Festival Operations 101 Kauai Marriot May 16, 2008 - Hawaii Tourism Authority

1. Festival Operations 101 Kauai Marriot May 16, 2008 - Hawaii Tourism Authority Presented by Katherine Fisher • Hawaii Health Guide • Hawaii Healing Garden Festival (SPEP) • Kauai Health & Wellness Film Festival (CPEP) • Kauai Diabetes Awareness Day (KDAD)

2. Is an authentic community gathering and celebration. Marks special occasions Recognizes and honors our unique culture and heritage A Successful Festival…

3. Has a unique identity and branding recognition Supports local artists and stimulates creativity. Example: Artist Carolyn Quan received funding as well as national and statewide exposure for her art commissioned for Hawaii Healing Garden Festival signature image. A Successful Festival..

4. Involves and excites the community. Is multi-generational and passes down values and customs. A Successful Festival..

5. Celebrates regional and cultural diversity. Highlights local craftsmanship, music and talent. A Successful Festival..

6. Generates revenue. Stimulates idea exchange. A Successful Festival…

7. Is welcoming and inviting to all. Doesn’t have to be big! A Successful Festival…

8. A successful Festival supports your local venues and business.

9. Organize Planning & Logistics Teamwork & Community Coordination Wrap up: Report, Reflect, Recycle, Refresh 4 stages of operations for Successful Festivals

10. Hurricanes, Tsunami, Centipedes and the 4 “R’s” • Organizing your festival with clear mission and goals helps keep your calm center in the middle of a hurricane. • Planning your festival to avoid the procrastination tsunami. • Teamwork& Community Coordination: Centipede has 100 legs that work together. • Remember the 4 R’s to help build momentum and reputation for quality annual events.

11. Mission and Goals:Provide a calm center • A clear mission statement and specific goals help create the calm eye in the middle of the storm. • Write down your mission statement and share your goals of the festival with every staff member & volunteer. • Print your mission on your program, and build into your PR. • Understanding and conveying the purpose of the festival will help you organize your festival with success. • Keep it fun - don’t get blown away or lost in the details

12. Know your mission statement: “To celebrate and share the wide variety of nutritional and medicinal plants growing in Hawaii that are a part of our multicultural heritage.”

13. Know and share your goals: Hawaii Healing Garden Festival will: • Present a greater appreciation and better understanding of the traditional applications of healing with plants while honoring the kumu, kupuna, kahuna and other wisdom keepers of this ancient and valuable knowledge.(Culture) • Appreciate Hawaii’s unique native plants &medicinal healing plants while learning how to protect Hawaii’s ‘aina (Environment) • Provide the opportunity to improve health by learning about enhancing health through diet, nutrition, gardening, herbs and spices. (Health) • Be a safe and enjoyable place for meeting new people from diverse ethnic backgrounds come together to find common denominators with plant knowledge and share our multicultural heritage (Community) • Encourage economic development by supporting community through the use of local sustainable resources, ecologically sound products, and knowledgeable local health practitioners.(Economics) • Invite the community to explore unique locations such as gardens, parks, farms, and natural environments while engaging in enjoyable, multi-sensory experiences, and fun learning activities. (Exploration/Education) (“Go outside and play”)

14. Turn the hurricane into a bull’s eye:Your Mission and Goals help you hit your target when making decisions • Define audience demographic • Season for festival • Product development • Venue selection • Entertainment selection • Presentation and Programming • Attract sponsors and support • Build community partnership with common goals • Growth and cycles

15. Lead your staff and volunteers with a sense of joy and fun. Be contagious! They will follow your mood as well as your mission. Have an Attitude.. Of fun!

16. Planning.. For success • Timing is everything.. • Catch a great wave of momentum. • Avoid a wipe out! • Beware of the Tsunami of tasks that builds from procrastination. • Don’t leave things to the last minute!

