Event Development (continued)

 “The following is a continuation of my Event Development Series. Several months ago, I started the series with the first section, “Initial Development”. The second section is entitled “Research and Preliminary Planning”. Now that you and your team have decided to proceed with the event, it’s time to get serious! As suggested previously, any thoughts and idea are more then welcome!”

Research and Preliminary Planning

You’ve determined that you “financially” want to proceed with your festival or event and you and your committee have completed plenty of “research”. Now it’s time to start your “Preliminary Planning”.

Preliminary Planning – Manpower

Whatever your event, you must make sure that you have enough "manpower" available to help. This includes both the "planning and development" stages and the "implementation and operational" stages. Each group must be committed to being on time and ready to work! Nothing causes committees and their chairs more grief than no enough workers or than people who commit and then don't live up to their commitment! It's so simple, either show up and work or replace yourself with someone who will! If, as a committee leader, you don't want to lose committee members or have them not fully participate, make sure you operate your committee and its meetings on a business-like basis. This includes starting your meetings on time, having a prepared agenda and following it, having a scribe take minute notes and then sending the minutes out before the next meeting and finally, following up, as promised. All commitments must be honoured by the committee chairs if she/he wants the respect of the committee members. Remember, it never hurts to have a committee to be over staffed. This is especially true for the implementation and operational stages! If you find that your group can't handle the whole event, look outside your group (friends, relatives, partnerships with other groups, contracted services, etc,). Once your manpower is in place the "sky's the limit"!

(To be continued)

Event Development (continued)

“The following is a continuation of my Event Development Series. Several months ago, I started the series with the first section, “Initial Development”. The second section is entitled “Research and Preliminary Planning”. Now that you and your team have decided to proceed with the event, it’s time to get serious! As suggested previously, any thoughts and idea are more then welcome!”

Research and Preliminary Planning

You’ve determined that you “financially” want to proceed with your festival or event and you and your committee have completed plenty of “research”. Now it’s time to start your “Preliminary Planning”.

 

Preliminary Planning – Required Elements (Continued)

This could be the next step in your event development or it could be your last step! I have placed this section here because I believe that you need all the "Required Elements" in place before you make your final plans.

3.    Are There Enough of the Right Kind of Vendors and Attractions Available for Your Event?
Most festivals and events have either outside vendors or attractions to bring visitors to their event. When I say "the right kind", I mean vendors and attractions that both reflect the theme of the event and the type of people they are trying to attract. By offering visitors "less" then they expect can be a big detriment to the event's success and eventual longevity!

4.    Will Your Local Government Co-operate or Event Contribute to Your Event?
This is likely the most important "element" to get right. Without the co-operation (and hopefully contribution - money ~ manpower ~ facilities) of your local government, your event is in trouble right from the start! You may think that you don't need their co-operation, but you are wrong! Your local government can help you in so many ways. Most importantly, though, is that they can tell you what you need to do to comply with all the regulations that are now in place to protect the public. It is definitely in your best interests to follow their guidelines and to form work a close working relationship with community staff.

 Once you have all these "Right Elements" in place, final planning can begin.

(To be continued) 

Event Development (continued)

 “The following is a continuation of my Event Development Series. Several months ago, I started the series with the first section, “Initial Development”. The second section is entitled “Research and Preliminary Planning”. Now that you and your team have decided to proceed with the event, it’s time to get serious! As suggested previously, any thoughts and idea are more then welcome!”

Research and Preliminary Planning

You’ve determined that you “financially” want to proceed with your festival or event and you and your committee have completed plenty of “research”. Now it’s time to start your “Preliminary Planning”.

Preliminary Planning – Required Elements (Continued)

This could be the next step in your event development or it could be your last step! I have placed this section here because I believe that you need all the "Required Elements" in place before you make your final plans.

2.  Will Local Businesses Contribute to Your Events Financial Success?
I don't know many events that are self supporting, but I don't think that there are many. I also don't know of many events that don't cost something. That being said, you will need to find outside funds from some source. Ticket sales and booth fees may cover a lot of the costs, but in most cases festivals and events need more. If this is the case, you'll need to consider the solicitation of your local businesses. The big questions is, "Will they help?". I think this question can best be answered by how you approach them. First of all you have to consider will your approach be for a donation or a sponsorship. There is a huge difference between the two. Donations are simply a request for help with no offer of return on investment. It is a straight out gift. Sponsorships, on the other hand, are based on a business transaction. For monies given (by the sponsor) goods or services are given (by the event). The goods or services given could include anything from tickets to an event to advertising recognition. Whatever is given, there should be good "value" in what is given. Don't underestimate your need for sufficient funding. Having a little more than needed is a good policy. You never know when the "rain" may fall. Sufficient funding is a key "element" when it comes to event success.  (To be continued)

Event Development (continued)

 “The following is a continuation of my Event Development Series. Several months ago, I started the series with the first section, “Initial Development”. The second section is entitled “Research and Preliminary Planning”. Now that you and your team have decided to proceed with the event, it’s time to get serious! As suggested previously, any thoughts and idea are more then welcome!”

Research and Preliminary Planning

You’ve determined that you “financially” want to proceed with your festival or event and you and your committee have completed plenty of “research”. Now it’s time to start your “Preliminary Planning”.

