Loads of Parking in paved, marked lot. Why, because with
a paved, marked lot you can use less volunteers or paid employees,
less flashlights, less vests etc. Its safer and will most likely
lower your Insurance Liability. The customers feel more confidence
in the event and will return again

A Downtown location or one that is close to other establishments
will give you a "spill over effect" that can boost your grosses
dramatically.

Location near a familiar local attraction can enable your
customers to pin point where you are. Frankly most do not read
maps...no matter how you print them.

An event that has failed in the past on your location will leave a
bad taste in the customers mouth. They will be skeptical about
your chance at putting the current event on. They may give you a
chance and they may not.

Fireworks, as you will see as you read on are a necessity...because
of this and other entertainment you might want to book you
must reassure yourself that noise, dramatic numbers of cars
and people, high sky lighting will be permitted and that there
are no local codes against it. Although, you might find it not that
hard to get an exemption for your event.

Carnival Rides require height. Trees and Power lines are a
negative factor for the lot man who is laying the Carnival lot
out. You may preclude the possibility of getting the
biggest and best rides.

It may not look wet in August but is that lot dry in
May or October. Better check that out unless you
want it torn up by the Carnival Rides and discourage
your patrons from coming to your event.

Uneven terrain and terrain that is difficult to walk on is
a negative factor. Stony & Rocky ground must be graded
and filled and that costs money. Let us not forget the large
number of disabled people who would still like to come to
your event along with their entire family of 12.

So, what do we have. A perfect location is a large,
grassy even lot, very dry during the Spring and Summer
months, located next to a paved, marked parking lot with
enough spaces to allow for 3 customers per car, near
restaurants, clubs and a movie house, behind a
Fire House, Church, Ambulance Corp or Town Hall with
no close by trees or power lines.

There is no perfect location but your best bet is to strive
for most of the above.

You say...all that is very well but we are stuck with the
location we have!
OK. Then that is the way it is. But you must have
enough parking and an even
terrain with no power lines. That's it, period. If you
don't then think twice about finding another lot.

As to where you are located. That is very tricky. I have
seen events located literally in the middle of nowhere
and they have been very successful.
So no one can really tell you what to do. At this
point if you are putting on an event it probably is in a
location near
you and you are the expert here. Will it work?

Good Luck.

Promotions

Publicity and Promotions are the two most important things
you will handle prior to the opening of your event.

We will define Publicity as the paid advertising  we do to promote
our event and Promotions as the work we do to get free
attention to the event.

Promotions are tough. And it is seriously suggested that you
hire a paid individual that has experience with promotions to
handle your event. In the end it might be the cheapest way to
go. Remember any promoting that you can't do for free,
you have to pay for.

If you have to handle your own promotion. Here are a
few guidelines.

Radio is an important factor in your promoting plans. A large majority of Americans listen to drive time radio on the way home from work. No sense in passing it up. Just about every small town, village or city in the USA has a small commercial or college radio station. There are several different ways to introduce your event on Radio but the most likely ways are the give away of free tickets in return for free announcements, also as mentioned earlier, arranging with the radio station to put on and sponsor musical entertainment such as acts or live bands. Radio stations will also agree to provide you with "remote" broadcasts during your event which can help drive up the grosses. Note: the station may want to sell spots to you during the broadcast which you should only do if the remote is at the beginning of your events run.

Pay One Price days and nights are universally accepted forms of increasing your attendance. These are provided in conjunction with your Carnival Ride company and are a proven way of making more money and bringing more people to your event. Another Ride promotion involves giving your local businesses coupons to give out which will advertise the P.O.P. Buddy days are also popular which allow for a 2 for 1 admission. Responsible Carnival companies will be happy to advise you on how to go about these promotions and how to administer and provide a "Midnight Madness" which is an extension of your hours allowing for a more exclusive time for the teens to enjoy the rides, normally in conjunction with "midnight madness".

 

Posters. Have value but only if they are distributed. Carnival owners who normally would provide these posters are becoming more and more disenfranchised with the idea since they go into the promoters office and see them being used as desk blotters. But they do have value especially in a small town environment as reminder of the upcoming event.