17. Grant writing Venue selection Sponsorship sales Reservations & deposits Keynote speaker or featured guest selection contract Insurance Entertainment Graphic arts National and Statewide Advertising schedule $ Banking, accounting, business plan Tasks & Timelines:6-18 months before event

18. Insurance Safety & Security County Permits: Special use, food, banner Stage & tent rental (if outdoors) PA and sound team Entertainment contracts Speaker contracts & bios Graphic arts & program design Advertising schedule Fund raising Board meeting & community updates Press Release Tasks & Timelines: 3 - 6 months before event

19. Volunteer training Local Promotion and Postering Advance registration- workshops Interview schedules with presenters Press Releases Update calendars & schedules Rehearsals Travel reservations & guest accommodations T-shirt printing Menu procurement Schedule media coverage Comfort stations Hospitality: thank you cards and leis Booth sales and income Tasks & Timelines: 1 - 3 months before event

20. Plan.. For success “If you don’t have a back up, you ain’t got a plan.” • Contingency for weather • Grant cycles and funding delays • Dead batteries, volunteer no-shows • Family emergencies • “Mercury in retrograde”… • communication or computer glitches • Traffic jams, travel delays, jet lag

21. Teamwork & Community Coordination: • Build relationships with similar organizations • Board of directors • Marketing & Media partners • Community support • Build in win-win opportunities

22. Teamwork & Community Coordination: • Volunteer staff • Marketing & Media partners • Community support • Involve local talent • Mentoring students • Build in more win-win opportunities • Recognition of excellence

23. Care and feeding of your volunteers.. • 20% of your community makes 80% of it happen. • VIP seating for Carol Yotsuda and Anne O’Malley at the Waimea Theater.

24. Care and feeding of your volunteers.. • Feed your volunteers! • Involve students and offer opportunity to personally meet the stars and learn from the experts. • Make it a positive experience and create good memories.

25. Care and feeding of your sponsors.. • In Hawaii we are fortunate to have seed funding for festivals from the CPEP program. Remember these funds come with 1:1 cash and in-kind community matching requirement. • Sponsors, unlike other forms of fundraising, are looking for specific return on their investment in your festival in exchange for logo, product placement or increased visibility to your niche of festival attendees • Treat your sponsors as your business clients. Provide service contracts, clear agreements, event documentation and follow up.

26. “R” you Ready to… • Reflect • Refresh • Recycle • Report

27. Remember the 4 “R’s” • Reflect - surveys, interviews, feedback for improvement. • Recycle - what works- use your best ideas in future planning • Report - 30 days after event, your required CPEP final report is due for final 10% • Refresh - Keep it fresh, visit other festivals, connect with other festival organizers, scout talent, continue training opportunities. No one benefits if you burn out!

28. Visit & learn from other Kauai HTA CPEP festivals • Coconut Festival • Mokihana Festival • Polynesian Festival • Tahitian Festival • Kauai Rodeo • Banana Poka Festival • Kokee Queen Emma Festival • Waimea Days • Koloa Plantation Days • E Kanikapila • Kauai Music Festival

29. Explore and participate in other festivals • Maui Whale Festival • Prince Lot Hula Festival • East Maui Taro Festival • Grow Hawaiian Festival • Aloha Festival

30. Resources: • Robbie Kaholokula - County of Kauai CPEP • HTA & IFEA (The International Festivals & Events Association) training opportunities • Web: • GoHawaii.com • KauaiFestivals.com • HawaiiHealthGuide.com • TV: • Wala’au with Dicky Chang • Ho’ike Kauai Public Access Cable • Print: • Garden Island News, Kauai People, Inspiration Journal, • Radio: • KONG group, KKCR • County of Kauai • Public Works & Permitting, Liquor Commission

31. Good things are growing from the Garden Island… • The original Hawaii Healing Garden Ethno-botanical and Cultural Festival started on Kauai with CPEP funding in 2005 and celebrate the common denominator we have among all cultures and plant uses, and instills an appreciation for culture, and environment. Hawaiian, Polynesian, Filipino, Chinese, Japanese, Western and Native and Ayurvedic practioners and traditions are represented. • The Healing Garden expanded to Waimea Valley on Oahu in 2006 with CPEP funding. • In 2007 the Healing Garden Festival launched statewide with SPEP support, generating support and revenue along with a reputation for excellent speakers, authentic cultural education, a health fair, keiki programs, and world class entertainment. • We continue to build community partnerships across the state, and provide focal points for culturally and environmentally sustainable business and practices across the state.

32. Please come join us at the Kauai Healing Garden Festival Solstice Celebration June 21st at Malama Kauai - Kilauea Additional tours and workshops throughout the week across Kauai.