The Belleville Waterfront Festival

FOR ANYONE WHO CARES -

As you may know, this year’s festival has been cancelled. This is really going to hurt Belleville’s reputation and cost the city thousands of dollars in lost tourist revenue. There is no excuse for the incompetence that has led to this unfortunate cancellation of a 46-year tradition.

After the failed festival in 2023, with attendance down drastically to around ten thousand from the previous year’s thirty thousand I wanted to suggest how to revise all aspects of the festival. I spent months contacting everyone involved, from vendors to local bands, to the agents for the previous headliners that Susan Walsh had organized for the previous five years.

When I was finished I printed and bound the proposal and submitted it to the Chamber of Commerce with a digital copy to the Mayor, and offered to appear before council to discuss the proposal. Instead I got no response from the Mayor and a “cease and desist” email from the Chamber, claiming that I was falsely representing myself as authorized by the Chamber or the City. This was patently untrue because every single contact I made had a disclosure right up front that I was just a concerned citizen and had zero authority to negotiate anything.

If anyone had paid attention to me maybe this year’s festival could have been restored to its previous success, and actually drew larger crowds and made the City money.

If, like me, you attended the festival for many years, I urge you to contact the Mayor’s office and the Chamber of Commerce, and ask why this year’s festival was cancelled and what they are doing to restore the festival in 2026.

As was the case with offering to appear before Council to discuss my proposals, I am happy to talk to anyone who has questions or other suggestions. After all my work I don’t give up easily so I will not accept that the festival is dead.

Thank you.

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Executive Summary

With no disrespect and no prejudice to anyone involved in the festival for 2023 it is abundantly clear that this year’s festival was a disaster. Attendance figures are arguable with no clear way to judge how many people attended; however, there is no question is was far below the previous year’s estimated thirty thousand visitors. An official of the Chamber of Commerce estimated the attendance at ten thousand. The author of this proposal suggests attendance might have been closer to five thousand the first weekend, so attendance at the Midway the following weekend must be added.

In particular the park was virtually empty all day Friday. There were none of the usual lineups at any of the food vendors. Attendance at the Lions Pavilion for the entertainment was beyond pathetic, as illustrated by this photo of just two people in lawn chairs for Borelson, one of the headliners, and no doubt one of the most expensive. The entertainment committee’s goal of making this year’s festival “more multicultural” was certainly achieved; however, the result was that nobody came.

In previous years Susan Walsh handled the entertainment and she said she started booking the acts the day after the previous year’s festival ended. This is the only way to get top billed acts. Last year she did a particularly amazing job with incredible acts like ABBA Revisited, Tapestry, Transit Chicago, Steve Michaels, The Beach Boys tribute band, and many others, and the pavilion was packed. If you didn’t get there hours in advance to place your lawn chairs you were out of luck and ended up on the hills around the pavilion, although these were also packed.

This year as late as mid-May the website for the festival had nothing showing for both music and food. Even after the website was finally updated no one recognized any of the acts that were booked other than the local bands, Trilogy and Bad to the Bone. This meant that there was little if any advance promotion of the festival. Both the author of this proposal and others involved in the festival were begging for any information that they could promote themselves, but nothing was made available.

The drastically low level of attendance also resulted in losses for both the food vendors and those with booths in the Marketplace, many of which are at risk of not returning to next year’s festival if many things are not done better including to properly promote the festival well in advance.

This proposal attempts to make suggestions for everything about the festival, from parking to transit to, quite obviously, the entertainment.

Concept

After surveying the community for interest, ideas and recommendations, organizers need to outline what the festival objectives are going to be and how to achieve them. These goals and objectives may include: · strengthening community identity and spirit · providing a venue for local artists and artisans to showcase and sell their products · celebrating the heritage of the community · improving the local economy · acquainting the local and outside community to the unique opportunities within your community · achieving attendance targets · raising funds for a local charitable organization · creating a tourist destination.

