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Finding the Fit The first step is deciding if hosting a large event fits your organization and community. The DuPage Visitor and Convention Bureau referred Paintball Sports Promotions (PSP) to us. On short notice, the company needed seven-to-eight open acres and parking for 1,000 cars to host its paintball tournament in June. PSP approached us in early May, when scheduling conflicts forced Maywood Park, the originally scheduled host, to forgo the opportunity. The site that seemed the most logical for us to present was the 12.2 acres of open land next to the district's Pelican Harbor Indoor/Outdoor Aquatic Park. PSP instantly loved the site. It provided ample space, and Bolingbrook and the surrounding communities offered the minimum 1,500 hotel rooms needed to host the event. The fit was there. But we now had to determine if we wanted to take on the challenge. Answering Key Questions and Setting Our Objectives Key questions were addressed before deciding to go into negotiations. First: Could we provide parking for 1,000 cars without inconveniencing Pelican Harbor Indoor/Outdoor Aquatic Park patrons? Second: Would this benefit the residents of Bolingbrook and local businesses? Third: Could we provide quality service to the tournament directors? The district decided it would draw on its longstanding relationship with William Gahlberg, a local developer, to negotiate the use of his open land across the street from our site for the parking. Looking at the economic impact the tournament would have on local businesses, we quickly decided that there was a huge benefit to area businesses. Because many Bolingbrook residents work at or even own these businesses, the benefit extended to the community, not to outside interests. An additional benefit to the community in general was the media exposure to be received. Determining if we could provide quality service to the tournament directors was a "gut" feeling. The staff at the Bolingbrook Park District knew we could do this. After careful review, we established five objectives: • To exceed expectations of tournament directors, 14 Illinois Parks and Recreation www.ILipra.org
Defining your objectives keeps you focused during the negotiation phase and also helps determine if the event met expectations upon review. Negotiation The second step is the negotiation phase. Looking back at our experience, this was the most critical phase. Having never gone through negotiations for an event like this before, we relied on recommendations from previous event hosts and tournament directors. One important aspect of the proposal was the condition of the property after the event. Tournament directors were required to return the property to its original condition. A security deposit in addition to the lease fee helped protect the park district if PSP missed anything in its clean up. Another key item was the $2,000,000 insurance policy we required PSP to provide naming Bolingbrook Park District, William Gahlberg & Associates and Gahlberg's corporation, Corridor II Associates LP, as additionally insured. This helped protect the park district and was crucial for negotiations for the property we wanted to use for parking. William Gahlberg's only stipulation for use of his property was the $2,000,000 insurance policy by PSP. Before you negotiate with a production company, we recommend talking to people who provided previous event venues and asking for a copy of a previous event's proposal. This will allow you to get very specific on your proposal. If it seems that the host site customarily gets exclusive beer and wine sales, then be sure to ask for exclusive rights to sell pop, water and all other beverages. Detail exactly what you plan on selling. If you plan on charging for parking, include that in your proposal. Being as specific as possible eliminates questions or confusion during the event. Try to include a clause that says that any expenses not addressed in the signed proposal must be paid by the event directors, or at least be renegotiated. For example, the proposal with PSP stated we would provide 10 portable toilets and two hand washing stations. As the event got closer, it became clear we needed to double those numbers. This was an additional cost to the district. If this clause were in the contract, PSP might have had to pick up the costs. Also, when determining the lease total for the venue, be sure to calculate the cost of security and medical technicians at an overtime rate. Only the tremendous support from the Village of Bolingbrook Police and Fire departments helped defray some of our costs. Deviling Out the Details The negotiations had barely closed before it became time to prepare for the event. In order to ensure a positive experience for the residents of Bolingbrook, we personally delivered letters to neighborhoods surrounding the event location. The letters explained the event, warned people to expect some heavier (but controlled) traffic and invited them to call with any questions or concerns. An unexpected twist came the first day of the event, when a few errant paintballs flew out of the netted arenas and hit some neighboring houses. Senior-level staff personally visited all of the houses immediately lining the property to check for paint. Park district staff immediately washed the houses and even detailed a car. Residents were impressed with the responsiveness of staff and commended the district for its efforts. This only strengthened the bond with local residents. We also printed Bolingbrook maps featuring "preferred" restaurants and distributed them to event participants. Restaurants paid $150 to be listed. This was a great opportunity to generate revenue for the district and help businesses generate goodwill and profits. Along with information about the maps, we sent letters to restaurants informing them of the upcoming event, allowing businesses to prepare their inventory and increase staff coverage. Event Days and After The hard, hot work began when the www.ilparks.org September/October 2005 15
Looking back, the tournament was a tremendous success. Being told by PSP's director of operations that our "efforts were not unnoticed and certainly made a big difference" is very rewarding. Paintball Sports Promotion had its second largest event. (Only Disney World has hosted a larger tournament.) Teams from England, Russia, Japan and all across the United States commented on how everyone in Bolingbrook made them feel welcome. And they loved the venue. According to the DuPage Visitor & Convention Bureau, the economic impact for the community was estimated near $3.5 million. Bolingbrook residents were fascinated at how big the paintball phenomenon is and enjoyed watching the tournament. The district learned it could handle an event this size and achieve all of its objectives. The only question is, what's next? Kimberly Smith is a marketing and communications specialist for the Bolingbrook Park District. 16 Illinois Parks and Recreation www.ILipra.org |
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