Planning for Summer Festivals 2008 Begins Now

Community festivals are scheduled throughout the year, but summer is when the bulk of such events are held. And the end of September marks the beginning of planning season for next year.

The Mayor's Office of Special Events in Chicago manages a calendar of approximately 350 special events throughout the year, so it's event team is highly experienced in planning and executing such programs. One of the biggest festivals is the Taste of Chicago.

The Taste is offers a great success model for anyone involved in planning a community food festival. Although it is now scheduled as a 10 day event with about 3.5 million attendees, it began in 1980 when local businesses approached the city with the idea. In its first year, 36 restaurants participated and it has grown every since then.

Community festivals should include food and beverages, entertainment options, educational opportunities, sports activities and more. Planning Community Festivals: Behind the Event at Taste of Chicago highlights the elements that go into planning an outdoor festival:

• Operations
• Sponsorship
• Vendors
• Marketing
• Hospitality
• More

Photo: (c) 2007 Rob Hard, RH Communications, Inc.