Thesis Sp Com 1994 C222w c. 2 Canfield, Nila Y. What makes a special event? : A case study 1 00/1 What Makes a Special Event? A Case Study of the Spring Highlands Festival of Edinboro University of Pennsylvania By: Nila Y. Canfield Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Master of Arts Degree in Communication Studies Edinboro University of Pennsylvania Edinboro, PA /O- 2-t/- 91/ Dr. Timothy Thompson, Chairperson Date ittee Member Date Dr. Kathleen Golden, Committee Member Date Dr. Mary Alive Dye, Co: 48b-3,^1/ C.2. Acknowledgements "It is in the whole process of meeting and solving problems that life has meaning." Scott Beck Many friends and colleagues have helped this problem-solving project come to its completion. These people - by their encouragement and support have given a meaning to my life. Special thanks to my close friend Maryann Wilkinson for her constant creativity and help throughout my graduate academic career - through many papers and projects and especially through this thesis. Thanks to the Edinboro University of Pennsylvania’s Speech and Communication Studies faculty for their direction on this thesis and for their sharing of knowledge. Thanks especially to Dr. Timothy N. Thompson, Dr. Kathleen Golden and Dr. Mary Alice Dye for their willingness to actively participate in this thesis. Fellow graduate students Pamela Alesky, Donald Capan, and PJ Strait also helped me. Thanks also to Metro Health Center for financial assistance, allowing me to complete my graduate studies. i Table of Contents Abstract ................................................................ Chapter One - Basis for Study.............................. Research Problem ......................................... Definition of Key Terms................................ Significance of Research................................ Chapter Two - Research Methods Used................ Method .......................................................... Problems/Limitations of Acquiring Data Sampling Methods......................................... Techniques for Data Collection .................... Data Analysis .............................................. Chapter Three - Literature Review ..................... Introduction ................................................... Defining Special Events ................................ Purpose of Special Events.............................. Determining Special Events......................... Planning Details .......................................... A Word to the Sponsors.............................. Evaluation ................................................... Conclusion................................................... Chapter Four - Development of the Festival .... The History of Scottish Highlands Games . . Events at Scottish Festivals......................... Implementing the Idea ................................ Research Conducted..................................... Festival Planning.......................................... Message Plan .............................................. Media Plan................................................... Schedule of Events/tasks.............................. Chapter Five - Presentation of Data..................... Observation Grid Method............................ Participant Survey ........................................ Observation Methods ................................... Vendor Survey ............................................ Chapter Six - Conclusions and Recommendations References Appendices Appendix A - Interviews Appendix B - Observation Grid Appendix C - Participant Survey with Results Appendix D - Vendor Survey with Results Appendix E - Recording of Field Notes ii i 3 5 6 7 8 10 11 12 14 15 16 18 19 21 28 31 32 35 37 39 43 44 45 47 50 52 53 54 56 60 61 61 64 66 68 Abstract iii 4 This thesis determines the relationship of theoretical opinion with actual practices for successful special events. As a growing segment of marketing plans, special events constitute a strong and evolving public relations practice. Substantial funding from corporate organizations often accompany these events. As well, special events serve as fund-raising methods for many non-profit organizations. Despite their increasing use in professional arenas, special events require specific planning elements and criteria for success. Preliminarily, this thesis begins with a review of special event-related literature from speech communication experts to detect recommendations for special event planning. Next follows a developmental history of the 1993 Edinboro University of Pennsylvania (EUP) Spring Highlands Festival and its planning efforts. This is followed by quantifiable research data gathered at the 1994 festival through interviews, surveys and other response mechanisms. Special event elements, practices and procedures determined through these festival research methods are then compared and contrasted with the theoretical opinions defined in the literature review. Recommendations for future Spring Highlands festivals, and a comparison of theoretical vs. actual practices conclude this thesis. Chapter One Basis for Study 6 Research Problem Special events provide an integral element of the complete public relations plan for modem day organizations. These events range from sponsorships to grand openings to community related activities to fund-raising. Some prove successful, some do not. Public relations practitioners should familiarize themselves with the planning and use of special events, and with the elements that constitute a successful event. This applied research thesis identifies elements affecting a special event’s success, based on theoretical recommendations of media experts. With the knowledge gathered, the researcher defined which characteristics are most common in successful special events, which types of events work