By Penny C. Reeh, CFEE
Kids these days, they just don’t want to work! How can I lead when the old guard won’t let me? Do either of these sound familiar to you? It’s because they represent the classic generation gap that many festivals are encountering as they seek to create a volunteer experience that engages both the seasoned volunteer and new, and often younger, volunteer.
Conflict between generations is certainly not a new phenomenon, but it is fair to argue that the lightning pace of technological change and the impact it has on generational perceptions has created a more distinctive, and potentially explosive, generational divide than ever before. The best way to bridge this divide is for festivals to create an organizational culture that welcomes each of today’s generational cohorts, uses their unique talents wisely, and encourages understanding and patience among all.
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Monday, February 22, 2010
Monday, February 15, 2010
City of Hidalgo Announces State Farm as New Arena Sponsor
The City of Hidalgo is proud to announce State Farm Insurance as the new name
sponsor for the arena. Effective immediately, the largest event and concert venue in South Texas has a new name: State Farm Arena.
“State Farm is thrilled to introduce the State Farm Arena to the Rio Grande Valley,” said Mike Hargis,State Farm Agency Vice President, Texas Zone. “This is the first arena in the country that bears the State Farm name. This investment reaffirms our commitment to the Rio Grande Valley – where our agents and employees live, work and give back through our philanthropic endeavors.”
For six years the Arena has been the number one concert and event venue in South Texas. Ranked 31st out of the top 100 arenas in the world and number 5 in the United States in venues its size. Over 2.6 million people have come through the arena to enjoy concerts, shows and sporting events.
State Farm Arena is the home of the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees and The Rio Grande Valley Vipers. In 2010 we continue to make history, marking the beginning of a new era of entertainment in the Rio Grande Valley. We are taking a step forward to better serve our fans and will continue to provide the best entertainment in South Texas.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Three Trends in Corporate Sponsorship and What They Mean For You
By Gail S. Bower, Bower & Co. Consulting
www.gailbower.com
Undoubtedly, the last 18 to 24 months have been a challenge for your organization and events. Congratulations; you made it through.
Now, it's a new year, and time for a new perspective. While the economic conditions are gradually improving - and let's choose to remain optimistic - I'd like to draw your attention to conditions in the marketplace you may have missed.
If you represent an important cause with a strong corporate sponsorship program, now is an excellent time to partner with the corporate sector. Yes, you read me correctly; I said 'an excellent time.'
Thanks to the recession, the bailouts, the bloodletting, and a barrage of other bad news, consumers have grown weary of the corporate sector. Trust has decreased, and reprioritizing has, well, become the priority. Consequently, corporations, especially in the financial sector, have their work cut out for them to rebuild trust and brand loyalty.
Consumer research shows that sponsorship of a nonprofit organization or cause, vs. sports or even the arts and culture, would contribute positively to consumers' increased approval of corporations.
Businesses are getting the message. Did you know that Pepsi pulled its Superbowl ad dollars and instead launched a cause and social marketing campaign?
Disney's in on the action. So is Seventh Generation. And a blogger with Fast Company wonders whether philanthropy is the new marketing. So, are you taking advantage of this and other opportunities?
Considering numerous economic and cultural conditions, I've spotted a few other corporate sponsorship trends, and here's what they mean for you:
1. Generic is out. So is superficial. If you're peddling a typical Gold/Silver/Bronze or other generic proposal as a form of marketing-driven corporate sponsorship, you're off the mark. Your sales pitch will sound increasingly irrelevant.
You're doing a disservice to your organization by offering low value to your corporate partner and failing to build leverage for your cause. You're also losing out on significant dollars.
Social media has changed the way we interact and engage with audiences. The proliferation of media over the last 35 years has had a broad effect, including contributing to increasingly niche audiences. We are not a monolithic mass audience. We don't market that way to consumers, and it doesn't work that way in a B2B setting either.
Sending out generic proposals to people and businesses you don't know sends a signal that you and your organization are inexperienced and unsophisticated. It's the quickest way for your materials to wind up in the trash.
Industries are all different, and businesses within those industries have unique needs. Your job is to learn more about them and develop your offerings specifically for that prospective partner.