Part of the evaluation process of the festival is to review the goals and decide if the outcome of this year’s festival was what was expected and if this reflects the vision and mission statements. Changes to the vision and mission statements should occur as the festival or event evolves. Given the obvious failure of making the festival “more multicultural” this year the suggestion is to drop any reference to this and make the theme of next year a true celebration of Belleville.

Developing and Maximizing the Theme

When it comes to creating a festival, one of the most essential elements is the theme, as this is what will both attract attendees and help to create an experience that is unique to the festival. The intent is to consistently communicate the theme in all aspects of the festival. It should be incorporated into: the name; programming and activities; music and entertainment; sponsorship; food and beverage offerings; décor; apparel; and in the design of marketing and promotional material. Maximizing the theme should be a fun and creative process. Think outside the box. What activities and programs can be added to the festival that are fun and dynamic and appeal to a wider audience or specific audience that we are trying to attract?

One suggestion that has been discussed with the prospective Midway provider is to add games such as throwing the rings on bottles, knocking over pins, a basketball hoop, horse races, darts breaking balloons, plus many free activities for the kids, like the Bungee Run and Skeet Roll. This provider rents numerous activities, far more than any other provider.

The marketing logo could simply be changed to –

If the concept is to be renewed these are some other ideas:

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are many other things that could enhance the theme of the festival to support the city, such as selling the “I Love Belleville” buttons at the weekly market and other city events, creating a mascot such as those created for the Olympics and selling stuffed animals of the mascot online and at city events and, of course, the festival itself.

Something like this maybe –

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Organizing Committee

As was communicated to me by a member of the Chamber of Commerce the committee consisting of forty-five members was unworkable, especially when it came to making the festival “more multicultural”, and not booking the entertainers well in advance as has been done in previous years. Regardless of who is responsible for the entertainment it needs to be someone with sole authority to hire the entertainers and get this done now.

Functional Components of Festival Planning

With no disrespect to previous organizers there are eight key areas which need to be managed throughout the festival process:

1. Overall Management of the Festival

The committee Chair will be responsible for keeping the committee sub-chairs accountable, on target and on schedule. It is this position’s responsibility to ensure that the Board and/or Committee clearly understands the vision and mission and are working towards a common goal.

Obviously this Festival Director position is one I would gladly volunteer for with a token one dollar salary to make it official, and reimbursement of any legitimate expenses.

2. Financial Management

The task of looking after the finances of the festival is the Treasurer’s responsibility. Under financial management may include handling the insurance, payroll, invoices and payment for contractor(s), supplier(s) and performer(s), gate and box office revenue collection, as well as invoicing and collection of vendor fees.

3. Fundraising

For festivals like ours that have been operating for several years, fundraising throughout the year may be a lucrative means to supplement revenue. There are different forms of fundraising including researching and applying for grants, obtaining corporate sponsorship or undertaking specific fundraising activities such as the sale of specialty goods, raffles and auctions. Funding organizations or private businesses will want to know what plans are in place to develop and maintain financial sustainability. Private foundations and government granting agencies as well as private donors often have a limit on how long they will support a festival. Organizers should strive to create a self-sustaining model.

4. Sponsorship

At this point this proposal does not deal with any of the existing sponsors and only suggests there are many others who could be approached. For example, in my discussions with the Ramada about offering discounted room rates I also raised the issue of them becoming a corporate sponsor, saying they would get a lot of exposure in the festival marketing and at the festival.

Sponsorship has always been critical to the festival. Depending on the size and scale of sponsorship, there might be separate fundraising and sponsorship committees. The Board and/or Organizing Committee can aid in developing prospects by suggesting potential sponsors from the community and providing guidance regarding the components of the festival to be sponsored. The person in charge of this area will develop a list of potential sponsors; letter of solicitation; levels of sponsorship including benefits and recognition; provide sponsors with activation ideas and support their efforts; ensure that they are appropriately thanked; and communicate with the sponsor throughout the planning cycle.

