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Parks & Rec Business
| Planning Made Simple … The Baytown Way! By Kylie Duchie I’ve always thought it takes a certain type of person to plan special events, someone always on the cutting edge with ideas, constantly working under pressure, and spending more time at work than at home. Many of us have been teased about having a Type A personality or being ADHD because we like to be in control, and we have the ability to juggle several things at the same time without going insane. So why do we do it? The answer may vary from person to person, but for the most part, it’s the smile on someone’s face, the cheering crowd, a child’s laugh, or the sense of accomplishment when the event is over. Planning an event isn’t rocket science, but it does take dedication, organization, attention to detail and some creativity. Knowing where to begin is the tough part. Today, everything seems to be an “event.” It can be a ceremony for Memorial Day, a track meet for Special Olympics, a ribbon-cutting for a new facility or park trail or an annual holiday festival. Before starting anything, we really should have a sense of the outcome. What would make the event a success? Is it to generate a lot of money? Is it to have a huge turnout? Is it to have positive media exposure? Is it to have no complaints from attendees? The ribbon-cutting didn’t make much money, not many people attended, but the event received wonderful exposure and promotion in the press--that’s successful. The holiday community festival had a massive turnout, yet it didn’t generate much money--that’s still successful. The annual golf tournament was a break-even event despite a lack of promotion, but the teams had a fantastic time--that’s successful. So how to kick-start the event-planning process? Here are some tips to get moving in the right direction. Create a Working Calendar Depending on the month or time of year, your department may host events on back-to-back weekends, and on some occasions on the same day, due to unpreventable circumstances. By creating a “working” special-events calendar, everyone knows when the events are being held. It also allows you to set a timeline to mail reminder cards to past participants, create event flyers for distribution, obtain food and craft vendors, reserve amusement equipment, secure golf carts, or even promote the event. You will find yourself updating the calendar throughout the year as date conflicts arise, or new events are added. Over the years, many community groups have begun hosting events on their own, either as a community service or even a fundraiser. It is important to alleviate “double booking” of events. Set the event dates a year in advance, and let people know them! You may even want to create a separate community-wide events calendar so local organizations can add their events as well. The worst predicament is that different groups host events on the same day. Be sure to open the lines of communication within the community. Gather The Troops Pull the staff together, request the involvement of other departments, and even recruit volunteers. Assemble a committee of worker bees and designate an area for each person, even in the planning process. Serve as the coordinator, ensuring that each detail of the event is handled. It is important to meet with the committee several times prior to the event to allow everyone to be on the same page. It also gives the team an opportunity to brainstorm ideas or troubleshoot potential problems. Organizing an event is not a one-woman or one-man show. And it’s not just the Parks and Recreation Department that is involved--the planning team should consist of the Police Department, Fire Department, Traffic Control, EMS, Health Department, Public Works Department, etc. The event is truly a team effort! Each department or staff member coordinates and oversees either an area during the event, or certain responsibilities prior to the event. Punch It Out What has helped keep our team organized and moving in the same direction each year is to create a punch list. The punch list can be a single page for a small event, such as a ribbon-cutting, or even four to five pages for a large event, such as a festival. The list will grow even longer from one year to the next. To make the list easier to follow, divide it into specific categories within the event, for example, purchasing or renting equipment and supplies or promoting and advertising the event through media outlets. Create a visual picture of the event. Determine the number of port-a-potties needed, the placement of the food booths, the layout of the children’s amusement area, among other things. This list will keep you sane during the planning phase, and will also be useful the following year, especially if new people are on the committee. Too many things can be forgotten from one year to the next, and if numerous events are conducted throughout the year, it helps avoid confusion. Setting the Schedule It’s important that the program for a ceremony or the schedule of events for a festival flows smoothly. If unsure as to the proper order, ask! Many times ceremonies will open with the posting of the colors, the singing of the National Anthem and an invocation. The body of the program most likely includes opening remarks and an acknowledgment of dignitaries present, followed by the keynote speaker, a description of the history or background of the event, ending with a benediction or a cutting of the ribbon. This “template” can be used for starters and can be added to depending on the event. When planning a festival with entertainment and activities, take into account the changing out of equipment and setup on the stage. Allot at least a 15-30 minute window between entertainers, and fill that time with fun games, DJ music or contests. In this way there is no “dead time” on the stage during the transition. It’s also a good idea to have an MC or announcer addressing the crowd several times throughout the event about upcoming attractions, information about the event, the location of vendor booths, restrooms or kids activities, as well as important safety procedures for all attendees. Ideally, this person will be energetic and can interact well with the crowd. The Best-Laid Plans Have a clear picture of