IT ALL STARTS WITH PERMISSION!

By Brian Katze

Tips for Creating and Maintaining Relationships with Local Permitting Authorities

Early on in my professional career, I came across a saying that has stuck with me for the past decade plus: “The only things necessary for a successful event are permission and money”. A simplistic view of event management, maybe, however not too far from the truth. With a pocket full of cash and an expansive village green at the ready, the world is at an event producers finger tips. Those lucrative sponsorships mean nothing however if there is nowhere to have the event, the same way an ideal venue is useless without a means to fill it.

We all know a nice budget opens a lot of doors to creativity and flexibility. For fledgling and less established events, budgets and sponsorships can sometimes be the hardest part of getting an event off the ground. However, permission on occasion can be the biggest hurdle of all. Permission isn’t just asking for it and getting a yes: for large complex events (and even some minor ones) it’s a long relationship with local authorities that could take months to complete. That’s where I come in.

During my 16 year career with the City of Pittsburgh, I’ve been at both sides of the table. Early on in my career my staff and I were responsible for a long list of City produced events, from concerts to 5Ks to small festivals and myriad of other things. For the past nine years I’ve had the privilege to be the Race Director of the City of Pittsburgh’s “The Great Race”, the largest 10k footrace in the state of Pennsylvania, and for the last three years as lead planner of the City’s Independence Day Festival. I was used to being the one having to make sure that our permits were secured, that impacted businesses and residents were communicated with and accommodated, and making sure that all of our own ducks were in a row so that we had our permission to do our events.

Starting in 2015, a new administration added a new layer to my resume: managing the film & event permitting processes for the City. This new responsibility opened a whole new perspective on event management since I was now the one giving permission. This new point of view provided a new appreciation for what exactly goes into the complex partnerships between local authorities and events off all shapes and sizes, as well as event organizers of all abilities and experience levels.

In the paragraphs ahead, I’ll share some of the things I’ve learned over the past few years as a permitting official to hopefully provide insights that will be helpful in forging, managing, and maintaining good relationships with local authorities and how these valuable partnerships will help with one of the pillars of a successful event: permission.

1. Be Sure to Know the City’s Permit Application Deadlines

One of the most important things I can tell event organizers who are asking about hosting an event in Pittsburgh for the first time is what our permit application window is. Different cities and municipalities may have vastly different application deadlines so it is always important to understand the local regulations, or to check in advance if an event is one that travels city to city. A late application is never a good thing!

Deadlines are also not arbitrary, they exist for good reason. If an event is brand new to a city, permitting authorities and public safety officials are not familiar with it and need time to review an organizer’s wants and needs. This helps ensure that the event will not overburden a neighborhood or city resources, will not conflict with existing construction or events, or won’t force public transit to have to take excessive detour routes. These things take time. A late submission or putting a lot of time and money into an event before seeking permission that might not be granted can put a City in a the tough position of having to deny an application, which not only costs the organizer the money they’ve already spent on the event, but could also reflect negatively on the City. Being able to meet deadlines during the permitting process is a great first impression when working with local authorities and will help them see an organizer as someone who knows what they are doing and can be trusted with the process at hand.

2. Be Prepared

In Pittsburgh and many other cities, event applications are reviewed by committees. In our case our “Special Events Committee” is comprised of a team of individuals representing major stakeholders: police, medical, fire, park rangers, mobility & infrastructure, public works, and public transit to name a few. Organizers of a select group of large, impactful events (as well as new events we are experiencing for the first time) must meet with our committee to review their events and lay the groundwork for their partnership with the City. These meetings are invaluable as they not only allow us to meet organizers as people but also to get a pretty good read on their capabilities and understanding of what the City needs from them for their event concept to be green lit. If an organizer is unprepared when called to discuss their events with the City or can’t answer questions committee members have, it can give off a not-so-great first impression on the organizer’s capabilities and could hold back the local authorities comfort level with what is being proposed.

An organizer not being prepared can also lead to miscommunications that could have dramatic effects on not only the event, but the surrounding areas. When an organizer makes many revisions to their event plan after their application has been reviewed or can’t settle on a plan following meetings with the City, it means there are now many versions of the event plan out in circulation, which increases the chances of either party being on the wrong page. When presenting to or meeting with local authorities to sell an event concept, preparedness is key.

3. Be Open to Change

In some cases with new events, organizers come to our committee with a brilliant idea for a fantastic event with the perfect design… but there’s already another event permit written for the venue / street they want or planned construction that can’t be delayed. There may be an extenuating circumstance the organizer didn’t anticipate such as another large event in the City that day. That event, while not in proximity of theirs, may still draw significant resources leading to a moratorium on additional event permits on their preferred date. In these cases, we will almost always work with an organizer to relocate their event, or help them find an open weekend for their preferred location.

