ie volume 32 issue 2

the business of international events

Last Generation Can a “Return to Normal” Happen in 2021?

Sponsorship Redux The Importance of In-Kind Sponsorship Adelman on Venues – Vaccine Passports The PR Shop – When Bad PR Happens to Good People

the business of international events

Last Generation Sponsorship Redux The Importance of In-Kind Sponsorship Adelman on Venues – Vaccine Passports The PR Shop – When Bad PR Happens to Good People

Get paid.

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Run your event better.

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With a First Data payment processing account, you get: • Special IFEA processing rates and hardware pricing while using partners like Saffire, Etix, Magic Money and Showorks • One-click enterprise and audit reporting solution for fairs and vendors with Apex Ceph reporting • Real-time sales data and employee management capabilities • Seasonal rental opportunities • Register functionality for retail sales, ticketing, parking, concessions and much more • Analytics to help you identify how far your patrons are traveling and their spending habits • Flexible connectivity and built-in AT&T LTE cellular, Ethernet, Wi-Fi or offline functionality

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Call Tina Hollis, Senior Commercial Business Consultant at 239-287-8221

© 2020 First Data Corporation, a subsidiary of Fiserv, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The First Data name and logo are trademarks owned by First Data Corporation and registered or used in the U.S. and many foreign countries. All trademarks, service marks and trade names referenced in this material are the property of their respective owners. The Clover marks are trademarks owned by Clover Network, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of First Data Corporation, and registered or used in the U.S. and many foreign countries. 647915 2020-4

IFEA VISION A globally united industry that touches

Publisher & Editor Steven Wood Schmader, CFEE, President & CEO

lives in a positive

Assistant Editor Nia Hovde, CFEE, Vice President

way through

Director of Marketing & Communications

celebration.

Advertising Kaye Campbell, CFEE, Director of Partnerships & Programs

Art Director Craig Sarton, Creative Director

Contributing Writers Gail Lowney Alofsin, Steven A. Adelman, Robert Baird, Dave Bullard, Dr. Maria Church, CSP, CPC, Alison Baringer English, CFEE, Bruce L. Erley, APR, CFEE, Laura Grunfeld, Jill J. Johnson, MBA, Nan Krushinski, S. David Ramirez, Dr. Rhea Seddon, Kim Skildum-Reid, Teresa Stas, Christopher Tompkins, Robert Wilson

For association or publication information: IFEA World Headquarters 2603 W. Eastover Terrace Boise, ID 83706, U.S.A. With respect to interactions with members/customers or those applying to be members/customers, the IFEA will not cause or allow conditions, procedures, or decisions which are unsafe, undignified, unnecessarily intrusive, or which fail to provide appropriate confidentiality or privacy. If you believe that you have not been accorded a reasonable interpretation of your rights under this policy, please contact the IFEA office at +1-208-433-0950 ext. 8180.

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Summer 2021

+1.208.433.0950 Fax +1.208.433.9812

http://www.ifea.com

Good Times Need Quality Insurance.

Festivals are always a fun time, but they do come with their own set of inherent risks. Be proactive and protect your event with Haas & Wilkerson Insurance.

Entertain the idea of insurance solutions for your festival including food, music and cultural heritage, art, agriculture, and more. Get traditional property and casualty insurance customized to your unique industry needs.

With more than 80 years of experience and access to exceptional markets, we’re able to provide quality solutions that are cost-effective and event-specific.

For a comprehensive review of your coverage and exposure, call 913 . 432 . 4400 or visit hwins.com/GoodTimes Independent agent representing Westchester, a Chubb Company, Programs Division. Insurance provided by Ace American Insurance Company and its U.S. based Chubb underwriting company affiliates. Chubb is the marketing name used to refer to subsidiaries of Chubb Limited providing insurance and related services. All products may not be available in all states.

For a list of these subsidiaries, please visit www.chubb.com.

the business of international events

F E AT U R E S

Last Generation Sponsorship Redux The Importance of In-Kind Sponsorship Adelman on Venues – Vaccine Passports The PR Shop – When Bad PR Happens to Good People

On the Cover: One of the greatest tools that will allow us to save lives and ‘Bring Back Events’ is for everyone to get vaccinated as soon as they are allowed and able, aiming for a ‘herd immunity.’

If your attendees understand that the result will allow us all to gather again, sooner than later, to celebrate our events, our communities and who we are at our best, we will all benefit from the result. #BringBackEvents #GetVaccinated

DEPARTMENTS

20

Effective Networking in a Virtual World

By Jill J. Johnson, MBA

22

What About Hub and Spoke?

By S. David Ramirez

24

The Importance of In-Kind Sponsorship

By Nan Krushinski

30

Brand Audits: The Harsh Look in the Mirror Your Business Desperately Needs

By Christopher Tompkins

34

Gratitude for Challenging People

By Dr. Maria Church, CSP, CPC

38

Last Generation Sponsorship Redux

By Kim Skildum-Reid

48

Matching Your Sales Approach to Your Prospect’s Readiness to Buy

By Jill J. Johnson, MBA

54

Teaming Up for Takeoff Six Strategies That Are Out of This World

By Dr. Rhea Seddon

10 IFEA President’s Letter 14 IFEA World Board 16 IFEA Foundation Board 18 The PR Shop 28 Festivals Without Borders 32 Prune & Bloom 46 Leadership at all Levels 50 Small Event, Big Sponsorships 52 May I Help You? 58 The Un-Comfort Zone 60 Adelman on Venues 62 The Sponsor Doc 66 Everyone’s Invited 70 Marketplace Summer 2021, Volume 32, Issue 2 “ie” is published quarterly by the International Festivals & Events Association, 2603 W. Eastover Terrace, Boise, ID 83706, USA. Permission to quote from material herein is granted provided proper credit is given to IFEA.

IFEA PRESIDENT’S LETTER

BY STEVEN WOOD SCHMADER, CFEE

‘MIXED

SIGNALS’

Go! Stop!

Lose a turn.

Merge into oncoming traffic.

Roll the Dice.

Go directly to jail. Do not pass Go; Do not collect $200!

Protect your resources.

No U Turn!

Cook at 425 degrees for 90 minutes.

Wear a mask (or two).

Push the prime button 10 times before trying to start.

Safe Distance.

Better to wait.

Apply now.

Engage the brake.

Apply again.

In today’s festival and event environment, it feels a bit like playing a new board game, where the instructions keep changing every day and are all different based upon where you may have bought your game; the playing pieces are being crafted by each of us out of whatever creative resources we can find; our ‘lifelines’ don’t understand the rules any better than we do; the game started by taking away all of our financial resources, versus putting everyone on equal footing; and winning may simply be the ability to stay in the game.

Understandably so, it is a confusing time. Professionals across our global industry are making critical decisions about cancelling their events for a second year; postponing; protecting the health of their staff, volunteers and attendees; protecting their now very limited financial resources, with most having depleted any reserves or ‘rainy-day’ funds long ago; the ability/timing of bringing back furloughed staff; and committing to potentially bank-breaking contracts and commitments if audiences/attendees are not on the same page as we are.

I talk everyday with people who are seeing the mixed bag of continued closures versus those who seem to be throwing all caution to the wind, and trying to make sense of it for their own situations. No one wants to be left behind; everyone wants to return to ‘normal’; but no one wants to make a catastrophic call.

People are looking at vaccination rates and increased virus surges in some parts of the country/world; the impact of travel restrictions, continued border closings, and group tour hesitancy; unexpected impacts of the pandemic on critical infrastructure and operational necessities, like seasonal staffing and insurance coverage; new budget expenses that we didn’t have before; and the ability/readiness of important industry vendors and suppliers to retool and repivot themselves to support the needs of a pentup, yet still uncertain industry, at least in the short-term.

Even in our own internal industry surveys, we have seen a majority response of those who, while eternally hopeful, are 10

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events

Only those with a minimum balance in your account.

Show proof of vaccination.

Close.

Open.

Listen to the medical professionals.

Hire.

Fire.

The Governor says we can.

Indoors.

Outdoors.

The Mayor says we can’t.

6 feet.

3 feet.

Maybe next year.

Start over.

Reboot.

Reimagine.

personally and/or professionally hesitant or unable to travel, gather, or commit to certain, future budgetary decisions. And in our ongoing conversations with other allied (and even non-related) industry associations/organizations, government agencies, and host cities/municipalities, they – and all those that they serve and represent – are struggling with the same challenges.

Confusion and uncertainty and lack of control are nightmare environments for event professionals. We understand. And while we can’t make all of that go away, what we can provide you with is a reassurance that you are not alone. There is not any one right or wrong answer; ‘best practices’ of the past are all having to be revisited, reinvented, and reimagined; but I can’t imagine a better industry to do so and bring us all out the other side stronger and better than ever before.

The IFEA remains committed to driving the conversations and professional networks that continue to be our best resource as we keep charting new courses and pathways; providing access to the most current and pertinent information/programs that you should be aware of; keeping you updated on what your peers are doing and how they are responding around the world, so that you can evaluate your own position and prevent/partake in any new relevant changes/trends as they develop; maximizing the return on your important and finite resources, by providing you access to as many free member benefits as possible, including educational webinars, invaluable publications, hosted professional exchange with those who share your challenges, and just that breathe of (non-masked) fresh air that comes from knowing that you are connected – through very few degrees of separation - to the most talented, creative, supportive and sharing network of professional leadership in our field. Those who are cheering you on, every day.

Hang in there, let us know how we can assist your success and sanity, and stay safe and healthy.

Summer 2021

HELP A FELLOW IFEA MEMBER MAKE A DONATION TO THE

MEMBER

INTERNATIONAL FESTIVALS & EVENTS ASSOCIATION

A MEMBER CAMPAIGN TODAY!

Over the past year, a number of valuable and long-standing members within the IFEA Membership, have had to make the difficult financial decision not to renew their IFEA Membership and, by doing so, have lost access to those many important resources and opportunities to connect with their professional peers. Can you . . .

Help a Fellow IFEA Member Get Back on Their Feet.

Help Provide a Festival with Access to Important Professional Resources.

Help Provide an Event with Access to Critical Educational Opportunities.

Help Provide Vendors Important Access to our Valuable Industry Network.

Help the IFEA Support Our Essential Global Industry!

Extend a supportive hand and help others see beyond their hurdles to the hope and possibilities that still lie ahead, by making a donation to the IFEA Foundation’s “Member-Fund-A-Member Campaign” today. For every $100 raised, the IFEA will provide a 12-month “Welcome Back” IFEA Membership to a Member who has not been able to renew their IFEA Membership in the last year.*

MAKE A DONATION TODAY!

BRING BACK

EVENTS T he fastest way through the current global pandemic, with a return to normalcy for all global events, is to take a leadership role in encouraging all of those whom we influence – locally, nationally and globally – to take the steps and do the right thing, starting with each individual, that will bring this COVID-19 virus under control.

In support of that leadership initiative, the IFEA has created a series of ‘Bring Back Events’ messages that we invite you to use and share on your own web sites and social media platforms. Download and use our predesigned and ready-to-use messages, HERE.

BRING BACK EVENTS - GET VACCINATED

One of the greatest tools that will allow us to save lives and ‘Bring Back Events’ is for everyone to get vaccinated as soon as they are allowed and able, aiming for a ‘herd immunity.’ If your attendees understand that the result will allow us all to gather again, sooner than later, to celebrate our events, our communities and who we are at our best, we will all benefit from the result.

BRING BACK EVENTS - WEAR A MASK

A simple, but proven and highly effective method of lowering the spread of the virus and saving lives, please encourage others to join us in this step that will help ‘Bring Back Events’ for everyone.

If you are interested, the IFEA has a series of event-oriented masks. Or, you may want to consider creating one or more custom masks for your own event(s). Learn more HERE.

BRING BACK EVENTS - SAFE DISTANCE

At events and gatherings of all sizes, safe distancing will help ensure that the transmission of the COVID-19 virus is kept at bay, while still allowing for some welcome, and often necessary, human encounters. Be considerate and encourage safe distancing of 6’ or more.

THANK YOU FOR HELPING US

‘BRING BACK EVENTS’.

BRING BACK EVENTS.

WEAR A MASK. I

t’s a simple action with results that have the power to be profound.

Here at the IFEA, we’re continuing to do our best to help speed the return of festivals and events to their full operating capacity, while working to protect the health and safety of those all around.

We believe that wearing a face mask will be a part of the ongoing risk management requirements and expectations for some time to come, and wanted to offer some fun and festive masks of our own with elements of the industry.

As a result, we have partnered with long-time IFEA Member Steve Thomson with Dynamic Displays/ Fabulous Inflatables, and his new company Maskcott, to create IFEA branded face masks for purchase.

Your mask purchase helps the IFEA to raise funds for much-needed programs and services and serves as a vivid reminder and show of support to others that while our industry may be at a temporary standstill, it is not to be forgotten.

COMES IN 2 STYLES

OVER THE EAR & OVER THE HEAD

AND 3 SIZES

LARGE $19.99 MEDIUM $17.49 SMALL $14.99

Click Here to Order Today!

IFEA WORLD BOARD

BY TED BAROODY, CFEE

THERE IS A LIGHT AT THE

END OF THE TUNNEL

T

here is a light at the end of the tunnel and it is getting brighter every day! This is great news for our industry and it is exciting to hear about events returning to some normalcy and seeing communities come together again through special events!

As we all get busier and busier chasing that light, we do need to remember that some of us are closer to the light than others.

This is not because of wrongdoing or some special order. As we are all seeing, there are so many factors that are going into safely “reopening” for our cities: outdoors vs. indoors; time of year; size and scope of gatherings; and of course, what country or state you are in, all play an important role in where you are in this tunnel. Some organizations, at no fault of their own, are further back in the tunnel as their success is directly impacted by the success of others. There are still many unknowns for all of us, and that includes the IFEA. Like other associations, the flexibility to produce member events, regional conventions and international conferences is limited and uncertain with restrictions still in place for large groups to travel and gather indoors. Due to the uniqueness of the IFEA and our members being spread across not only the United States, but across the world, IFEA finds itself further back in the tunnel than the traditional regional festival or special event.

No matter where IFEA finds itself in comparison to that bright light however, that has not stopped the IFEA staff from working hard to deliver up-to-the-minute industry updates and information, resources and expertise to the IFEA membership, in addition to providing more virtual education, networking opportunities, resources and services than ever before, all free to IFEA members!

As an IFEA Member, if you have not already discovered the endless list of additional benefits made available to you this past year, I encourage you to take an in-depth look at the IFEA website at www.ifea.com to view all that is available to you and your organization. If you are not a member of the IFEA, I encourage you 14

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events

to join to begin taking advantage of all of IFEA’s new programs and resources.

To provide additional support to the IFEA, over the next few months, the IFEA Foundation will be presenting some fun, new ways to raise some much-needed funds for the association. IFEA Foundation Board Chair, Kevin Grothe, CFEE, Vice President of Sponsorship at Memphis in May International Festival, shares in his ‘ie’ magazine letter this issue, more details on two of the Foundation’s creative ways to add some fun in this year’s “FUNdraising” efforts! They both are affordable, easy to participate in and important to the overall fundraising goals for the year. We encourage everyone to engage in these new activities and if possible, donate at whatever level you are able to, for you or your organization.

Finally, let’s not forget the power of ‘sharing’! Whether it’s sharing IFEA’s social media posts about our fundraising efforts/ webinars/affinity groups etc.; sharing industry updates, or sharing with others in the industry who are not members, about becoming a member of the IFEA. You’re a member of the IFEA for any number of reasons, but hopefully the most important reason is because you believe in Festivals & Events and understand the critical importance of the IFEA and its valuable support of the industry. Now is the time to share with your network, your support of the IFEA and the entire Festivals & Events industry.

Let’s make sure we all make it through the tunnel to enjoy the bright lights again soon!

Summer 2021

Ted Baroody, CFEE IFEA World Board Chair President Norfolk Festevents Norfolk, VA

FUN, COLORFUL & CUSTOM! Order Face Masks For Your Festival/Event, Risk Free!

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3. When an order comes through, place the order with Maskcott at a wholesale cost to you.

PHONE: 800-411-6200 EXT. 126 • EMAIL: STEVE@MASKCOTT.COM WEBSITE: WWW.MASKCOTT.COM

IFEA FOUNDATION BOARD

BY KEVIN GROTHE, CFEE

STEP

RIGHT UP!

W

hen you look up the word “challenge” in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary you will find the definition to be: Challenge (noun) • a stimulating task or problem • a calling to account or into question • an invitation to compete • the act or process of provoking or testing The first known use of the word “challenge” was in the 13th century. That may be true, but the festival and event industry could easily rewrite the definition as we have dealt with COVID-19.

First, we were tasked to cancel, postpone, or even reimagine beloved festivals and events from Spring 2020 to Fall 2020.

Thinking we were safe with our new dates; we were quick to find out that it may be 2021 before the industry gets back to “normal” or whatever normal is. Yet, we now know, that is not the case as many festivals and events scheduled for the first half of 2021 have either cancelled, postponed, or if lucky enough, scaled back.

So, to say 2020 and the first quarter of 2021 has been challenging for the festival and event industry would be an understatement. In fact, the festival and event industry is still trying to determine when and if we can safely produce our festivals and events again.

The good news is we have stepped up as an industry. We faced this unprecedented challenge head on. Thanks to our determination and perseverance, we will survive to fight another day. There will be events in 2021 and 2022.

Just like we as festival and event producers had to fight, scratch, and claw our way through 2020 and again in 2021, IFEA is the same boat as its members. Yes, we are in a new fiscal year, but the financial challenges are still the same for IFEA. That is why the IFEA Foundation Board has been charged to come up with some new avenues to raise money in 2021.

We think we have come up with fun and unique ways to raise thousands of dollars this spring and summer. Best of all, the cost to participate is between only $1 and $5!

The first fundraiser we’re excited to share is our “Pie-F-E-A Challenge” which launched on April 30th and will run through until May 17th. Twenty brave IFEA Members will participate in the challenge with the goal of receiving a pie to their face for every $250 they raise. In fact, they must receive a pie for every $250 16

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events

they raise! More money, more pies! With a minimum donation of $5 (anonymous to the participants of course), you’re able to help your favorite industry leader receive their pies! Think someone is missing from the Pie-F-E-A Challenge? No problem. For just a $25 donation, you can nominate that person! IF they accept, we’ll add them to the fundraising page so they can start their quest to raise $250 or more, and experience their own “Pie-F-E-A” moment too! For more details on the “Pie-F-E-A Challenge, click here.”

Of course, we want to see the proof of everyone receiving their pies, so we’ve asked each participant who raises $250 or more to video themselves experiencing their “Pie-F-E-A” moment and we’ll post a compilation video of everyone, along with the total raised on the IFEA Facebook Page on June 7 at a time to be announced so everyone can tune it to watch!