5. Media and Promotion

The Board and/or Organizing Committee can offer direction on how to promote the festival and whether an advertising campaign is required to support the efforts. This important task requires a committee member who is skilled and experienced in producing promotional materials and coordinating print ads, the festival website and, most importantly, social media. Again, as a website designer for many years this report’s author can assist with this task.

6. Entertainment and Programming

This function may be divided into two areas of responsibility. A programming function and a vendor function. For the programming function, the Board and/or Organizing Committee should give some direction on what elements will make up the festival planning, initiating and implementing the programming elements such as live performances, activities, guest speakers or emcees, contracts and décor fall under the programming function. Decisions are based on availability, budget and fit. Our festival includes a vendor component, food and/or exhibitor booths, etc., so this function involves recruiting vendors, establishing guidelines and regulations and assisting with load in/load out schedules of these vendors.

7. Production and Event Operations

The job of overseeing the physical site has a number of different components that may require specialized skills including technical knowledge of sound/ audio/visual equipment, venue regulations, by-law considerations, security and the ability to produce a contingency plan in case external factors prevent the festival from continuing on the site, such as weather and power outages. Other than the lighting issues at the pavilion sound management has always been excellent.

8. Volunteers

Volunteers are an important resource for any festival. Boards and/or Organizing Committees are often comprised of volunteers who have an interest in the festival. Our festival would never have survived without the consider efforts of the many volunteers. The only requirement for next year is that all volunteers be given a unique coloured wristband and an “I Love Belleville” button. Consideration might also be given to providing a unique volunteer T-Shirt.

Developing an Operating Budget

Budgeting is a critical part of the festival planning process. An effective budget enables the organizer to make appropriate decisions and adjustments, if necessary. It is important to closely monitor and manage the finances of the festival and communicate with members of the Board and/or Organizing Committee so everyone understands what expenditures and commitments can and cannot be made. Following the festival, the approved budget needs to be compared with the actual expenses incurred.

Although I am aware that $70,000 was for city expenses this year, clearly I am not party to any other budget numbers. There were several discussions about the entertainment budget and things like not having a beer garden, but a fundamental change for next year is to have ticketing, mostly to provide a much better entertainment lineup.

Ticketing

City Council mandated that the festival be free; however, this has meant far too limited a budget for the event, particularly for entertainment. Although thirty thousand dollars does not go far to attract top name entertainers who often travel long distances to get here, Susan Walsh managed to book headliners for every day of the 2022 festival.

As is often said “you get what you pay for” so a free event does not usually promise very much. When you look at the prices for many of our local jamborees, like The 2023 County Country Jamboree in Stirling Ontario, at $30 a day; $60 a day for the Hollyrood Country Jamboree: $25 for the Norwood Country Jamboree, and $35 for a day pass at the 50’s 60’s 70’s Rock N Roll Music Festival, charging a reasonable fee to attend the festival to cover great entertainment is the right decision.

With ticketing there are many new considerations, from parking to the setup of the entry gate to security of cash. The layout of the gate is included in the attached site map, and research with several companies to supply the necessary equipment is ongoing at this point; however these are the issues:

Ticket Booths

The suggestion would be a four window ticket booth selling both entry tickets and midway tickets.

Entrance to the festival could be done on either a fixed price basis or a donation. Suggested individual adult (over 18) daily price would be ten dollars. Daily family price would be thirty dollars. There could also be an option for a full event pass to cover all four days. Individuals would save ten dollars by paying thirty dollars for an all-day pass.

In addition to the entry fee there would also be an option to add a donation to the festival. Any donation of five dollars or more would give the person this button to show their support –

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These ticket options are for the Midway.

There have been very successful negotiations with a company, Astro Amusements in Toronto, for everything from Midway rides to games and much more; however, there our ongoing talks about ticketing. Normally they have their own ticket booths, but we have discussed selling their tickets at the front gate to avoid lineups and double ticketing.