ACTION: Do your research. Learn more about your partners' and prospective partners' businesses and industries so you have something meaningful to them to talk about. Develop programs for your partners that provide value in support of their specific business goals.
2. Be clear: marketing or philanthropic support? Are you interested in partnering in support of business goals or are you asking for a donation?
In the last 5 to 10 years, you've no doubt noticed shifts and changes in your work with the for-profit sector. More corporations have been asking for "benefits" in exchange for their "gifts," which changes the whole dynamic of the corporate giving model. You may have tried to respond to these sorts of requests but felt confused nonetheless. Philanthropy offices don't reduce that confusion.
Here's some clarity. Marketing-driven corporate sponsorship is a different model than the corporate giving model. It's a marketing medium designed to address business or marketing goals of the corporation. If you are in a discussion about corporate sponsorship dollars, you need to be asking questions about the company's business goals, marketing goals, and the ROI the company seeks.
The recession caused everyone - businesses, nonprofits, state and local governments, individuals - to question expenditures. (Everyone, it seems, but the federal government!) With uncertainty, we all want to know that how we spend our money will have a return and be meaningful in our businesses and lives. This trend is unlikely to stop in 2010. Your partners will want to know that an investment in your organization will move the needle for them.
If you're really seeking a donation, consider whether you really need to offer the kind of marketing value your marketing partners want, but that corporate foundations may not need or be interested in. Find out what's important.
Conversely, perhaps some combination of marketing and philanthropic dollars could be leveraged to meet multiple strategic interests. Think big. How can you really engage the corporation from both angles? How will that engagement propel your own strategic interests?
ACTION: Develop a clear strategy with each prospective corporation you're working with. How do you envision your partnership? How are you trying to engage with them? What is the business case you need to make? What's in it for both of you?
3. Corporate philanthropy offices will face increased pressure to show a measurable return and support of corporate strategic goals. As mentioned above, budgets have been placed under microscopes, and ROI, return on investment, is of utmost importance. Corporate leaders want to know that their limited dollars are invested wisely. Philanthropic dollars may contribute to corporations' reputation management, community quality of life issues, workforce development goals, as well as to other corporate social responsibility initiatives, both short- and long-term.
ACTiON: Make a business case about how the investment in your organization, perhaps coupled with dollars from other departments or initiatives, such as human resources, PR, marketing, corporate social responsibility, etc., can help fulfill broader strategic goals. The more departments you can integrate, the better. Why? Because your partner will be more engaged; you'll generate more dollars; and, together, your plans will yield a greater impact in the world.
Most events and nonprofit organizations have a great deal to offer the right marketers. If you're not taking advantage of these trends, of heightened consciousness to support social causes, you're missing important opportunities to galvanize support for your mission, your cause, your passion, and your constituency. You're also leaving money on the table.
To learn about other sponsorship trends and what they mean for you, check out the 1-hour long mp3 recording, 10 Trends in Sponsorship. Also, to learn more about the effects of the last year on sponsorship and what steps you can take now to improve your program, operation, and approach with new and existing sponsors, pick up a copy of Gail Bower's guidebook, How to Jump-start Your Sponsorship Strategy in Tough Times, called "the Bible for anyone securing sponsorships" by a reader who signed a five-figure title sponsorship for a new event by applying what she learned in the book.
www.gailbower.com
Undoubtedly, the last 18 to 24 months have been a challenge for your organization and events. Congratulations; you made it through.
Now, it's a new year, and time for a new perspective. While the economic conditions are gradually improving - and let's choose to remain optimistic - I'd like to draw your attention to conditions in the marketplace you may have missed.
If you represent an important cause with a strong corporate sponsorship program, now is an excellent time to partner with the corporate sector. Yes, you read me correctly; I said 'an excellent time.'
Thanks to the recession, the bailouts, the bloodletting, and a barrage of other bad news, consumers have grown weary of the corporate sector. Trust has decreased, and reprioritizing has, well, become the priority. Consequently, corporations, especially in the financial sector, have their work cut out for them to rebuild trust and brand loyalty.
Consumer research shows that sponsorship of a nonprofit organization or cause, vs. sports or even the arts and culture, would contribute positively to consumers' increased approval of corporations.