The second fundraiser is the Fan Favorite Event Challenge.

Registration will take place in late June and July with voting starting in August. The idea behind this new activity is to create a fun competition among IFEA member and non-member events. All an event or organization has to do is register their event(s) to participate in the Fan Favorite Event Challenge. The cost to enter is a mere $25 per event for IFEA members and $225 per event for non-IFEA members.

After the registration period. there will be three rounds of voting. Each voting round will be for one week. After the first round of voting, the Top 50% vote getters will advance to round two. After the second round of voting, the Top 50% of vote getters will advance to the Finals. For example, if there are 100 entries, the Top 50 will advance to the second round, then the Top 25 will advance to the Finals. Votes will not carry over from round to round. The cost to vote is only $1 per vote. In addition, each event will be asked to provide a photograph to be utilized in marketing, thus providing exposure to the registered events.

Be on the lookout for more details on both of these fun and unique fundraising activities.

So, step right up and accept the challenge to help the IFEA Foundation raise money this year.

Summer 2021

Kevin Grothe, CFEE IFEA Foundation Board Chair Vice President of Sponsorships Memphis in May International Festival Memphis, TN

THE PR SHOP

WITH DAVE BULLARD

WHEN BAD PR HAPPENS

TO GOOD PEOPLE

There is a term from tennis that makes its way into the public relations conversation now and again: The Unforced Error. If you’ve worked in PR long enough, you’ve made at least one.

In my first few months at the Great New York State Fair, I accidentally published the date of a band’s concert before we were allowed to. It cost us quite a bit of money to convince the band to keep the date and I learned what crow tastes like.

As I write this, in late March, two unforced errors by organizations big enough to know better are in the news. One is of the more routine variety, involving a problem with food. A family bought a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Dad eats one bowl, pours another bowl the next morning and something else comes out of the box: Two cinnamon-encrusted shrimp tails.

Um, ew.

The man posts a picture on Twitter and tags the cereal brand.

Here’s where the errors begin. First, the social media folks for General Mills give a perfunctory apology and offer to send more cereal. Then they say it can’t be shrimp and it must be clumps of accumulated sugar. Then they say it can’t possibly have happened at the factory despite the presence of dark things baked onto some of the cereal that look like sugar-coated droppings. Double ew. They mess up arrangements to have the items sent to them for investigation.

All of it happens in public, on Twitter. Dad is a comedian with nationally-known friends. The memes begin, then the news stories hit. Not just local TV - it makes TMZ and the New York Times.

Stephen Colbert’s crew created a savage parody of a Cinnamon Toast Crunch TV ad. A scientist arranged to test the DNA of the pieces to confirm they’re shrimp. So much attention!

A comedy of errors, all unforced.

These things eventually blow over but some errors have major consequences. Pharmaceutical manufacturer AstraZenica touted the effectiveness of its COVID-19 vaccine in a press release announcing study results. By the end of the day, however, the federal National Institutes of Health had issued a highly unusual statement saying that the data was incomplete.

That was big news. Every major outlet picked it up. The company’s stock price dropped. Headlines not only called the company’s study into question but asked whether a mistake like this would undermine public confidence in all COVID-19 vaccines. This mistake could have life and death consequences.

that my job is harder than theirs sometimes. They are driven by deadlines and turn in as much of the story as they know at the dropdead time, whether it’s 30% of the story or 99%. I’m not allowed to comment until I know 100% of the story, regardless of deadline.

That brings me to a second recommendation: Never go it alone. When the issue has the possibility to be controversial, seek others’ opinions. If there’s a legal aspect, talk to your lawyers. Get the boss’s signoff.

When it’s a potentially hot topic, consider saying less. These will be the times when you will prefer to issue a statement by email rather than be interviewed. Whether it’s written or spoken, however, make sure you and the bosses and lawyers know exactly what you want to say. Say that, and nothing more. Repeat and rephrase the answer if necessary but don’t deviate. And by all means, eliminate adjectives and adverbs from your comments.

For example, it’s okay to acknowledge an injury but describing it as a minor injury is likely to prompt a reporter to ask if you consider all injuries to be minor. Don’t characterize; describe. ...A POUND OF CURE When something bad happens, make it as right as possible as fast as possible. If someone’s injured at your event, have the boss visit (preferably) or call at the very first opportunity. If someone complains about some aspect of the event on social media, acknowledge it with something other than a canned response.

Never, never, never argue in public with that person and assume they will publicize whatever you say to them through private channels like texting. Make a phone call. It’s personal and allows for empathy.

Do not leave problems up to the lowest ranking person in the chain. The social media manager is not the right person to fix problems. Elevate issues to the proper level.

In many cases, a problem is an opportunity to make an unhappy customer into a lifelong fan. Most people do not expect perfection from us. They do, however, want to be heard. So, listen. Listen first, think hard, and talk only after listening and thinking is the formula to ensure your serves don’t take out the fans in the stands.

AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION… There are actions you can take to prevent mistakes like these.

The first adjustment to make is to adopt the attitude of a reporter.

Be skeptical of what higher-ups tell you until you see proof. An old joke in the journalism business goes, “If your mother tells you she loves you, get two sources.”

I try never to assume that I know something to be true. I ask for backup documents or talk to a person who may deal directly with the issue. Often, you will pick up nuances that will inform the way you write or talk about an issue or get an off-the-record warning that this isn’t as simple as it seems. I have told some friends in journalism 18

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Summer 2021

Dave Bullard is the Public Relations and Marketing Manager for The Great New York State Fair in Syracuse, the nation’s first and oldest state fair, dating to 1841. He has spent his entire life in and around media, spending many years in print, radio, TV and online media in addition to running a solo PR, marketing and video production business and founding one of the nation’s first online-only local news publications in 1999.

Dave is also the moderator for the IFEA PR and Marketing Virtual Affinity Group every 2nd Tuesday of the month and welcomes you to attend their monthly chat! Dave can be reached anytime at dave.bullard@agriculture.ny.gov and is here to support the great people and events of our industry.

Don’t hesitate to drop him a note with suggestions, thoughts or counterarguments anytime.

50

20

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Summer 2021

With the shift to our new virtual world, you have probably found it more difficult to build and sustain professional relationships. Yet, the virtual technologies we are all using have actually expanded our opportunities to network and build connections. We are no longer limited to connecting with those in our local community as we now have expanded opportunities to connect with people from around the world. It is possible to build relationships by using virtual experiences.

The challenge is, how do you do it?

Making Virtual Networking Connections Some social media efforts seem to be a complete waste of time. But social media now provides new opportunities to make connections with others. The key is how you use social media to build and sustain your relationships with others in your network.

Finding people to connect with by searching the social media sites using keywords and company names is one way to identify new connections. An even better way is to take advantage of the various virtual meetings and events that you are already participating in and connect with those who are also participating in them.

If you have two monitors on your computer, use one monitor to participate in the meeting and your other monitor as your search engine. If you don’t have two monitors, use your smartphone or tablet. Pay attention to the people you are resonating with or those who are making thought-provoking comments in your virtual meetings.

On your other monitor or device, go to LinkedIn and see if you can find this person while you can still see their face in the meeting. You might be surprised at how difficult that can be, especially if they have a common name or have changed their appearance. By doing it while you’re still participating in the virtual meeting, you can double check that you have the right person before you send them a LinkedIn invitation.

When you send the invitation, be sure to personalize the connection message.

Say something like, “Joe, I enjoyed your comments in the XYZ meeting today. I’d love to connect with you on LinkedIn to get to know you better.”

The goal here is to establish an initial connection, not to make a sale or have them do something for you. You have to earn that right. Do not immediately reach out and try to sell them something once they accept your connection.

Successful Approaches to Networking Virtually Once you’ve established a connection with someone, begin to explore the opportunities available to you to get to know that individual better. It is easier to do than you might think.

The most effective way to stand out to a new contact is to engage with them on the social media platform. Start to regularly post comments on their social media post and when appropriate, share their post on your own social media profiles. Don’t just “like” something that they’ve posted. Likes, hearts, thumbs up and other reaction acknowledgments don’t make you stand out. These are just passive engagement reactions and do not get much notice.

Active engagement that gets your name in front of your connection will make you stand out and connect in deeper ways.

If your connection has shared something on social media that you find interesting, do your own post and tag them in it. Take a picture of you holding their book with a testimonial. Then post your testimonial on their book page on Amazon. The idea here is to stand out, especially if they are someone who has a very large social media following.

Engagement is vital to building relationships. It requires energy and effort just as it does in the physical world. It is important to take this slowly. Nothing freaks someone out more on social media than the appearance of having a stalker or someone who is only connected to sell to them. Look for opportunities that are appropriate, but not every day, especially in the beginning.

Taking Your Virtual Networking to The Next Level If the person you’re connecting with is someone that you would like to know better and the feeling is mutual, suggest setting up a telephone call or virtual meeting. That will allow for deeper communication beyond the written word.

Explore opportunities that might be mutually beneficial or ask them if there is something specific that they need right now that you might be able to provide. For an author, it would be a testimonial. Or it might be making some endorsements on LinkedIn once you get a deeper understanding of their skills and strengths.

Leverage the combination of interacting with them on social media platforms, phone calls, virtual conversations and email as a way to stay connected. This needs to be organic and it cannot be forced. Too many people today make an Summer 2021

initial connection on social media or in a virtual meeting and then begin to bombard their contact with too many emails or too many asks. That is not building a relationship. That is pushing for a sale.

Those who are successful at networking virtually are looking to expand their connections with those with whom they share mutual interests. Those mutual interests turn into opportunities. In the best of all worlds those opportunities are mutual, not one-sided.

Final Thoughts One thing is certain, virtual interactions are here to stay. Those who are most effective at networking in this “new normal” will bridge the gap between connections and relationships by strategically looking for opportunities to connect. Remember, networking is about building relationships, not making sales. It is vital to keep this key difference in mind as you begin to take steps to use virtual opportunities to make new connections.

Sales or jobs may eventually flow from these relationships, but the primary goal in networking is to make a casual connection and build it into to a deeper relationship.

Then, you take advantage of the virtual world to help you sustain and deepen that connection over a longer period of time.

Jill J. Johnson, MBA, is the President and Founder of Johnson Consulting Services, a highly accomplished speaker, an award-winning management consultant, and author of the bestselling book Compounding Your Confidence. Jill helps her clients make critical business decisions and develop market-based strategic plans for turnarounds or growth. Her consulting work has impacted more than $4 billion worth of decisions. She has a proven track record of dealing with complex business issues and getting results.

For more information on Jill J. Johnson, please visit www.jcs-usa.com.

Social Media Links LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/JillJohnsonUSA/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/JohnsonConsultingServices Instagram: www.instagram.com/JillJohnsonUSA Twitter: twitter.com/JillJohnsonUSA ClubHouse: @JillJohnsonUSA

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events 21

What About Hub and Spoke?

By S. David Ramirez

The suggestion came as we were planning our 2021 convention. Our team of staff and volunteers are evenly split between San Antonio and Dallas. Given the slower than expected rollout of the COVID vaccine, we had a strong indication that our show would be almost entirely local instead of drawing the statewide attention that helped us reach 20,000 attendees in 2019.

Our Dallas contingent expressed concern about driving the 275 miles to our venue. With this concern in mind, we went through an entire planning process of reimaging our annual culture festival as a multi-location activation. Ultimately, we decided against it, but committing to the thought exercise gave us a new perspective into what it would take to transform our event into a Hub and Spoke.

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What is a Hub and Spoke Event?

Hub and spoke is one of several event formats that experts anticipate will gain popularity as the world recovers from the pandemic. The format consists of a central main event, “the hub’, where keynotes and other face-to-face programming take place. There can be any number of smaller “spokes” that are regional face-to-face offshoots of the main event happening simultaneously. All associated events are branded, themed, and marketed as part of the same activation.

Why Hub and Spoke?

We’re not sure how long COVID will remain a part of our lives and industry.

Some experts have gone so far as to

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speculate that we may have seasonal outbreaks of covid, much like we do with our cold and flu seasons. The Hub and Spoke format allows event organizers to replace the mega-conferences of yesteryear with several smaller regional events, reducing the possibility of having attendees spreading sickness across geographies while still providing an event experience.

This format also speaks to consumer confidence. It may be years before tourism fully bounces back. H&S reduces the ask on attendees, who are more likely to participate in a program in their local markets than travel across the country to participate.

Example Hub and Spoke One of the most widely known Hub and Spoke format events can be seen annually

on New Year’s Eve. Various broadcasts will have simultaneous activations in multiple cities, all stemming from a primary production focused in New York for the Ball Drop. Each activation has separate hosts and unique schedules, but the events are co-marketed as part of the same activation. Content like headline performances is shared to spoke locations as well as telecasted to remote audiences.

Some elements, like the ball drop, may be recorded and rebroadcast to better suit local time zones.

Six Considerations Before Launching a Hub and Spoke Event.

• Staffing Capacity The first challenge is always whether you have enough warm bodies to execute the event. Each spoke will need its own technical team, customer-facing team, volunteers, exhibitors, and leadership.

Those requirements are exponential as you add additional spokes. While a hub and spoke format may seem exciting, some event organizations may find that established formats with smaller staffing footprints like Roadshows, are more appropriate.

• Attendee Base If you build it, they will come… right?

Spokes should be placed with great intentionality. There should be a great enough distance between the hub and spokes to justify the costs associated with simultaneous activation.

Questions to ask: • What is the maximum distance attendees will travel to participate in an event?

• What is the minimum distance allowable before the activations start to cannibalize attendance from each other?

• What is the greatest distance at which sharing content or engagement is impeded? (Time zones should play a part in this discussion.)

• Placemaking A danger of the format is the unequal distribution of placemaking. The Hub should get plenty of love, particularly if the majority of the cornerstone content is coming from that central location.

But be sure to share the love will all the spokes, especially if they’re paying the same price for admission.

Make each local activation feel like part of the whole. This starts with basic placemaking practices like signage, swag, and atmospheric branding.

Create opportunities for people to have similar experiences by deploying the same (or visually similar) photo ops like step and repeats or branded backdrops.

Take it a step further and serve the same food at meals or snack breaks.

Include the same swag and conference materials in each attendee, vendor, and speaker kit.

• Venue and Vendors Perhaps the greatest difficulty of creating a hub and spoke event is wrangling logistics. All venues have their quirks, preferred and exclusive providers, and on-site event teams.

My flagship show splits programming between a convention center and a hotel. As we brainstormed the possibilities, we realized the easiest way to plan the spokes was to explore activating in affiliated hotels. Our sales executive from Hyatt quickly rose as a champion for this exploratory. We did not have a clear picture of the gerrymandering districts and sales organizations that make up their hotels in our state. Without her volunteering to make connections, recommendations, and support collaboration we would not have been able to complete the exercise. Find a champion early and save the headache.

• Technology Technology for Hub and Spoke should be broken into two main categories.

First, consider the technology required in each venue for a standard activation.

These are the usual suspects for special events; projection, amplification, display, lighting, etc.

Now consider how you’ll transmit information between the two venues.

There are different challenges between displaying synchronous and asynchronous content. Do some things need to be recorded? Does the lag between livestream and spoke audiences mean it isn’t viable for them to participate in Q&A? Do things like time zones, local cultures, and regional weather affect the way content is presented or otherwise engaged with?

most powerful tools in an event organizer’s arsenal. It is a way to sell tickets, recruit volunteers, source exhibitors, and build community.

Hub and Spoke events require a sense of unity across activations. Placemaking, programming, and design elements are physical methods of creating this unity.

We knew that social unity would need a vital connection between locations and remote participants. I’ve been a long-time fan of social walls. They’re easy to set-up, flexible in size, and don’t require constant monitoring. Pushing social content to the event website, mobile app, and media partners also makes social engagement tools, like social walls, particularly useful since they serve a variety of purposes.

Other social tactics to deploy include a strong hashtag, a local (spoke) hashtag variant if your secondary events will have a significantly unique presence, and the implementation of social livestreaming to entice impulse attendees and future volunteers.

Spend a Day, Do the Planning Exercise This planning exercise was incredibly useful for our team. While we may still be a year or two away from ever activating a hub and spoke event, we were able to view our conference in a new light. Not only did we walk away with a clearer understanding of the opportunities and challenges of this format. We also walked away with new ideas for programming, socially distanced activities, and how departments will need to operate under a quickly shifting event safety paradigm.

We even found some rising stars among the staff who are eager to attempt an off-season hub and spoke experiment.

Take the time. Spend the day. You may learn something new about your event.

S. David Ramirez is a digital marketer and events manager at TINT, the world’s most trusted platform for adding authenticity to your digital media. He is the Executive Director of San Japan, an annual convention that brings 20,000 people to downtown San Antonio. David presents and facilitates workshops worldwide on topics like digital marketing, social media, and user-generated content. Mostly, he’s a nerd. Talk to him about movies or video games.

• Social Media Social media has become one of the Summer 2021

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events 23

The Importance of In-Kind Sponsorship

By Nan Krushinski

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The world is slowly opening up and events are planning their return. Are you ready? Did your budget survive the last year? Do you need help covering your bottom line?

For most event and festival planners, 2020 was rough to say the least. No events. No work. No income. Maybe, no job. Now, it’s time to regroup and tell the world (and your boss) you’re ready to get planning again.

It’ll be okay. Even though events have pretty much come to a screeching halt around the world, and sponsors are saving their money for events in late 2021 and beyond, companies still want to be involved with events and festivals.

If they don’t have the money to spend at this point, you can always ask them for In-Kind donations. In-Kind donations are services or products that can be used at your events and festivals without an exchange of cash. And they can help your bottom line by not costing you money out of pocket to buy or rent.

Corporations are looking for way to get their products in front of consumers – be it virtually, through sampling, couponing, or on-site promotions.

As a festival or event, you need products and services. You need dumpsters.

Wouldn’t it be nice to save hundreds or thousands of dollars by trading those dumpsters for tickets, advertising in your program book, social media, signage, VIP packages, referrals, and a lot of other creative ideas that you and your team think up?

If your soft drink vendor will donate product for your VIP area and volunteers, that will help your bottom line, too.

A Very Brief History Sponsorships have been around for a long time – 5th Century BC – Ancient Greece. While we aren’t looking to name coliseums, we are looking for a little love for our festivals and events. Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, budgets have been affected by most corporations and small businesses. These are the folks we first approach for partnerships. There is still hope. These companies still want to get their businesses out there and we still need what they have to offer – but with a twist.

But first, let us talk about what In-Kind Sponsorship is.

Tandem describes the difference as In-Kind Sponsorship provides a value in form of goods and services, whereas cash sponsorship is when a sponsor pays a fee in the form of cash for promotional return.

In-Kind Sponsorship can also be known as value In-Kind Sponsorship. Sponsors can add product and/or services on top of cash, too.