This year’s very small Midway was met with numerous negative comments, from the high prices to small rides to lineups. No one appeared to enjoy the separate Midway weekend. There was also confusion with Belleville Transit about whether there would be shuttle buses as there were for the first festival weekend, so that didn’t help. Although I asked, Belleville Transit didn’t even know there was second weekend, and I was then told this was under consideration, but no one responded. They did, in fact, run the shuttle Saturday and Sunday, but I spoke to a driver on the Sunday and he said it was dead because no one knew it was running. Poor communication between the festival and Belleville Transit.

For a family with three or four kids an individual all access pass costing thirty dollars is far too much to afford, although the same pass at this year’s CNE is forty-three dollars; however, the CNE has a lot more to offer. They have a five dollar ticket that only provides four coupons which most rides require so only getting one ride is a very poor choice. An all access pass at the PNE is fifty dollars this year!

The company I have been talking to is very interested in becoming the Midway provider of choice for many years to come so they appear to be very negotiable. Discussions have been selling tickets for the Midway at the festival front gate, the only issue being tracking payments for them, cash management and cash security, obviously. The negotiating has been for an adult pass and a kid’s pass. Depending on the type of rides provided selling separate one ride tickets would not work well. The goal is to have everyone enjoy all the rides and attractions with a single all access pass. The ticketing option provides unique coloured wristbands to wear on the other wrist to show what was purchased so this speeds up entry to the rides and avoids any long lineups.

There are three additional aspects of ticketing, one being payments, one being festival entry and the other being for the Midway.

Everyone today uses their smart phone to pay for anything and everything, from meals to boarding the buses here. The festival website, which for next year must be done much better and much earlier, would offer prepayment by debit or credit card, with confirmation sent to the user’s smart phone and email, which they would then show at the gate, the way that Cineplex does when you attend the show. This would significantly speed up entry to the festival and would only require the electronic readers.

For the festival entry once payment has been confirmed the visitors would be given fixed coloured wristbands with the colour showing what they purchased. Different colours for a daily pass, all-day pass, all event pass and so on. Although congestion at the gate must be avoided at all costs it would be nice to also have a colour for those who have made a donation to the festival, probably gold coloured and they also get the “I Love Belleville” button to show their support.

For the Midway, and assuming the Midway company agrees to selling all access passes at the front gate, there would be slightly different wristbands, again in a colour according to what was purchased, and worn on the other wrist, which will speed up getting on the rides.

Although highly unlikely to happen, how do staff handle someone who does not have a wristband? First all artists, their stage crews and anyone associated with the festival, including volunteers, they would be given a unique coloured wristband. Should staff see someone not wearing a wristband they would approach the individual as a guest and question why they do not have any wristband, and not in any confrontational manner. Worst case scenario they would contact the auxiliary police to have the individual escorted off the premises. The only foreseeable challenge would be those getting to the festival area off a boat somewhere, but they would then be asked to go to the front gate and get their passes. Also any entrance to the festival area from the other end of the park would be fenced off. As well during the festival access to the paved pathways in the festival grounds would be prohibited; however, there are lots of public pathways in other areas of the park.

In addition to the ticket booth there is the issue of entry to the festival and how to track the numbers. There have been successful negotiations with a company that rents turnstiles. The cost is $250 dollars a day, plus $575 to cover shipping. Unfortunately they do not offer a rent to buy option because these would be required at every future festival once ticketing has proven to be successful. The only issue with this company is where and when to ship the turnstiles.

The turnstiles would clearly keep track of the number of guests and provide firm numbers to vendors and entertainers and help to market future festivals. If turnstiles are not used then staff would be at the gate to use a simple clicker to count people entering, which would not be as exact.