It is important for organizers to be open to these changes. On occasion, an organizer may refuse these options, having already begun securing vendors or committing to contracts for their preferred date before checking with the City on the availability of their location and don’t want to have to go back and redo that work, or be seen as disorganized. In some instances there is nothing that can be done. This is one of the main reasons I always advise organizers to check with my office first, even before submitting a formal application. It is important to make sure a venue/street/park space is available first. If the municipality or City asks for changes to be made, there’s a good reason, and it’s generally to make sure that the event is successful and the City can function in the best way possible around the event. Be open to these changes and trust the committee or permitting authority is working in the best interest of the event and the City. Be flexible!

One of my favorite sergeants in our Bureau of Police once famously told an event organizer in a meeting, “I care just as much about the people who don’t want to come to your event as the people who do”. This stemmed from an organizer dismissing concerns raised over planned traffic management around an event, and not being open to the suggested remedy from our Bureau of Police. This is a good example of being open to change: had the organizer’s initial plan been implemented, traffic could have been a nightmare. Mass transit would have experienced significant delays and more surrounding businesses than necessary would have been impacted. If people attending and also simply trying to get around the event closure only focus on the traffic issues and not the event itself, then the organizer suffers because the focus is not on their event, but rather the negative impact caused by it.

Not all changes are major ones. Most event organizers won’t have traffic engineers or crowd management experts on their staff, but their government partners likely will. For street fairs and festivals, traffic management is a major component. It is not uncommon for our

Mobility Department or Bureau of Police to make recommendations to street events on adjusting their closure points or times, or for our Bureau of Police or Emergency Management office to make recommendations on security plans. Any changes recommended by local authorities are going to be in the name of safety or efficiency so it is always a good idea to be open to suggestions and work together to make sure the event can receive permission to proceed.

4. Local Authorities are Here to Help

One thing to remember about the committee or individuals charged with reviewing event applications: they are most likely experts in their fields. On our committee, our Bureau of Police is represented by the Special Deployment Division, who handle traffic. Our mass transit division is represented by their Road Operations Supervisor, who is an expert on transit detours. Emergency Management planners sit on the committee to assist with safety plans. Take advantage of these resources! My experience over the last few years is that the vast majority of the event permits we write are not for professional event management entities but rather non-profits, community organizers, or just ordinary people with extraordinary ideas. The City has a vested interest in helping these events succeed so we will always do what we can to ensure the success of the events we permit. Don’t be afraid to ask questions or lean on the professionals if assistance is needed. The City benefits when events are well run, have well planned traffic management, and are safe. The City or municipality hosting an event will do what needs to be done to make sure those things happen.

5. Get to Know the People and Their Roles

If an application is reviewed by a committee like ours, organizers should get to know the committee members. Put faces to names, and save those business cards! As mentioned previously, these individuals are the experts and may very well be the boots on the ground when event day comes. In Pittsburgh, many of the members of our Special Events Committee are the same individuals who staff our Emergency Operations Center during major events. As an event organizer, knowing who these individuals are and what role they fill in the City’s management of events, helps organizers know where to turn in a pinch. Additionally, organizers should work with the City or permitting authority to make sure they know who is in charge on the City’s side during the event. Ask for a contact sheet, and make sure to know who to reach out to for each issue that may arise.

6. Trust the Process!

In the end, everyone’s goal is a well-run, safe event. Events enhance quality of life and are economic drivers that help cities thrive. Well balanced relationships between city officials and event organizers are the grease that keep those wheels turning. When it comes to working with government agencies, it can be tedious. However it is paramount that organizers trust the process that leads to getting the permissions to execute their concepts.

City officials have a delicate job of balancing requests for public space for events against ensuring that the City can still respond to public safety emergencies, that public transit routes can still run as close to their primary routing and schedules as possible, and that those who don’t want to attend an event experience as light an inconvenience as those who want to get to the event site. Asking event organizers for compromises or occasionally impactful changes to their events are all parts of finding this balance. As an event organizer, being prepared, being open to change, and being a great partner to those municipal partners working behind the scenes to make sure events go off without a hitch will ensure the success of an event and a long, mutually beneficial relationship between the event producers and their local authorities.

Brian Katze is the Manager of the Office of Film & Event Management for the City of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After starting his event management career in college, he is now in his 16th year in event management with the City of Pittsburgh and currently serves as the Race Director for the Richard S. Caliguiri City of Pittsburgh Great Race 10K/5K and as the lead coordinator for the City of Pittsburgh’s Independence Day Festival. For the last eight years he has overseen the event permitting and management process for the City, consulting with events of various sizes on best practices and working with local authorities to coordinate resource coverage for events.