In-Kind Sponsorship is different than a donation. Donation of product or services typically does not require anything back from you in turn, such as promotions, advertising, or anything else of perceived value. In-Kind Sponsorship is another type of sponsorship but with products or service in lieu of cash.

While it’s easy to be concerned about money, money, money, there are plenty of ways to get creative, and after all, that’s what we do best! So, let’s talk about how to get creative with sponsors in ways that help you and help them.

There are pros and cons to In-Kind Sponsorship. In-Kind Sponsorships help with your bottom line. It can add to attendee and volunteer experiences. It can help companies with travel fees and hotels. It helps with board development.

The downside of In-Kind Sponsorship is taking something because it is offered, but not essential to the event or non-profit, can be costly, cumbersome, or just unnecessary.

Value of In-Kind Sponsorship The value of In-Kind Sponsorships can be viewed in different ways. It can off-set hard costs for your event or festival, relieving some line item in your budget, which will in turn save you money. It can bring an association with a high-value corporate client, and it can help get a sponsor in the door which can eventually lead to a cash sponsorship.

You do not always have to accept In-Kind donations to your event or festival.

Realize there may be costs to implementing an In-Kind Sponsorship. There may be products or services that you do not need but are being offered. Think about what you would do with these. Are you able to store them? Are you able to use them?

Are you able to off-set any hard costs by having them? Will it cost you to accept this donation? You can always say no, even if you think you should be saying yes, because a sponsor wants to be involved in your event. This must work for you and your event.

Essential vs Non-Essential Essential items are needed for the event or festival to function – dumpsters, barricades, port-a-johns, staging, sound, fencing, tables, chairs, and so on.

Non-essentials items that are offered to a festival or event can still be useful. IEG Summer 2021

recommends that non-essential In-Kind Sponsorships be valued at 50% of their cash value. Again, this can vary and like with anything, is always negotiable.

When it’s time to think about looking for In-Kind Sponsorship, think outside the box.

According to TandemPartnerships.com: Hilton and Live Nation have a five-year deal that includes Hilton members using their Hilton Honors points for exclusive concerts, events and other related experiences, Live Nation executives and artists qualifying for reduced rates at Hilton Hotels, and Live Nation, along with Ticketmaster, promoting Hilton rooms on their websites after guests purchase tickets.

Sporting events will utilize In-Kind Sponsors for a variety of areas including supplies, equipment, transportation, food and beverages, giveaways for their participants, accommodations, and travel expenses. Housing for traveling athletics can cost a bundle. New hotels in a market love to get their name out and will often exchange, or deeply discount, rooms in exchange for promotional consideration.

Supermarkets, beverage distributors, and local stores might be willing to donate products for exposure. Sometimes their stock will include close-to-expiration goods that they cannot sell in a store but are still perfectly fine for consumption.

Giveaways are the grand slam when you are dealing with sporting events, be it an athlete, fan, or spectator. Everyone seems to love the medals, t-shirts, and memorabilia that comes with being at an event. Sponsors love being associated with a great event and will gladly donate the printing costs or even the shirts to be a part of the fun.

Promotional consideration for any of these sponsors might include extensive social media coverage, logos on uniforms and merchandise, and programs ads. Do not forget the ubiquitous flashing signs at games and in arenas!

Your local municipality can also offer In-Kind Sponsorships in the form of police and fire department personnel services and support. Public works departments can offer the use of dumpsters, trash compactors, and garbage boxes. Parks departments may have venues available for your next great event. And of course, municipalities can offer large discounts on all these services when it’s time to pay for these costs.

Corporations are willing to give you volunteers in exchange for corporate recognition. Volunteers are invaluable and, in some cases, can even eliminate

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events 25

staff costs. Charities will come on board if given the opportunity to fundraise for their organization. You can use them to help serve beverages, for example, and they can take a piece of the pie of what they’ve sold.

Some organizations, such as Globally Connected: A Soiree in Honor of International Service, is a global themed, festive, and formal fundraiser for the programs and initiatives of the Young Professionals for International Cooperation of Southern NY (SNY YPIC). SNY YPIC serves as the young professional arm of the nation’s largest grassroots foreign policy organization – United Nations Association of USA. Their requests come in hopes that their In-Kind Sponsorship items are eco-friendly, “green,” promote sustainable development, or are international affairs related. They also find gift cards, vouchers, and discount coupons are useful.

Here is a list of possible in-kind donations. The list can be endless; limited only by your imagination.

• Airlines can trade seats for speakers, artists, company employees, athletes, staff, and VIPs • Alcohol (Malt, Wine, Spirits, Cider, Craft Beer) • Arts and Crafts Store (supplies, baskets, paint, fake flowers, paper) • Audio-Visual (photographer, videographer, sound, lights, engineers) • Automotive (dealers, service, sales) • Balloons (decorations, children’s area) • Banks (help with token counting, handle cash onsite or deposits at night, volunteers) • Barges (floating bars, fireworks) • Barricades • Book dealers (genealogy, children’s area, fundraisers) • Children’s (diapers, wipes, sanitizer) • Chiropractors (for entertainers and staff, or for the general public) • Clothing and misc. (Target, Walmart, etc.)

• Computer equipment (chargers, phones, tablets, laptops, scanners, speakers, and more) • Craft store supplies (yarns, glue, markers, crayons, and more for children’s area) • Cranes • Credit Cards • Décor/Decorations • Door prizes (gift cards, hotel stays, meals, games, promotional items, books, and more) • Electrician (charging station, 26

services, equipment) • Emergency Services (Police, Fire, EMT, Ambulance) • Entertainment (fundraisers, disc jockeys, bands) • Equipment (tools, tarps, etc.)

• Fencing • Floral (onsite decorations, backstage, green rooms) • Food Councils (Beef, Milk) • Food items (Sampling – chips, grain bars, candy) • Golf carts (staff, entertainment transportation, equipment transfer, garbage collection) • Graphics services • Grocery Stores (inserts, cross-promotions, in-store events) • HealthCare (hospital systems, Urgent Care) • Home Improvement Stores - Lowes, Home Depot (lumber, zip ties, tools, ladders, sinks, and more) • Hotel Accommodations for discounted or complimentary rates for artists, speakers, VIPs, raffles • Landscaping (onsite landscaping) • Law Firms (pro bono work) • Light Towers • Lottery • Media (TV, radio, newspaper, social media) can offer television, radio, print, and digital advertising • Moving Company (moving services, boxes) • Music Store (props, strings, repairs, backline) • Office Supplies (printing, paper, supplies) • Outdoor supplies (first aid kit, hand sanitizer, sunscreen, bug spray, binoculars, compass/GPS, poison ivy lotion) • Parks • Pharmacy (safety items – ear plugs, sunscreen, first aid kits, diapers, wipes) • Phone and Internet Services • Printing (invite, program book, mailer, etc.)

• Production (Sound, Lights, Staging) • Raffle and Auction gifts • Realty • Reception items (goody bags, candy, beverages, snacks, booklets, gift items) • Refrigeration (reefer truck, ice) • Rental Vehicles (transportation for entertainers, volunteers, VIPs) • Restaurants (local, chains – hospitality area, board meetings, volunteer area) • Signage (banners, foot path

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signage, pole banners, feather, billboards, kiosks) • Soft drinks - pop, waters, teas, juices, energy, coffee (for sale, volunteers, green room, hospitality suite, staff) • Sporting Goods • Tax Services • Teams – sports (appearances, donations) • Tents, tables, chairs • Toy Stores (gifts, entertainment for green room) • Trailers (storage, green room, staff trailers) • Transportation (trains, planes, and automobiles, vehicle rentals, 15 passenger vans, cargo vans, Uber, Lyft, and buses) • Travel (online, agent) • TV services (Direct, cable, etc.)

• Utilities (Electric, gas, water) • Valet • Venues (fundraisers, staff, committee and board meetings, trainings, press conferences, package pickups, performances) • Volunteer supplies (t-shirt, food, water, sunscreen, bug spray, hat, gloves, etc.)

• Waste Management (dumpsters, garbage boxes, removal services) • Wholesale Clubs - supplies, food, and beverage donations (green room, hospitality suite, volunteers, staff, onsite sales, vendors) The benefits are clear – while cash and your typical sponsorship might be preferred, there is a lot to be said for In-Kind Sponsorship at festivals and events. Think beyond the usual.

Get creative. I would love to hear your brilliant ideas!

Credits: • IEG • Racedirectorshq.com • Tandem • Sponsorship Early Days Nan Krushinski has thirty-five years of festival and event planning experience. She is the Special Events Administrator for the City of Delray Beach. Nan is also the co-founder and director emerita of the Pittsburgh Irish Festival, and co-founder of the Association of Irish and Celtic Festivals. She can be reached at 412-654-9000 and KrushinskiN@MyDelrayBeach.com.

FESTIVALS WITHOUT BORDERS

WITH ROBERT BAIRD

IT AIN’T OVER ‘TIL

THE FAT LADY SINGS

A

s usual in world cataclysmic events, there is a gamut of hope and despair and a plethora of information and misinformation. Trying to make sense out of all of this is a challenge for festivals and other performing arts sectors. When can we re-open? Can we survive until then?

What new factors will we have to take into consideration even if and when we can re-start? Will our audiences return? Will our demographic have changed? Will we have to completely re-tool in order to meet the new challenges?

The questions are many and the answers are sometimes many and often contradictory.

The vaccination program now sweeping the country is extremely positive but, unfortunately, leads to more concerns. Will we have to require proof that an audience member or one of our staff members has been vaccinated? How will we handle those who are not vaccinated and refuse to be vaccinated: will they be barred from our events? What about the proposed vaccination passport: is this something we should support? Prudence dictates that in light of too many unknowns we should continue to support the COVID-19 precautions of the Centers for Disease Control and continue to wear masks, social distance and wash our hands frequently. We know that these measures may be relaxed but until the pandemic is truly disappearing, we need to remain cautious.

The audiences who have gone through this pandemic will be different from the pre-pandemic audiences. They will be more cautious and uncertain about attending events indoors unless certain safety measures are in place. They will not be as comfortable sitting cheek-by-jowl with strangers and a cough by an audience member will instantly create tension and concern.

We will need to respect these new realities and endeavor to demonstrate that we are taking every precaution to ensure audience safety. This might include enhanced disinfecting practices, increased provision of hand sanitizer stations, and a standard requirement that all staff be gloved and/or even masked.

In short, we will need to make our audiences feel that we are respectful of their possible concerns and making every effort to allay those concerns.

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IFEA’s ie: the business of international events

For the artists who will be performing at our events and the staff with whom they will interact, these same efforts will be required to ensure safe practices. Technical equipment such as microphones will need to be sanitized, social distancing a matter of policy, green rooms may not be able to be provided.

Travel restrictions may affect our planning as well. A touring company passing through many states will be subject to different restrictions in each jurisdiction. Some states will require masks, some may require evidence of vaccination, and some may require a period of quarantine. International travel into the United States is still not allowed for foreign nationals from certain countries and travelers who can enter the United States need to have had a negative COVID test no later than three days prior to travel.

The saving grace to all of this, is that we are at the stage where we can entertain a time when dealing with these issues means that we are indeed re-opening, that we are entertaining audiences again and that we are moving forward with optimism.

One of the positive outcomes of this pandemic is that it has given us an opportunity to re-evaluate what we do and how we do it.

There’s a proverbial saying in opera that “It ain’t over ‘til the fat lady sings”, meaning that we shouldn’t presume to know how something will end when it’s still in progress. When something is nearing its conclusion, we simply don’t know what can or will happen and caution is advised.

The post-pandemic world is on the horizon and our best course is to proceed slowly and carefully.

Summer 2021

Robert Baird is President of BAM! Baird Artists Management Consulting in Toronto, Canada and an acknowledged expert in international touring including visas, withholding and taxation.

He offers free advice to artists, agents, managers and venues and has an international clientele. He served for many years on the Executive Board of Festivals and Events Ontario (FEO) and is a former Vice-President of that organization. He can be reached at: P: 1-800-867-3281 E: robert@bairdartists.com or for more information go to: www.bairdartists.com

WITH SEAN KING

ASSOCIATION ENDORSED PARTNER

ASSOCIATION ENDORSED PARTNER

The IFEA would like to thank the following partners for their dedicated support of the association.

Association Endorsed Partners have made a commitment to the continued success of our association, our members, and our industry through their umbrella sponsorship support of all IFEA programs and services.

Show your support for these dedicated providers to our industry by getting to know them, and the high quality products and services that they supply, better.

Interested in becoming an Association Endorsed Partner?

Contact Kaye Campbell, Director of Partnerships & Programs (208) 433-0950 ext. 8150 or kaye@ifea.com

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Summer 2021

BRAND AUDITS: THE HARSH LOOK IN THE MIRROR YOUR BUSINESS DESPERATELY NEEDS

By Christopher Tompkins You’re sitting there, trying to figure out why the business you’ve invested blood, sweat, and tears (and lots of money) into just doesn’t feel like it’s working anymore.

Some of the shine has faded, customers are less enthused and so are you. Well, your business is probably fine; it’s your brand that needs some maintenance.

A brand audit is a detailed analysis of how your brand is performing, based on criteria that you set. Want to evaluate how your brand is doing in the marketplace?

Perform an audit to measure your brand against its competition. The metric you use to perform your audit are entirely based on what you want to know about your brand.

There are a million articles out there telling you how to conduct a brand audit: what elements to judge by, how to measure yourself against your competitors, what questions to ask your customers and what to do with their input. But once you have the results, where do you go next?

Don’t Imitate It can be tricky to implement a brand overhaul right after conducting research on what your competitors are doing. They have a podcast and a Twitter account that’s popping off, shouldn’t you have those too? Maybe, but be careful.

To put it simply: customers shop either at big box stores and specialty retailers. Unless you’re a niche company, your audience is going to have some familiarity with the competition. So, if you coincidentally start a YouTube channel just a few months after they did, it’s going to be pretty transparent what you’re doing.

Now, should you not start a YouTube channel or podcast just because they did? No. But make sure to remember the findings of your audit and don’t do the same thing they’re doing. Even if they

provide an identical service, there are multiple ways to tackle the same subject.

Stay True to Yourself It’s unlikely that the results of your brand audit will tell you to bin your whole company and start over. Have faith that, regardless of the weaknesses you might have uncovered, the foundation of your business is solid; it’s just the brand that needs some refreshing.

If you were on social media already, you developed a digital tone for your brand—a specific way you package your posts and respond to your audience. You should keep as much of this intact as possible.

Think about this: if a brand you were following dramatically changed their logo and started posting memes, you would be put off. A brand refresh is about a series of little changes, not a sweeping overhaul.

Redesign to match a modern aesthetic.

Workshop a few of your posts to keep pace with a current trend. Add calls-toaction to the end of your content and spend time thinking of thoughtful replies when your audience comments.

Commit Whatever it is you decide to do to re-spark interest in your brand, do one thing above all: commit to it. This means planning ahead and sticking to a schedule.

If you’re starting a blog, write a month’s worth in advance and commit to posting every Monday at 10:00 a.m. If you’re producing a podcast, have a few episodes in the can before you announce it.

Missing video dates or going weeks between blog entries works for two types of people: amateurs and those who have a million other projects going on. Having posts or videos in the bank before you announce your new venture is great Summer 2021

two-fold: you give yourself lead time to develop the next entries and have leg room to account for burn-out or correct a post or video that just isn’t working. This is the measure you’re taking to increase the visibility and engagement of the brand; it’s an investment, not a hobby.

A brand audit is a necessary part of heading up a business, since your brand is what connects you to your most valuable resource: your customers. But the audit isn’t the end of the line, it’s the prelude to the journey.

The data you get from your audit can be used in any number of ways. You know your business, you know what you can do well and what paths might be out of your reach for right now. Ultimately, the way you decide to implement the findings of your audit are in your hands, but the information laid out in this article is invaluable no matter what avenue you decide to take. Don’t copy your competitors, find a better way to share that information. Commit to your changes, treat them like an investment and a crucial part of your brand. And finally, always remain true to the core of your business, a brand refresh doesn’t mean an overhaul.

Christopher Tompkins is founder, head strategist, and CEO of The Go! Agency. His devotion to helping companies harness the power of online marketing impacts every aspect of The Go! Agency. A fundamental believer in online marketing education, Christopher speaks at national and international conferences. His latest book, The Go Method: 22 Simple Steps to Creating a Social Media Strategy That Works! is now available! For more details, visit https:// gosalesandmarketing.com.

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events 31

PRUNE & BLOOM

THE PANDEMIC

PRUNE

There are infinite disastrous effects from a global pandemic. We have all lived through this pandemic for a year now; I don’t need to list them out - we’ve lived it. Nothing can replace the lives of those loved ones we have lost. The loss of health, of businesses, of industries, of goals and dreams.

In the grand scheme of things, there is no silver lining, no perspective shift that overcomes all the above. Period. However, as the eternal optimist, I do choose to see if there is a shred of good woven somewhere, anywhere, deep into the tapestry of suck that is the pandemic.

Am I pro-pandemic because of this? Of course not. Since my father passed away, 32

the women in my family have become closer. Would I exchange this in a millisecond to have my dad back? Sorry ladies, but I do not need even that millisecond to decide. The new closeness I feel towards them, however, is still a good thing.

I’m here today to share a good thing I think has come from the pandemic…and I’m going to call it the pandemic prune.

The definition of “prune” according to Merriam Webster is as follows: “To reduce especially by eliminating superfluous matter;” “To remove as superfluous;” “To cut off or cut back parts of for better shape or more fruitful growth”

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The pandemic prune, in many ways, has been forced upon us. Governmental closings, restrictions on gatherings, social distancing regulations and more - an infinite number of things have been removed from our lives without our asking.

Many of these removed things are not “superfluous.” But, for the average American, I bet a good amount of these things are. (For those needing the definition of superfluous: “unnecessary, especially through being more than enough.”). In my pre-Covid life I had more than enough activities and expectations on my time.

If I allow myself to be 100% honest, it has been kind of nice to be home on the weekends. To cook dinner in my home

WITH ALISON BARINGER ENGLISH, CFEE

each weeknight. I enjoyed seeing families in the neighborhood ride their bikes together. Sitting on my porch swing, with a good book. I have heard stories of siblings growing closer - becoming friends and playmates again.

Maybe it was time for us to prune back our lives? A chance to take stock of our surroundings, and find out what truly mattered to us? A reckoning even, perhaps?

Gardeners know the benefits of pruning.

You cut the dead, dry, brown parts off a plant and voila! - not only does the plant immediately look better, but you will see continued improvement in it for days and weeks to come. The plant can now focus its energy on the healthy matter - which helps it flourish and grow stronger.

What if we used the pandemic pause to cut out the unhealthy parts of our lives… and came out of this time stronger and more beautiful?