Programming and Entertainment

Programming and entertainment can range from attractions, activities, interactive games, live bands, DJs, magicians, strolling performers, etc. Selecting the appropriate type of programming and entertainment depends on the target audience and the type of atmosphere the organizers wants to create. Before securing entertainers, it is critical to determine the following: • Who are the festival participants? • How many attendees does the festival want to attract? • What is the purpose of the programming and entertainment? • How does the programming and entertainment integrate with the theme? • Is it appropriate for and will it appeal to the target audience? • Does it need to be static, mobile and/or interactive? • What equipment may be required? • What is the budget? For what duration? • Will an entrance fee be charged to help offset entertainment and programming costs? • Are any of the sponsors affiliated with any entertainment or community groups? • Are there any entertainment rider requirements? • Do the entertainers have references/reviews they can share? • Will the program be accessible to people with disabilities? • Are the programming and entertainment elements inclusive? Local newspapers, pubs, clubs and theatre groups are potential sources to help locate live entertainment. A key variable in ensuring a successful festival is ensuring attendees are entertained, something clearly missing from this year’s festival. Programming that is engaging is the most desirable.

To address these concerns, first, the theme of the festival is a celebration of Belleville, so the suggested entertainment lineup is comprised of many local bands, both to celebrate and promote them and to attract their many fans. If you compare the two people in lawn chairs to watch Borelson this year, with the packed pavilion and the hills outside the pavilion with the opening night of Concerts on the Bay with The Reasons, booking popular local bands is the obvious choice.

Although the demographic for the festival has usually been an older crowd, they still love to dance, as was the case for The Reasons. It was the same for the incredible bands that were booked last year. If you didn’t place your lawn chairs hours before each band you were out of luck and ended up outside the pavilion.

The only issue with previous shows was the break between bands. Although sound checks are required, depending on the types of instruments and vocals for a band, some bands do their sound checks only minutes before they go on, but others will do theirs half an hour before they go on. This leaves a lot of dead air between bands and people usually leave to wander the festival or get something to eat.

There could be a DJ between bands who takes a break for sound checks. I have contacted a local dance instructor who has offered to give free dance lessons twice a day, each day. There could also be contests and games between sets. There could be kid’s dance company performances which would attract their parents. There could be buskers such a magicians and jugglers who don’t need music.

The most critical factor as far as entertainment is concerned is budget. Despite having no ticket revenue last year every day had top name entertainers like ABBA Revisited, Steve Michaels, Transit Chicago, Tapestry and others, so if there is ticketing, just like every other music festival in our area, these types of acts can be booked, but, again, now! The only limitation is the size of the venue so the festival cannot deal with entertainers who usually fill auditoriums or stadiums. The Mavericks recently played to a full house at the Empire Theatre. I do recall seeing them several years ago at the Western Fair in London, Ontario where their stage was set up in a small corner of the fairgrounds, but the minute they started playing the crowd was shoulder to shoulder.

This year Burton Cummings is appearing at the Western Fair and tickets are $74! Just for one entertainer, not multiple entertainers like our festival. General admission to the fair is ten dollars, as suggested in this proposal.

The Beer Garden

In previous years the beer garden at the festival was a hugely popular event and many visitors this year asked where it went. In discussions with a festival organizer it was because it is not a guaranteed profitable event as most people figure. Insurance is an incredible two thousand dollars a day. Breweries only pay five dollars a case despite the high cost of beer. There are associated costs like fencing, equipment and policing.

Beer gardens in Canada have undergone many changes over the years. Many are now featuring local craft beers but aren’t as popular as selling branded, well know beers. Provinces like BC no longer require fencing off a beer garden and allow both beer and spirits to be consumed anywhere on the grounds.

To see this return to the festival next year first attempts are being made to get a major brand to sponsor the beer garden. Failing this the local craft beer companies will be approached. It is felt that both of these will not face the huge insurance costs for this year’s organizers. It is still recommended that there be a fenced off area for the beer garden, in the same place as it was before so people can still enjoy the entertainment from the beer garden. Assuming that it is successful possibly in future years it could not be fenced but with consumption limited to the festival grounds and no outside alcohol allowed. This does allow guests to enjoy their drinks with food and with family.