Businesses are getting the message. Did you know that Pepsi pulled its Superbowl ad dollars and instead launched a cause and social marketing campaign?
Disney's in on the action. So is Seventh Generation. And a blogger with Fast Company wonders whether philanthropy is the new marketing. So, are you taking advantage of this and other opportunities?
Considering numerous economic and cultural conditions, I've spotted a few other corporate sponsorship trends, and here's what they mean for you:
1. Generic is out. So is superficial. If you're peddling a typical Gold/Silver/Bronze or other generic proposal as a form of marketing-driven corporate sponsorship, you're off the mark. Your sales pitch will sound increasingly irrelevant.
You're doing a disservice to your organization by offering low value to your corporate partner and failing to build leverage for your cause. You're also losing out on significant dollars.
Social media has changed the way we interact and engage with audiences. The proliferation of media over the last 35 years has had a broad effect, including contributing to increasingly niche audiences. We are not a monolithic mass audience. We don't market that way to consumers, and it doesn't work that way in a B2B setting either.
Sending out generic proposals to people and businesses you don't know sends a signal that you and your organization are inexperienced and unsophisticated. It's the quickest way for your materials to wind up in the trash.
Industries are all different, and businesses within those industries have unique needs. Your job is to learn more about them and develop your offerings specifically for that prospective partner.
ACTION: Do your research. Learn more about your partners' and prospective partners' businesses and industries so you have something meaningful to them to talk about. Develop programs for your partners that provide value in support of their specific business goals.
2. Be clear: marketing or philanthropic support? Are you interested in partnering in support of business goals or are you asking for a donation?
In the last 5 to 10 years, you've no doubt noticed shifts and changes in your work with the for-profit sector. More corporations have been asking for "benefits" in exchange for their "gifts," which changes the whole dynamic of the corporate giving model. You may have tried to respond to these sorts of requests but felt confused nonetheless. Philanthropy offices don't reduce that confusion.
Here's some clarity. Marketing-driven corporate sponsorship is a different model than the corporate giving model. It's a marketing medium designed to address business or marketing goals of the corporation. If you are in a discussion about corporate sponsorship dollars, you need to be asking questions about the company's business goals, marketing goals, and the ROI the company seeks.
The recession caused everyone - businesses, nonprofits, state and local governments, individuals - to question expenditures. (Everyone, it seems, but the federal government!) With uncertainty, we all want to know that how we spend our money will have a return and be meaningful in our businesses and lives. This trend is unlikely to stop in 2010. Your partners will want to know that an investment in your organization will move the needle for them.
If you're really seeking a donation, consider whether you really need to offer the kind of marketing value your marketing partners want, but that corporate foundations may not need or be interested in. Find out what's important.
Conversely, perhaps some combination of marketing and philanthropic dollars could be leveraged to meet multiple strategic interests. Think big. How can you really engage the corporation from both angles? How will that engagement propel your own strategic interests?
ACTION: Develop a clear strategy with each prospective corporation you're working with. How do you envision your partnership? How are you trying to engage with them? What is the business case you need to make? What's in it for both of you?
3. Corporate philanthropy offices will face increased pressure to show a measurable return and support of corporate strategic goals. As mentioned above, budgets have been placed under microscopes, and ROI, return on investment, is of utmost importance. Corporate leaders want to know that their limited dollars are invested wisely. Philanthropic dollars may contribute to corporations' reputation management, community quality of life issues, workforce development goals, as well as to other corporate social responsibility initiatives, both short- and long-term.
ACTiON: Make a business case about how the investment in your organization, perhaps coupled with dollars from other departments or initiatives, such as human resources, PR, marketing, corporate social responsibility, etc., can help fulfill broader strategic goals. The more departments you can integrate, the better. Why? Because your partner will be more engaged; you'll generate more dollars; and, together, your plans will yield a greater impact in the world.
Most events and nonprofit organizations have a great deal to offer the right marketers. If you're not taking advantage of these trends, of heightened consciousness to support social causes, you're missing important opportunities to galvanize support for your mission, your cause, your passion, and your constituency. You're also leaving money on the table.
