“Developing a Festival” Appendix “I” – Committee Structure Checklist

 To run a successful festival their needs to be a strong management/committee structure in place. Here are a few ideas to help create such a structure:

€    The Board of Directors is at the top of the structure. What they do and how they conduct themselves will set the tone for all committees and their members. This means that Board meeting should start on time and have a prepared agenda to follow. Detailed minutes should be taken and distributed, in writing, as soon after the meeting as possible. A schedule of meetings should be published in advance and all members should attend or send a committee representative. All members should come to the meeting prepared, with a written report. To save time, the report should have been pre-distributed by e-mail. Meeting discussions should be kept on track by the chair. Any major agreements or commitment should be made with a formal motion and second. It should then be discussed and voted on with the vote being recorded by the Secretary.

€    All section committees should have defined positions. These positions should a have written job descriptions. This way everyone knows exactly what is expected of them.

€    All section committee meetings should be held in the same manner as the Board of Directors meetings. The written minutes can form part of the Section Chair’s written Board report.

€    A schedule of all section committee meetings should be published so that cross communications can take place in a timely manner.

“Developing a Festival” Appendix “H” – Key Management Summary

 Every festival needs a strong key group of managers to move the festival forward to conclusion. The entire group has to be like minded and ready to do whatever it takes to make the festival successful. Here is a suggested list of key management positions. The number and type of section chair will be determined by the size and scope of your festival.

€    Festival Chair

€    Vice Chair (if desired)’

€    Treasurer

€    Secretary

€    Sections Chairs

o   Site/Facilities

o   Procurement

o   Marketing/Media

o   Internet

o   Sponsorship/Donations

o   Benefactor Program

o   Volunteers/Manpower

o   Events/Activities

o   Vendors

o   Legal/Contracts

o   Security/Transportation

o   Town Liaison

o   Community Relations

o   Amenities

*These positions will be discussed in more detail in a later chapter.

“Developing a Festival” Appendix “G” – Event Insurance Summary

 

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Fire Damage Legal Liability = $50,000

Med Pay = None

“Developing a Festival” Appendix “F” – Preliminary Budget Checklist

 Each festival will have its own list of financial priorities, but here is a list of items that should be considered. Since this is a preliminary budget, it is likely easier to group expenses together and then give an educated income and expense estimate. A more detailed budget will follow once the festival has been approved.

    Festival location

    Tents

    Building materials

    Non volunteer manpower

    Security

    Garbage pick up and disposal

    Washroom facilities

    Fencing

    Signage

    Advertising and promotion

    People mover

    Electrical

    Website development and hosting

    Insurance

    Legal and accounting

    Town imposed fees

    Office supplies

“Developing a Festival” Appendix “E” – Financial Control Checklist

 The festival should establish tight financial control right from the beginning. It is much easier to put the controls in place from the start then trying to implement them half way through. The expression “You can’t train an old dog new tricks” applies here. The following will help start the control process:

 Appoint financially knowledgeable chair of this committee

 Purchase or create festival computerized accounting system

 Develop detailed Chart of Accounts

 Develop a tight expenditure control system with paper trail

 Develop a financial checks and balances system

 Develop detailed financial policies and procedures

 Develop written cheque approval system

 Develop simple financial reporting form for each festival committee

 Appoint one person per festival committee to be responsible for that committee’s finances

“Developing a Festival” Appendix “D” – Preliminary Plan Checklist

 The following should be considered when developing your preliminary plan:

•     Festival concept and outline
•            Proposed festival dates and operational times
•           Proposed festival location
•           Manpower needs
•           Start-up financial requirements
•           List of town services that might be required
•           Preliminary budget
•           Proposed marketing plan
•            List of nearby festivals including their festival dates and themes
•             List of potential risks and an explanation of how they could be overcome
•             Proposed committee structure
•             Outline of who will attend and why they will attend
•       Effect on community and its residents

“Developing a Festival” Appendix “C” – Dates and Timing

 

•        Dates and timing are everything when planning an event. Here are a few considerations:
•        Do the dates you are planning for you festival match the theme of your festival?
•        Do the dates conflict with any other nearby festival or event?
•        Will you have enough manpower available during the festival time period and the days leading up to it?
•        If you are planning to have vendors, do your dates conflict with any major event that might limit the number and quality of vendors that might be interested in participating in your festival?
•        Have you taken into consideration what the potential weather might at the time of you event?
•        If you need to rent tents, are there going to be any available during your planned dates?
•        Do the operational times and the number of festival days make sense for attendees, manpower and vendors?
•        If your festival is an outside event and the hours of operation run past dusk, will you be able to provide lighting to your festival area?