What if we turned this idea of pruning inward, and discover how it can apply to us, as human beings? Pruning our thoughts, our habits, and our goals. As it relates to yourself, your work, your relationships.

Let this sink in for a moment…to trim off the dead matter in our lives and focus energies on the healthy, living matter - which helps YOU flourish and grow stronger, more beautiful.

What kinds of things would you prune?

What would you consider “dead weight” in your life? Maybe it is your attitude towards your body, or your weight. Maybe it’s your procrastination. Maybe it is that resentment or grudge you feel towards a family member.

Maybe it’s the image of the perfect little life you thought you were going to have, white-picket fence and all. (Whew - have I been hacking away at this one recently!)

Perhaps it is something work related that needs a pruning. A regular meeting that never yields any results.

Your volunteer program, that’s stuck in the ‘80s. An attitude towards a boss or a board member. An event that has not been fruitful for years. Your fear and refusal to incorporate new technology into the workplace.

Your pruning can be towards a thought - one we continually have which only holds us back. Or maybe it is a habit that started

years ago; one that just doesn’t propel you forward anymore. It can just as easily be a goal, that maybe you are still fighting for but just does not serve your new self. It can be an event, an idea, a feeling.

Now that we have some thoughts on what to prune…what’s next?

Accessorize! We need to make sure we have the right tools. When you prune in a garden you need pruning shears or clippers. You may want a blanket or a pad to kneel on for those low spots, and a ladder for those high spots. Gardening gloves are recommended, to protect your hands.

Just as in gardening, tools are going to make it easier for you to prune your life.

What tools do you need to tackle this self-improvement?

You are going to need something strong enough to cut the dead and broken pieces away. I am not going to recommend any kind of knife or shear here – that seems dangerous, won’t work on everything, and could turn into a criminal offense! No, the strength you are going to need here is YOU. Are you in a strong mental position?

Strong physically and emotionally?

Cutting things out of your life, especially life-changing or sentimental things, can be hard and you need to be ready for this struggle.

How do you put yourself in a strong mental position? Get enough sleep.

Journal. Exercise. Practice yoga and meditation. Drink water. Eat healthy, natural foods. Basically, everything doctors have been telling us to do for years.

Now that we have the main pruning tool down (YOUR strength), let us look at tools which will assist in your pruning experience- like that kneeling pad or ladder for our gardeners. What tools can help make this extraction from your life easier?

Knowledge is power. Whether you are pruning away a toxic relationship, an addiction, negative self-talk, or an event or program from your life, you can find a book on it. Or a hundred Google articles. How to change your habits, how to negotiate, how to increase your self-confidence, how to say no…so much information is out there.

If reading is not your thing, ask around.

People HAVE been through your situation before, even if you think you are the only Summer 2021

one. Find an expert, a confidant - sometimes strangers can even be the perfect sounding board.

For those pruning something from your work life - you are in luck! The IFEA is a plethora of knowledge at your fingertips.

Do not be afraid to ask around…there is someone who has experienced what you are trying to do. We have roadmaps, tips and tricks, and best practices. Grab our toolkit and use it.

Finally, in this pruning adventure - the gloves. We sometimes need protection to shield us from the nicks and cuts that can occur during a pruning. For me, my safe harbor has always been my friends.

Confidantes who know and love me, who can shield, if even just a little bit, the harshness life throws at us sometimes.

People who know your desired outcomesyour vision for your pruning, who will bear some of the sharp edges with you. IFEA is a great resource here as well. Make and feed those friendships with your industry professionals. We speak the same language and live in similar gardens.

The pandemic pause has given us an opportunity to make the great pandemic prune. As we (hopefully, cautiously optimistically soon!) begin to get back to our “pre-Covid” lives, let us be intentional about what we let back into it. A pruned garden makes the most beautiful garden.

Alison Baringer English. CFEE is the Executive Director of the North Carolina Azalea Festival. She is a Leadership Wilmington graduate of 2013 and was President of the Junior League of Wilmington in 2014-2015.

In 2019, Alison was selected into the inaugural class of the WilmingtonBiz 100, an initiative of the Greater Wilmington Business Journal to recognize the top power players, influencers, innovators, and connectors in the region. The Star News selected Alison as a Top 40 Under 40 business leader in 2020. Alison currently serves on the International Festival and Events Association (IFEA) Foundation Board as Chair-Elect and the UNC-Wilmington Alumni Board on the Executive Committee in the role of Secretary.

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events 33

G RATITU D E

By Dr. Maria Church, CSP, CPC

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Summer 2021

FOR CHALLENGING PEOPLE It is easy to be grateful for all the good things in our life – the promotion, reaching and surpassing your goals, a killer interview, or helping your team member overcome a challenge. This is good stuff and easy to be grateful for. However, being grateful for challenging colleagues or customers too, can also be a blessing.

How about starting a “super-challenge” in the spirit of a challenging person?

Find what you may be grateful for with a challenging colleague or customer! Yup, find the gratitude in challenging people. Why are they challenging? What is it about them that drives us crazy? The answers to these questions may put you straight in front of those things about yourself that you’d rather not see. Challenging people are a mirror to aspects about ourselves that may not be popular. Challenging co-workers or clients, whether it is with situations, tasks, or people are the hidden blessings that propel us to grow as individuals and as leaders.

To support you in this extended challenge, just remember GRATITUDE:

G

IVING. Give someone the benefit of the doubt when they challenge your patience. Try giving that person some grace. You really don’t know what is happing in their lives that may be influencing their “challenging” behavior.

Everyone goes through highs and lows.

Many people hope that when it is their turn to experience a low and they are not exhibiting the best behavior, a co-worker will give them the benefit of the doubt.

R

ECEIVING. Position yourself to receive what the challenging co-worker of customer may have to say with openness and without judgment. This action may be awkward at first as walls go up when criticism or complaints occur.

Receiving complaints can actually be positive, as that person giving the complaint believes that you can do something about it – they have faith in you! If they didn’t, they would say nothing.

A

BUNDANCE. Choosing an abundance mindset over a scarcity one affords you the opportunity for many different outcomes. Looking at the challenging colleague and trying to find a solution can sometimes be exhausting because you may not see options. With a

D

scarcity mindset, the options are typically either/or. With an abundance mindset, the possibilities are endless, energizing solutions instead of an exhausting experience.

IRECTED. Just as being intentional, a direct focus on the challenging individual enhances your presence and the way you show up. When you direct your attention, body language, and energy towards the challenging person, it will be noticed and appreciated. This tells the other person that they are valuable and important enough to be given your full attention.

T

HANKFULNESS. Being thankful for the challenging customer or teammate may be the last thing on your mind. However, this challenging person may just be the growth you need or want as a leader. They don’t call it growing pains for nothing! When growth happens as a leader and individual, it shows up as experience and wisdom. Growth must be continuous to be effective at leading and in life.

E

I

NTENTION. Leading and living with intention is the needed edge to be effective. So often, leaders are responding and reacting to challenging people without intention. Those exchanges can have miserable and highly stressful outcomes.

When you approach the challenging person with a specific intention, your thought (intention) influences your behavior. If your intention is to come to resolution in this exchange, then your behavior will match.

T

OGETHER. So much has been said over the decades of how much more is accomplished together than alone.

When dealing with a challenging person, remember that they are connected to you – not on an island on their own. Find the connection that can break through the barrier of separateness. Do you share a love of art? Horses? Leadership books?

This commonality can be something personal that connects you both. Bring that connection to the forefront for the dismantling of the challenging situation.

U

NCONDITIONALLY. No conditions, without strings, no quid-pro-quo when breaking through the challenge barrier – nada. If you want true connection, unconditional presence and without judgment will help you connect with one another. If you accept your colleagues for who they are, you will find the challenging aspects of them diminish in size. Think about a team with different skills, competencies, and personalities. Each has their own challenging aspects but are valued for their unique contributions.

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VERYONE. Everyone is challenging at times. When challenging people come into your life, there is a lesson and an opportunity for you. The choice is yours in what you want to do with that opportunity.

Challenging people are a blessing and a curse. It really is all about your perception of that individual or circumstance. Your ability to expand your perception could be one of your greatest skills as a leader and as a human. How will you step or seize on your opportunity?

Following the GRATITUDE steps will make your organizational culture and customer experiences much more pleasant. With an office environment steeped in gratitude, you will find a more productive and happy workplace and a great ROI in your GRATITUDE investment.

When you are in a state of GRATITUDE, even with challenging co-workers and customers, you will give and receive care and abundance. You will become thankful for the intentional way you choose to live your life at work. This awareness could bring you together to unconditionally direct your attention and gratitude to everyone. Bottom line – the choice is yours. Choose well.

Dr. Maria Church, CSP, CPC, is a speaker, consultant, and executive coach. As CEO of Dr. Maria Church International, including Government and Corporate divisions, and Leadership Development University, she specializes in organizational culture, change agility, and leadership development with over 25 years working for Fortune 500, local government, non-profit, and academia. Her 10th Anniversary Edition of Love-Based Leadership will be released in December 2020. She may be reached at www.DrMariaChurch.com.

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events 35

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38

! n Wi n Wi !

Win! IFEA’s ie: the business of international events

Summer 2021

LAST GENERATION SPONSORSHIP

REDUX

By Kim Skildum-Reid

Sponsorship has arrived. Through three generations, and many lessons learned, sponsorship is finally living up to its potential. It’s multi-faceted and quantifiable. It harnesses passion and meaning for the benefit of brands and fans alike. And it’s widely acknowledged to be at the forefront of modern marketing. This is the Last Generation of Sponsorship.

It’s been a long time since the first iteration of “Last Generation Sponsorship”, my treatise on what comprises best practice sponsorship, and how it colours our sponsorship choices and results.

I’m happy to report that my assessments and predictions from way back then are still valid, and while many regions and industries are yet to reach the tipping point where this is the norm, many others have.

But as Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, so aptly observed, “The only constant is change.” Since I first wrote “Last Generation Sponsorship” in 2003, technology, communications platforms, and our ability to collect and parse data has vastly changed. Media has fragmented into a million tiny pieces, as media consumers not only take charge, but create and remix media themselves. People are realising their consumer value, and expect exponentially more from brands and companies – not only from the products and services they deliver, but how their loyalty is valued, and what the brand stands for.

And as painful as the 2007 recession was, the resulting increase in corporate accountability spurred a huge rise in sponsorship sophistication that is still reaping

rewards for our industry today. And as our industry is currently being ravaged by the social and economic impacts of a pandemic, we’re being called on to be more sophisticated, more creative, and nimbler than ever.

So, although the bones of Last Generation Sponsorship remain absolutely sound, what Last Generation Sponsorship looks like, and how it operates, is very different than it was all those years ago, and the time is right to reframe what constitutes the best practice framework for our industry.

The Road to Best Practice

This is the only part of this white paper that hasn’t changed very much. How we got to Last Generation Sponsorship is still how we got here, and the issues with previous generations haven’t changed, but as our industry sees more and more examples of best practice sponsorship, those failings have come into fine relief.

First Generation: Pointless The first generation of sponsorship was driven by gaining exposure and awareness, with a big dose of chief executive’s choice thrown in for good measure. This was the norm throughout the 70s and early 80s and, unfortunately, is still the norm for many corporate sponsors, particularly in less advanced sponsorship markets, who still hold onto the notion that flashing their logo – in the company of dozens of other logos – in front of masses of cynical consumers equals marketing return.

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The proportion of rightsholders still sitting in first generation is many times higher than sponsors, with more rightsholders than not, still listing all of the places the sponsor’s logo will go – and the social media equivalent of “guaranteed mentions” – as the first things on a proposal’s benefits list.

Second Generation: Short-Sighted The second generation had its heyday from the mid-80s to the early 90s.

The focus was very clearly on sales, with immediate gains the driving force.

Long-term benefits were rarely sought or even considered in this formula-based era, although some sponsorships undoubtedly achieved them as a side-effect. Bargains were big news as results were measured in things like incremental sales, sales promotion participation, retail support, case commitments, profit margins, and sales conversions as compared to the price of the sponsorship. This generation has largely disappeared, with the exception of brands that sponsor primarily to gain vending rights or other guaranteed sales.

Third Generation: Selfish Third generation was a major step up from second, becoming popular in the early 90s and still used by a large proportion of sponsors today. Brand needs, integration across marketing channels, and the achievement of multiple marketing objectives are drivers of this generation, with the goals resting equally between the short and

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events 39

This brings us to Last Generation Sponsorship. Why “Last” and not “fourth”? Because our industry has finally got the focal point in the right place: On the people – the fans, the customers, and the communities we serve. long-terms. Skills are strong, processes are refined, and results well-documented. It’s creative and thorough, but it’s also selfish, as their single-minded pursuit of brand goals is often intrusive and overbearing, carried out with precious little thought for the fan experience.

Last Generation: Selfless This brings us to Last Generation Sponsorship. Why “Last” and not “fourth”? Because our industry has finally got the focal point in the right place: On the people – the fans, the customers, and the communities we serve. Last Generation Sponsorship is not ego-driven like first generation. It isn’t short-sighted, like second generation. And it’s not needy and self-centred, like third generation.

Last Generation Sponsorship is, first and foremost, selfless.

Last Generation Sponsorship is about nurturing a brand’s connection with a target market by putting their needs first.

It isn’t about how many times you can “get in front of” or “communicate with” your target market through a sponsorship, it is about how you can use the most emotional and personally relevant of all marketing media to improve your brand’s relationship with a target market and, more importantly, their relationship to your brand. As much as those target markets change and their needs change and the world around them and their reaction to it changes, the basic building blocks of Last Generation Sponsorship will never change.

The New Model of Sponsorship

This has led to a very different model of sponsorship. In the past, sponsors have concentrated on creating bonds with properties, rather than with their target 40

markets. An example would be a brewery that decides that it is in their best interests to be aligned with football. They spend a lot of time, effort, and money creating an indelible link between their brand and football – they put logos all over each other, the players drink the beer, they run ads, and thank each other at end-of-year dinners – with the assumption that after all of this overt linking, their beer-drinking target market is just going to “get it”, whatever that “it” may be.

Unfortunately for all involved, it’s just not happening. People aren’t noticing signage anymore and we don’t bother with the convoluted mental gymnastics required to transfer attributes from a property to a brand (eg, “if Beer X is associated with football, and football is manly, then Beer X must be manly”). We have all become very good at editing the few marketing messages that matter to us from the hundreds that merely clutter our universe.

If you find this hard to believe, ask yourself or a colleague or a friend these questions: • What was the most recent major event you have attended (in which you weren’t involved)?

• How many logos would you have been exposed to on that day?

• How many could you name right now?

• Of those that you can name, did any of them change your perceptions of that brand or make you understand it better?

Eg, your trust in their brand grew immeasurably, or you now understand how that product fits into your life, or you see that brand as “likeminded”.

• Did any of them change your behaviour?

Eg, you ran right out and test drove a Ford, started to eat at KFC more often, or advocated that brand to others.

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events

Summer 2021

I have asked these questions hundreds of times, and I am guessing that you will remember being exposed to dozens of logos, will be able to name 2-4 of them, and none will have made you change your behaviour or perceptions. If one did, it is probably because they leveraged it in such a way that it really resonated with you, your interests, and your needs. In that case, one out of dozens got it right.

Many would say that leverage is the key to maximizing sponsorship returns, and it does help, but even if a sponsorship is very thoroughly leveraged using the old model, the focus of that leverage is football, not beer-drinking football fans. It may catch their attention, but it is unlikely to really matter to them. And to be an active part of the sponsorship, such as participating in promotions, the fans are required to make the lion’s share of the effort, for probably no benefit at all to their fan experience. This brings us to the new model: The Conduit.

First, we have to ask ourselves, is it really a brewer’s job to “align with” football? Is it in the company mission statement to be “synonymous with” football? No. A brewer’s job is to sell more beer by getting people to try their beer, engendering loyalty to, and advocacy for, their beer, and getting the companies who sell their beer to promote it more than their competitors. Their job is to connect with target markets – internal, external, and intermediary. Sport doesn’t buy the beer, the fans buy the beer. Football is simply a means to an end – a tool – and that’s it.

How they, and we, use that tool is what separates good from great sponsors.

Last Generation Sponsorship puts the target market’s needs first. The property becomes the conduit – the meaning, passion, and benefits – through which you connect with that market. Identifying, valuing, and meeting those needs – both functional and emotional – now forms the basis not only for what you sponsor, but the benefits you negotiate and how it is leveraged.

How that connection is made is often very simple – a meaningful gesture (or several), a demonstrated sharing of values, or a way for your market to become more involved, influential, or integral to the property and fan experience they love. Interestingly, there are lots of examples of very successful sponsorships, built around this conduit model, but often as not, the sponsor doesn’t seem to understand why it worked, and goes straight back to the conventional model.

Those that do understand and continue to use the conduit model are some of the most consistently successful sponsors around.

Win-Win-Win For years, good sponsorship was defined as being win-win, that is, the sponsor wins and the sponsorship seeker wins, leaving out the most important part of the sponsorship equation: The target markets.

The sponsor wins, the rightsholder wins, and crucially, the target markets win. This sits in stark contrast to all of the previous generations, which grew more comprehensive and sophisticated over time, but were all too willing to sacrifice the fan experience in pursuit of their brand goals.

Think about it. Who is a sponsor trying to connect with? With whom are they trying to nurture a relationship? Who are they trying to influence? Their target markets. Who makes up the audience that drives the revenue – sponsorship and otherwise – for the rightsholder?

The target markets. Given that the target markets are the pivot point for the wellbeing of both the brand and the property, it makes perfect sense to make the target markets’ needs and wants part of the basic infrastructure of best practice sponsorship. That third win is the very foundation of best practice sponsorship.

Going back to the Conduit, for the sponsor, the most important connection in the equation is the connection between their brand and the target markets. The property is very simply a conduit – a tool – through which the sponsor can strengthen that connection.

Herein lies the rub: The most important connection in the target market’s equation is their connection with the property. To those people, sponsors are extraneous and disposable, and frankly, they’re right. Over the years, sponsors haven’t exactly had a glorious track record of enhancing their fan experiences. There are certainly exceptions, but as a whole, properties have become an escalating battle between sponsors trying to draw people’s attention to their brands and people trying to ignore them, and those people are always going to win.

Want to make it work? Then knock it off. Ratchet back the hype, turn down the volume, and change the tone completely.

It’s no longer…

“If you love the property, you should love our brand!”

Or worse…

“PAY ATTENTION TO US!!!”

Instead, it’s…

“We know you love this property – we love it too! – and we’ve thought of a few ways to make it even better for you.”

And that’s the key.

“Making it better” is the third win.

Win-win-win is an acknowledgement that achieving brand goals and valuing the fan experience are not mutually exclusive and, in fact, delivering a sponsorship that makes the fan experience better will increase alignment to the brand, appreciation for the brand, and make it much more likely that the fans will cooperate in achieving brand goals. It’s also an acknowledgement that if a sponsor makes the fan experience worse, they may get the attention of fans, but they will damage, not nurture, the relationship. In other words, if the fans lose, so does the sponsor.

