Printing Tips for Your Next Festival

 Five Tips for Planning Your Next Special Event

The thermometer is reaching warm temperatures. The sun is beaming down, and the kids are running through the sprinkler outside to cool off.

Sounds like the perfect time to think about festivals this fall or even next summer, right?! We know, we know. No one wants to think about falling leaves and morning frost during the initial days of summer. 

The truth is, planning a fall festival or any event requires several months to get all the final touches in place and, even though we’re publishing this article in June, it’s best to get your festival plans started at least six months in advance. That’s plenty of time to start coordinating for this fall’s or next summer’s festivals!

So, what are some key elements to keep in mind while planning your big event? 

1. Know your “why”.

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Before getting caught up on details like food, timeline, or even venue, it’s important to know the “why” of your festival. Whether you’re hosting a pumpkin carving contest or looking to have a late night battle of the bands, your main festival goals will shape a lot of your following tasks and priorities.

Are you looking to raise money for your favorite nonprofit? Is there an ideal number of ticket sales or revenue you would like to reach? Or maybe your goals are less monetarily focused – maybe you’d like to focus on gathering your community together and celebrating a specific holiday or milestone.

It can be helpful to gather your fellow festival-planners together to help determine the specific goals for your event before moving forward with other steps.

2. Put together your planning team.

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First things first – who will be leading the charge on your organizational efforts? Determining who your leader is will help you make sure that all of your team’s efforts tie back to your event goals, or to your “why”.  

No matter what name you give them (and maybe that’s “Pumpkin Festival Master Extraordinaire” – we’re not judging!), this person is responsible for the key operations of the event. Ideally, this leader has event planning experience and knows the ins and outs of organizing a large scale festival.

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After your leader is chosen (and hey, maybe that’s you!), creating different committees can help make sure all event planning tasks get taken care of. If you’re searching for people to staff your team, enlisting volunteers can be a cost-effective way to get started.

3. Set your budget and consider your financing.

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So, you’ve got your festival goals in place, and you even have a volunteer team eagerly waiting to start checking things off of your event’s to-do list. That’s a fantastic start!

However, it’s almost impossible to get going without knowing where your festival’s planning dollars are coming from. Sure, you might be able to make a profit from activities like carnival games, however, how will you pay for the upfront costs of the festival – things like tents, lights, music, or food?

And once you determine your financing, how will you make sure there’s enough budget to get through your entire festival (including things like post-festival cleanup or return of equipment)?

Maybe your company or organization already has a set budget in place – fantastic! You and your team can determine what’s possible within the confines of your monetary restrictions.
However, your sponsoring organization may look to you for guidance on how much money to allocate for your festival or event. In this case, it’s helpful to do the research and know the going rate for standard event expenses, such as venues. Once you’ve determined these price ranges, have your dedicated team member (or committee) put together a well thought out event budget

4. Have a pulse on all of the legal requirements. 

Being legally squared away well in advance of your planned event or festival is a non-negotiable. Checking all the boxes when it comes to legal requirements for items such as serving food or providing fair attractions will not only ensure that your guests have a fun and safe experience, but also protect you and your organization from issues with liability down the line.

Ideally, your team would be able to consult a trusted lawyer about any specific requirements, such as contract negotiations with your vendors or entertainment. It’s also important to investigate any local city permits needed and consult with your venue about the types of activities they’re zoned for.

5. Advertise your event!

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If a festival happens in a corn field far outside of town, and no one hears about it beforehand, did the festival really happen? Okay, that might be a clumsy way to say it – but you know what we mean!
Your event or festival is never complete without a well thought-out marketing and public relations strategy. While word of mouth is an incredibly powerful tool, combining it with other outreach strategies such as social media campaigns, local media involvement, or leveraging your relationship with your event sponsors to help spread the word can only help increase the amount of buzz generated for your event.

No matter what your marketing or advertising strategy is, you will need basic necessities like event signage, maps, posters, and other paper items like menus or sandwich boards for event lineups so that your attendees understand what is happening at the event.

What types of printing materials are typically used for festivals or large events? 

Sometimes it's intimidating to think about all the material options out there for your printing project. We're here to help demystify them! Let's talk about signage materials. When it comes to signage, we offer several different possibilities – paper, foam-core, and vinyl are the most common choices.

Of the three, vinyl is the best choice for outdoor use. It's great in heat, cold, and damp conditions as well as fade resistant, and can be used in almost everything – from lemonade stands to vehicle applications, and even to billboards. For a more portable application, you could also go with a banner that can be rolled up and stowed away easily. There are a lot of options with vinyl!

Get expert printing consultation from Quality Quick Print.
Our team is happy to help you with any of your festival’s various printing needs. If you’re certain of what you’d like to order (heck, maybe you’ve already got a print-ready design file all set!), go ahead and Request a Quote. This will allow us to review your project needs, gather some valuable information such as print materials, timelines, and quantities, and get back to you with a price estimate.

If you’re still deciding what you would like your project to be, or you need some guidance on things like material type, ink, or general design, don’t hesitate to schedule a free consultation with our team. We’ve been in the business a long time (more than forty years, to be exact!), so we’re no stranger to brainstorming ideas or helping our customers get a better sense of what’s possible with their ideas and budget.

If you have no idea where to start, we’re here to help you! We’ve worked with many other local events and festivals here in Eau Claire, and can give you a sense of what event planners typically order when preparing for their big day.