 

Flyers, printed on your computer are cheap and fun. Distributed to Local Supermarkets, Laundries, Car Wash and Banks they can be a very effective way of promoting the business. Although this would have to be considered paid advertising...you may be able to get your volunteers to print up the flyers and distribute them at no cost to you.

 

A local business may be persuaded to donate a large ticket item ... i.e. Car, Washer/Dryer, Large Screen TV etc. which you could then offer as a prize to the person holding the winning ticket number. I do not suggest using this as a Raffle. I suggest using it as a tool to draw business into your event.

It is possible now to obtain loads of free Web space on the Internet and many simple programs exist which makes it more than practical to create a Web Site for your event. Although the WWW is as it indicates, World Wide we know from experience that residents of the area you will hold your event in, will check the web site to reference more information about times, prices and so on. You will surprised and pleased at the traffic it will get and we suggest that you include your web address in all media that you provide to the public.

Contests will be dealt with under the area dedicated to Entertainment but properly advertised and promoted contests can bring loads of people in to watch their friends entertain or make a fool of themselves.

Another major promotion is to contact the local newspapers, local factories and large businesses and arrange for a separate day that they would sponsor when their employees would be allowed to come in the gate at a reduced ticket or would be provided with games, rides or food coupons. The more employees the more attendees. This can work for any size promotion. Don't get discouraged if you are turned down the first year. Keep punching. Once they see that your event is a success they will be falling all over themselves to get on board.

There are loads of other things to do small and large but the bottom line is that no idea is too crazy. Try it once. If it free what do you have to lose?

Publicity

Sure, everybody wants your money. And there are loads of ways to spend it on advertising. You will get a huge number of opinions on why you should or should not spend your money. But lets face it. They wouldn't spend billions per year on advertising if it didn't work.

What does work. Repetitive advertising. They have to see it or hear it over and over again. To that end is what I recommend.

Television - If you have a strong local station and they are willing to give you a bunch of free ads along with what you pay for and if the prices are right.... then go for it. But avoid Cable which is just a waste of money. You should seriously consider who the station reaches out to, though. If the station reaches a 200 mile radius there is a good chance you will be reaching a lot of people who are not going to come to your local event.

Radio - A very strongly accepted way to advertise. Especially valuable if you can work with your local station on a promotion where that station would provide entertainment in the form of artists that are passing through your area to promote their current top records. Radio should also offer you free spots for every one you buy. Shop around. Check out the current Arbitron ratings. What is the most popular radio station in your area. Rock, Country, Top 40, Urban?

Newspaper - Personally unless they gave me a super deal. I would pass on this. The newspaper reading public tends to be more seniors and unless you are putting together a promotion for them...you may be wasting your money.

Pennysavers - Can be productive. Depends on your area but they are normally cheap and in some rural areas are read cover to cover by the residents. Probably your most valuable form of advertising in a rural area.

The World Wide Web - Why not as pointed out before it can be free.

Discount Coupons - Even if you can't get the Carnival Ride company to do it, it is a must. Your local shops must have a small discount coupon to distribute which not only promotes increased attendance but also a lot of talk about your promotion.

Magazines - Pass. You would be wasting your money.

Billboards - Depends on the area. A Billboard on a major four lane highway with 100,000 cars a day passing it could be a strong way to refer patrons to your other advertising. In a rural area there might be better ways to spend your dough.

Bench Advertising - Same as Billboard above as long as nobody is sitting on them.

Bus (side of, back of) - Can be a great way to get name recognition except can you control where the busses go. Is your advertising going into an area of people who you are not trying to reach. Research this option well.

In conclusion, we recommend exploring all the free options for promotion before you spend money on advertising but once you have made the decision to do so, we suggest Radio advertising with Pennysaver ads, which are probably your best value for your dollar.

Financing

Your organization probably has and should have enough seed money to get the ball rolling. If so you do not need to read further. Unless, of course, you could use a little more.

Sponsorship is the word of the 90's. It is very unlikely that there is a Small or Large business that has not heard the word. Any event planner would be well advised to hire or find a volunteer that will handle his promotion, publicity and sponsorship drive.