For a Last Generation sponsor, the win-win-win approach is built around the provision of small, meaningful wins for all or most of the fans, customers, potential customers, or anyone else in the target audience. Going into a draw where one person wins a giant prize isn’t a win, and neither is claiming that a fan is benefitting simply because a brand sponsors something that they love.

No, that third win will usually fall into one of three categories: Amplifying the best stuff around a fan experience; ameliorating the worst stuff; or amplifying fan passions or concerns. That means understanding the fan experience, and if the rightsholder doesn’t provide that information, you’ll need to work with them to get it.

“Don’t sponsor the property, sponsor the fans” is a mindset I recommend for sponsors of all kinds. It encapsulates both the selflessness of Last Generation Sponsorship, and primary relationship at stake. It’s one of the most powerful mantras a sponsor can adopt, and one of the most valuable marketing platforms a rightsholder can promote.

Remote Fans Remote fans are fans that don’t attend live, but care about the property and/or the larger themes around it. They may not be part of the in-person fan experience, but they’re still having a fan experience.

Last Generation sponsors value and understand those remote fan experiences, providing meaningful wins for people who may never step foot in the stadium or museum or food festival, but still care.

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But if the pandemic has taught our industry anything, it’s that even sponsors that do a great job at providing wins to in-person fans, haven’t been good at understanding, valuing, and leveraging to that remote fan. All those fans got was some logo exposure and maybe some ads in their social feeds. The in-person experience was Last Generation, but the remote fan experience was first.

When in-person events all but disappeared, rightsholders and sponsors alike hit the panic button, with a collective, “What now??”. In marketing terms, the difference wasn’t as enormous as they all made out. Instead of 80 or 90% of the fans being remote, now 100% of them were remote. And whether the property went on hiatus or went virtual, they were all still having a fan experience.

The sponsors who had a track record of leveraging to remote fans were the nimblest in responding to the changed event landscape, but sponsors and rightsholders alike have now learned the skills.

As the industry recovers and rebuilds, we can expect rightsholders to include remote fans, and leverage ideas for them, in their proposals. We can also expect more robust and far-reaching leverage plans from sponsors.

Last Generation Selection and Negotiation

As a Last Generation sponsor, you have three priorities when selecting and negotiating sponsorship. They are: • Target market needs • Internal buy-in • Brand needs “Whoa, Nelly!”, I hear you saying, “Brand needs third?!” Yes, brand needs are third on the list, and for very good reason: You won’t meet your brand needs effectively if the other two priorities aren’t met first.

Target Market Needs If the ultimate goal is to connect and align with a target market in a way that creates meaningful and long-lasting changes in their behaviours and perceptions, the first thing you need to understand is who your target markets are – not what they are, which demographics will tell you – but who they are. We’re talking psychographics here – passions, motivations, self-definitions, peer influences, and opinions. If you don’t know who your markets are, you won’t be successful at any kind of marketing, much less with sponsorship, the most emotional

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events 41

and personally relevant of all marketing media. You need to know the answers to questions like: • Which target markets are we trying to influence? Eg, existing customers, new business, staff, intermediary markets, other stakeholders.

• What do my target markets care about?

What are their passions?

• How do they describe themselves?

Are they adventurous, social butterflies, house-proud, foodies, environmentally conscious, traditional, ambitious, etc?

• Are there any events, sports, organisations, causes – or categories of these – that they really care about, or which form part of their self-definition?

Eg, social justice, snowboarding, the high arts, alternative music, child health and safety, etc.

Meaning is a recurring theme across all of Last Generation Sponsorship. The more meaningful a property is to the fans – the more passionate and motivated they are – the more leverageable and valuable the property is to a Last Generation sponsor.

Answering questions like these is all about gauging relevance, meaning, and passion: • What proportion of the property’s fans (in-person and remote) are legitimately in our sphere of interest?

• What proportion of our customers and potential customers care about this property, or its major themes? Eg, your major market of foodies may not care about a specific food festival, but might still love some of the content that comes out of it.

• Why do people care about the property? What motivates them? What has meaning?

• How much do they care? How passionate are they? How involved do they get? Does it mean enough for them to influence others?

• How powerful are the larger themes around the property? Why do people care? Is it a passion point or a passing interest?

One other thing that will come out of this process is the realisation that the relevance of a property is more important than its size. If a lot of people love a property and/or the larger themes around that property, it will have tremendous potential for meaningful, multi-faceted leverage, even if the property itself isn’t huge. You don’t have to sponsor a national organisation to leverage it nationally. You don’t have to limit yourself to a few weeks of leverage around a two-day event, if the 42

relevance is strong enough to leverage year-round.

On the other hand, a major property may have broad reach, but if the fans aren’t passionate – if they’re agnostic or fair-weather fans – your leverage will likely underperform.

You also need to understand the fan experience, helping you to identify angles for leverage, and develop your negotiation plan. You need the answers to questions like: • What are all the ways that my target market consumes the property (eg, on social media, at the stadium, in a bar, at home with friends, watching it on TV or online, seeing editorial coverage of it, buying merchandise, donating/ volunteering, etc.)?

• What are the best things about this fan experience to my target market?

• What are the worst things about this fan experience to my target markets?

• How can we improve that experience?

How can we amplify the best stuff, or reduce the bad stuff?

• How can we amplify fan passions or concerns? Give them more influence or a bigger part to play?

As a Last Generation sponsor, the answers to these questions will help enormously in the selection process, and virtually create the negotiation plan for you.

Internal Buy-In It used to be that one person, either a senior executive or a sponsorship manager, would make the decision about whether to sponsor something, and how to negotiate and leverage it. They would manage it, hopefully measure the results, and might even write a report on how it fared.

Originally driven in large part by Olympic sponsors trying to get maximum value from their tens of millions of dollars invested, now sponsors have realised that it is only through integrating a sponsorship across existing marketing media that they will receive the strongest and most cost-effective return. Everyone from social media to sales managers, human resources to brand management, ad agencies to new product development are using sponsorship to increase the relevance and effectiveness of their activities.

Unfortunately, this isn’t always easy.

The fact that sponsorship is the most emotional of all marketing media isn’t limited to the outside world. Internally, sponsorship can be both a powerful tool and a battleground. Everyone has

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Summer 2021

his or her own perceptions about it as a medium, everyone has their own favourite sports, charities, and events, and a lot of them let those perceptions and pet projects rule their decisions about whether and how effectively they will integrate a sponsorship.

There is far more to say about integration and leverage than I can address in this white paper, but I will go so far as to say that there are three truths of sponsorship integration that many sponsors ignore: • Sponsorship is the most integrateable of all marketing media.

• If a sponsorship isn’t well integrated across at least a few marketing media, it won’t work.

• You can’t force integration to happen.

Your peers have to want it.

The long and the short of it is that achieving buy-in from a range of internal stakeholders, and commitment from them to use the sponsorship in a meaningful way, is a now a prerequisite to committing to a sponsorship.

This means that their departmental needs and concerns must be understood and addressed and their interests represented in negotiations. There is no use gaining buy-in from your major customer management area and then not negotiating the benefits they need to enhance their VIP connections. The fact that this is taking place before a sponsorship commitment is made is the key here. Anyone who has tried to sell a sponsorship into uninvolved colleagues after the fact will certainly agree, and the result is a sponsorship that is more costly and far less effectively leveraged. As my grandpa used to say, it’s like trying to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.

Brand Needs The good news about gaining internal buy-in prior to investing in a sponsorship is that you will also gain a far more comprehensive understanding of brand and business needs than you would if this information was coming solely from the brand group. One flows from the other, making brand needs sit very comfortably as the third, yet still very important, priority.

Last Generation Leverage

First generation sponsorship was neither leveraged nor part of the overall marketing plan. It was considered a luxury spend, with exposure being its own reward.

Second generation saw an acknowledgement that sponsorship had to be

MOST POWERFUL BENEFITS These are the benefits that form the engine room of a sponsor’s results, because they’re meaningful, relevant, flexible, and can be leveraged in a hundred different ways.

• Benefits sponsors can pass through to the fans • Control or influence sponsors can pass through to the fans • Customisable and/or experiential content • Durable and/or serialised content • Appearances (to create content) • Special, non-traditional hospitality • What-money-can’t-buy experiences – crowdsource who gets the experience, then create lots of content around the experience

leveraged to provide returns. Sponsorship departments started budgeting extra money to run promotions and PR campaigns, often in competition to other brand activities. It was better, but still not integrated.

Integration with overall marketing objectives came into play with third generation sponsorship. It became a piece of the marketing pie, with less incremental money spent on support and more integration with existing marketing activities.

Last Generation Sponsorship turns conventional leverage programs on their head. It acknowledges the integrateability and uses the uniquely emotional power of sponsorship to drive the brand’s entire marketing program. Sponsorship is no longer separate from the marketing plan, nor is it a piece of the marketing “pie”. It’s a catalyst, centralised in the marketing mix, adding relevance and meaning and passion to every other marketing channel.

This is not to say that sponsorship should be your biggest expenditure or drive every marketing activity, simply that if meeting both functional and emotional target market needs is part of your overall marketing plan, that the more consistently and centrally you use the power of Last Generation Sponsorship, the more effective your marketing program will be.

The leverage program of a successful Last Generation Sponsorship will have one or more of the following qualities: • It is leveraged in a way that respects and enhances the audience’s emotional connection with the property.

• It provides meaningful added-value to

LEAST POWERFUL BENEFITS The benefits listed below are some of the most common, but least powerful, sponsorship benefits on offer. Collectively known as “hygiene benefits” or “commodity benefits”, they lack meaning with target markets, and there are no results, without meaning.

• Official designation or endorsement • Non-VIP tickets • Naming right or presenting sponsorship of something nobody cares about • Ho-hum hospitality • Signage and other exposure • Guaranteed social posts (which sponsors generally use to advertise, not add value) • Interruption signage • Sponsor speeches

the fan experience with the property.

• It provides meaningful added-value to the customer’s experience with the brand.

• It demonstrates that the brand cares about what the fans care about.

• It demonstrates what the brand stands for.

The best sponsorships do all of these things.

Add Value This is all about the third win – those small, meaningful wins that form the backbone of best practice sponsorship.

• How can you amplify the best stuff about the fan experience?

• How can you fix or reduce the worst stuff?

• What would they want from the property, if they had a magic wand? Can you give it to them? Can you get them a little closer to it?

• How can you make the fans, your customers, or your staff the heroes?

One of the most important factors in adding value is scalability. The coolest, most creative leverage idea in the world isn’t worth doing, if only a small fraction of your target market gets the “win”. Sure, you can do an on-site activation before a concert, but how many people will be able to participate? What fraction of the audience is that? What fraction of the remote fans?

When you plan your added value leverage activities, you need to ensure that you concentrate on the activities that will provide meaningful wins to the most Summer 2021

people. You can certainly do things for an in-person audience, but you should also provide wins to remote fans, customers, staff, and intermediary markets. If you do something cool on-site, can a version of that be scaled to a broader audience? Are there specific wins that you can provide to other markets, that are more in-line with their interests and fan experience?

This brings me to boxing. I’m a boxer, and a while back, my trainer gave me an important piece of advice. He said, “It’s not how hard you hit someone. It’s how accurate you are and how fast you can hit them again.”

While I’m not advocating hitting anyone, this advice holds true for sponsorship leverage, as well. It’s not about giving fans or customers one, big win, it’s about giving them a series of meaningful wins.

They can be small, but they do have to be accurate, and the result will be that they’ll think you understand and value them, and your consistent gestures will break down their well-honed cynicism, pulling them closer to your brand.

Amplify Passions and Concerns Another way for sponsors to create wins for fans, customers, and staff is to use sponsorship to amplify their passions and/or concerns, making them feel more understood, more heard, and more important.

This can be as simple as championing the fans that are so instrumental to the success of a charity or event or team.

It can also mean giving fans a platform to air their concerns, like the hockey sponsor that invited fans of a miserably

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events 43

underperforming team to film and upload the speech they’d give the team before the next game. Commiseration meets catharsis, with liberal doses of humour and hope.

More controversially, it can also mean siding with fans, when a rightsholder and fans are at odds. The latter was amply demonstrated when a cadre of the biggest FIFA sponsors banded together to amplify fan concerns about corruption in football’s global governing body. But they went further than just amplifying fan voices; they used their enormous financial clout to effect meaningful change in the governance of the sport those fans love.

Leverage around these points revolves around the answers to these questions: • What do fans love about this property?

How do they express that love, and how can we amplify the volume and reach of that passion?

• What do fans dislike about this property?

Do they have any legitimate, unresolved concerns? Can we give them a platform to voice and amplify those concerns?

Can we take up those concerns with the property on their behalf?

Demonstrate Brand Values More than ever, people expect the brands they use to stand for something, and shared values have become a powerful loyalty- and advocacy-driver.

This is particularly true for Millennials and GenZ, but there’s a shift this direction with GenX and Baby Boomers, as well.

There are two ways sponsors are using sponsorship to demonstrate brand values.

One is a simple leverage exercise, while the other goes straight to a brand’s purpose.

The first option is for a sponsor to leverage in a manner that’s consistent with their brand values. If their brand is all about being helpful, then the wins for fans will be all about being helpful. If the brand platform is that they’re all about treating customers as individuals, their leverage would be all about customisable wins. If their brand is about hyper-creative uses of technology, you guessed it… leverage would be all about using technology to deliver wins in hyper-creative ways.

The second option starts with selection, with a brand selecting largely (or entirely) sponsorships that are a true reflection of their brand essence, and leveraging them as embodiments of that brand essence.

Either way, brands are using the power of sponsorship to demonstrate – not just talk about – who they are, and what they’re about.

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Last Generation Measurement When I started in this business, I clearly remember measuring results solely in terms of impressions. One logo seen one time equals one impression. The more impressions a given sponsorship got, the more valuable and effective it supposedly was. While this did give some indication of the reach of a sponsorship, it really didn’t have anything to do with the impact that sponsorship had on brand’s results. It was convenient, it was lazy, but it was all we knew.

Second generation was all about sales and the myriad ways of counting them.

If you couldn’t count it, it didn’t happen, and if the sponsorship wasn’t “profitable” in immediate dollar returns, it was a dud.

Some augmented sales numbers with impressions. Others threw a big number into the ROI column to indicate the amount of good corporate citizenship the sponsorship engendered, which, crude as it was, may have been the first real indication that our industry understood that sponsorship returns could be both long and short term.

Third generation was a revelation, with a range of stakeholders not only integrating sponsorship with their activities, but also setting multiple objectives and using their own resources and expertise to measure results against benchmarks for those objectives. Market research has become an integral part of third generation sponsorship, as measuring changes in perceptions and behaviours has become an important part of reporting.

Last Generation Sponsorship takes the multi-faceted approach from third generation, and adds measures that gauge the target markets’ alignment with the brand, their level of advocacy, their level of engagement, the path to sales, and the longevity of those impacts.

Last Generation Sponsors measure their brand’s alignment and positioning with target markets against ambient numbers from brand tracking. They track the Net Promoter Score, and use social listening to track advocacy and sentiment online. They use social conversion tracking. They track pixels. There are myriad ways to track online behaviour, and it’s only going to become more robust, with advances in social and other tech.

What Next?

Last Generation Sponsorship should be a point of pride with our industry. When marketers around the world congratulated themselves for becoming “consumer-driven” or “customer-focused”, best practice

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sponsors were already there. When marketers revelled in the ease at which they could carry on two-way conversations with markets through social media, it was best practice sponsors that used people’s passions to imbue those conversations with meaning.

As marketers loudly declared that “content is king”, best practice sponsors yawned and said, “what took you so long?” And as the convergence of data, tech, and creativity has brought us disruptive marketing, it’s been best practice sponsors that have seen past the flashy whiz-bangery, to the myriad of ways – high-tech and low – to the human emotions and needs, at its core.

At its best, Last Generation Sponsorship is the embodiment of modern marketing.

It is, at once, analytical and creative, selfless and powerful, returns-driven and human-centric. It’s both a platform and a privilege. Not a channel, but a catalyst.

And as long as we hold tight to these tenets, this industry will adapt to changes big and small, following the evolution of technology, global priorities, and our markets’ lives. Sponsorship’s implementation will change, but the structure will remain the same.

This is the Last Generation of Sponsorship.

Kim has a brand new, online sponsorship course for rightsholders. Discover more than a full day of self-paced content, live Q&As, downloadables, completion certificate, and more.

Plus, now through May 21, 2021, IFEA Members are able to receive $100 USD OFF with the Promo Code IFEYay100. Click Here to learn more.

Kim Skildum-Reid is one of the sponsorship industry’s most influential thought leaders. She has a blue chip list of consulting and training clients spanning six continents, is author of global industry bestsellers, The Sponsorship Seeker’s Toolkit and The Corporate Sponsorship Toolkit, and commentates to major business media around the world. She is the brains behind industry hub, PowerSponsorship.com, and offers sponsorship consulting, training, speaking, and coaching. Kim can be reached at: Email: admin@powersponsorship. com | Phone AU: +61 2 9559 6444 | Phone US: +1 612 326 5265 or for more information, go to: http://powersponsorship.com/.

Is Your Leadership Proactive or Reactive?

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LEADERSHIP AT ALL LEVELS

WITH GAIL LOWNEY ALOFSIN

IT’S YOUR JOURNEY!

DON’T LET A SCORPION DULL YOUR SHINE! “Never dull your shine for somebody else.”– Tyra Banks A classic fable tells the story of a woman who was sitting by a river. She noticed a scorpion atop a stick floating by and realized the scorpion was in danger of drowning without someone to help it.

She reached into the river to save the scorpion and was promptly stung. The woman let go and the scorpion continued down the river. She followed the scorpion along the riverbank and as she made another attempt to help - she was stung again!

A second woman observing the attempted rescue asked the first “Why are you trying to help the scorpion when you are sure to be stung?”

The first woman replied “My nature is to try to help. Just because the scorpion’s nature is to sting, and I can’t change that, doesn’t mean I should stop being who I am”.

We all come across our own “scorpions” in our lives - people or life events that go against our nature. This is something we cannot change. We can choose to grow as a result of these experiences and to realize that these scorpions shouldn’t prevent us from being our own best selves.

Early in my career, I had a colleague who was not very positive.

She would start each day by coming into the office, proclaiming out loud - “I am having the worst day.” It was 8:00 a.m. - how bad a day could she be having? As the day went on she made many negative remarks about almost every aspect of our work. While she was very skilled at the particular job she was doing, we found her attitude was damaging the morale in the office. Over time, in an attempt to make her “feel better” I found myself slowly starting to agree with some of her criticisms.

