Staging Successful Festivals allianceadvantage@sympatico.ca - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Staging Successful Festivals

allianceadvantage@sympatico.ca

Special Events & Festivals

What is a festival or special event?

• A festival/event is a themed public celebration offered for a limited

time only, annually or less frequently

• Characteristics include it’s open to the public; has a predetermined
• pening and closing date; does not own permanent structures and
• ccurs in a municipality or region
• Events can be 1 day to a month long including a variety of activities
• Nearly every community has some type of celebration and they all

share one common identity; they bring together people to celebrate an event in the life of the community

Benefits of Festivals

 Tourism Draw  Creates Positive self-image for community  Creates community profile  Venue for community participation (Scouts etc.)  Revenue generator for tourism activities

VISITORS BRING MUCH NEEDED $$$ TO TOWN

In Ontario more than 1850 events generate $2.3 billion impact 50,000 year round jobs annually Tulip Festival - $10 Million Winterlude - $42 Million Plowing Match - $20 Million Pumpkinfest - $2.4 Million 55+ Senior Games - $3 Million 1812 Bicentennial – $25 Million

Understanding the Spinoff Factor

1st $ is usually spent for food accommodation and transportation 2nd$ is also major (i.e. waitress made increased tips, then bought paint) 3rd $ is if enough waitresses bought paint, then paint store owner buys furniture or lumber etc. Pre $ spent on advertising, groceries, local subcontractors, facility rentals, part-time staff Non-profit groups sponsoring a fundraising booth will bring new $’s to the community

Pre-$$$ Direct Benefits of 3 Festivals Held in Owen Sound

Materials & Supplies $36,000 Advertising/Marketing $42,000 Local Entertainers $20,000 Local Non-Profit Groups $13,000 Part-time Employees $ 6,000 New Facility Rentals $18,000 TOTAL $135,000

IPM Spending - $2 Million

• Road preparation by local contractors
• Major advertising on radio and in print
• 80 area bands performed on 7 stages
• Major construction of stages, stables, booths
• Rental of community halls – 3 yrs. of meetings
• Gardening companies had huge contracts
• Major supplies needed to feed 1500 volunteers

Know Your Audience

• Attract them with a hook – Your theme
• Meet their Needs – Instant Gratification
• Uniqueness
• Value for their Buck
• Fun or Wacky
• Something for Everyone in Family
• Educational or Heritage
• Attack their Senses– sight, sound, smell
• Quality not Quantity Counts
• Timing & Length is Important
• 1 day, 2 day or week
• Pick a consistent date
• Know your competition
• There should be total immersion into your package.

Bigger’s not Better

Themes

Fireworks, Ice Cream, Xmas, Scottish, Jamaican, Flowers, Water, Agriculture, Car Shows, Teddy Bears, Strawberries, Canada, etc. List everything to comes to mind with your theme: Related Phrases Related Songs Related Movies Related Characters Related Props Related Foods Related Sponsors Related Colours

Black Fly Festival

 Pop-Fly Ball Tournament  “Fly In My Soup” Contest  “Fly By the Seat of My Pants”  Fly Fishing Tournament  “Fly by Night” Dance  Kite Flying Contest  Shoe-Fly Bake Off

A Wind Festival

 Building & Painting Windmills  Flying Wind kites  Windsurfing Challenges  Wind Chimes  Wind Turbines  Wind Farting Contests  Hot Air Balloons  Wind Instruments

Make sure your event is fun, family and affordable

Turn event grounds into a tent city & guarantee fewer weather worries!

TENTED CITY AT THE 2007

INTERNATIONAL PLOWING MATCH

Your Event Can Be Staged at Different Venues Throughout Your Town

Thousands of visitors enjoy a downtown Car Show

Craft Shows are popular with visitors & provide vendor revenue

Inflatables provide a great challenge especially for teens!

A Survivor Boot Camp Obstacle Course Can Be A Great Challenge

Providing a variety of fun, low cost activities keep families coming back year after year!

Do the little extras to make sure your attraction is special

Don’t be afraid to have some fun with your theme & do the unusual

Something For Everyone

The whole community pitches in - more than 2000 volunteers!

Fundraising Option – 90%

Groups doing various types of fundraising

• A Harvest Dinner
• A Hot Dog Booth
• An Evening Dance
• Face-Painting
• A Bake Table
• A Raffle

Groups totally arrange all their booth needs. The financial arrangement would be 90% to the group and 10% to event after expenses. This 10% is applied to the service contracts paid out to other groups.

