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

Money (continued)

“Monies Needed During the Event”

7. Miscellaneous: Depending on what you are planning on offering, there could be a number of other expenses. Some examples could include:

· If you are offering food services, you will need to purchase food in advance or during the event. Unless you have a friendly (and trusting) grocer, you will need to pay for the food at time of purchase.

· Again, if you are providing food and drinks, you will need to store them in a safe, cool place. Unless your event has access to a free cooler, you will need to rent a cooler. For pop, you will need to purchase ice. All this will likely cost money up front or during the event.

· If you are serving liquor or are having a “beer tent”, you will need to pre-purchase all you liquor. If you don’t order enough in advance, you may need to purchase extra during you event. All this requires cash.

All in all, there is an awful lot to think about and research once you start down the road of event development! As you progress in you festival or event planning, you will likely find many more areas where money is an issue. However, the more finite you make you research and planning, the better you festival or event will be!

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

Money (continued)

“Monies Needed During the Event”

4. Clean Up and Garbage Disposal: Unless you are part of a town event where the town provides this service, you will need to hire a company or individual to provide clean up and garbage disposal services. If you do, you will likely have to pay for this service up front or during the event. Any services contracted should include recycling. This is becoming more and more important each year.

5. Policing: Once again, depending on your event and what you are offering, you might need to hire a private policing company or hire off-duty police. There could be a number of reasons for providing policing services. Unfortunately, beer tents and/or music concerts quite often require policing. If you are having road closures, policing for traffic control might be needed. If you have vendors or expensive equipment that are going to remain on the festival grounds overnight, you will need to provide policing services during the night time. Whatever the reason or reasons, you will likely need to pay for these services at the time they are rendered. Whoever you hire will need to be professionally equipped and legally able to provide the service(s) contracted.

6. Shuttle Service: If you have off-site parking, you may want to provide a shuttle service. The type of service you hire will dictate the financial terms. For example, if you are hiring a bus service, they may require a deposit upfront and then invoice you for the rest after the event. However, if you are hiring individuals or a specialized type of service (taxi, horse and carriage, hay wagon, etc.), you will likely need to pay them up front or during the event. In all likelihood, they will want cash.
(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
Money (continued)
“Monies Needed During the Event”

1. Cash Float: If you are planning on selling tickets or admission at the “gate”, you will need to provide each of your ticket sellers with a cash float. This is necessary because you will need change to give to your visitors. The amount you are charging will influence the dollars denomination you will need to provide for your sellers. As an example, if your admission fee is $2.00, you will need plenty of $1.00 or $2.00 coins and some $5.00 and $10.00 bills. You should also keep a supply of change at you headquarters. A consistent system of collecting the ticket money and replacing the sellers float should be in place.

2. Security: Depending on the type of event you are holding, you may need to hire a security service. If this is the case, you will likely have to give them a deposit. If not, they will want payment either during the event or right after it. You need to be prepared for either scenario.

3. Washroom Services: If you are holding an outdoor event, you will likely need to provide washroom and wash-up facilities. Depending on the service company in your area, you may have to give them a deposit. Again, like security, they will want payment either during the event or right after it. Since the washrooms and wash-up facilities generally need to be serviced a number of times during an event, there may be charges for each serving. You need to negotiate terms before you sign any contract.
(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
Money (continued)

6. Volunteer Identification: I believe that volunteer identity is absolutely necessary! There are two reasons for this. The first is that festival visitors want to know who is running the festival or event. This is especially true if they need something or want to ask a question. If you want to have a well run professional event, identify your volunteers. The second reason for identifying volunteers is simple. They like to be recognized as being part of a great festival or event! Volunteers work hard, donate their time and are proud of their event! For these reasons there should be some sort of tangible identity! If your event is just starting out and doesn’t have a lot of money, simple name badges should be affordable. This is at least a start in the right direction. Another alternative is for the festival to pay for a T-shirt template (silk-screen or embroidery). The cost for this is about $150. You can then make deal with a T-shirt company to sell your volunteers custom T-shirt with the Festival logo. Most volunteers would be willing to spend a little of their own money to be identified with the event, plus it is a keepsake of all their hard work. Perhaps you can work a “volume” deal to keep the costs down! If you have a good salesman in your group, you may be able to convince a local business to sponsor the T-shirts. Sports teams do this all the time. It just takes someone in your group to take the time to approach businesses. Make sure you offer the business something in return for this support.

7. Miscellaneous Cost: There are other miscellaneous costs that could come up. If you are planning on serving liquor, you will likely need a liquor licence. Unless you fall under umbrella coverage from your town or organization, your will need to purchase event insurance. If you are providing booths, you might need to purchase building materials.
All of these costs fall under the banner of “Monies needed before the event”. There could, of course, be other costs not mentioned here, but this should, at least, get the process started. The next section will cover “Monies needed during the 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!”

Research and Preliminary Planning

Money (continued)

4. Fencing: If you are holding an outdoor event, you may need to rent or purchase fencing. This would be especially true if you were holding a ticketed event or were serving alcohol. Most areas have liquor laws that place restrictions on where and how liquor can be served. The law might require fencing around the liquor serving and drinking area. Some places even require double fencing! You need to check with your local liquor or town authorities for the exact rules.
5. Signage: This is an area where many festivals and event fall down. I believe that signage is one of the most important areas when developing a festival strategy. This includes directional and informational signage. Directional signage should be placed in strategic at all the “gateway” road that led to your town or region. The more signs, the better! Informational and directional signs on the event site are also very important. Telling visitors about your events, when the events take place and where the events are located all add to the visitors’ positive event experience. This translates into visitors who enjoy themselves, tell their friends and come back next year. Signage is also one of the easiest areas to attract sponsorship money. Signs are seen by a great number of people, perfect for advertising! Whether the signs are sponsored or not, you will likely need some up front money to pay for the signs.
(To be continued)