Luckily, I realized what was happening - this woman was a 46

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events

scorpion! She had her own nature and I was not going to change it. In fact, I realized that it was not my responsibility to change her. Who am I to decide how other people should approach life? Instead, I chose to focus on my approach to life – one of gratitude and optimism. Why not?

The best way for me to do this was to continue being a positive person and do my best to keep my distance from her.

I’m not suggesting that we should not try to help others - of course we should. However, it’s important to recognize that there’s a distinction between “helping” someone and trying to “change” them. In the process, we need not change our own core values. I find it helpful to take a deep breath and back up. Our first responsibility is to ourselves. When we are true to ourselves, we can share our values with the intention of helping and possibly influencing others versus changing others.

Being positive does not mean we ignore the negative. As we face adversity, we can assess when, where and how we can overcome it. And, as we encounter the scorpions along our life journey, let’s never let them dull our shine!

Summer 2021

Gail Lowney Alofsin is the Director of Corporate Partnership & Community Relations for the Newport International Boat Show, a division of Newport Restaurant Group. An adjunct professor at the University of RI and Salve Regina University, author, speaker and volunteer, Gail lives in Newport, Rhode Island. Gail can be reached at 401-640-4418 or gail@gailspeaks.com

Matching Your Sales Approach to Your Prospe c t ’ s R e a

d

in e

ss to Buy

By Jill J. Johnson, MBA 48

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Summer 2021

Your sales and promotional messages must link to where your customers are in their decision-making process. There are five stages of buying behavior that a consumer will go through: awareness, interest, evaluation, trial and finally the adoption stage. Each stage requires a different decision by your prospect. By matching your sales and promotional strategies to their decision focus at each stage in the buying process, you can more effectively shift them closer to their final decision.

Awareness Stage: In this stage, your prospect perceives they have a problem or need to be addressed. They often have limited insight about their options for dealing with their issue. The objective is to provide your prospect with basic information. Consider the information you need to tee up to establish the framework for their thinking.

Don’t overwhelm them at this stage by giving them every single bit of information you have available. Think about what they need to understand by providing your prospects with high-level information about your products and services.

Shape how you want them to think about getting their needs met. Help them gain confidence in their basic understanding.

Your call to action should be engaging your prospect in a next step such as signing up for your mailing list, calling you directly or setting up a meeting with you for lunch, coffee or Zoom meeting. If they’re at a point where they are aware of you, they are ready for you to establish the basis of their understanding of the information and why they should look at you further.

Interest Stage: By now, your prospect is curious about what you can offer to meet their needs.

They have a basic level of understanding about their overall options for addressing their issue. Provide them with more details on the specific options or choices you offer. Your prospects will be evaluating how your products and services will meet their needs. Consider the objections they might have at this state which prevent you from closing the sale. Shape your messaging to frame their thinking about these key objections. Help them gain confidence in understanding your pricing, quality, value and other benefits or features. Match the value of your offerings to showcase where you fit relative to your competitive alternatives.

Your call to action is to build trust with your prospect so they will provide you with more detail about their specific situation to enable you to address their unique concerns. Make sure your promotional messages at this stage give them confidence to continue considering you as an option. If they are interested, you have a prime opportunity to establish the framework for how your prospect should evaluate the information they receive from your competitors.

Evaluation Stage: In this stage, your prospect has more insight about their options for addressing their issue. Provide them with detailed information on your features and benefits.

Be specific in establishing your uniqueness in meeting your prospect’s need in their top decision factors. Your prospect is seriously considering your products and services. They have likely narrowed it down to two or three options and are going back and forth from you to your competition. Help them gain confidence in their choice by matching their decision criteria to your options.

Your call to action is to get your prospect to move forward and engage in a deeper sales dynamic. Now you can focus on making a major ask – such as giving a presentation to their decision team or asking to submit a customized proposal to respond to their specific concerns. If they are at a point where they are evaluating you, they are very close to making a decision. Clearly establish how you can meet their need within their budget in their time frame. If they are evaluating you, your prospect has narrowed their options and is looking for ways to eliminate other vendors from consideration.

Trial Stage: Your prospect now has narrowed down their options and is testing to see if you are actually able to meet their need. Your objective should be to provide them with the final insight they need to have the confidence to select you. By now your prospect has eliminated most or all of the competitive alternatives and they are nearly ready to buy. Address any unique questions holding them back from approving the sale. You must now prove that what you said in your promotional materials matches the experience they will have with you.

Your call to action is to ask for the final sales confirmation or the signed contract.

You have fully engaged with your prospect Summer 2021

and they are now confirming that you are their best choice. In the Trial Stage, you are at the make-or-break point. Help them confirm that you are their best choice by ensuring you manage their customer experience. Make sure your team is ready to produce service delivery and the prospect experience matches the expectations you established. Showcasing your ability to deliver what they need or want is essential to closing the sale.

Adoption Stage: Now your customer finally has chosen you and you should be ready to fully deliver on all of your promises and successfully integrate your prospect into your satisfied customer base. Your prospect is now a paying customer. Identify any additional issues they have that you may be able to address going forward.

Your call to action is to ensure you and your team provide a high level of satisfaction with the sale. Build deeper ties with your customers and make sure you consistently deliver a superior experience. Manage the customer on-boarding process by delivering what you promised so they become your advocates.

Final Thoughts: By using the five stages of buying behavior, as a sales framework you can maximize your opportunity to provide your prospect with exactly the type of information they need and minimize any wasted sales effort on your part. This focused approach will allow you to customize your sales and promotional strategies to offer your prospect exactly what they need so they become long-term customers.

Jill J. Johnson, MBA, is the President and Founder of Johnson Consulting Services, a highly accomplished speaker, an award-winning management consultant, and author of the bestselling book Compounding Your Confidence. Jill helps her clients make critical business decisions and develop market-based strategic plans for turnarounds or growth. Her consulting work has impacted more than $4 billion worth of decisions. She has a proven track record of dealing with complex business issues and getting results. For more information on Jill J. Johnson, please visit www.jcs-usa.com.

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events 49

BIG

SMALL EVENT,

SPONSORSHIPS

WITH TERESA STAS

FIVE THINGS TO EXPECT WHEN

APPROACHING SPONSORS

DURING THE PANDEMIC

A year ago, I was at my computer writing this column as a sort of “state of the sponsorship industry.” As a sponsorship agency, we were fielding an abundance of questions about what to do when it came to sponsors, events, and COVID-19 shutdowns.

Now here we are a year later. As venues begin reopening across the country and events start reworking their structures to accommodate mass gathering mandates, the questions about sponsorships and what to expect are surfacing yet again. I thought this would be a good time to give an overview of what our agency, Green Cactus, is seeing in the sponsorship world and how to approach sponsors in this complicated landscape.

Here are five key things to know and expect when reapproaching past sponsors or reaching out to new prospects during the pandemic: 1. Many brands and companies are still hesitant to get involved with events, even as many states are reopening. Your event may be housed in an “open” state, but their company may not be. Plus, their priority will most likely be their own employees. We are seeing lots of brands willing to talk sponsorship and look at proposals, but when it comes to onsite activations, they aren’t willing to send their teams out yet. Our suggestion is to try and create a sponsorship proposal that meets their needs. This may require your team helping with any onsite activations, or you may have to get creative and come up with ways to involve brands without the requirement of onsite activations.

2. Budgets have been severely altered this year. With the uncertainty of the pandemic’s impact on 2021 and the economic hit that many brands saw last year, sponsorship and marketing budgets have been cut this year. We have talked to brands who had to let go of their entire field marketing teams and have cut events completely out of their 2021 budgets. Although this can be discouraging, don’t let it define your sponsorship program. These budgets will come back and so will the field teams; it’s just going to take some time. Use this year to keep in contact with those brands you want to sponsor your event. This could also be a way to incorporate a brand in a smaller way that could grow into something bigger later. For example, maybe the brand sponsors a live stream for your hybrid event for this year but you can cultivate them into a full-blown onsite activation for next year. Finally, you do not want to wait when it comes to prospecting. Because these budgets are smaller, there will be a lot more competition vying for those sponsorships.

3. The beverage category is actively seeking event sponsorships. I regularly get asked who wants to sponsor events, and right now the beverage category has been our number one sponsorship buyer for 2021 events. I believe that it’s because although they were financially impacted on the event and restaurant/bar side of things during the pandemic, what they lost on that side they made up for in retail. Beer, hard seltzer, spirits, and energy drinks have all been looking for events to sponsor that also give them pouring rights. Make sure you are developing this category because they are currently spending in 2021 and are ready to get back to events.

50

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4.

You need to know what your event is going to look like before you reach out to new sponsors. This is another topic that comes up a lot with my clients. Right now, some of the events we work with don’t know from week to week if their event is going to happen or not in 2021. Some of our events know they are going to have an event, but they will have to structure it differently or they are required to reduce their capacity. So, if you fall into one of these situations, you may be wondering how to approach sponsors.

First, if you are in the category of not knowing whether you will be able to have an event yet, I suggest you continue to approach sponsors as if you were. The sponsorship process takes time. If you have the event, you will be in a much better position than if you are trying to approach them last minute.

If you must cancel the event, then you address that situation with each sponsor at the time it happens.

Now, if you are one of the lucky events that knows it is happening but must make adjustments, be clear with your sponsors on how the event will look, then adjust the price accordingly. Sponsors are very aware that reduced capacity means reduced engagement and sales. It is not responsible to ask for the same sponsorship fee that you normally would when this is a non-normal year.

5. Some of your faithful sponsors may not come back this year. I know this is not good news, but it’s the nature of the economic hardships that many businesses faced over the past year. Don’t just assume your recurring sponsors will be back this year. Several of our clients saw sponsors who have been with them for years have to step away due to budget cuts. Knowing this now will give you more time to find other sponsors. Because we are a capitalist society, when one business steps away there is usually a competitor ready to step in. This can be great for open sponsorship vacancies, but remember to respect those long-standing partnerships and have an open dialog with them.

The sponsorship landscape is a little rocky right now, but it isn’t a drought. Sponsorships are out there, and they are ready to jump in as events begin to happen again! My biggest piece of advice is to start early. Decisions are taking a lot longer than usual, so last-minute or quick answers are harder to come by. Don’t get discouraged. Instead, use this time to open conversations with brands now. Even if they don’t come to fruition this year, they may be ready in 2022!

Summer 2021

Teresa Stas is an author, national speaker, and the CEO of Green Cactus, an event sponsorship agency based in Fresno CA and Portland. OR. She has brokered millions of dollars in sponsorships working with regional and national brands throughout the United States. Teresa is the author of “Sell Your Event! The Easy to Follow Practical Guide to Getting Sponsors.” and her online course SellSponsorships. com has been used in university coursework.

REPUTATION IS EVERYTHING…

WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO

PROTECT YOURS? In the new world of event safety and security concerns that we find ourselves operating in every day, proactively covering all of the bases to protect your attendees and your stakeholders, their families, their communities, their own reputations and their peace-of-mind, is simply professional common sense.

Assuring them that you have done so is where we come in.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Warwick Hall, Dip OHSM, CFEE • Email: warwick@safetysc.com • Phone: (+64) 021 633 128 Note: The International Festivals & Events Association (IFEA World) offers safety training and the Event Safety Audit program as a service to the industry, in the interest of encouraging and increasing the safety of all events. Audit certification signifies curriculum and/or safety process/ component completion only. The IFEA does not represent or certify, in any way, the actual safety of any event, and assumes no responsibility as to the safety of any event or its attendees.

MAY I HELP YOU? | THE VOLUNTEER

WITH FLORENCE MAY

THE ROAD TO RECOVERY IS PAVED WITH GOOD INTENTIONS This morning I talked to a festival volunteer manager who in sweetest possible way told me that she needed help right now or she would rip my head off. She ended her litany with “Bless Your Heart”. Relatively certain that she wasn’t so much blessing me as politely swearing. And she is not alone in her exhaustion and frustration.

Do I blame her? No, because if you are working in the event world you have worked out 50 different scenarios. “The Plans” have changed so many times that you probably don’t know which plan you are presently working on.

• Plan A – In Person Event. Volunteers on site. And we must sanitize everything.

• Plan B – Hybrid event. Some in person volunteers and some virtual volunteers. Let’s run two completely different volunteer programs at the same time.

• Plan C – Virtual Event. Let’s try all virtual volunteer activities.

Here we go with Virtual Fans in Stands!

• Plan D – If Plan A, B, C don’t work remember there are 26 letters in the alphabet. 23 more to go!

• Where is the frustration coming from? Going all directions at once. We just did this in 2020! Why are we doing it again?

Shouldn’t we be back to normal a year after the Coronavirus hit?

• But we are not back to “normal”.

to engage in social good projects. They are seeking to connect and engage in the community. If you don’t give them an outlet; they will find other options. (Read more here).

Vaccination Rates, Variants and Vacillating Theories The challenging questions all still exist and depending on where you live and work the answers may vary greatly.

• Are you tracking volunteer health with CLEAR or another software?

• Can you ask if your volunteers have been vaccinated?

• Are COVID cases on the rise or fall in your community?

• What are the vaccination rates in your community?

• Can you create volunteer bubbles to reduce risk?

• What are your state and county health departments saying you can or can’t do?

• And will the answers change again tomorrow?

Sharing the Love This morning my upset volunteer manager was having a bad day. Fortunately, we were able to change a few items on her set-up that adjusted to her changing needs allowing more efficiency. After focusing on the technical solutions, I doubled back to her state of mind asking if she was okay.

She said “No, I’m not okay. My head might explode. I truly can’t handle one more change or one more anything.” She sounded very defeated. We talked for a few more minutes about efficiency ideas and then moved on with our day.

This evening I received a quick email note. It said, “Thank you.

Thank you for asking if I am okay. I needed someone to recognize that I am not okay. I am going to work on that.”

I’m going to send her this article with a note saying, “I get it. And call any time. It isn’t always about the event. It is about being human.”

The Risk of Staff Burnout The event industry is under tremendous time and financial pressures. Staff is tired and concerned about job security.

So how do you put on an event without annihilating staff morale?

Consider these basic steps and come up with basic weekly strategies to ensure that your event team is event ready and emotionally charged.

• Create staff bonding time. A weekly meet up to just catch up on life and share some laughs.

• Set a firm work schedule. Boundaries are important between work and personal life.

• Set staff priorities. No one can do it all. Clear prioritization from management is critical.

• Take care of yourself. Are you getting exercise and eating right? Are you making family time? Is your staff?

• You may have heard this list before. But are you acting on it?

Are you encouraging your team to take care of business and take care of themselves?

The harsh reality? We are still in the COVID period and still dealing with the hard issues from 2020.

The Other Reality: If Events Don’t Return in 2021, They Are at Serious Risk Financially events must return into the public domain or their sponsors audiences and volunteers will engage in other pursuits.

There is pent up demand. People want to get out in public and volunteers want to return to service. Volunteers are finding ways 52

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Summer 2021

Florence May is the Founder and President of TRS Volunteer Solutions. Her company provides myTRS Software for hundreds of Festivals, Conventions, Non-Profits, corporations and Sports Commissions. Among these support for 26 Final Fours, 5 Super Bowls, 2 Republican National Conventions, 2 Democratic National Conventions, 18 F1 Races, 12 Special Olympic Organizations, Indy 500 Events and so many others.

Flory is a national Speaker, Author and Workshop Leader on Volunteer Management Trends. You may contact Flory with volunteer management questions at fmay@my-trs.com or 317.966.6919. And there is a library of volunteer management resources at www.my-trs.com/articles.

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Who’s Going to Get a

PIE-F-E-A CHALLENGE

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That all depends on YOU! With just a small (or big!) donation (anonymous to the participants of course), these mighty participants have stepped up to the challenge to have some good old-fashioned fun and take a pie to the face to raise important funds to support the IFEA and the IFEA Foundation. Every $250 raised before May 17th by each “Pie-F-E-A” participant will result in that participant receiving a pie to the face! The more raised by each participant, the more pies they receive! Now is your chance to increase the chances of your favorite person getting a sweet treat to the face while supporting a worthy cause at the same time!

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TEAMING UP FOR TAKEOFF

Six Strategies That Are Out of This World

By Dr. Rhea Seddon

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Summer 2021

Six men and I sat atop four and a half million pounds of explosives waiting for the fuse to be lit to begin our flight on the Space Shuttle Discovery. We knew that for the next seven days our lives would depend on our acting synergistically. If anything went awry during the flight, if we didn’t work together, we might not make it home safely.

How did we come to that moment in time? We had been selected for the Astronaut Corps and this particular flight because we had proven track records of being good team players, both as leaders – and as followers – and had the requisite skills to accomplish a variety of space missions with varying payloads. Many of the skills I learned about teamwork are applicable to any group coming together to accomplish their goals.

Here are some of the specifics.

Everyone has been a part of a team at one time or another whether it be on the playing field or at the office, or even in your own home. Can you recall a mediocre team, a terrible one or a lazy disorganized one? There are strategies to choose team players, to mold them into a great team, to define their goals, to motivate them for success, to deal with “outliers” and to learn from failure – and success.

Choosing and Developing Team Players When you are considering putting a potential team together or adding new members to a current team, the interview process is crucial. Do applicants have the requisite skills or must they be trained?

You should consider whether each of these people has experience working well with similar teams. Can he or she give examples of types of projects those teams have worked on and how success was achieved? Also be sure your current team feel comfortable with this candidate.

Molding a Group of People into a Team Not all groups of people can come together to form a great team. You’ll find natural leaders, potential leaders and excellent followers who will carry the ball down the field for the rest of your team. Each of them has a role to play. It is up to your leadership to learn the competencies and capabilities of each one of them and how to put them to the best use to accomplish the work that needs to be done.

Defining Team Goals Your team will only be effective if there are clear cut, well-defined goals which all of the team members understand and are willing to work toward. The role of your management or team leaders is to be able to state these goals precisely and make sure the team understands and is on board with achieving the goals. Your leadership should take responsibility for monitoring progress of the group and each individual. Should the goals of your team change, all team members must be briefed so there is clarity going forward.

Recognizing What Motivates Your Team It is imperative that you understand what motivates the people on your particular team. For some team members learning new skills, a sense of accomplishment or a feeling of success will be the best motivators. Others may value the opportunity for advancement or recognition. Financial rewards, raises or prizes may work in your company. Often the praise of their fellow members is sufficient. Have you considered a little friendly competition?

Only by asking the team members will you find out.

Dealing with Outliers What if one of your company’s team members is not performing well or is ill-suited to the team, making the workplace uncomfortable and jeopardizing success? Can you show data that his or her performance is not up to the standards you have set and expect? What about negative reports from coworkers? A frank in-person discussion about these issues is crucial and it is imperative you solve the problem or let the person go so as not to poison the morale of the entire team.