best with segmented audiences and criteria that ensures success. This knowledge is then applied to a specific event - the Spring Highlands Festival of EUP. In a case study format, both the 1993 and 1994 festivals were reviewed and then compared to the criteria for successful events provided through the literature review. A critique and recommendations for future Spring Highlands Festival events, applicable to special events for any audience, conclude the thesis. Upon completion, this thesis provided insight into "how the theoretical relates to the applied." Using a compare-and-contrast method, the researcher then developed a list of elements needed for a successful special event. This 7 list proves useful to any public relations practitioner or any professional who must plan special events, and specifically provides suggestions for a more successful University event. Definition of Key Terms Special Events - Any event or activity designed specifically for an increased level of favorable recognition. Often special events, are planned in conjunction with other media-related efforts. The forms of media used for promoting special events could include television broadcasts, newspaper coverage, and direct mail. Success of the event is usually measured by audience participation - number of television viewers, attendance at the event, or levels of increased awareness, for example. Target Audience - The group of persons to whom the special event is directed. This audience may be very narrowly or very broadly defined. For example, the target audience for a supermarket grand opening could include all women ages 18-35, who live within a ten mile radius of the store, who hold a household income of $30,000 and who shop for food every Thursday morning. In contrast, the target population for an art auction fund-raising event for charity could include a population targeted simply by income level and probability of philanthropy. 8 Participant Observation - A method of research that places a researcher into a natural setting to observe and collect empirical data. Recurring themes, elements and patterns are noted in this longitudinal method. Public Relations Practitioner - A professional in the field of, and actively involved in, public relations activities. These activities include the planning of special events, media relations and promotional efforts. Spring Highlands Festival - An annual three-day event celebrating the Scottish heritage of Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, and providing a vehicle of interaction between the University and local communities. Significance of Research This research held significance for several groups of professionals. The Eup festival staff, being most important, received a formal critique of the event. Recommendations for the future may help to enhance the event, thus improving the image of the University to its target audiences. In a more general sense, those who sponsor special events require a high level of success in return for their efforts. The practitioner planning special events requires a high level of success for personal career assurance and corporate favorableness. Knowledge of special event planning can equip the 9 professional for success. Lastly, audiences involved with events require success for increased sponsor awareness. Each event holds its own unique characteristics, and each expert holds varying opinions on elements for success. Through testing current expert opinions, a list of elements for an effective event was developed and may prove a useful tool for any professional involved in future special event planning. Chapter Two Research Methods Used 11 Method Data for this case study initially included a literature review of selected expert opinions to determine common theoretical elements of successful special events. Upon completion of the review, a synopsis of the 1993 and 1994 Spring Highlands Festivals at EUP was performed, using several evaluative methods. The final stage of the research includes a comparison of elements in the literature review with those obtained from the festivals, allowing recommendations for future events. Part one of this research specifically studies experts in the speech communication field for scholarly themes. Public Relations expert Cutlip (1964,1992) was reviewed, as well as other definitive authors of publications, academic texts, and current periodical authors from related fields (business periodicals). Part two of the thesis provides a historical record of the planning for the 1993 EUP’s Spring Highlands Festival. Data retrieved through the review of planning documents, as well as interviews with key festival planners (Dr. Timothy Thompson, Professor of Speech and Communication Studies at EUP, and Ms. Pamela Alesky and Ms. PJ Strait, Graduate Assistants to Dr. Timothy Thompson), allowed for historical recording of the event’s development. 12 Part three presents research instruments used for evaluating responses from the 1994 Spring Highlands Festival, including surveys and observation grids developed by the researcher. Part four of the thesis provides a contrast between the literature review and the actual performance of the 1993 and 1994 festivals. This is followed by recommendations for future successful events. Concluding remarks summarize the applied research project. Problems/Limitations of Acquiring Data Special events have been used throughout history for promotional effects. However, special event planning has only developed into a major promotional tool during the past ten to fifteen years. Therefore, much of the "how-to" material for the literature review consists of current writings. The definitive Public Relations authors do not specifically address special event planning. However, inferences to the effectiveness of this promotional tool may be made from these original writings. This limitation required the researcher to interpret historical writings and evaluate them in the realm of special events and not necessarily in the realm for which they were originally written. This problem was resolved by condensing the genre of literature reviewed to a current, narrowed focus. 