 

Preliminary Planning – Required Elements

This could be the next step in your event development or it could be your last step! I have placed this section here because I believe that you need all the "Required Elements" in place before you make your final plans.

1. What Community Support is Available?
In order to hold any event, there must be community support. Support not only includes manpower, but it also includes political support, town staff support, business support (especially retail) and community resident support. In previous sections I have outlined these areas in depth, but I can't emphasis enough that you will need all of these support "elements" to hold a successful event. (To be continued)

Event Development (continued)

 “The following is a continuation of my Event Development Series. Several months ago, I started the series with the first section, “Initial Development”. The second section is entitled “Research and Preliminary Planning”. Now that you and your team have decided to proceed with the event, it’s time to get serious! As suggested previously, any thoughts and idea are more then welcome!”

DOWNTOWN BUSINESSES – If your event is going to be held in the downtown area or near it, you will want to consult with the local business group. The merchants will want to have their say. They will be very protective of their business area. If they think your event is going to interfere with their business or their customers, you can expect a fight on your hands. Remember, your event is only there once a year, they are there all year round. As with the residents, it’s best to get them on your side right from the start. Being up front with them and asking for their suggestions will go a long way in bringing them to your side. Make sure them there is something in your plans that will benefit them. Also like the residents, try to get some of the merchants on your committee.

TOWN STAFF – This is a very powerful group. Even though you might have the politicians on your side, the town staff controls the services! If your event is going to be held on a weekend (most are) then it is likely that many of the staff will be asked to work on their time off. If they don’t like your event or think it’s not worthwhile, they may throw up any number of roadblocks to hurt your event, enough that it could cripple your ideas and your event. You need you consult with them from the beginning; show them just how much your event will enhance their town.

OTHER GROUPS – There are any number of other groups that could affect you plans, groups such as churches, service clubs and other self interest groups. Look at the Olympic Torch Run as an example. The Run experienced all types of opposition (poverty groups, aboriginal, etc). They were able to by-pass most of the challenges by thinking and planning ahead. I believe that the key is to think through your event thoroughly and then be positive about what you are trying to accomplish. Most important of all you must be open to others concerns and ideas and then find a way to minimize any and all objections. No matter how good and noble your intensions may be, there will always be someone ready to criticize your plans. Take it in stride and move forward positively.

Event Development (continued)

 “The following is a continuation of my Event Development Series. Several months ago, I started the series with the first section, “Initial Development”. The second section is entitled “Research and Preliminary Planning”. Now that you and your team have decided to proceed with the event, it’s time to get serious! As suggested previously, any thoughts and idea are more then welcome!”

Research and Preliminary Planning

You’ve determined that you “financially” want to proceed with your festival or event and you and your committee have completed plenty of “research”. Now it’s time to start your “Preliminary Planning”.

 

Preliminary Planning – Considerations (Continued)

7. Are There Any Groups That Could Adversely Affect Your Event? – Perhaps the most obvious group that could affect your event are your local politicians. If you are not offering something that the majority wants and you hope to use town property or services, you will likely reach a “dead-end” before you begin! Knowing this is a good policy to pass your plans by some of the councilors before you present your formal proposal! There are other groups that need to be considered very carefully, here are a few of them:

RESIDENTS – If you plan on holding your event in a residential area, you must consider the residents. Believe it or not the residents might object to your event! Their objections could range anywhere from noise to traffic to vandalism. Don’t under estimate the power of this group. If they band together, they can become very formable opponents. It’s best to get them on your side right from the start. Find out what their objections are and find out ways to eliminate or minimize the objections. If you can get some of them on your committee or offer free tickets or other incentives that might also help.

Event Development (continued)

 “The following is a continuation of my Event Development Series. Several months ago, I started the series with the first section, “Initial Development”. The second section is entitled “Research and Preliminary Planning”. Now that you and your team have decided to proceed with the event, it’s time to get serious! As suggested previously, any thoughts and idea are more then welcome!”

Research and Preliminary Planning

You’ve determined that you “financially” want to proceed with your festival or event and you and your committee have completed plenty of “research”. Now it’s time to start your “Preliminary Planning”.

 

Preliminary Planning – Considerations (Continued)

6. Are There Any Conflicting Events? – This is an important question because the success of your event will likely be defined in terms of the number of visitors to your event and how much they spend! If there is a conflicting event, it could drastically affect your numbers, visitors and revenue. “Conflicting events” don’t necessarily mean conflicting dates or locations. They could also include types of participants and visitors. For example, suppose you are planning on holding a major art show on a particular date, but there is another one being held some distance away. Because they don’t conflict location wise, your might think it’s okay to go ahead with the event. This could be a fatal error in judgment because you might not be able to attract the best artists, artists who would attract visitors. Conflicting art shows would likely split the visitor base and both events might suffer, especially if yours is the newer event. Many groups have associations which help organizers coordinate dates, participants and marketing. If this is the case for your event, contacting the appropriate association may save a lot of grief! The internet is a great way to search for these associations. On the other side of the coin are events that may initially seem to be in conflict with your event. However, they may be complimentary to your event. Research will help determine this. When this happens, cooperation is the name of the game! By cooperating with one another you can play on each others strengths! You might event find that together you can offer a lot more and even draw more people to your event! If you really find that you can work together, you might even be able to reduce your costs in areas such as advertising, transportation, parking and security (etc). Being aware of what is happening around you can work to your advantage in many ways! (To be continued)