Practicing and Learning from Failure – and Success When things go wrong, it is imperative that you seek to learn all the causes Summer 2021

and fix them right away. You must also be sure that team members learn from the failure so the same mistakes are not repeated. Never forget that learning from success will make your team and your outcomes better, too. Incorporate processes or procedures that worked well in the past and be sure to recognize those team members who made significant contributions to the achievement.

Teams of all sorts are ubiquitous.

Whether at a work site, on a sports team, in a nonprofit organization, or in a hospital operating room (or in today’s world, virtually or in-person), teams are everywhere. Undoubtedly you have been a team member and perhaps had the opportunity to be selected or hired as a team leader. Great teams that produce superior results are built following the following simple principles that lead to outstanding teamwork. You must: • choose and develop great team members • mold them into the best team for your organization • define your organization’s goals • motivate the team appropriately • deal with problem team members • learn from success and failure And you’ll find you have built a team that is out of this world!

Dr. Rhea Seddon is a renowned speaker, Astronaut and the author of “Go For Orbit”, a memoir about her adventures spending 30 days in space aboard the Space Shuttle. She is also a former surgeon, healthcare executive and entrepreneur. Dr. Seddon speaks to audiences of all kinds on the topics of teamwork, leadership and taking advantage of opportunities. To arrange a speaking engagement, visit www.

RheaSeddon.com.

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events 55

THE VALUE OF PARTNERSHIPS – The IFEA would like to thank the below partners for their important support of the association.

Through their generosity, we are able to strengthen our support of the festivals and events industry and continue to provide high quality, educational programs, products and services to our members. Help us show appreciation for their support, by first turning to those on this list for the opportunity to earn your business, whenever the need arises.

ASSOCIATION ENDORSED PARTNERS

ASSOCIATION SPONSORS

INTERNATIONAL FESTIVALS & EVENTS ASSOCIATION

ASSOCIATION SUPPORTERS | BENEFIT PROVIDERS

Interested in sponsoring? Contact Kaye Campbell, Director of Partnerships & Programs at (208) 433-0950 ext. 1 or kaye@ifea.com

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1 Enter event info 2 Select insurance limit and hours 3 View instant quotes GET A QUOTE 1-866-997-2469 | VORTEXINSURANCE.COM Weather insurance product availability subject to licensing by jurisdiction and underwriting guidelines and may not be available for all locations or events. Actual coverage subject to the language of the policies as issued. Insurance underwritten by Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance USA Inc., a member insurer of MS & AD Insurance Group and managed by Mitsui Sumitomo Marine Management (U.S.A.), Inc. with offices at 15 Independence Boulevard, PO Box 4602, Warren, New Jersey 07059-0602. VTX5210/28/2020

Summer 2021

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events 57

THE UN-COMFORT ZONE

WITH ROBERT WILSON

I BULLIED AN UNLIKELY VICTIM

WHO MADE ME REGRET IT

How to Make a Bully Back Off As the author of the humorous children’s novel The Annoying Ghost Kid, I am occasionally invited to make an author visit to an elementary school. I’ve developed a three-part program that includes an animated reading from my book; an interactive lesson in how the creative process of writing a story works; and, since the book is about a ghost who bullies two living kids, I share some techniques for dealing with a bully.

The anti-bullying techniques I share are simple and designed to be easy to remember even in the unexpected moment of a bully attack. There is one for verbal attacks and one for physical attacks both of which are peaceful and positive, yet still enable the victims to stand up for themselves without escalating the aggression. Today, I’m writing about my technique for physical attacks.

I begin by explaining that most bullies want an easy victim, someone who is going to cry and run away. They don’t want to bully someone who will fight back. Bullies are cowards at heart because they themselves are afraid. They don’t believe anyone likes them; they feel worthless; and think that if they bully someone it will make them feel important.

I go on to say: if someone hits you, shoves you, trips you, or tries to hurt you in any other way, I want you to immediately face them, throw out the palm of your hand like a traffic cop signaling “Stop,” and yell as loud as you can, “BACK OFF!” All while giving them a squinty-eyed stare which you hold for a long moment.

Then continue on your way as if nothing happened. What this will do is make your bully think twice about attacking you again. It will make them think that you are tougher than they thought. You don’t have to believe it, you only have to make them believe it.

Now I’d like to illustrate how well this works by sharing a story with you of a time that I bullied someone. You see, I was once guilty of bullying a snake, but it was an accident and I didn’t realize I was being a bully until he told me.

It happened several years ago when I went with some friends to visit the Civil War battlefield at Kennesaw Mountain State Park near Atlanta, Georgia. We arrived at the park and started walking across a large grass covered field. Nearby was a bronze historical marker, so we headed toward it to read about the events that took place on the battleground spreading out before us. As we approached, we saw what looked like a coil of black cable, 58

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glistening in a spot of sunshine on the ground in front of the sign.

When we got closer, the cable uncoiled itself and slithered off about twenty feet away.

It was a beautiful black snake that was very thick and nearly eight feet long. I recognized it as being either a black racer or a black rat snake both of which are non-poisonous and like open grassy areas. It was such a pretty snake that I just wanted to get a better look. I followed it over to where it stopped, but when I got within ten feet, it slithered off again another twenty feet. I paused and figured that if I kept following, it would simply keep slithering away, so I thought, I’m smarter than a snake, I’ll just circle around and approach from the opposite direction. Crouching low as I walked, so it wouldn’t see me, I got within three feet of it. I completely startled it. It reared up about two feet in the air, flattened its neck out making it look like a cobra, then it opened its mouth and hissed very loudly. That in turn startled me. I leapt backwards farther than I’ve ever jumped before and nearly fell on my backside. Now, I don’t know if you speak snake or not, but I can understand, “BACK OFF” in any language. So, I decided it was time to leave that snake alone, and rejoin my friends.

As I said, I knew that snake wasn’t poisonous and if it bit me that it wouldn’t hurt more than giving me a small cut, but even so, when it hissed at me, it sure did make me think twice. That’s all you have to do with a bully, make him have doubts. Make him think you will be more trouble than it’s worth. This technique isn’t just for kids; it also works for adults. I have a friend who has successfully used this technique while riding the subways in New York City. If you know of someone who is bullied, please share this article with them.

Summer 2021

Robert Evans Wilson, Jr. is an author, humorist/speaker and innovation consultant. He works with companies that want to be more competitive and with people who want to think like innovators. Robert is the author of ...and Never Coming Back, a psychological thriller-novel about a motion picture director; The Annoying Ghost Kid, a humorous children’s book about dealing with a bully; and the inspirational book: Wisdom in the Weirdest Places. For more information on Robert, please visit www.jumpstartyourmeeting.com.

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For more information about IFEA, email kaye@ifea.com or call 208-433-0950 ext: 1 POWERED BY

ADELMAN ON VENUES

VACCINE

PASSPORTS A few nights ago, I had dinner in a friend’s backyard here in Scottsdale, Arizona. There were about 10 of us. It was a nice night outside. No one wore masks, and we didn’t make any particular effort to maintain six feet between us. We were all fully vaccinated, as our hosts knew before they invited us. It reminded me what the company of other humans used to feel like before I learned that I could die or kill someone just by leaving my own cocoon. It was nice. I look forward to hanging out with vaccinated friends again.

Some event organizers and public accommodations are already counting on people feeling the way I did. On April 1, the NBA’s Miami Heat opened two sections in their lower bowl only for fully vaccinated fans. Pods are being separated by just one seat, and fans are admitted through a separate gate and required to show their CDC vaccination card or other proof of vaccination, along with valid identification. In New York, Madison Square Garden has begun using the state’s Excelsior Pass digital passport to allow state residents to prove their vaccination status. Northeastern University in Boston and Brown University in Providence announced this week that they will require students to be vaccinated before they return to campus for the fall semester.

Walmart, the nation’s largest private employer, is offering electronic verification apps to patients vaccinated in its stores so they “can easily access their vaccine status as needed.”

Given the recent politicization of science in the U.S., it was predictable that some state leaders would push back. Among the usual suspects, Florida precludes any “government entity, or its subdivisions, agents, or assigns” from issuing a vaccine passport and purports to prohibit “[b]usinesses in Florida … from requiring patrons or customers to provide any documentation certifying COVID-19 vaccination or post-transmission recovery to gain access to, entry upon, or service from the business.” Texas just issued an executive order preventing private entities that receive state funds from requiring proof of vaccination.

Can a state legally regulate private activity this way?

Should they?

Let’s unpack these questions. First, a lawyerly caveat. Florida’s Executive Order regulates public health, which is generally within a governor’s authority. Florida businesses such as the Heat and the South Beach Wine & Food Festival have already expressed their intention to require proof of vaccination, which is generally 60

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within their authority as the operators of private property. The positions do not peacefully co-exist. Options to resolve the conflict include one side backing down, the parties quietly negotiating a middle ground to avoid a public confrontation, or everyone lawyering up and taking this to court. We will see soon enough.

A. Legal Rights of States Versus Venue Operators Regarding the rights of the state versus private businesses, let’s discuss what we already know.

1. Can a government entity require its residents to get vaccinated? Yes. School boards and the American military have long required students and soldiers to be vaccinated against various diseases, which they are allowed to do by a 1905 U.S. Supreme Court case, Jacobson v. Massachusetts.

Faithful readers will recall that I wrote about this last September in Vaccines: Liberty Regulated by Law. 2. Can a private business or school condition access or employment on vaccination? Yes. Private companies may legally refuse to employ or do business with whomever they want, subject to only a few exceptions that do not include vaccination status. This was most recently affirmed on September 8, 2020 in updated guidance from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission: [E]mployers may take screening steps to determine if employees entering the workplace have COVID-19 because an individual with the virus will pose a direct threat to the health of others. Therefore an employer may choose to administer COVID-19 testing to employees before initially permitting them to enter the workplace and/or periodically to determine if their presence in the workplace poses a direct threat to others.

This is the reason you can require workers to cover their tattoos or pull back their hair, or refuse to admit guests carrying lasers. (“No shoes, no shirt, no service” is quite legal.)

So long as you do not discriminate against someone based on their membership in a legally protected class (e.g., race, sex, religion, age, disability), you can make these determinations as you wish.

3. Can a state override private property rights by enacting laws barring discrimination based on vaccination

Summer 2021

WITH STEVEN A. ADELMAN

status? Maybe. In Florida, the governor’s Order relies on powers he claims under that state’s Emergency Management Act. The Act gives him considerable discretion to address disasters, including authority to suspend existing state rules and statutes. In this case, however, the Order seeks to suspend a basic property right. Because American law considers the rights of private property owners and operators to be very important, a state usually must explain specifically why behavior at an individual property poses a threat to the public welfare. The Florida law will be tested in the Florida state court system, so that offers a hint how this conflict might be resolved.

B. Are Vaccine Passports a Good Idea?

To use the correct answer to every legal question, “It depends.”

It depends on who you ask. Critics of vaccine passports worry about Big Brother, claiming that centralized databases of vaccinated people are government intrusion on privacy. Although I’m as skeptical of big institutions as the next person, this particular concern seems overblown to me. Every state already has a vaccination database, called an “immunization registry,” and under “data use agreements,” states must share their registries with CDC (which then anonymizes the information, although not all states provide it).

Private sector businesses worried about getting sued by workers or guests who claim they got infected at that venue figure that since they have a legal duty to provide reasonably safe accommodations, they should be allowed to mitigate the risk of infection using all the tools at their disposal. The concern about personal injury lawsuits is overblown (I’ve written and spoken about that a lot), but businesses’ desire to defend themselves seems legitimate to me.

Many event professionals looking for economically-viable attendance levels will welcome vaccine passports as a way to safely fill more seats closer together. That should be obvious to every Adelman on Venues reader eagerly looking forward to a full paycheck for the first time in more than a year.

Health equity, certainly a global concern given the absence of vaccines in many countries, arguably resonates differently in the United States. Although access to health care is a national concern important enough to comprise a 132 page CDC pratitioner’s guide, coronavirus vaccine access should be less of an issue now that every American 16 years and older can schedule a vaccination. ______ None of this is resolved as of today. Stay tuned to your local news for daily updates.

Conversations About Reopening My days are filled with talk about reopening.

• When can we welcome guests again?

• Can we host enough people to make it economically viable?

• What health and safety accommodations will be necessary?

• What should the rules be?

• How can we enforce the rules?

• How do we navigate between local mandates and CDC guidance?

• Does the law impose any barriers, or help with any of our challenges?

Over the last month, I have addressed myriad issues related to reopening live events. Here is a multi-media sample for your viewing, reading, or listening enjoyment.

COVID Compliance Officer training. I am a certified COVID compliance guy, meaning that I have a certificate. That does not, however, mean I know how to enforce reasonable practices. I learned that on the job and through friends who taught me about medicine and testing. Here is a panel I moderated, Why Most COVID Compliance Officer Training Sucks, and What Would Be Better Contract Cancellation Language. For many years, I resisted talking about standard contract terms, figuring that this is how I earn my living. Then I realized that when Penn Jillette explains a magic trick, viewers still can’t do it themselves, but they’re more impressed than before at the few experts who can. Watch me pull back the curtain. Breaking Up is Hard to Do: Contract Language About Cancellation Crowd Management. This is an article how creating a new safety organization is like designing a logo. Hint: if this were entirely backwards-looking, it wouldn’t be very interesting, would it? A Thicket of Letters: A Parable About Crowd Management Weddings Are Events Too. I moderated an international conversation about the comparative challenges event planners face these days trying to hold weddings in the U.S. versus South Africa for a virtual wedding planner conference. Safety Measures at Weddings NPR Morning Edition. I had a great half-hour discussion with the Arts correspondent for NPR Morning Edition, which I think is nerd cool. Most of it got left on the cutting room floor, but it was still fun to get messages from people who heard me on their radios at home. Are You Ready to Rock? Music Festivals Prepare for a 2021 Comeback Be safe out there. There’s a lot going on these days.

Steven A. Adelman is the head of Adelman Law Group, PLLC in Scottsdale, Arizona and Vice President of an international trade association, the Event Safety Alliance. His law practice focuses on risk management and litigation regarding safety and security at live events throughout North America, and he serves as an expert witness in crowd-related lawsuits.

Steve Adelman is widely recognized as an authority on live event safety and security. He writes the monthly “Adelman on Venues” newsletter, he teaches “Risk Management in Venues” at Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, and he frequently appears in national and local media for analysis of safety and security incidents at public accommodations. Steve Adelman graduated from Boston College Law School in 1994.

He can be reached at sadelman@adelmanlawgroup.com.

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THE SPONSOR DOC

WITH BRUCE L. ERLEY, APR, CFEE

THE ROAD TO

RECOVERY

Dear Sponsor Doc: We have been laying pretty low the past year when it comes to soliciting sponsors.

It seems like things are beginning to start again.Do you have any advice as how to get things kick-started again with sponsors?

L.C., Tampa

Dear L.C.: Yes, we are seeing opportunities finally opening up again.I do believe it depends on the state, region, or country you live in, as the government guidelines and restrictions for events really is the driving factor. Some harder hit areas are keeping a lid on public gatherings while others seem wide open.

I would begin by taking the temperature in your own community.

Have you set your 2021 dates? Are other events coming back?

Are your sponsors expressing optimism? Does there seem to be community demand for getting back to events? If by September, you see events coming back, you should be engaging sponsors NOW! Here are a few tips to get you going again!

Timing We are anticipating an extremely compressed sales window.

The prospecting, presentation, review and agreement process that normally takes six months, is now going to happen in six weeks.That means that you are going to have to be ready to make accommodations and adjustments in the negotiation process.

Be ready to pull the trigger on short notice.Some inquiries will want proposal by the end of the day. Last minute deals are also going to put pressure on fulfilling sponsor rights and benefits.

But…NOW is the time to reengage! Start with your renewals and 2020 deferrals. Reconnect with brands that were in the consideration “pipeline” before the pandemics. Reach out to former sponsors and prior declines to see if you might once again be a fit. We are finding a lot of market has “re-booted.”

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Texas Two Step Get Ready to Dance! You will have to demonstrate more flexibility, innovation, and creativity in your sponsor deals than ever before. We are making pricing adjustments and providing sponsors with flexible outs or exit clauses, because without them some sponsors will not sign their agreement.

We have also needed to rethink sponsor assets and activations. A number are pausing in-person engagement and instead are passing out premium items and looking for “passive” engagements, like photo walls.

Transference We find that stepping into you sponsor’s shoes at a time like this is critical. Your understanding and empathy to their circumstances is essential. Some have changed or lost jobs. Others are double teaming. They are feeling overwhelmed too.

Further, many do not have clarity yet from leadership.Their business objectives are evolving, and most budgets remain fluid.

Engage in honest, candid conversations about their objectives and obstacles.

Transparency While we may not be able to provide certainty, we should be able to provide clarity to our sponsors.Transparency requires accuracy, honesty, and expediency. Don’t hide information during your negotiations. Establish clear expectations on both sides.

Tone Your tone, or how you come across in your discussions is one

Summer 2021

of your most important attributes. In our conversations, we are intentional in reflecting our sincere gratitude for their business.

We want to show confidence, stability, and professionalism in all their dealings with us. And of paramount importance, reflect kindness in all your communications.

Trust People do business with people they trust. Trust is built over time, but key components in building trust include your personal and professional integrity. Are you credible in your negotiations?Do you follow through? Are you true to the sponsor’s brand and do you demonstrate fidelity to them?

Tenacity We have never experienced such a disruptive period personally and professionally than that created by COVID-19. But as Winston Churchill famously said, “If you’re going through hell, keep going.”

I am no Winston Churchill, but I would add my encouragement not to give-up! Don’t take declines personally. Stay Positive, be resilient and always keep the faith.

As Douglas MacArthur said, “I shall return!” (And he did.) So shall we all!

The Sponsor Doc

With more than three decades in sponsorship sales and consultation, Bruce L. Erley is the President and CEO of the Creative Strategies Group, a full-service sponsorship and event marketing agency based in Denver, Colorado he founded in 1995. Accredited in Public Relations (APR) by the Public Relations Society of America and a Certified Festival & Events Executive (CFEE) by the International Festivals and Events Association, Erley is a highly-regarded speaker on event marketing and sponsorship having spoken on the topic around the world in such places as Dubai, Vienna, Beijing, Toronto and New York.

Contact Info: Bruce L. Erley, APR, CFEE President & CEO Creative Strategies Group Phone: +1-303-558-8181 Business Email: berley@csg-sponsorship.com Column Enquiries Email: bruce@sponsordoc.com

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Summer 2021

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events 63

Stay Informed – Stay Connected – With the IFEA! The IFEA is here to support you, share resources with you, help educate you, provide important information updates to you, help establish and strengthen your industry connections, and so much more!

Gain access to important and valuable member benefits and resources:

JOIN the IFEA Today RENEW Your IFEA Membership, Today!