13 Data objectivity served as a second limitation of this study, Some organizations warily permit a researcher to access the planning details of events and to attend events for observational purposes. Fortunately, EUP (the university the researcher attends) sponsored this special event, so access to the data and historical records did not pose a problem. However, parts of the initial planning were performed by EUP students and faculty closely involved with this thesis, namely the researcher and Dr. Timothy N. Thompson, professor of Speech and Communication Studies. As a graduate student at EUP, the researcher began work on the 1993 festival while a student in Dr. Thompson’s graduate class of Managing Public Relations. During the fall 1992 semester, the researcher worked with over 20 other graduate students to formalize the plans for the 1993 festival. Additionally during this semester, the researcher contacted undergraduates directed by Dr. Thompson to supervise the data collection for the festival’s initial research phase. Upon selecting this case study as an applied thesis study, Dr. Thompson was chosen as the Chairperson for the project due to his public relations expertise. Other committee members included Dr. Mary Alice Dye and Dr. Kathleen Golden, professors for the EUP department of Speech and Communication Studies. While simultaneously directing the thesis, Dr. Thompson actively planned the 1994 Spring Highlands Festival. The researcher’s interaction with Dr. Thompson may have influenced the objectivity of this study. However, this 14 problem was addressed by consciously choosing to remain objective during the process, and by postponing the presentation of data findings to Dr. Thompson until after the completion of the 1994 festival. Thirdly, developing a measurement scale for all successful events proved difficult, since each special event is individualized to achieve specific, yet different goals. One organization may hold a perceived level of success by meeting all the criteria for a successful event, while the event itself may not appear successful when evaluated in other settings or using other criteria. This problem was resolved by basing success on several factors, not simply the number of people who attended, the money raised or the press coverage received. Instead, criteria for a successful event was developed to include how the event met predetermined goals of the organization. Sampling Methods Sampling methods included a literature review, interviewing, a review of historical documents, and participant observation at both the 1994 festival planning meetings and the festival itself. Surveys were also used during and immediately following the 1994 festival. 15 Techniques for Data Collection Literature Review - Summarizing the works of various authors on a topic to detect recurring themes and elements for successful events. Variables included availability of selected sources, and the application of the author’s work to the special event arena. The availability problem was controlled by beginning a literature review at an early stage in the study, allowing enough time for loans of material, and by obtaining access to several libraries or literature sources so that a variety of material was obtained. Participation Observation - Recording of the event’s planning activities often through actual participation- for the purpose of later analyzing these elements into qualitative summaries. The recording of the 1994 festival activities was performed through video taping and recording of selected verbal and non-verbal communications. Interviewing - Discussing and recording details, goals and objectives of the festival planners. Availability of planners was a limiting factor in this method, since one graduate assistant who played a large role in the 1993 planning (Pam Alesky), resided out of town, Fortunately, a face-to-face interview proved feasible, allowing additional insight into the festival’s planning. On-site surveying of vendors and participants - Recording comments and suggestions during the 1994 festival. A standard evaluation was developed for this 16 method. Physical limitations of the researcher limited the number of interviews possible during the event. To provide a higher percentage of surveys from festival participants, the researcher trained several undergraduates to collect empirical data during the festival. Observation Grid - Following Bales’ (1970) small group observation method, the researcher developed categories appropriate to the large group setting, then surveyed participants at the 1994 festival. Recording of verbal cues - Field notes of selected verbal communications recorded during the 1994 festival, then categorized into the criteria groupings used in the observation grid method. Evaluation forms - Critiquing the success of the event by using 1994 festival response vehicles. Data Analysis Upon completion of the literature review and the observation of the special event, these data collected on-site were analyzed to determine the correlation between the two. Preliminarily, several criteria were stated relating to the specific elements of a successful special event. This list was later compared to elements used in the Spring Highlands Festival. 