly wore their City Connect edition gear for opening weekend and the Blossoms and Baseball Festival collaboration game on April 10. 10. The community took in the wonder of peak bloom at the Tidal Basin while experiencing a cross-cultural mix of free entertainment representing an array of global cultures at the Tidal Basin Welcome Area & ANA Stage, hosted with the National Park Service. 11. Starting March 20 D.C. and surrounding areas in Maryland and Virginia came to life through City in Bloom, with pink decals, pink lighting, blossoms, and more. This year, the new iconic Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge officially lit up for the first time in pink throughout the Festival to welcome visitors and celebrate spring. 12. At the 2022 Pink Tie Dinner Party on April 28, attendees dressed in their finest pink attire and toasted the spring season during an unforgettable evening of dazzling entertainment, incredible cuisine, a rousing silent auction, and more to support the Festival mission at this fundraiser event. 2022 Festival attendance is estimated to be about 75 percent of pre-pandemic levels, with more attendees from local regions and fewer from out-of-state than in the past. Indicators of success include a sellout grandstand ticket crowd for the Parade, strong website traffic, and the highest Metro ridership levels since the pandemic began during Festival weekends. The Festival engaged attendees digitally by inviting Festival-goers to post pictures, videos, and memories on social media using the hashtag #RediscoverSpring. Throughout the course of the campaign, the Festival gained over 13K followers and garnered over 5M impressions. And the Festival was featured on hundreds of media outlets across the country, from “Good Morning America” and The Weather Channel to The New York Times, The Associated Press, and dozens of local and regional publications and broadcast stations. While final metrics are still being collected and analyzed, impressions are well in the billions, and earned publicity in the hundreds of millions. It’s an honor to celebrate spring and bring the joy of the cherry blossoms to Washington, DC, surrounding areas, and beyond. We are grateful to be a part of the lasting memories that attendees made this Festival season.

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MARKETPLACE SEARCH MORE VENDORS AT EVENTRESOURCEMARKETPLACE.COM ATTRACTIONS 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 | Peabody, MA USA | 800-275-0185 | m.lawton@ppentertainmentgroup.com | www.artificialiceevents.com BANNERS/FLAGS DFEST ® – Designs and manufactures creative decor solutions for festivals and events. We specialize in custom flags, banners, directional signage, entryways, street banners, installation and hardware. Contact: Vanessa Van de Putte | San Antonio, TX USA | (800) 356-4085 | vanessa@dixieflag.com | www.dixieflag.com 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 | Riverview, FL USA | 239-287-8221 | tina.hollis@firstdata.com | 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 | San Jose, CA USA | (800) 997-4311 | amusement@historicalemporium.com | www.historicalemporium.com EVENT SOFTWARE / APPS 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

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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 | Chattanooga, TN USA | 423-894-2677 | jerryw@videoideas.com | www.pointsmap.com SPONSORCX – Streamline your sponsorship management workflow into one simplified, easy-to-use platform that can be fully customized to fit your festival and event needs and offers end-to-end control of your program. Access substantially discounted rates through your IFEA membership! Contact: Jeff Hicks | American Fork, UT USA | 801-867-5215 | jeff@sponsorcx.com | www.sponsorcx.com INFLATABLES DYNAMIC DISPLAYS / FABULOUS INFLATABLES – Designs, manufacturers, for rent or purchase – costumes, props, floats, helium balloons, event entry ways and décor. Offers complete and flexible service packages for small towns and large international events. 50+ years of parade/event experience. Contact: Steve Thomson | Dearborn, MI USA | 800-411-6200 | steve@fabulousinflatables.com | www.fabulousinflatables.com INSURANCE / RISK MANAGEMENT HAAS & WILKERSON INSURANCE – Celebrating over 80 years 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: Andrew Vandepopulier | Fairway, KS USA | 800-821-7703 | andrew. vandepopulier@hwins.com | www.hwins.com KALIFF INSURANCE – Founded in 1917, Kaliff Insurance provides specialty insurance for festivals, fairs, parades, rodeos, carnivals and more. We insure the serious side of fun! Contact: David Olivares | San Antonio, TX USA | 210-829-7634 | david@kaliff.com | 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 | Fort Wayne, IN USA | 1-866-554-4636 | mark.herberger@kandkinsurance.com | www.kandkinsurance.com

Summer 2022

SAFETY/SECURITY WEVOW – Build a culture that elevates thinking above sexual misconduct. Year-round and seasonal programs available for both staff and volunteers. Contact: Matt Pipkin | Boise, ID 83702 USA | 208-830-3885 | matt@wevow.com | www.wevow.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 | Johns Creek, GA USA | 770-825-0220 | mark@tripinfo.com | www.tripinfo.com

TICKETING 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. Contact: Cassie Dispenza | Austin, TX USA | 512-430-1123 | sales@saffire.com | www.saffire.com

WEBSITE DESIGN SAFFIRE – Saffire empowers clients with beautiful, unique and engaging websites that are easy to manage, with integrated SaffireTix ticketing and unlimited help when you need it. Contact: Cassie Dispenza | Austin TX USA | 512-430-1123 | sales@saffire.com | www.saffire.com

Summer 2022

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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 33 issue 2

Articles inside

MAY I HELP YOU? | THE VOLUNTEER

Six Ways to Get Real With Your Employer Brand

EVERYONE’S INVITED

THE UN-COMFORT ZONE

PUT A SPOTLIGHT ON YOUR DIGITAL FOOTPRINT

LEADERSHIP AT ALL LEVELS

OLD THINKING WON’T LEAD TO NEW IDEAS

SMALL EVENT, BIG SPONSORSHIPS

FESTIVALS WITHOUT BORDERS

Empower Your Brand with Enchantment 6 Characteristics of an Enchanted Brand

Consumer Insight is Crucial to Closing a Complex Sale

The Digital Life

Sponsorship During a Global Pandemic:

THE SPONSOR DOC

LONG-DISTANCE LEADERSHIP:

The Intentional Leader

Volunteerism in 2022:

IFEA Foundation Board Letter

IFEA World Board Letter

IFEA Prersident's Letter

Event Marketing with a Social Commerce Mindset

Rediscovering Spring With the 2022 National Cherry Blossom Festival