Developing a Festival ~ Planning

 2.   Finalizing General Details (Location, Dates & Timing, Insurance, etc.)

Now that the festival is in the planning stage, all key elements have to be finalized and contracts signed where necessary. Make sure everything is in place before proceeding too far. Here is a list of elements to consider. 

3. Festival Programs

Finalizing your festival’s program should be one of your first priorities. Your whole festival revolves around festival events and activities. If you are having specialized and/or unique activities, you need to firm them up quickly. You don’t want to have to change your program halfway through the planning stage. The more complex your festival’s events and activities are; the more time and effort needed to make them run smoothly and efficiently.

Developing a Festival ~Planning

 I was watching a well know wildlife artist work on a very detailed painting of a song bird. He was painting it upside down! I asked him how he could paint like that. He told me it was all in the planning. He researched his subject thoroughly, pre-planned the design, and the rest, he said, was just like painting by numbers. Easy for him to say, but hopefully you get the point. Developing a festival is just like painting a great piece of art… it’s all in the planning.

1.   Overall Festival Meetings

The number of people involved in the development and planning of your festival will depend on its size and scope. The larger your festival, the more people you will likely need to make it work. Organization will be the key to managing your workforce and making your festival a success. Regular, structured meetings are absolutely necessary. While thought out agendas and accurate minutes are a must. These, along with a comprehensive follow-up system, will all help you add your key managers maintain control over the planning process. 

“Developing a Festival” Appendix “M” – Preliminary Presentation Outline

 In preparing your Preliminary Presentation here are items to remember:

€    Who is going to read the presentation and who could affect the approval process? (Club members; committee members, town officials, etc.) Direst the presentation to them.

€    Back all your presentation information and statements with facts. If you don’t know something for sure, don’t include it.

€    Include as much background material and research material as possible. Include these as appendixes.

€    Although financial figures are your best guess, make sure you do your homework and make them as accurate as possible.

€    Give your readers a detailed description of what the festival will look like (who, where, what, when, why and how)

€    Be honest and realistic in your assessment of the festival. Discuss potential problems and risks, and then give your readers solutions to these risks and problems.

€    Keep you presentation positive, informative, factual and realistic.

“Developing a Festival” Appendix “L” – Benefactor Program Checklist

 Benefactor Programs act like a reward to individuals and businesses that want to support the festival financially. In return for paying a specified fee, the benefactor (patron) receives festival perks. Generally, the more a benefactor pays, the more he/she receives. This type of program is popular with larger events who can offer a lot of incentives to the benefactor. Here some ideas of what you could offer:

€    Consider what activities already available or easy to implement that could be included in the program

o   Tickets to opening night preview

o   Tickets to other events

o   Special seating at events (VIP area)

o   Private guided tour of festival

o   VIP Lounge

o   Acknowledgement in program

o   Special concierge service

o   Special delivery service for purchased items

o    Limo service

o   Special hotel/restaurant packages

€    Consider other activities that could be added the program

o   Special sponsor/benefactor event that would include celebrities (if attending) and performers (if appropriate)

o   Special sponsor/benefactor apparel

o   Benefactor festival pin

o   Signed festival poster

o   Special tour of local attraction

 Anything is possible, you just want to make the program enticing enough to have people want to attend your festival and pay extra for the privilege of being a benefactor.