17 Since the observed elements correlated with the stated criteria, this case study reinforced the writings of experts. A developed list of elements for special events can be used by public relations practitioners and special event planners for more effective events. Chapter Three Literature Review 19 Introduction Current research on special events examines factors to produce successful outcomes. Experts and practitioners have developed checklists for specific elements of a special event, based on a review of actual occurrences. These conclusions specifically define successful elements, without a contrast to theoretical assumptions. This literature review provides an overview of writings about special events, their factors of success, and their place in an organization’s total marketing plan. Corporate marketing combines a variety of mass media methods and tools that serve to promote an organization. Traditionally, this field of marketing is divided into two major areas - public relations and sales/advertising. According to Seitel (1984), the primary objective of sales and advertising is to promote an organization’s services and products through paid vehicles. In contrast, the practice of public relations manages the communications between an organization and its publics. Broadly defined, public relations is as old as civilization because underlying all public relations activity is the effort to persuade Persuasion is still the driving force of public relations, and many of the tactics that modern public relations people use to persuade have been used by leaders of society for thousands of years ... The earliest formal 20 public relations activities were used largely to promote something or to ’spread the faith’ - the original definition of propaganda (Grunig & Hunt, 1984, pp. 14-15). Grunig & Hunt also record that historically, the term "public relations," first used by lawyer Dorman Eaton in his 1882 address to the Yale Law School, signified "looking out for the welfare of the public" (p. 14). The term had not been used to describe the communications professional known today until Bernays, in 1921, coined the term "public relations counsel". Two years later, he wrote the first book on the subject, Crystallizing Public Opinion, and taught the first college course in public relations (PR) at New York University. Thus it was around the turn of the twentieth century that PR came into being as a term, as a profession and as an academic discipline (Newsom & Scott, 1985, p. 25). Before that time, the practice was known as "press agentry" or "publicity direction." Press agentry - aimed at attracting attention rather than gaining understanding - developed from the entertainment and political worlds of the nineteenth century. This model still flourished in the mid-60s, according to Cutlip & Center (1964). At that time, one of its most common forms was arranging for a product or person to be seen in association with celebrities - for example, being photographed with a motion-picture star, or giving away a 21 product as a prize on a television program. Most notably, Phineas T. Bamum, who formed the Barnum and Bailey Circus, used the press agentry publicity model and according to Grunig & Hunt (1984), served as "a leading historical figure" (p. 18) for this model. Today’s special event falls under a broad umbrella of public relations, and press agentry (one-way communication) method. As a growing segment of an organization’s public relations efforts, special events form a strong and evolving method of promotion. This type of publicity effort often accompanies substantial funding from a variety of sponsoring organizations. Special events may also serve as fund-raising techniques for non-profit organizations. Despite their increasing use in professional arenas, successful special events require specific planning elements and criteria. Defining Special Events Initially, this literature review requires a definition of special events so a uniform understanding of the term and its connotations may be obtained. Public relations practitioners, marketing professionals and authors have described special events in a variety of ways, each presenting an individual and differing perspective. Over twenty years ago, Leibert and Sheldon (1972) simply described the special event phenomenon as a dramatic effort to promote 22 an idea, a cause, or a program. At that time, the special event’s purpose was to improve relationships with an organization’s publics, to develop understanding of an organization, and to strengthen support for an organization through increased levels of participation and contributions. Special events were considered a primary method of promotion for charitable causes and public serving institutions. The events also created interest and understanding of a cause or institution, provided the basis for increased volunteer participation, dramatized a program, or raised donated funds. During the 1980s, Prior (1983) redefined this marketing tool by describing a special event as an assembly of people who gather to be informed, to be entertained, or to accomplish some worthwhile purpose. Continuing, Prior explained the publicity efforts that accompany special events by noting most special events (particularly if invited affairs) receive most publicity after the fact, not before. Events were becoming more targeted in the messages, the motives and the markets. Ukman (1984) explained that the days of philanthropic corporate sponsorships were long gone. Companies entered into sponsorships because they expected a financial return. If the event also provided a tax break and furthered a worthy cause while reaching the right audience, so much the better. 