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

Research (Continued)
5. LOCAL MEDIA – Most communities have local newspapers. Some have radio stations and a few have television stations. Whatever media there is in your town, you should make contact with them early in your planning stages. Local media is a wonderful source of information! It’s the news Media’s business to keep informed of all that is happening in its coverage area. If you form a close relationship with all media, they can help you not only with both local event information but with any research you might need. Most media outlets know all the regional demographics. They need this information to offer their customers the best programming/content possible. This information can be very helpful in your audience planning. You might even be able to persuade them to help you prepare and implement an information survey using their listeners or readers as survey participants. The results of any survey would be very helpful when planning your event!

6. GOVERNMENTS – All levels of government appreciate the value of festivals and events. They know how much they help local communities and their residents. That’s why federal and provincial governments have developed so many festival and event programs and grants. Although local governments don’t usually have the same cash capabilities as the senior governments, they definitely have a strong interest and desire to promote their communities through festivals and events. Their methods of helping events sometime include funds, but more often then not they only offer “help”. This “help” can come in several forms but generally is in either community services (garbage pick-up, policing, electrical, etc.) or location use. All levels of government, however, must spend wisely. Festivals and events that just ask for funding without a well thought out plan of action will likely not receive consideration. Most governments put an application process in place to help them determine who will receive funds. This forces festival and event organizers to prove that their event is both financially viable and beneficial to their community. Since there is only a limited amount of money available, monies are generally awarded to festivals and events that show they will have a major positive impact on their community. That is why it is important for the people preparing funding requests understand the process and follow its guidelines faithfully. There are plenty of places to find out more about government funding. Here are a few suggestions: government internet websites, federal and provincial members of parliament, local tourism offices, local Chambers of Commerce, the Federal and Provincial Ministries of Tourism and in Ontario, Festivals and Events Ontario (FEO).
(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

Research (Continued)
3. D.B.I.A. (Downtown Business Improvement Association) – Many towns have D.B.I.A.s. These associations are made up of local downtown business owners. Most are interested in promoting the downtown area and its businesses and hold or support events that are held in the downtown area. If you are hoping to hold your event in the downtown area, contacting and consulting the local D.B.I.A. is a must! They may object to your event or they may think its needed, but either way, without their support your event is doomed for failure. The key to obtaining the support of the D.B.I.A. is knowing what their promotional needs are and then planning your event accordingly. If you can obtain the full backing of D.B.I.A. members, your event has a much greater chance of success. Also, many D.B.I.A.s have promotional funds available and may agree to use some of them to help promote your event.

4. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE – Like the D.B.I.A.s shown above, many areas have local or regional Chambers of Commerce. While each Chamber of Commerce has different objectives, all exist to promote local and regional businesses. Promotion comes in various forms depending on the Chamber, but most support local events in one way or another. Meeting with the local Chamber manager is always a wise thing to do. The manager can fill you in on their activities and how they or their members might help you and your committee. They might even be able to help you identify local businesses or business owners as potential sponsors and donors.
(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

Research (Continued)

All of the above and more will have to be considered and researched! But, where do you obtain this information? Here are a few suggestions on places where you can find answers to your questions.

1. INTERNET – The internet is one of the best research tools ever developed. You can obtain information about every imaginable topic! The key to a successful search is how you use the available search engines. There are hundreds search engines, but the three main ones are Google, Yahoo and Bing (MSN). Yahoo and Bing will be combined next year (2010), but for now they are separate. Personally I prefer Google, but they all work. The best way of using a search engine is to be specific about your request. For example, if you are going to hold an art festival and want to find out more, be specific about the information you want. If you just type in “Art Festivals” you get millions of possibilities. You may think that this is positive except that it’s only giving you very general information. If you are going to have a nature art festival, you might search for “Wildlife” or “Nature” art festivals. Now you will get far fewer site possibilities, but most will be about the type of event you are holding. Similarly, if you search for “Wildlife Art Festivals, Your region” the search will become much more specific. Words are the key to a good and successful internet search. Pre-determine what information you want to research and then try different “words or phrases” until you find the information you want. You can even try various other search engines with these words and phrases for different responses.

2. TOWN HALL – Approaching your town’s administrator is a must. They can tell you the things you will need to know before you start any planning! They can tell you such things as the rules and regulations that pertain to local festivals and events. They will have information on what licenses you might need. They can tell you if the town council might help your event financially or with town manpower and services. Your town will be the best source of information for any local festival or event. Some towns and municipalities have event coordinators. These people are a wonderful resource to any organizing committee! They know what is happening, where it is happening and who is organizing what! They also know the “do’s and don’ts” of holding local events. Most also know where the grant money is located and can advise how to apply for it.
(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

Research

Have you researched your event thoroughly? Just like the Boy Scout’s motto says, “Be Prepared”! Before you develop a working plan and budget, you need to know exactly what you are in for! To do this you should investigate all aspects of what is necessary to hold a successful event. This is the “Research Phase” of the “Event Development” process.To begin the research process you need to ask yourselves a number of probing questions. Questions such as:

1. What will our costs be?
2. When will we hold our event?
3. What will the theme of our event be and will it be relevant to our area?
4. What can we expect in revenue?
5. Will we be able to find donors and sponsors in our area to support the event?
6. Where can we hold the event?
7. Will the location accommodate all we want to do?
8. What type of people will come to our event and from where?
9. Can we count on any government assistance and what form will it take if it is available?
10. How much manpower will we need during the event and where will they come from?
11. Are there enough core volunteers to plan and execute the event?
12. Will there be community support for the event?
13. What materials do we need to rent, borrow or purchase to make our event happen?
14. Where will the materials come from – locally or out of region?
15. What special requirements will we need to consider – licenses, road closures, fencing, washrooms, electricity, security, garbage disposal, etc?
(To be continued)