Inside Festivals & Events - November 2021

INSIDE EVENTS AND FESTIVALS

The official publication of the Washington Festivals & Events Association

THE LINEUP King County launching grant program with $1.9 million for King County festivals & events King County and the Washington Festivals & Events Association (WFEA) have launched a Request for Applications (RFA) for the King County Festivals and Events Grant Program (Program). The Program will deliver $1.9 million in ARPA COVID-19 relief funds to the County’s festivals and events industry in response to the needs of event and festival producers seeking to reestablish community activities, events, festivals, and celebrations in a safe environment, while engaging residents and tourists throughout the County and employing event workers, working creatives, and culture bearers.

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WFEA Presents Major Awards to State’s Top Festival and Event Organizers Four prominent Washington State festival and event organizers were inducted into the Washington Festivals and Events Association Hall of Fame presented by Grand Event Rentals at the WFEA Annual Awards Dinner at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Bellevue.

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Inside Events and Festivals November 2021 Washington Festivals & Events Association

$1.9 million in relief funds to support the re-opening of festivals and events held within King County.

APPLY NOW!

King County and the Washington Festivals & Events Association (WFEA) have launched a Request for Applications (RFA) for the King County Festivals and Events Grant Program (Program). The Program will deliver $1.9 million in ARPA COVID-19 relief funds to the County’s festivals and events industry in response to the needs of event and festival producers seeking to reestablish community activities, events, festivals, and celebrations in a safe environment, while engaging residents and tourists throughout the County and employing event workers, working creatives, and culture bearers.

Based on WFEA’s membership alone, we estimate that King County sustained $50 million in economic losses from over 700 festival and event cancellations since March 2020. Undoubtedly, the event sector has been impacted more than almost any other during this pandemic. King County and WFEA know that special events and festivals must reopen so that people can gather to celebrate culture, diversity, and the arts again.

WFEA welcomes the opportunity to join King County in supporting eligible festivals and events organizations, events-based local businesses, and other events producers in need of funding to support their reopening. Through this program, we will: Mitigate revenue losses incurred by the festivals and events industry due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Provide a safe and flexible environment for those operating, working, and attending the festivals and events in King County, and Support job creation and economic recovery for small business vendors and cultural organizations prohibited by state order from doing business since March 13, 2020.

Applicant eligibility encompasses a wide variety of organizations, including: Nonprofit and for-profit festivals and events organizations, chambers of commerce, cities, tourism entities, tribal entities, or organizations that produce events with paid or volunteer-based staff; Organizers of a festival or event held/to be held within the boundaries of King County; and That cancelled in-person events at least once during the past 16 months and will reopen in 2021 or 2022, among other eligibility criteria listed in the RFA. The funds will be distributed in two categories of award size:

Large events - with an operating budget over $250,000 per year

$950,000

Small events - with an operating budget under $250,000 per year

$950,000

TOTAL:

$1.9 million

WFEA will provide program outreach and marketing services for the Program; deliver technical assistance to applicants; and provide industry advisory and liaising services to King County during the evaluation of grant applications.

To apply, please review the RFA and complete an application before the due date of November 11, 2021, 11:59 PM (PT). Questions about this funding opportunity may be addressed to info@wfea.org.

Photos: Clockwise from left, WFEA Hall of Fame inductees Jeannette Brennan, Robin Kelley, Don Kardong and Terry Morgan; Volunteer of the Year Scott Vejraska and sponsor Anthony Zavada; Events of the Year represented by Margo Jones, Phil Megenhardt, Jason Lajeunesse and Meredith McIlmoyle; Event Supporters of the Year sponsor Steve Boyce and winners Karen Hate Becker and Karen Hanan; Event Organizers of the Year Victoria Jones and Phil Megenhardt.

WFEA PRESENTS MAJOR AWARDS TO STATE’S TOP FESTIVAL AND EVENT ORGANIZERS Four prominent Washington State festival and event organizers were inducted into the Washington Festivals and Events Association Hall of Fame presented by Grand Event Rentals at the WFEA Annual Awards Dinner at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Bellevue.

They were: Jeanette Brennan from Bellingham, a former WFEA Executive Director and the director of the highly successful Whatcom County event Bellingham Ski to Sea Don Kardong, a former track Olympian who founded the Bloomsday Run in Spokane, which has been the largest timed road race in the world.

Robin Kelley, who was the director of the highly successful Issaquah Salmon Days Festival.

Terry Morgan, who owns one of the most successful production companies in the Northwest, Modern Enterprise. He recently produced the highly acclaimed Seattle Center/Space Needle New Year’s Eve Fireworks Show.

In addition to the Hall of Fame, WFEA presented other major awards to festivals and events in the state, including: Washington State Best of Show Summit Award Presented by Honey Bucket– Kent Parks and Home and Winthrop Rhythm & Blues Festival Grand Summit Award – Arts Without Barriers in Bellevue/Redmond, and the Anacortes Arts Festival Washington State Festival and Event Volunteer of the Year Award Presented by Stages Northwest– Scott Vejraska, Okanogan County Fair Event Supporters of the Year Presented by Presented by Morgan Sound– Karen Hanan from the Washington State Arts Commission and Kate Becker from King County Events of the Year Presented by Alexander Party Rentals – Summerblast at Dune Peninsula in Tacoma, Day in Day Out at Seattle Center Event Organizers of the Year presented by Cort Party Rental Pro Services – Victoria Jones, North Olympic Discovery Marathon and the Peninsula Running Series; and Phil Megenhardt, Bold Hat Productions

WFEA Hall of Fame 22029 23RD DR SE, STE 105 BOTHELL, WA 98021 425-462-7368 WWW.GRANDEVENTRENTALSWA.COM

MIKE BRENNAN (2001)

Presented by: Grand Event Rentals

NORM LANGILL (2001)

DAVID DOXTATER (2002)

ED NEUNHERZ (2015)

AL SILVERMAN (2019)

BETH KNOX (2019)

SEATTLE CENTER (2019)

JERRY SCHMIDT (2020)

RICK BETTS (2020)

JEANNETTE BRENNAN (2020)

TERRY MORGAN (2021)

DON KARDONG (2021)

ROBIN KELLEY (2021)