23 Parkhurst (1985) offered a more simplistic definition of special events relating to publicity by stating that "event publicity is the gathering of exposure for a specific occurrence at a specific time" (p. 163). A few years later, Harris (1988) revised the definition by deciding that events serve as an occasion to invite an organization’s outsiders in-house for a close and personal look. These special events provide the opportunity to deliver a marketing message personally to constituents by showcasing an institution or an organization in interesting, time-effective, and creative ways. While helping to educate, make j a point, build friendships, enable constituents to feel like "insiders," and foster a sense of community, special events can take the form of annual events, on-time events, or off-site events. As well, special events may be one element of a bigger and more grandiose marketing or public relations theme. Now, at the start of the ’90s, the marketing and public relations community continues to see an increase in the frequency, extravagance, and sponsorship of special events. The focus has changed from discretely presenting an organization to its publics, into major promotions included in both an organization’s general mass media and targeted marketing plans. The need to strategically market a sponsoring organization has forced changes toward a wider variety of events, including corporate sponsorships of annual functions and grand openings of new facilities. 24 The form of special events has also expanded to include the observance (Lesly, 1991) - a type of event which constantly stimulates interest and publicity coverage. Techniques used in the observance serve to build a program around a symbolic event or to give evidence of an accomplished fact, such as a centennial or anniversary. Successful anniversaries, according to Gable (1991), require a strategic approach that goes beyond a creative visual, or an uncreative one, such as the "typical ribbon cutting featuring executives holding a giant pair of scissors, or the ground breaking with silver- or goldplated shovels" (p. 25). Creative anniversaries hold the potential to influence more than the number of column inches in the paper or the seconds of sound bites on the news. When strategically approached, an event - whether a one­ time or extended program - can generate benefits beyond the obvious. These benefits, explained Gable (1991), include serving multiple marketing requirements, positioning the company, and positively affecting the bottom line. With the increasing need to position a company in the minds of its audiences, the role of special events has changed to not only presenting the name or image of an organization, but to specifically delivering a marketing message to a very targeted audience. "Special events of every description ... are created to tell a public relations story and influence public opinion. (They) are acts of news development. The special event is a publicity splash" (Lesly, 1991, p. 334). 25 The special event often serves as the central focus for the public relations plan, _ and "all press release, photo opportunities and other public relations functions are directly related to this activity" (Goldblatt, 1990, p. 119). Special events continue to grow in today’s marketing world. Ten years ago, Ukman (1984) estimated that corporate sponsorships of special events for the year totalled over $850 million, with over 1,600 companies sponsoring events. Stevens (1984) forecast that special events would alter the relationship between the private sectors and the public, becoming the "fastest-growing segment of corporate promotion campaigns" (p. 30). Later, McKenna (1992) noted that special event marketing had become a multibillion dollar business with hundreds of companies vying for available marketing funds. "More companies are getting into (event marketing) as a way of getting visibility in a highly cluttered category" (Brunelli, 1993, p.9). Yet special event publicity occurs only at a cost. Ensman (1992) believed that special events could be excellent public relations and fund raising opportunities, but demand financial risk of large dollar amounts. Randall (1993) lists three types of special event hidden costs - direct costs, usually requiring 25-to-50 percent of gross revenue; indirect costs, including dollars for staff time; and opportunity costs, the "benefits lost by investing resources into one activity instead of another" (p. 16). A general rule of thumb for 26 promotional expenses of an event, given by Ukman (1984), spends approximately twice the cost of the actual event. The public relations practitioner experiences an increasing demand to stage special events within a pre-determined budget while effectively persuading and informing target audiences of desired underlying communications. Blackwell and Crihfield (1991) term these elements as subliminal embedded communications messages, and contend these messages construct a principal element of special events. Some messages are more defined, bypassing the subliminal elements to send harder hitting messages through cause marketing. Cause marketing (will) be a winner in the 90’s. Boomers are middleaged and more concerned about issues that affect their lives. And causes that not too long ago were ’fringe,’ like saving the rain forest and recycling household trash, are today part of . . . kids’ curriculum and vocabulary. That’s a big change which will drive the creation of events and decision-making by corporate sponsors (D’Alessandro, 1993). Of course, the limitations and disadvantages of special events have been addressed during this period of marketing growth. For example, "most often by the very nature of special events, the programs are regionally restricted" (McKenna, 1992, p. 72). Langley (1992) noted the narrow target by explaining 27 that events are designed "to import a specific message to a specific audience." Bowman (1989) believed that special events proved the best option for the regionalized marketing plans used extensively in the ’80s, but appear too outdated for marketing plans of the ’90s. Historian Daniel Boorstin coined the term ’pseudo-events’ to describe a technique used today by public relation practitioners. A pseudo-event would not have occurred except to gain news coverage. The Boston Tea Party was one of the first pseudo-events; a