Poudre RiverFest Issues Event Management RFP
This request for proposal (RFP) is issued by five non-profit collaborators (hereinafter “organizing committee”). The purpose of this RFP is to establish a contract with a qualified event coordinator beginning in summer 2019 to execute a successful 2020 Poudre RiverFest event, likely to be held Saturday, June 6th, and ensure the sustainability of future events. A successful candidate will be an organized, out-going, and motivated individual who will secure sponsorships, plan, manage, promote, implement and analyze overall event logistics, including day-of-event coordination, and manage the budget. For more detailed information see the Scope of Work section below.
Background:
The mission of the event is to provide a platform to celebrate the Poudre River, educate people about its importance to our communities, and inspire them to action. Our approach is to provide fun, educational activities to broaden participants’ knowledge about the river and its importance for clean water, wildlife, plants, industry, agriculture, and recreation. Activities may include bird banding, nature hikes, scavenger hunts, a kids’ activity area, river-focused exhibitors and displays, hands-on restoration projects, and workshops—all of which are surrounded by the celebration of the River with live music, dancing, and refreshments. Please visit www.poudreriverfest.org for more information.
In 2018, the organizing committee hosted the 5th annual Poudre RiverFest (PRF). Attendance at the event has hovered at 1,500-3,000 from 2015-2018. From 2014-2016, the festival was held at Legacy Park in Fort Collins. In 2017, the event was relocated to the Poudre River oxbow directly across from New Belgium Brewing in Fort Collins. The event attracts, on average, 40-60 exhibitors as well as several food trucks. New Belgium Brewing is the signature sponsor and provides the beer garden, as well as financial and logistical support. Additional event sponsors have included Bohemian Foundation, FortFund, Action Signs, Otterbox/Ottercares, KUNC, Colorado Sound, Town Square Media, NoCo HotSpots, Colorado Life Magazine, Wild Birds Unlimited, Fort Collins Nursery, Rocky Mountain Adventures, Poudre Heritage Alliance, KGNU, KRFC, The Coloradoan, Go West T-Shirts, and Downtown Development Authority.
The organizing committee for the festival includes Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, National Association for Interpretation, Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed, Wildlands Restoration Volunteers, and Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area. Staff from each organization serves as the decision-making body for the event. Organizers also contribute staff time and other resources to deliver the event, including programming support, planning, etc. The organizing committee began a strategic planning process in fall 2017 (draft plan available upon request). A scaled-down version of the RiverFest at New Belgium Brewing is planned for Friday July 26, 2019. This smaller event will allow time for planning, improving our education and restoration goals, and working towards building our capacity to sustain the festival into the future. Community support is needed for the event to continue to grow. We are looking for strong community partners that align with our vision for the festival and to help us grow to its best potential while maintaining our core values which include:
1. The event is about the River – activities and exhibitors are connected with the River in some way.
2. Profits go back to a river-based restoration or education project.
3. The whole community is welcome – it’s free to attendees and is family-friendly.
4. The event takes place along or near the River.
5. The event is managed and delivered with a commitment to “green” event standards.
Goals as lined out by our latest strategic planning include:
1. Attendance of 5,000+ people, with 10% of attendees taking an event survey, and at least 300 people attending the various workshops and activities offered
2. Generate a $5,000 – $15,000 profit each year to maintain our reserve fund and build a riparian “action” fund for future restoration or education projects
3. Generate over 100,000 impressions across all media platforms
Scope of Work:
To realize the above, we seek an innovative event coordinator to fully understand the mission, goals, and values of the PRF to provide the following services:
General Management and Financial Operations
· Develop a timeline and work plan
· Help develop an event budget
· Effectively and regularly communicate with the organizing committee to provide updates on progress, issues, resources and budget matters
· Lead monthly or bi-monthly organizing committee meetings
· Assist with vendor identification, negotiating, and contracting
· Serve as the point of contact for all inquiries related to the event
· Strive to meet “green” event planning standards
Event Marketing
· Develop and oversee implementation of a marketing and publicity plan
· Ensure timely execution and distribution of all marketing and promotional communications media associated with the event including: event posters and flyers, event website, social media, paid and media-sponsored advertising, news releases, e-marketing, free advertising, etc.
· Provide post-event analysis of marketing implementations, recommendations for future
Sponsorship & Exhibitors
· Help develop sponsorship strategy
· Serve as liaison with sponsors and track fulfillment of their benefits
· Acquire appropriate exhibitors
· Develop exhibitor registration process and provide all necessary communication
· Facilitate exhibitor placement at/during event
Event Management
· Manage and coordinate general event logistics such as venue coordination, contracts, food & beverage, trash/recycling, staging, entertainment, event layout, volunteers & staffing, technical equipment, emcee, protocol management of exhibitors/sponsors/entertainment, and any other relevant tasks as required
· Ensure all applicable licenses and appropriate insurance coverage is acquired and on record
· Create and execute volunteer duty program, and coordinate volunteer meetings and trainings
· Submit a post-event evaluation report with recommendations to the organizing committee
· Other duties as agreed upon
Day of Event
· Supervise all aspects of the event (from set-up to take-down) and manage the logistics and onsite supervision of the event – as mentioned in the event management above
Due Date:
June 15th, 2019.
Address:
coordinator@poudreriverfest.org
Agencies with event planning capacity include Rubenstein PR and APCO Worldwide.
