State of the Industry Expert Panel

Webinar Recording, Resources, and More

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Panelists

Panel Intro and 7 Guidelines for Reopening: Amanda Elliott, Senior Program Officer and Director of California Programs, Main Street America

Event Cancellations and Postponements, Farmers Markets, Stakeholder Communication: Rachael Snedecor, Executive Director, Livermore Downtown

Sponsorship: Teresa Stas, Director and CEO, Green Cactus Sponsorship Agency

Ticketing: Ryan Kintz, CEO, Afton Tickets

Facilitator and Virtual Programming: Michael Bleau, Co-founder and CEO, Event Hub.

Resource Links

Main Street America Covid-19 Recovery Resource Center

Download: The Event Safety Alliance Reopening Guide

Sponsorship/Marketing Resources

Ticketing Resources

Virtual Event Resources

Virtual Event Production Tool List

Event Hub’s Virtual Expo / Vendor Village Teaser

General SBA Resources and Links

Q&A Highlights

Q: How would you address social distancing for events that are more street style vs. an enclosed space? In example, when the main attraction is an outdoor artisan street fair where there really is no way to close off the space to keep track of how many people are in the space?

A: (Michael) This will greatly depend on the regulations required by local government. I would say there are definitely some best practices- marking sides of the street at one-way, requiring facial coverings, limiting the amount of people allowed inside a given booth, one way in, one way out of booths, are all things being used by many of the farmers markets currently in operation.

Q: How would you address social distancing for events that are more street style vs. an enclosed space? In example, when the main attraction is an outdoor artisan street fair where there really is no way to close off the space to keep track of how many people are in the space?

A: This will greatly depend on the regulations required by local government. I would say there are definitely some best practices- marking sides of the street at one-way, requiring facial coverings, limiting the amount of people allowed inside a given booth, one way in, one way out of booths, are all things being used by many of the farmers markets currently in operation.

Q: What type of swag is normally sent out for virtual marathons and other virtual endurance races?

A: Typically virtual runners get both a t-shirt and a medal. Often if it is a virtual series they get sent partial medals that combine to form one massive series medal at completion. Also most races send a virtual goodie bag!

Q: How do you plan on keeping staff safe during events? Masks and gloves doesn’t seem like enough.

A: The Reopening Guide (download above) talks about this at length! Sanitization stations, daily temperature checks for staff and attendees at entrance, proper PPE for staff, daily deep cleaning and wipe downs of equipment are all recommended, along with STRONG messaging to patrons on social distancing, onsite signage and marking off safe spacing for queuing up at booths and for open grass areas.

Q: Our city is thinking about doing fireworks only on July 4th. Citizens would be able to make the choice to find a parking lot and watch from their vehicle or home. We normally have a concert, food trucks, etc. with about 10,000 people in our city park but only fireworks this year. The park would be closed. What are your thoughts?

A:This is a reasonable idea, IF the park is closed off in such a way that people can’t mass gather outside of their cars, local law enforcement is aggressive about warding off early attempts at breaking the policy, and there is ample signage and parking spaces marked off for viewing. A virtual broadcast of the fireworks is also a great idea!

Q: Could you do better as a live fundraiser (donation) vs selling tickets for a virtual event?

A: We’ve seen individual artists do tip based programming with some success, but Ryan recommends against fundraising vs offering tickets and programming from an organizers’ perspective. You will want to protect your relationship with attendees as providing entertainment in exchange for their money versus soliciting donations. However, “give what you can” programming with a suggested amount could see success.

Q: Do you have any great ideas for showing appreciation to sponsors (which will help with retention!) for a zero to low budget? I want my sponsors to know how much I really need and love them!

A: You’d be surprised how well hand-written notes go over! Small gifts etc,. digital mentions via e-blast and social media are some great perks. I recommend looking into “surprise and delight” concepts for b2b as well!