To learn about other sponsorship trends and what they mean for you, check out the 1-hour long mp3 recording, 10 Trends in Sponsorship. Also, to learn more about the effects of the last year on sponsorship and what steps you can take now to improve your program, operation, and approach with new and existing sponsors, pick up a copy of Gail Bower's guidebook, How to Jump-start Your Sponsorship Strategy in Tough Times, called "the Bible for anyone securing sponsorships" by a reader who signed a five-figure title sponsorship for a new event by applying what she learned in the book.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
So what are green events anyway?
For at least two years, event planners have likely been asked, "what are you doing to make your event more green?" And the answer to that question is all over the board - from simple recycyling and composting programs to event-owned venues producing their own bio-fuels from event waste.
As events work toward eco-friendly solutions to lessening their impact, there are still a lot of unanswered questions. How do I measure my event's impact? Are we truly becomming greener, or doing things just for the sake of doing things?
According to ClimatePath.com, a company that specializes in carbon neutral planning, as much as 90 percent of an event's carbon footprint is realized in attendee travel getting to the gathering. For events with a more local or regional audience, this percentage is likely smaller, but remains the largest impact. In Texas, where mass transit is not common, this may be a difficult factor to mitigate.
ClimatePath offers the following summary of how an event can measure its environmental impact so that a plan can be created for reduction.
Scope 1 emissions are those directly occurring "from sources that are owned or controlled", such as work vehicles.
Scope 2 emissions are emissions generated in the production of electricity consumed by the event organizer's activity. This also includes energy generated at the event location.
Scope 3 emissions are all the other indirect emissions that are a consequence of the activities of the event, but occur from sources not owned or controlled event organizer. These include air and ground travel, hotel stays, emissions of the production and transportation of purchased goods; outsourced activities; and so forth.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Industry Predicted to Hold Its Own in 2010
According to a study of event planners conducted by Special Events magazine, the industry is optimistic about the dawn of a new decade.
When forecasting 2010 event activity, some 84 percent of respondents say they expect to stage the same number of events or even more in 2010 compared with 2009. And while 29 percent will have bigger budgets to work with in 2010 versus 2009, an equal number will be stuck with this year's budget allocation, and the rest will have even less money to work with.
Log into www.tfea.org to vote in January's poll regarding anticipated budgets for Texas festivals and events.
When forecasting 2010 event activity, some 84 percent of respondents say they expect to stage the same number of events or even more in 2010 compared with 2009. And while 29 percent will have bigger budgets to work with in 2010 versus 2009, an equal number will be stuck with this year's budget allocation, and the rest will have even less money to work with.
Log into www.tfea.org to vote in January's poll regarding anticipated budgets for Texas festivals and events.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
What to do when the "antlers" come off?
Last night I was watching the Grinch that Stole Christmas while wrapping presents. Actually, I was just sort of glancing at it from time to time as not to miss my favorite scene when the Grinch ties an antler to his little dog's head, only to see the puppy fall over top-heavy into the snow. He eventually cuts off enough of the antler for the dog's back feet to find the ground again and, well, you know the rest.
My favorite scene of the Dr. Seuss classic brought back the funniest moment this holiday season in the TFEA office. One morning TFEA President Kay Wolf called and greeting me with "Something bad has happened, but it's sort of funny." For months, she and her staff had meticulously planned to bring live reindeer to the children of Hidalgo for the 2009 Festival of Lights, enjoyed by more than 750,000 people annually. The process including everything from coordinating veterinary health papers to a crash course in the care and feeding of reindeer.
A few days before the kick-off of the festival, one of the reindeer was being walked early morning by a city employee and PLUNK! One of the reindeer's majestic antlers simply dropped off! Shocked and panicked, the employee tucks the fallen antler under his arm and heads back to the reindeer pen, but within a few feet there is another PLUNK! Both antlers are gone!
With growing concern, he places the reindeer in its pen with the other reindeer and calls to report the problem. While on the phone, a reindeer smackdown ensues (leave it to two lady reindeer to get into a spat over such matters) and low and behold, the other reindeer loses one if its antlers, too! Soon thousands of people will arrive to look at two reindeer who only have one antler between them!
