"Developing a Festival” - Plan Implementation

 Once you have all your planning completed and your manpower in place, implementing your plan should be just as easy as painting a picture! The biggest challenge for the festival managers is to keep everyone focus on their tasks and not to get caught up in the overall challenges. The following is a detailed outline of the various tasks (by manager or section) that might need to be accomplished. This is a general outline that would need to be modified for individual festivals.

The following are possible festival committees. The size and scope of each committee will depend on the festival’s management. Each committee is led by a committee chair. Each chair oversees his/her committee and reports to and is a member of the Festival’s Board of Directors.

5.   Site and Facilities Committee

The site/facility committee is responsible for anything related to the site and facilities. This could include: electrical, fencing, storage, building, washrooms, garbage, etc.

6.   Procurement Committee

Procurement is not a committee you would normally see as part of a festival, but I feel, for larger festivals, one would be a good idea. It could fall under the direction of the Treasurer or could be a separate committee. Essentially, the committee would oversee all purchases. This would eliminate duplication and waste.

"Developing a Festival” - Plan Implementation

Once you have all your planning completed and your manpower in place, implementing your plan should be just as easy as painting a picture! The biggest challenge for the festival managers is to keep everyone focus on their tasks and not to get caught up in the overall challenges. The following is a detailed outline of the various tasks (by manager or section) that might need to be accomplished. This is a general outline that would need to be modified for individual festivals.

2.   Festival Chair

The Festival Chair is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the festival. It is his/her job to make sure the goals and objectives of the festival are met. This means overseeing the Board of Director and all Section Chairs. The Chair also manages the overall Critical Path and ensures that it is followed until completion of the festival. As Festival Chair, he/she chairs all Board of Directors meetings and is an ex-officio member of all committees. In the case of a tie vote, the Chair casts the deciding vote. 

3.   Finance Committee/Treasurer

The Treasurer is the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the festival. He/she is responsible for all financial matters pertaining to the festival. 

4.   Administration Committee/Secretary

The Secretary’s main function is to maintain all festival records. In addition, the secretary creates each Board meeting agenda and records the details of Board meetings. 

"Developing a Festival” - Plan Implementation

 Once you have all your planning completed and your manpower in place, implementing your plan should be just as easy as painting a picture! The biggest challenge for the festival managers is to keep everyone focus on their tasks and not to get caught up in the overall challenges. The following is a detailed outline of the various tasks (by manager or section) that might need to be accomplished. This is a general outline that would need to be modified for individual festivals.

1.   Board of Directors

The Board of Directors is the governing authority of the Festival. All major decisions regarding direction and finances are the responsibility of the Board of Directors. The make up of the Board is generally as follows:

Festival Chair

Vice Chair (if desired)

Treasurer

Secretary

Section (Committee) Chairs

The Board should hold regular formal Board meetings with planned written agendas and followed up by detailed Board minutes. These are important, because each Board member is legally responsible for the affairs of the festival. Accurate detailed records are a must to protect Board members. Other Board functions could include:

€       Choosing a Festival Headquarters

€       Choosing an Honourary Festival Chair

€       Maintaining festival theme continuity

€       Development of job descriptions

€       Approval of the festival program

€       Deciding which dignitaries/celebrities (if any) are to be invited to attend the festival

“Developing a Festival” Appendix “W” – Job Description Checklist

 Having simple job descriptions for specific tasks allows chairs to move volunteers in and out of jobs easy. The following items should be included in each job description:

€    A description of the task or job required

€    A time schedule

€    Who volunteers reports to

€    Where the volunteer should report initially

€    Where the volunteer reports when finished

€    Reporting process (if necessary)