Picnic Tables

At every year’s festival a lack of picnic tables, particularly any under shade, has been a problem. There always appears to be a lot of space in both the food truck area and the World Food Fair, so it just needs better organization. Possibly some tables in front of each food tent, although without shade, and then more food court areas under a canopy in the central Food Fair area.

The food trucks in the paved area are only on one side, leaving enormous space simply for foot traffic. Although there are trees on the other side and power supply considerations, it would be much better to have the trucks on each side, possibly with picnic tables down the center. If you look at any fair, like the CNE and the Pacific National Exhibition, even Disneyland, there are few open areas and people expect to be in crowds.

Parking

Parking has been a bottleneck primarily because volunteers need to collect the five dollar fee on entry. The traffic congestion also affects the shuttle bus, although this will be dealt with under Transit. There have also been a number of complaints voiced on social media because parking for the Trenton Festival is free.

A much larger issue with the parking is the statement on the festival website that “YOUR DONATION SUPPORTS LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS” giving the impression that the parking fees are donated to charity. An official was questioned as to what organizations benefitted and the response was shocking. Only fifty percent goes to the cadets, with the other half going to the festival! This strikes at the very credibility of the organizers.

Firstly, the same payment options for ticketing apply to parking. Parking is separated into two areas, a general free parking area to the left as you enter off the highway, and a paid reserved parking area immediately to the right as you come off the highway. The fee remains five dollars but it is all donated to charity. Again the prepayment option needs to be promoted so drivers simply show their phone and no one needs to deal with cash or change delaying entry.

Transit

In previous years the shuttle ran from the terminal starting at 10:30 AM so that riders could get to the festival in time for the entertainment that started at 11:00 AM. For some unknown reason this year the shuttle did not start until 11:00 AM making it impossible for anyone to walk the entire park to get to the pavilion in time for the eleven o’clock start. Shuttle buses, two of them alternating, should start at 10:30 AM.

Although right now there is little that can be done to avoid the shuttle getting caught in the traffic congestion entering the park, the exit lanes are closed during the festival so maybe an entry lane could be designated for the shuttle buses.

Two buses should be running constantly alternating for 10:30 AM until 2:00 PM and 8:00 PM until 11:00 PM, with a single shuttle running from 2:00 PM until 8:00 PM.

Weather

2023 is going to go down in history as the hottest year on record, and predictions for 2024 are that it will be even hotter. I have contacted a company that rents misting tents and suggest that two of these be placed in strategic locations. The same water dispensing machine should be on site, although I was told that at one point it was dispensing warm water.

Washrooms

For some unknown reason the washrooms were not open the first days of the festival so visitors used the portable outhouses, which became very hot later in the day. The capacity of the washrooms is not sufficient to serve large crowds but they should still be open during the entire festival.

Lions Pavilion

Normally for the Concerts on the Bay, and depending on who is appearing, people arrive early to setup their lawn chairs. Usually people allow enough space for a dance floor and allow an aisle down the middle of the chairs for people who want to go to the dance floor.

For some unknown reason at this year’s festival people started setting their lawn chairs far back on the floor, with at least seventy-five percent of the floor vacant. Possibly someone heard a loud sound check from an entertainer and started setting up far away. Although not a major issue the suggestion is to rope off both a dance floor area and a center aisle to make things easier.

Another issue with the pavilion is the stage lighting. There are only lights behind the performers that shine in the eyes of visitors and make no sense. As with any other venue there should be lights in front of the entertainers shining down on the stage, including spotlights if possible.

Accommodation

The closest hotel is the Ramada by Wyndham Belleville Harbourview Conference Centre. Contact has been made with their corporate office both to get discounted room rates and possible sponsorship. Rooms would be for entertainers, their crews, Midway staff and out of town visitors. The suggestion has also been made to have a free shuttle between the hotel and the artist gate. A limitation of this hotel is that they do not have a restaurant, although they do have a free breakfast. Food is provided for entertainers and there is lots of food available at the festival so this might not be an issue.