A normal way to do this is through the publishing of a program which allows the small business owner to contribute some cash to the event planner in return for mention or advertising in the program booklet. Increasingly, however this is giving way to the sponsor receiving space for a display or banner on the event grounds and sometimes their logo or name on advertising. More and more, large sponsors like Pepsi or Harley Davidson will provide chunks of money to help your event expand.

A normal bargaining chip with Sponsors is to allow them the X (the exclusive right) to market their competitive brand during your event. For instance Pepsi will get the right to be the only Soda sold at your event in return for a cash donation to you, the event owner. They normally in return for a mention in your advertising, will provide free soda, tanks, lines and hook ups to your vendors.
One promotion that is well liked is a coupon on your print media that can be redeemed for a sample of your sponsors product which you agree to provide. It is also possible that a sponsor may agree to provide entertainment which they or you may book for the event.

Between a program booklet soliciting ad revenue from the small business and sponsorship by large corporations you may be able to increase your event income by at least double of what you expect from your customers.

Don't pass up this lucrative way of boosting your grosses.

Entertainment

This is what it is all about. If the entertainment works then you will have a successful Fair, Festival or Event.
You may read through the various entertainment that is available to you and select one or two things to present to your audience but we suggest that you do them all. If you have the time and the physical plant.
Remember the more you present the more you will make. There will be a profit on each item below.

This is a very wide and complicated area that normally only affects County Fairs or larger.  Best to contact other Fairs in nearby counties and ask how they handle their judging or subscribe to the Showmen's mailing list and address your questions there.

The Carnival Ride Company

Re: Proposal for (your promotion or event)

To Whom It May Concern:

(Proposed) Show would be interested in supplying Rides and Games for your Festival.

Our Company can supply up to Ten (10) Rides depending on space and the Festival would receive 20% of the Ride Gross Receipts!

We can also supply up to Ten (10) Games and the Festival would receive $25 per each game.

We would also supply Three (3) Food Concessions; Ice Cream, Fried Dough and Cotton Candy, for which we would give the Festival committee $25 each.

(Proposed)  Show will also do the following:

Supply 150 Advertising Posters at NO COST to Festival committee.

Make a Donation of $500.00 for towards the cost of a Fireworks/Laser Light show.

Provide (upon acceptance of proposal) all necessary Insurance Certification for General Liability in the amount of $1,000,000/$2,000,000 and Public Liability of $1,000,000/$2,000,000 aggregate plus Workers Compensation.

Looking forward to a successful and profitable year,

Sincerely yours,

(signed) The Carnival Owner

After you have received the proposal from the owner and have gotten approval for the terms from your governing body it is suggested that you draw up a contract reflecting the contents of the letter and return is promptly to the owner. Remember he is still trying to fill that week that you are planning your promotion and may have submitted several proposals.
You should not take more than three days after receiving the proposal to give the Carnival Ride company your decision. Sooner if possible.

Many Carnival owners are willing to shake your hand and complete their agreement and most are very scrupulous about doing so. However, in all the parties interest, a contract is best.
The owner may suggest a multiple year contract and if he does it is our experience that unless you are in a serious bargaining position, you take the offer.
Naturally in the contract you can specify any thing that you feel strongly about, that you expect the ride company to do.
For instance you may want to add clauses regarding clean up and so on. Keep in mind though, the more you ask for and the less you want to give will make your bid for their services less desirable.

In the contract the opening hours, closing hours, dress codes, condition of equipment and general conduct should be detailed. It would not be unusual for the ride company to insist on clauses exempting them from pollution cleanup, or down time responsibility for the rides. After all they are machines and they will break down and it is unrealistic to expect them to be repaired at night when the ride company cannot get necessary parts.

A lot of bad blood can be avoided between the event planner and the ride companies representatives by the spelling out in advance of all the possible pitfalls that both can encounter.

As said earlier the Ride company will expect to bring in a Popper plus other concessionaires that travel with the show. They will police their own people and make sure they are dressed properly and that the concessions come up to the standards that you would normally expect...however, the concessionaires are independent and are small companies themselves and will have their own rules and standards. If you do not wish a particular kind of concession because you feel it competes with one that you are running or it is not the type of game or sales that you wish; you can detail that in your contract. We strongly urge you to keep your games to a minimum and let the experts in the carnival ride company plan that strategy for you.

