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Want to learn about a community? Check out its festivals, tourism expert says
As president of the International Festival & Events Association, Steve Schmader finds himself visiting a lot of airports and even more communities.
“I’ll stop when I’m walking through airports and look at the brochures of what a community is touting,” he said.
But don’t expect him to get too enthusiastic about the kinds of things many communities have to offer. “You know, a water park is a water park,” he said.
What Schmader said he’s looking for is information about community festivals.
“If you really want to know about a community, find out what they celebrate,” he said.
That’s because festivals “make the places we live a better place to live,” said the Boise, Idaho, resident.
Schmader was one of the keynote presenters at the annual Nebraska Travel and Tourism Conference held Wednesday and Thursday at Divots Conference Center in Norfolk. About 250 people attended from throughout the state.
A festival adds to the quality of life, drives tourism, has a positive economic impact and creates a community “calling card,” Schmader said.
At a workshop he led Thursday morning, Schmader outlined the key steps needed to create and sustain an effective community festival.
Try to be unique, he said.
“There’s nothing wrong with having an Octoberfest in your community, but how does that make you stand out from all the others that have one, too?” Schmader asked.
That’s why Schmader said he favors examples like Hastings’ Kool-Aid Festival, celebrating the fact that the creator of the popular drink got his start there. Or Norfolk’s Great American Comedy Festival, which celebrates the legacy of the late Johnny Carson, who grew up there.
Depending on the size of a festival, it may be helpful to create a formal mission statement, have job descriptions for committee chairmen and members of board of directors and create a handbook of information that can be drawn upon when contacting potential sponsors, he said.
Schmader said a festival’s board of directors can only be helped by involving a banker, accountant, lawyer, media representatives and civic leaders.
“A ranking representative of city government should be involved, too,” he said. “City governments need to be involved in their communities’ festivals.”
Volunteers are instrumental in the success of festivals, too. Schmader said volunteers seek to have fun through their volunteer service, gain experience, be appreciated for their involvement and be part of a working atmosphere.
Schmader said it used to be that service clubs and organizations were the best way for individuals to network and expand their circle of contacts and acquaintances.
“But these days, events are the best service clubs out there,” he said.
The Norfolk (NE) Daily News
