IFEA WORLD BOARD LETTER

BY JAZELLE JONES

YOU'RE BIGGER THAN YOU THINK:

Why You Should Enter Your City in the IFEA World Festival & Event City Award

To my fellow readers of the “ie Magazine” I hope this letter finds you in good spirits and favorable weather as many of you, including my team at the City of Philadelphia, are gearing up for another exciting outdoor festival and event season. In the midst of event season, my team is also preparing and editing this year’s IFEA World Festival & Event City Award submission.

The IFEA World Festival & Event City Award is a treasured honor that provides cities with global recognition for their collective efforts in creating an environment conducive to successful festivals and events. The award opens the door for networking opportunities and support systems from like-minded individuals from cities around the world who are also champions and advocates for the event industry.

Whenever I’m a guest on a panel or educational session at the annual IFEA Convention, the number one question I get asked is “How do you put your IFEA World Festival & Event City Award submission together?” And the follow up statement I often hear is “I don’t think my city’s event landscape is big enough for that yet.” I am here today to debunk that myth and remove that limited belief from your mind. You and your city are bigger than you think! Below are my top four reasons/tips for why you should consider submitting your city for the IFEA World Festival & Event City Award.

1. The Submission Helps You Define Why Your City is a World Festival & Event City

When my office first stumbled upon the IFEA World Festival & Event City Award we asked ourselves a similar question. Yes, Philadelphia is big, but are we big enough to submit for this? We’re certainly not as robust as our Big Apple neighbors to the north or as diplomatically placed on the map as our country’s capital just below us. How do we differentiate ourselves from the rest?

We began brainstorming what makes our city so unique and asked the really important question, what do we know and love about Philly that we want the world to learn and appreciate? Once we distinguished our city’s unique identity, we established a list of events and specific city features that mirror Philly’s gritty, yet welcoming personality that we wanted to highlight throughout the submission.

2. Utilize the Submission Requirements as Educational Tools

First things first, with any submission you must thoroughly read through the event brochure and entry requirements and break it down section by section. There are six sections to the submission, each with a unique goal to gather the information that will help the judges better understand the event landscape of your city.

Some of this information may be muscle memory to you, other details you may need to do some research. This submission gives you the opportunity to collaborate with your local event-driven community stakeholders and partners for fact finding and information sharing.

As you gather the information required, you end up with an amazing shared resource for your city that perfectly outlines how your city manages and recruits events. In the end, it’s a great tool to have on file and to share with new employees as they learn the ins and outs of how you operate.

3. With Great Power Comes Great Global Marketing and Network Opportunities!

Think of the submission as an investment in yourself and your city’s brand. This investment elevates you on a global stage and leads you to some amazing networking opportunities with like-minded professionals from around the world. Even more to consider, the IFEA membership offers exclusive access to monthly networking groups, educational webinars, and a plethora of resources to connect with.

It also provides you with a powerful marketing tool for attracting new festivals, events, and even businesses to your city. On a personal level, our submission has helped Philadelphia land some of the biggest events in the world (think FIFA World Cup 2026).

4. Your City and Your Team Deserve the Recognition

The unity in a shared sense of accomplishment for our team is the greatest morale boost I could ever ask for. The pride we feel in celebrating our win together and being recognized on stage at the IFEA Convention is worth its weight in gold.

When Philly brings back the IFEA World Festival & Event City Award, we are bringing back a bargaining chip that showcases the tremendous impact our team has in the festival and events world.

Winning this award starts the conversation of why festivals and events are important to the fabric of your city and provides you with a leveraging tool to encourage continued infrastructure and policy enhancements that are critical to the success and sustainability of the event industry.

With that being said, I hope this encourages you to think BIG and submit for the IFEA World Festival & Event City Award on behalf of your city. I look forward to seeing you in Pittsburgh this Fall and if you have any questions during the submission process, feel free to reach out to any of us on the IFEA World Board, or the IFEA Team!

Warm regards,

Jazelle M. Jones IFEA World Board Chair

City Representative and Director of Special Events

Mayor’s Office, City of Philadelphia Philadelphia, Pennsylvania