Fundraising Option –75%

Groups appointed by event to run a direct event/attraction for the committee:

• A Children’s Carnival
• Lions Club Beef Barbecue
• A Sports Tournament
• A Haunted House

Event organizers book the facilities, obtain equipment and advertise for the group. The financial arrangement is 75% to group and 25% to the event after expenses.

NON-PROFIT GROUPS OPTIONS

Service Contracts

Groups contracted by event organizers to

perform a fee for service. Contracts can be for jobs such as:

• Parking
• Garbage Pickup
• Installing Signage
• Security
• Site Cleanup

Community Volunteers

Organizations at events who operate an info type booth, with no fundraising occurring, provide 3 hours of volunteer labour Individuals who wish to help with the event can do so in any capacity as a community volunteer

• r committee member. Put a priority on providing

these volunteers with some form of appreciation

Types of Sponsorships

Sponsorship Opportunities

Facility Rental Event Entertainment Event Radio Ads Event TV Ads Event Tickets Event Decorations Official Drink Supplier Info Booth Volunteer Appreciation Event Stage Event Program Event Music Event Lighting Event Title Event News Ads Prize Tables Guest Accommodations Guest Food

Create Partnerships That Benefit Both You and Your Sponsor

Unusual Sponsorships Make a Difference

Suggested Budget Categories

• Admission Fees/Gates
• Marketing, Promotion
• Volunteer App.
• Transportation
• Signage
• Staffing Costs
• Site Setup
• Administration/Office
• Advertising
• Medical/First Aid
• Security
• Public Relations
• Sponsorship
• Insurance/Legal/Permits
• Facility Rentals
• Vendor Fees
• Food/Beverage

Accessing Grants

• Ontario Trillium Foundation
• Ontario Ministry of Tourism
• Ontario Sport & Recreation Communities Fund
• Ontario Sport Hosting Program
• Ontario Ministry of Health – Healthy

Communities Fund

• Ministry of Training, Colleges & Universities
• Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund
• Canadian Heritage
• Ontario Arts Council

Staging Outdoor Events

Event Site Requirements:

Food & Beverage Power Parking Emergency Services Safety Fencing Portable Washrooms Concessions Gates Staging/Lighting Sound Tents Waste Management Signage Security

Location Is Key: For Visitor Accessibility

Noise – Pick a site to address your noise level Risk Management – Handling Crowds Safely Evacuation – Of visitors, volunteers, staff Weather Conditions – Cancellation - Tents Lay of the Land- Underground Services

Permits & Licences :

Food Handling – Health Department Parking –Police Department Occupancy & Pyrotechnics – Fire Dept. Special Occasion Permits – LCBO Music – SOCAN Street Closures, Noise, Hawkers/Peddlers – Town Council

Emergency Prepardness

 Do detailed layout of grounds & give to emergency personnel and security  Assess the capability of your emergency team  Identify who knows site setup  Have a cell-phone & radio equipment on hand  Assign spokesperson in case of emergency  Whatever the situation – record details of it  Expect the unexpected  If serious injury – don’t hesitate – send to hospital  Have a plan for extreme weather conditions  When accident is over – convene key players together for facts & reports  In evacuation – stay calm – move people quickly – no refunds at this time  Prepare for excessive news coverage  Prepare for a lawsuit  Give out your emergency procedure to everyone

The Dream Became a Reality

This Centre is now managed by volunteers from the Almonte Civitan Club in Almonte, Ontario Contact Mike at eventscentre@almontecivitan.com

Access Support Systems

Event Items that add to Event’s Success

Good Signage Makes A Huge Difference

A Huge Inventory that Grows Annually

Centre Offers Great Children’s Games

Rules of “DOVE”

• DELAY JUDGEMENT
• OFFBEAT Ideas
• VOLUME of Ideas
• EXPAND on Ideas

Winning Tips For Successful Events

 A strong theme – Fireworks, Harvest, Ice Cream, Heritage  Appeal to all ages and all interests  Affordable for families & promotes the family unit  Fun, wacky, unusual, unique and memorable  A shoulder season event – eligible for government grants  Community support from residents/businesses/volunteers  Self sustaining & a major fundraiser for community  Some form of educational aspect during event  Brings urban and rural visitors together  A good reputation – bigger is not better  Quality and variety of events  Not afraid of change/new ideas  Has decorations leaving a good image  Clear cut written plans and policies

“FAMILY FUN SECOND TO NONE” Your overall event goal !