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Summer 2021

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THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021 Insuring Events During a Pandemic.

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Bruce Erley, CFEE, APR President & CEO Creative Strategies Group, Denver, CO

Curt Mosel, Chief Operating Officer ArtsQuest, Bethlehem, PA

THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021 Bridging Troubled Financial Waters During the COVID Crisis

Jeff Curtis, CEO Tanya Wilkins, Finance Manager Portland Rose Festival Foundation, Portland, OR

THURSDAY, APRIL 8, 2021 Virtual Volunteering: The Game-Changer That’s Here to Stay Isabel Reed, Sales Coordinator VolunteerLocal, Des Moines, IA

THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2021 Social Media 2021: A New Landscape for Events Organizations David Ramirez, User Generated Content Evangelist TINT, San Antonio, TX

THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2021 Prosperity During a Pandemic: How Christmas in the Park Thrived in 2020

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David Olivares, CFEE Vice President of Sales and Marketing Kaliff Insurance San Antonio, TX

THURSDAY, JUNE 3, 2021 Restoring Customer Confidence

Geoff Hinds, Executive Director Deschutes County Fair & Expo, Redmond, OR

THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 2021 Booking International Artists: State of the Union Robert Baird, President BAM! Baird Artists Management Consulting Toronto, Canada

THURSDAY, JUNE 17, 2021 Risk - Everything But… Warwick Hall, CFEE Operational Risk Consultant Safety Set Consulting / Section 646 Taupo, New Zealand

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Presented by

EVERYONE’S INVITED

WITH LAURA GRUNFELD

INCLUDING PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

TRAINING & PR, 2 OFT-FORGOTTEN

ELEMENTS OF YOUR ACCESS PROGRAM

The First-Year class at the 2020 IFEA/NRPA Event Management School learning the basics of event accessibility. They brought that information back to all the many events they represent.

T

here are two very important aspects of a well-run Access Program that are often left out of the plan. One is training regarding the Access Program; another is publicizing the Access Program. There are many other elements that are important but today I want to focus on these two.

Why is Training Important?

Because not training can lead to significant, unwanted consequences! At one event I worked, I was providing training for the volunteers during the week before the event opened.

Most of the volunteers were going to park their vehicles in the main parking lot, a bit of a distance from the tent where we were holding the training. Since it was before the event started, and in the evening when the construction crew had gone home, the venue was empty. We were allowed to set up a driving route through the venue and provide space for accessible parking right next to the tent where the training was to be held. We stationed a staff member to direct the volunteers to the proper parking areas and to the training. Somehow the person directing traffic either was never told or did not remember that we had set up the temporary accessible parking area. When a volunteer who uses a wheelchair arrived and was instructed to park in the main parking lot, he was quite upset that he had to travel so far to get to the training. He was so upset that he made a complaint to the Department of Justice (DOJ). Even though the DOJ later determined that his complaint was not valid, they still toured the event and had suggestions for improvement. This led to some years of attorneys and going into hyperdrive to develop a robust Access Program. Ultimately, the agreement between the DOJ 66

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events

and the event led to a much better program, but wouldn’t it have been nice to have come to that place without the legal nudge and the attorney’s fees? Imagine if the event had spent that money on accessibility rather than lawyers? My advice is to invest in accessibility now, before it becomes much more expensive.

If your event’s staff do not know about the Access Program services and they cannot properly inform your patrons, or at least direct them to the Access Center or Info Booth where they can be helped, this can cause consequences that lead to legal battles or, at the very least, your patrons will not be able to fully participate in your event. It is a sad result either way and does not fulfill the purpose of your Access Program!

Training is essential. Each person that works, volunteers, or vends for the event should know that there is an Access Program, a general sense of the services offered, and where the Access Center or Info Booth are located. “Yes, we have an Access Program and the team at the Access Center can help you with that question. Let me direct you there.” This is a much better response than shrugged shoulders and “I don’t know.”

Everyone who is on the team that creates the event should know the basics. Members of the clean-up crew are out in the crowd and are often approached by patrons with questions. A patron may ask a vendor in the beer booth if they know where the nearest accessible toilet is located. The crew volunteering to direct traffic may be asked where the Access Center is located. An upper-level executive in the organization, walking around with their credentials is an obvious target for patron’s questions. Absolutely everyone needs to know the basics of your Access Program.

Summer 2021

After that, certain teams need more detailed training. Consider the Security team members who are often called to incidents that may involve people with disabilities or who staff certain locations and must know what particular accommodations are allowed. The Parking crew need essential instructions and if that information is not delivered accurately it can result in patrons with mobility disabilities needing to travel extra distances. The Gate Staff, viewing platform ushers, accessible golf cart drivers, and other teams need specialized training as well.

Finally, certain individuals will need specialized training. The Service Animal Screening person needs highly specialized training and if poorly done could easily lead to litigation. The persons answering questions at the Access Center need to know your Access Program inside and out as well as having an understanding of providing customer service to people with disabilities. Your Stage Manager will need to know about the sign language interpreter set up requirements. There are other specialized trainings that are necessary for individuals and teams in your organization and some of these will be specific to each event. Training can be provided in house or you may want to bring in some in-person or online expertise.

Why is Publicity Important?

Because you can change lives by spreading the word. One festival I worked was a popular destination for school field trips and each spring many schools sent groups of students to absorb some of the local music and culture that the event supported. When I started the Access Program at this event, one of the first things I did was print up a list of all of the services that the festival offered to patrons with disabilities. This list was distributed to the local organizations that served people with disabilities and a press release was sent to the local papers. It has been some years now but as I recall the internet had not yet taken hold and the event did not yet have a website.

Soon after this simple publicity plan was enacted, I heard from a mother who informed me that each year, the school that her daughter attended had told her that the festival was not accessible to people who used wheelchairs. Therefore her daughter, who used a chair, could not join her classmates for the field trip. When the mother saw via our publicity that the festival was accessible, she talked with school officials and learned that the real reason her daughter was not invited was because the school did not

have accessible transportation. A mother’s fury! You can be sure that her daughter was included on the field trip that year! This story illustrates that being accessible is crucial, but the next step must be to tell people about your Access Program.

We mentioned some ways of spreading the word above, but others can include all of your usual online avenues, your website and social media. Please, make sure your Access Info Page is easy to find and not buried deep in the FAQs. If you distribute a poster or program guide, include a wheelchair symbol and contact information for the Access Program. Write up a short paragraph and distribute it via all of the many email lists that are available to you. Work on getting a feature story printed in the paper. The beauty of these practices is how low-cost they are.

There is no reason you can’t fit it in your budget.

Putting some person-power and time into your training and publicity efforts will bring you many rewards. Not only will it help protect you from litigation, and your staff will feel empowered in offering your accessibility services, but your patrons will feel that they are welcomed at your event and will bring their family and friends.

On May 6, the IFEA will host Laura Grunfeld presenting a webinar entitled “Right Now is the Perfect Time to Update your Access Plan for People with Disabilities!” Attend live on May 6, or afterwards for a recorded version and you can learn the basics and the breadth of a well-run Access Program. Learn more here.

Everyone’s Invited, LLC, founded by Laura Grunfeld, is winner of the gold level “Best Accessibility Program,” for the 2018 and 2019 IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Awards. Laura writes a regular column helping producers make their events accessible to people with disabilities. She has worked many festivals across the nation and readers can learn more about her event accessibility consulting, training, and production company at www.EveryonesInvited.com and www.linkedin. com/in/lauragrunfeld. Suggest topics or ask questions by writing to Laura@EveryonesInvited.com. © Laura Grunfeld, Everyone’s Invited, LLC, April 2021.

The Second-Year class at the 2020 IFEA/NRPA Event Management School learned more in-depth information about how a well-run Access Program operates.

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IFEA’s ie: the business of international events 67

YOUR EVENT HAS IMPACT…

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Commission Your IFEA Economic Impact Analysis Today

ic Imp

H Street Festival Impact The average visitor spent $63 during the festival, generating $6.1 million in sales along the corridor.

Eating and drinking establishments experienced the largest increase in sales during the festival with an average increase of 132% more sales than on a Festival Impact typical Saturday in September.

Neighborhoods Goods & Services and Merchandise stores were also positively impacted by the festival, experiencing a sales increase of 57% and 22% respectively.

Restaurants Goods and Merchandise On-Street and Bars Services Retailers Vendors

Overall Impact On H Street Retail

Avg. Sales on a September Saturday

$15,381

$5,175

$2,074

n/a

$10,526

The average visitor spent $23 on food, $20 on alcohol, and $13 shopping during the festival.

The H Street Festival attracts visitors from all across the region.

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The H Street Festival is public, free, and openDev oingall. H Street sult Cont Main Street relies on contributions to fund and operate this important event.

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The festival draws a young and diverse crowd.

The H Street Festival resulted in nearly $2.3 million in salaries and the equivalent of 58 fulltime positions, and generated approximately $728,000 in tax revenue for the District.

Avg. Sales During the H Street Festival

$35,684

$8,112

$2,535

n/a

$22,812

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$31,448

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Increased Sales Due to the Festival

$1,543,051

$146,822

$5,531

$4,419,953

$6,115,356

City Permits & Fees

$134,699

Increased Tax Revenue Due to Festival

$728,706

Fiscal Impact for the District of Columbia Sales Tax

Overall Impact

There are many ways to get involved and support the H Street Festival. H Street businesses and local artists and performers can participate in the event as vendors or volunteers. A range of sponsorship opportunities exist, and are vital to making the festival possible. Contact H Street Main Street to learn more about how you can help!

$534,634

Leverage Cost & Credibility IFEA’s cost effective, industry credible program brings a critical tool within financial reach and provides reliable results from a trusted and recognized resource.

Quantify & Articulate Value Understand and communicate the impact your event brings to your local economy and local tax revenue.

Gain Support & Increase Funding Demonstrate how your event benefits area businesses and your city at large, convey the need for public and private assistance, and secure additional financial support.

Enhance Participation Increase business participation, recruit additional vendors, and strengthen stakeholder commitment.

Improve Operations Incorporate a data-driven approach to evaluate and make adjustments to your event or program each year.

READY TO GET STARTED? Find Out More on our IFEA Professional Products & Services Web Page or Contact Kaye Campbell, CFEE, Director of Partnerships & Programs • +1-208-433-0950 Ext. 8150 • kaye@ifea.com

Remember the Helping Hands that Got You Where You are Today?

The IFEA Foundation “Fund for the Future” provides critical funding to ensure that the IFEA has reserves in place to protect against future economic shifts and realities in a constantly changing world! It allows the organization to keep pace with new and changing

technologies necessary to communicate with and serve our global industry and it supports a continued expansion of our services, resources, programming and outreach around the world. In a nutshell… it enables those who power celebration.

Now You Can Pay It Forward.

Help Sustain the “Premier Association Supporting and Enabling Festival & Events Worldwide”

Donate Today IFEA.com / Foundation / Ways to Give Questions? Contact Kaye Campbell, CFEE, Director of Partnerships & Programs

at kaye@ifea.com or +1-208-433-0950, ext. 8150

MARKETPLACE SEARCH MORE VENDORS AT EVENTRESOURCEMARKETPLACE.COM ATTRACTIONS

ENTERTAINMENT

ARTIFICIAL ICE EVENTS / FALL FEST EVENTS - Unique Winter and Fall attractions for rent nationwide. Available for short-term or long-term needs.

Synthetic ice rinks to haunted houses! Contact: Michael Lawton | 147 Summit St. Unit 3A, Peabody, MA 01960 USA | 800-275-0185 | m.lawton@ppentertainmentgroup.com | www.artificialiceevents.com

DEGY BOOKING INTERNATIONAL – Degy Entertainment is a worldwide talent buying agency specializing in customer service and professionalism. Contact: Evan Schaefer, CSEP, CFEE | 9826 Montpelier Dr., Delray Beach, FL 33446 USA | 732-818-9600 | evan@degy.com | www.degy.com INFLATABLES

BANNERS/FLAGS

dfest – Designs and manufactures creative decor solutions for festivals and events. We specialize in custom flags, banners, directional signage, entryways, street banners, installation and hardware. Contact: Vanessa Van de Putte | 1930 Interstate 35, San Antonio, TX 78208 USA | (800) 356-4085 | sales@dixieflag.com | www.dixieflag.com ®

CASH MANAGEMENT FIRST DATA / CLOVER – Cloud-based point of sale and full business solutions for cash or cashless events. Clover is uniquely designed to be customized to fit your business needs. Clover accepts all payment types - EMV/ Chip, Card Swiped, Keyed and Apple Pay/Google Pay. Clover’s product line is available with WIFI, ethernet, or 4G/LTE data connectivity and can be leased, purchased or rented month-to-month. First Data has exclusive pricing for hardware and card processing for the festivals and events industry.

Contact: Tina Hollis | 8812 Crosswood Ct., Riverview, FL 33578 USA | 239-287-8221 | tina.hollis@firstdata.com | www.firstdata.com COSTUMES HISTORICAL EMPORIUM – Historical Emporium specializes in authentic, durable, high quality historical clothing and accessories. Victorian, Edwardian, Old West and Steampunk for men and women. Since 2003. Contact: Noel Matyas | 188 Stauffer Blvd, San Jose, CA 95125-1047 USA | (800) 997-4311 | amusement@historicalemporium.com | www.historicalemporium.com DÉCOR/DISPLAYS/BACKDROPS YOUR-TYPE 3D EVENT LETTERS/SHAPES – Rent 3D, larger than life letters and stand out at your next event! Letters are available for purchase or rent in sizes from 2 ft. through 8 ft. tall to anywhere in the United States. Contact: Todd Hoffman | 4970 Service Dr., Winona, MN 55987 USA | 507-454-7816 | contact@your-type.com | www.your-type.com 70

IFEA’s ie: the business of international events

BIG EVENTS, INC. – Worldwide leader for quality inflatables and parade balloons. Rental and sales for special events and parades.

Excellent design and highest quality artwork set the industry standard. Contact: Charles Trimble | 3909 Oceanic Dr., Ste. 402 Oceanside, CA 92056 USA | 760-477-2655 | charles@bigeventsonline.com | www.bigeventsonline.com DYNAMIC DISPLAYS / FABULOUS INFLATABLES – Designs, manufacturers, for rent or purchase – costumes, props, floats, helium balloons, event entry ways and décor. Offers complete and flexible service packages for small towns and large international events. 50+ years of parade/event experience. Contact: Steve Thomson | 6470 Wyoming St. Ste #2024, Dearborn MI 48126 USA | 800-411-6200 | steve@fabulousinflatables.com | www.fabulousinflatables.com INSURANCE HAAS & WILKERSON INSURANCE – Celebrating 80 years in the entertainment industry, providing insurance programs designed to meet the specific needs of your event. Clients throughout the US include festivals, parades, carnivals and more. Contact: Andrew Vandepopulier | 4300 Shawnee Mission Parkway, Fairway, KS 66205 USA | 800-821-7703 | andrew.vandepopulier@hwins.com | www.hwins.com KALIFF INSURANCE – Founded in 1917, Kaliff Insurance provides specialty insurance for festivals, fairs, parades, rodeos, carnivals and more. We insure the serious side of fun! Contact: Bruce Smiley-Kaliff | 2009 NW Military Hwy., San Antonio, TX 78213-2131 USA | 210-829-7634 | bas@kaliff.com | www.kaliff.com K & K INSURANCE – For 60 years, K & K insurance has been recognized as the leading provider of SPORTS-LEISURE & ENTERTAINMENT insurance products. Contact: Mark Herberger | 1712 Magnavox Way, Fort Wayne, IN 46804 USA | 1-866-554-4636 | mark.herberger@ kandkinsurance.com | www.kandkinsurance.com

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VORTEX INSURANCE AGENCY - Vortex Insurance provides weather index insurance to help minimize revenue loss due to rain, heat, cold, snow or a combination of weather elements. Contact: Andrew Klaus | 7400 W 132nd St., Ste. 260, Overland Park, KS 66213 USA | 913-253-1215 | aklaus@guaranteedweather.com | www.vortexinsurance.com SAFETY/SECURITY WEVOW – Build a culture that elevates thinking above sexual misconduct. Year-round and seasonal programs available for both staff and volunteers. Contact: Matt Pipkin | P.O. Box 2308, Boise, ID 83702 USA | 208-830-3885 | matt@wevow.com | www.wevow.com SITE MAPPING

TRAVEL PLANNING (by Groups) TRIPInfo.com – Since 1996, first online reference for all segments of group travel planners – website and weekly newsletter and subject-specific digital magazines – including festivals. IFEA Member organizations included online. Contact: Mark Browning | 4850 Gaidrew, Johns Creek, GA 30022 USA | 770-825-0220 | mark@tripinfo.com | www.tripinfo.com WEBSITE DESIGN SAFFIRE – Saffire empowers clients with beautiful, unique and engaging websites that are easy to manage, with integrated SaffireTix ticketing and unlimited help when you need it.

Contact: Cassie Roberts Dispenza | 248 Addie Roy Rd, Ste B-106, Austin TX 78746-4133 USA | 512-430-1123 | sales@saffire.com | www.saffire.com

POINTSMAP® – PointsMap® has proven to be an effective and useful software for Festivals and Events.

Create custom points at their exact location on your PointsMap with photos, descriptions, website links, multi-media, PDF’s and even “inside maps”. Your visitors can “PLAN” before the festival using their desktop computer, and then “NAVIGATE” the festival using their Smartphone. Visit www.PointsMap.com/SLAF and http://www.PointsMap.com/WichitaRiverFest/ to see how PointsMap is being used. It’s easy to use and extremely affordable. Contact: Jerry Waddell | 1100 Riverfront Pkwy, Chattanooga, TN 37402-2171 USA | 423-894-2677 | jerryw@videoideas.com | www.pointsmap.com TICKETING INDIANA TICKET COMPANY - Design, quality and security describe our dedication to manufacturing tickets for every venue imaginable, as well as wristbands, credentials and specialty printing. Contact: Bill Owen | 645 N. Longview Pl., Longwood, FL 32779 USA | 407-788-1029 | bowen645@yahoo.com | www.indianaticket.com SAFFIRE – Saffire empowers clients with beautiful, unique and engaging websites that are easy to manage, with integrated SaffireTix ticketing and unlimited help when you need it.

Contact: Cassie Roberts Dispenza | 248 Addie Roy Rd, Ste B-106, Austin TX 78746-4133 USA | 512-430-1123 | sales@saffire.com | www.saffire.com

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IFEA’s ie: the business of international events 71

Partnership with the IFEA The IFEA Foundation provides an all-important source of support that allows the IFEA to confidently provide convention scholarships, host top-quality industry presenters, speakers and programming, and help raise the bar for everyone in our global industry. A very special thanks to all those who have contributed along the way, and we look forward to working with you towards the success of our industry for many years to come.

www.ifea.com/p/foundation