Entertainment

Nothing is more critical to a successful festival next year than the entertainment.

As has been said elsewhere in this proposal, in previous years Susan Walsh did an amazing job getting top name artists, primarily because she booked them as much as a year in advance. In meeting with her before she said she started working on next year’s entertainment the day after the previous festival ended. This year this was not done with many artists saying they were not booked until late May, far too late to get any real headliners. The result was the truly pathetic attendance at this year’s event.

For this proposal I had submitted this potential lineup to the Chamber of Commerce, plus I had emailed every one of the artists asking if they were interested in appearing at next year’s event. Without exception all of them replied that they were very interested.

Jill Raycroft then told me to have the artists email Tiffany Young with the subject “Waterfront 2024”, which they all did; however, the reply they got was that their “information would be kept on file”. This suggests that no change will be made to go back to the advance booking that was so successful before. Headliners like those in 2022, and even local bands must be booked now to both see if they are available on the festival dates and, if so, to reserve the dates now. There needs to be fee negotiations and commitments made, even if conditional on budget, and details such as sound and lighting requirements, any special needs, crew numbers and accommodation needs all determined now.

If at all possible, although Susan Walsh retired several months ago, it is suggested that she be hired as a consultant on a short term basis because she has all the contacts and relationships with the artists and has unequaled credibility with them.

As Jill Raycroft told me, budget is critical, so clearly without the proposed ticketing the budget will be far too limited. When you look at the costs of various music festivals in our area even the daily cost far exceeds the proposed entry fee structure. On a personal level last year I was thrilled with ABBA Revisited and I was fortunate to speak to one of the girls in the band. I then learned that they were appearing later in our area and the tickets were eighty dollars! Paying a minimal entry fee to see numerous top name groups is clearly a bargain.

Emergency and Risk Protocols

Ideally there should be a public address system throughout the festival grounds to make announcements such as weather warnings, lost children, changes to schedules, and medical emergencies. This same system could also be used for promotions such as upcoming events, contest winners, and limited advertising.

It is crucial that first-aid trained staff/volunteers are on-site during the festival. Organizations such as St. John Ambulance can also provide Medical First Responder (MFR) volunteers that provide basic and advanced first aid when emergencies occur.

It is wise to notify EMS, Fire and Police because our large festival that will attract a considerable number of attendees. With the potential for multiple incidents to be taking place at any given time, advance notification to these groups can assist with proper planning on their part. With the recent violence on the streets and transit systems in other cities we cannot rule out having similar issues at our festival. Although the likelihood of a gunshot at the festival is minimal, protocols need to be in place just in case to avoid total panic at the festival. Anything is possible, from a helicopter crash to someone drowning to a ride failure at the Midway, so everything must be considered and planned for.

Inclement Weather Protocol

Although Belleville has been very fortunate at avoiding the extremes of weather like major rainfall, flooding and fires, in other regions, Belleville is not immune. All outdoor festivals are exposed to the threat of inclement weather at any given moment. As an organizer, it is important to monitor the weather leading up to the festival and on the festival day to ensure the safety of our guests. Several inclement weather scenarios may arise and organizers need to determine a course of action for each. These include but are not limited to:

• Heavy rainfall/flooding
• Thunder and lightning
• High winds
• Extreme winds/tornado

Lost Child Protocol

At any large community festival there is the potential for children to become separated from their parents/guardians. There are two main scenarios that may occur on festival event day to signify that a child has gone missing:

• Being approached by the parents of a missing child
• Being approached by a missing child

In order to resolve both of these situations in a positive manner, it is important to have a protocol in place that outlines responsibilities and the key individuals who will take charge. A lost child location poster could be posted at the gate and regular interval messages delivered over the PA system. Volunteer staff also need to be trained on how to handle a lost child and where to take them.