Vendors

As an event planner you would be remiss to ignore the income potential from vendors that want to "book in" to your event.

First there are some things that you as the committee might want to consider. It has been proven to most event planners that there are two items that can generate a great deal of money. Both appeal somewhat to human vices. First - Gambling. A sure fire way to turn over money with no investment are the gambling wheels. If you are a church or charity it is more than likely that you will be able to pull a permit to have these. The wheels have several different ways of play. Including Dollars, Quarter plays, numbers and colors.
If you are not familiar with them it is more than possible that there will be others in your organization  that are. The Carnival Ride company owner may be able to arrange for rental of the wheels and if not should be able to furnish you with an address of someone within your area that does. Since the wheels only offer cash prizes you have no initial investment other than the deposits on the rental of the wheels.
Another form of benign gambling in Bingo and that also requires a permit in most states. However, it is very popular and definitely a favorite of the "mature audiences".
Second - Beer. An enclosed Beer tent is a given at a Firemen's Festival or Church Festival. It just wouldn't be one without one. However in this day and age of restrictions on alcoholic beverages may require a little more effort than it used to. The best way to start your research on this is to contact your local wholesale beer distributor and let him advise you (it may be possible that they would be able to sponsor you or offer substantial discounts). It is also possible for an established bar or club that already has a liquor license to pull a temporary license...do the promotion and pay you for the privilege.

You should also not pass up the opportunity to serve "finger foods" such as Hot Dogs, Hamburg's, French Fries, Meatball Sandwiches, Milk Shakes and Soda. Loads of profit especially if you are able to staff and man your food concession with volunteers. The products you will need are available in your local discount grocery store and you can buy as you need. Hopefully your soda company of choice (Pepsi, is the most generous even though I am a Coca-Cola man, myself) will donate product and/or the setup. It is also possible to solicit the donation of equipment...grills, freezers etc. from a local restaurant or grill. Check it out before spending a lot of money. The beauty of this operation is that there are so many people out there with the equipment that you need.

In the 50's and 60's it was customary for events to offer a "Cake or Liquor Booth". These games of chance normally governed by a wheel used to offer the home made products of the local volunteers. These have for the most part gone away due to the increased time restraints that the female members of your organization. They are a lot of fun if you can arrange it...but difficult to do in these times. The games normally would be a quarter on a color or number determined by the spin of the wheel.

In addition to the Games and Food vendors that the Carnival Ride company may provide, it is customary to allow food vendors, crafters and straight sales companies to be involved in your event. The normal procedure is a simple contract specifying what they will pay, the space allocated to them and details as to what you will supply in regard to electric, cleanup, insurance and so on.

If you can arrange it on your location it would be in your best interest to provide electrical power and clean up for vendors since more and varied kinds of businesses will book in. As to Insurance that will be a decision you will have to make in regard to the type of vendor. However, it is customary for food vendors to provide their own insurance and health permits along with compensation and disability for their employees, due to the nature of their business.

What could you book? The list is endless but here are some possibilities.

• Sand Art
• Candle Art
• Western Wear sales
• Jewelry sales
• Novelties such as toys and inflatable's
• Glow in the dark products
• Kitchen tools/demonstrations
• Woodworking
• Car and Truck sales or tools
• Local Merchants
• Newspapers
• Magazine sales
• Internet Providers

and the list could go on and on.

Another thing to consider is the possibility of adding a Juried Craft Show to the vendor list. This is a big step and there are publications and internet sites dedicated to just this function.

Although the games are basically the responsibility of the Carnival Owner, there are some games that could be considered "independent". A Speed Pitch (fastball game), A Dunk Tank and other games that might be community sponsored might not be conflicting. This is an item to be discussed with the Carnival Owner and included in the final contract.

It might be considered wise, on your part, to hire one individual who would book all the vendors and handle their problems. This could save the event planner a lot of headaches and might keep those vendors coming back every year to your promotion because they have established a relationship with an individual they can trust and get hold of whenever they need too. Frankly, the event planner, my be too busy to listen to every one of their problems.

Don't forget to include your vendor needs and wants on your printed advertising and on your web site.