When Kay conveyed this story to me, she and I laughed so hard my mascara ran down my cheeks and my tummy hurt. Such is the life of an event planner! We never know what is in store for us and sometimes the only thing left to do is laugh.
But don't worry. The story has a mostly happy ending. For starters, reindeer shed their antlers annually, but typically not until AFTER the holiday season. And the two decrowned reindeer were traded for different ones with spectacular antlers in time for the big opening and children of all ages were wowed by their beauty. But as fate would have it, weeks later the replacement reindeer also lost their antlers prematurely! Likely the warm climate of South Texas tricked the reindeer into thinking spring had arrived.
But in spite of the drama, they still carried their load and made for a successful event, just like the little dog of Grinch cartoon fame. You can't steal Christmas from Whoville and you can't steal it from Hidalgo either!
Monday, December 7, 2009
Sometimes you just know what you do is cool.
As the Executive Director of TFEA, I have the privilege of getting to attend a lot of festivals and meet event planners from around the globe. This has been an amazing opportunity, but it can also make one a bit jaded at times. Because I am surrounded constantly by the brightest and best, I have become convinced that I am getting pretty darned hard to impress.
And then, right in my own hometown, I am reminded what it is all about. Today I attended the dedication and grand re-opening of the 33,000 SF George H.W. Bush Gallery of the Museum of the Pacific War, which is part of the ever-growing Admiral Nimitz Museum complex. I played no role in the production of the event. Rather I was there as a small sponsor and happy observer.
The event was very well done, but also had its small snafus. A low cloud deck forced the cancellation of the scheduled paratrooper landing and delayed the start of the ceremony when former President Bush's plane was redirected.
But what impressed me was not so much the considerable hoopla. Rather it was the impact of the activities that found me contemplating just how rewarding the job of an event planner can be. As I looked around I saw the weathered faces of survivors from Pearl Harbor and Iwo Jima, undoubtedly some of the bravest men ever. I saw a tiny baby wrapped in blue, still unaware that war even exists. I saw school children, many of whom were about to gain their first glimpse and understanding of the battles that literally saved the world. I saw the proud and amazed smile of my 98-year-old grandmother who has lived across the street from the Nimitz complex for more than 75 years.
These combined images renewed the sense of pride I have in our industry, which exists largely to deliver unforgettable experiences to those we touch. I encourage each of you to take a different look at your next event. In addition to the watchful eye you place on the execution of each element of your event, take some time to simply watch the celebration unfold through the lens of your attendees. Listen to the music of their laughter. Renew in their spirit of wonder. Feel their rush of emotion. Then lay your head down at the end of the day (or early the next morning) knowing just how cool it all really is.
And then, right in my own hometown, I am reminded what it is all about. Today I attended the dedication and grand re-opening of the 33,000 SF George H.W. Bush Gallery of the Museum of the Pacific War, which is part of the ever-growing Admiral Nimitz Museum complex. I played no role in the production of the event. Rather I was there as a small sponsor and happy observer.
The event was very well done, but also had its small snafus. A low cloud deck forced the cancellation of the scheduled paratrooper landing and delayed the start of the ceremony when former President Bush's plane was redirected.
But what impressed me was not so much the considerable hoopla. Rather it was the impact of the activities that found me contemplating just how rewarding the job of an event planner can be. As I looked around I saw the weathered faces of survivors from Pearl Harbor and Iwo Jima, undoubtedly some of the bravest men ever. I saw a tiny baby wrapped in blue, still unaware that war even exists. I saw school children, many of whom were about to gain their first glimpse and understanding of the battles that literally saved the world. I saw the proud and amazed smile of my 98-year-old grandmother who has lived across the street from the Nimitz complex for more than 75 years.
These combined images renewed the sense of pride I have in our industry, which exists largely to deliver unforgettable experiences to those we touch. I encourage each of you to take a different look at your next event. In addition to the watchful eye you place on the execution of each element of your event, take some time to simply watch the celebration unfold through the lens of your attendees. Listen to the music of their laughter. Renew in their spirit of wonder. Feel their rush of emotion. Then lay your head down at the end of the day (or early the next morning) knowing just how cool it all really is.
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