Developing a Festival ~ Planning

       8. Sub Committee Job Descriptions

Each committee will need a hierarchy and its member will need to know what is expected of them. Now is the time to develop specific job descriptions for each position. 

9. Sub Committee Action Plans

Each sub committee should prepare its own Action Plan, Budget and Critical Path. The format should be similar to the overall plan and budget and should reflect the actions and figures detailed in the overall plan.

10. Contingency Planning

Contingency planning is an important part of your overall festival planning. Who knows what problems could arise? Taking all or as many eventualities in to consideration is just common sense. Problems will occur during both the planning and implementation phases of your festival. How you handle each problem (opportunity) will affect your festival’s final success (or failure). All problems should be considered and alternative plans should ready. Unplanned circumstances can easily come about. Weather, manpower, strikes, war, fire, etc can all happen. Have an alternate date available. Make sure you have more manpower available than you actually need. Have a cancellation strategy in place in case the event has to cancelled or postponed. These all seem simple and obvious, but considering them before the event could save a lot of embarrassment later on. One last word, if you do need to cancel your festival, make sure you have a plan to notify potential attendees that it has been cancelled. Place an ad in your local newspaper; take out radio and/or TV ads and place a notice on your website. There is nothing worse then traveling for several hours to attend a festival only to find that it has been cancelled.

Developing a Festival ~ Planning

 6.  Formation of Sub Committees 

You have you plans and budget in place. Now it’s time to divide your festival up into manageable sections (committees). The type and number of committees will, again, depend on the size and scope of your festival.

7. Co-ordination of Sub Committees and Activities

Like with the financial controls, you will need to be a committee/manpower control plan into place. The larger the festival, the more critical this step will be. With so much taking place, it will be easy for people to step over one another or to duplicate efforts. Your key management team must be in full agreement during the planning stages so that everything proceeds smoothly and efficiently. When people are at odds, costly mistakes happen.

Developing a Festival ~ Planning

       4.  Overall Festival Plan of Action

The most important stage in festival planning is the creation of a comprehensive realistic Plan of Action and Budget. These two processes give you the foundation for holding a successful festival. The more effort you put into these, the easier the festival becomes to organize and the less chance of unforeseen problems. Include a Critical Path Chart  with the Plan of Action. This will help keep your key managers on target in completing the tasks set out in the action plan.

5.  Financial Controls

As mentioned in the development stage, it is important to put solid financial controls in place right from the beginning. At this stage you will start to make financial commitments for both income and expense. You will now be dealing with a number of committee members who will want (need) to spend money. You need to be able to manage all this activity without losing control or your sanity. 

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.