 Marketing and Promotions

Once the hard work has gone into the planning of an amazing festival, the focus needs to be on attracting the audience to enjoy it!

Marketing Plan

The event’s purpose, target audience, best ways to reach that audience and available resources will all determine the best way to promote the festival.

We need to think about the audience. What groups of people are likely to have an interest in the festival? Who would benefit by attending?

Brainstorm communication vehicles. What is the best way to communicate information about the festival to the target audience? How do members of this group receive information? Can they be reached by email or social media including Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok, and Twitter (now X)? In what location (physical or virtual) would many members of this audience be likely to see advertising materials?

Taking the budget into consideration. What advertising vehicles offer effective, cost efficient ways to communicate with the target audience? The best methods are those that allow direct communication with our intended audience.

Considering the timeline. Developing advertising pieces, news releases and other materials takes time. It’s important to plan well in advance, unlike this year when even the website had little information until mere weeks before the start of the festival. Advertising materials should be delivered a minimum of two to three months ahead of the festival.

The development of an effective marketing plan is essential for the delivery of a successful festival. The key is to match the festival concept (the theme, programming, etc.) with the appropriate audience (those who will attend or participate in the festival. In order to do that, our organizers must have a strong idea of what the event actually offers and to whom, an effective plan of action, and the necessary resources to implement it.

Some things to consider when creating a Marketing Plan:

• Analyzing similar festivals or event marketing strategies, including demographics, attendance figures, and apparent strategies.
• Budget and other constraints.
• The festival timeline. Some things like catering deadlines will not affect the timeline. However, other things, such as the cut-off date for selling tickets and the deadline for securing entertainers, speakers, will greatly affect the marketing timeline, and may even drive it.
• Specific marketing tactics that will be implemented to help achieve the festival event goals. These may include social media contests, media releases, etc.
• Conducting a SWOT analysis to identify the strengths and threats to the festival (such as weather, competing events that weekend, etc.).

SUMMARY

To put on a festival like our Waterfront Festival is a mammoth task, requiring a ton of work on every detail, plus the efforts of countless volunteers. The only thing that can’t be controlled is the weather so we take our chances on that as does every other outdoor event. I recall being at the old Merritt Mountain Music Festival several years ago and it rained buckets every day turning the entire park into a mud bowl, but still thousands of fans had a blast. They happily sat in their raingear watching incredible entertainers like Vince Gill, the late Johnny Cash, and many others. The beer garden was still packed as usual, and hundreds still sat in the river in the rain. We survived.

In 2005 the Merritt Mountain Music Festival attracted an amazing 148,000 fans, its most successful year ever, but the management made some unfortunate decisions and attendance fell drastically, just like our festival this year. What followed was some troubling years when the festival lost money and was forced to sell and became the Rockin’ River Fest, but it was cancelled for this year. Mistakes can be very costly so we need to avoid this and make sure the same mistakes that were made this year are not repeated.

Other than having no control over the weather we can however look at every single detail of the festival and be open to every suggestion to make it the best festival ever. The longer term benefits to Belleville will be enormous if, and only if, the festival is a huge success.

Nothing can be set in stone from previous years. Even the smallest of details must be objectively reviewed. The very huge risk that based on their dismal experience this year many of the vendors and food providers may not want to return cannot be ignored. Whatever improvements are made for next year’s festival must be promoted in every way to convince both artists, vendors and the public to give Belleville another chance and come back again. If everything is done right the optimistic attendance goal of fifty thousand is achievable.

Even without factoring discounted family passes this would mean total revenue of close to four hundred thousand dollars for the festival, great profits for all the marketplace and food vendors, good revenue for the Midway, and leave the festival well into the black for future years.

If those involved in organizing the festival and City Council choose to ignore the mistakes made this year and ignore any suggestions to improve the festival then 2024 could be the last one. Let’s all not let that happen.

Thank you.

 

 

 

 

 

Director

 

 

 

 

 

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by TheEditor