where everything should be set up on the event site. If possible, contact the Engineering Department to obtain an aerial picture of the site made from GIS (Geographic Information Systems), or sketch one by hand. Determine the locations of vendor booths, the stage, port-a-potties, or even the EMS station. Be as detailed as possible. If the event is a parade or race, develop a course map to identify where streets are closed off, the actual route, or the stationing of staff or security. It is beneficial that everyone on the planning committee know how the event will be laid out. The organizer can’t be present every moment at various venues. Another idea is to take photographs of the entire event site prior to opening, to see the setup and the placing of equipment. The photographs will be extremely helpful each year as to how things were laid out, as well as aiding you in changing the layout if something didn’t work. Getting the Word Out One of the most difficult challenges when planning an event is promoting it. Keep your eyes and ears open. When out in the community, inquire where people look to find events to attend and what type of activities interests them. Find out what people are reading. Research newspapers and magazines distributed locally, regionally and statewide to discover new avenues of promotion. If you cannot afford to submit a paid ad, send in a press release and photographs, or request that event information be included on the Web site. This goes for local radio and television stations. If the budget is spread too thin to pay for airtime, send the event details to be listed on their calendars. And don’t forget about including information with the water bills, employee paychecks, and even the Chamber of Commerce monthly mail-outs. For larger events, invest in street banners to display at specific sites around the city. Don’t put the current year on the banner, so you can reuse them. Money must be invested to promote your events--there are so many media outlets to use. Trial and error may determine what is ultimately successful for each event. Sometimes you have to stop being the planner, and take the perspective of the participant. What appeals to you when you see an ad or press release? Learn from what other people are doing, and use it to promote your events. And don’t forget to create an e-mail distribution list for your media contacts--send a release or upcoming event listing on an ongoing basis. Once the contacts are accustomed to receiving e-mails, you will soon gain their attention and interest in what you’re doing. Give Them a Bang for Their Buck This is just plain simple--give participants their money’s worth. Add some “enhancements” to your event by providing goodie bags or door prizes. Ask local businesses to donate promotional items, gift cards or anything within good taste. People love receiving free stuff. If possible, when a registration fee is required, give each participant an event T-shirt. And use the design as your promotional logo for the event. For ribbon-cuttings and grand openings, give away promotional T-shirts to the first 100 people. T-shirts are the best “walking advertisement” around the community--the expense to make the shirts is definitely worth it. If hosting a tournament, take team pictures and distribute them at the end of the event. The cost of the cardboard frame and picture is less than the priceless memory you’ve provided. Keep It Covered Play “devil’s advocate” with your event. What could go wrong? Is there anything potentially unsafe? What is the the liability in hosting an event or activity? If working with amusement equipment or game booths, always have the vendor provide insurance. When entering into a contract, be sure to read the fine print, and always allow the legal and risk-management departments to review it. If booking entertainers, read the entire rider. Many times they ask for “off-the-wall” requests for food, beverages and amenities. Everything is negotiable! Don’t put yourself, the organization or the event at risk just to appease someone. Never Let Them See You Sweat Nothing will ever be perfect! Eliminate the stress and headaches by always expecting the unexpected. One of the best skills an event planner needs is thinking on his or her feet. What if the National Anthem singer doesn’t show up? Or what if an entertainer cancels right before the event? Or if a piece of equipment breaks or a generator blows a fuse and all the power goes out? It’s your job to keep things moving smoothly. How problems are handled is what makes or breaks an event. Always maintain your composure, and have a smile on your face. You may be screaming inside, but keep that out of the public eye. Tear It Up Yippee, it’s all over! What next? Start planning next year’s event while working on it this year. It’s never too early to work on an event. It’s easy to see what works and what doesn’t work when watching it as it happens. Many times you have a brilliant idea to really enhance the event next year, or realize that something didn’t work like you thought it would. Always take notes during the event, and add them to your punch list for the following year! Don’t forget to allow the participants, as well as the planning committee, to complete a survey soon after the event so it’s still fresh. I’m not a big fan of a scale system of 1 to whatever. Ask people open-ended questions. What were the high points and low points of the event? Gather comments or suggestions regarding the layout, the schedule of events, the entertainment lineup, the marketing and promotion and even the registration process. This is how events succeed and continue to grow. Did I at least get you on the right track? These are only a few suggestions in planning a special event. As with any job, make it your own. Some things will work while other won’t. Those are the enjoyable and challenging parts about planning an event--never bored and always looking for new ways to do things. Keep it fun and stay confident. After meeting the challenges of the first event, you have the resources to guide you through the rest. Enjoy the journey! Kylie Duchie is the Director, Baytown Parks & Recreation, in Baytown, Texas. She can be reached via e-mail at kylie.duchie@baytown.org. |
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