staged dumping of tea into Boston Harbor to crystallize public opinion against what the revolutionaries considered to be unfair taxation (Grunig & Hunt, 1884, p. 18). Randall (1993) discredited special events and conferred that most special events do little to promote understanding of an organization, cause or project. Some special event activities may literally cheapen the cause since the events may be perceived as irrelevant, silly or morally questionable in the eyes of the audience. "If an enterprise is not worthy of public esteem, it had better resist the temptation to mount an event to say it is. In that case, the event becomes a stunt and soon will be seen for what it is. Rather, the enterprise should get its house in order first, then tell the world" (Maund, 1991, p.33). Many practitioners are often tempted to create a full-blown, grand scale event, but if 28 the event is not in line with the institution’s mission, strategies, and goals, it may prove a waste of time and money. Purpose of Special Events Despite a practitioner’s confidence in the relevance of special events, the effect of an event and its purpose remain consistent: to create publicity and, ideally, news. Cutlip (1982) gives a well-defined distinction between the two: The main difference between publicity and news is, that with publicity, it is »its sponsor that considers it newsworthy; the media receiving it may or may not agree . . . The origination, planning, staging, timing, invitations, and almost all preparations that go into special events have become increasingly significant in the public relations scheme of things. They feed the pride, vanity, and togetherness within a sponsoring organization, and they help compete for public notice outside the organization (Cutlip, 1982, pp. 10-12). The special event of today’s marketing world provides a variety of opportunities to generate publicity and to promote and market an organization. Curtis (1989) reported whatever the reasons for producing a special event, the overriding purpose of all special events should be to attract the attention of specific target audiences. Randall (1993) reported most professionals agree a 29 special event should raise money, provide an opportunity for people to have fun and possibly become involved ("Friend Raising"), help reach people that might not otherwise be reached, and call attention to an organization, cause or project. Therefore, a clear definition of the objectives and the audiences is vital for the success of a special event. Like publications, events are persuasion tools. They should ultimately be evaluated on their ability to move the target audience from a general awareness of an organization to a specific commitment to it. Two other elements of successful special events are defined by Blackwell and Crihfield (1991). First, critical non-verbal communication / patterns allow audiences to respond to the event. "To be successful, an event must be made up of elements that are designed to appeal to specific attitudes and to trigger specific interactive communication responses" (p. 34). A second element of selectively choosing the mediums through which the special events will be promoted allows the target audience to respond to the event. Blackwell and Crihfield (1991) termed this as "congruence of messagemedia-response cycles" and suggested that for a most successful event, determination of the media mix should be based on the desired audience results. A Values and Lifestyles (VALS) program can present knowledge of the psychographics, demographics and the psychological profiles of the target 30 audience, along with media usage of this audience, providing useful information when considering an event’s media mix. Blackwell and Crihfield (1991) also present four conditions that must be met simultaneously for a member of the target audience to accept the communication presented in a special event. First, the receiver can and does, at some level, understand the communication. Second, the receiver experiences consistency with the communication and the purposes of the transmitter, at least to the extent the receiver understands those purposes. Cognitive dissonance elements may manifest themselves if this second criterion is not fulfilled. If, for example, a tobacco company sponsors an athletic event, attendees at the event may realize any relationship between cigarettes and athletics is incongruent. Third, at the message receipt and the time of decision by the recipient (if any is made at all), the recipient believes the message is compatible with his or her own interest. And last, the recipient may physically and psychologically comply with the explicit or subliminal message imperatives. When used properly, special events can produce a positive effect on customers, trade and employees, and provide several benefits. Stevens (1984) credits this phenomenon with the ability to test ideas, focus on specific demographics segments, create long-term visibility and generate more "media 31 power" than other marketing forms. Since the evolved special event represents one of the newest waves of media, marketers must become more focused on what events can do, and to begin scrutinizing special events more like traditional media. Determining Special Events Before considering what type of event to sponsor, many experts advise first determining the objectives and goals for the event and how the event blends ^vith an organization’s overall media mix. "Do not create special events in isolation, but weave them into (the) total advancement program" (Harris, 1988, p. iii). Events must warrant the time, effort and money involved. Because special events constitute such powerful communication and marketing tools, practitioners are warned to use them wisely. "Never lose sight of the long-range goals of (an) advancement program" (Harris, 1988, p. 1). A professional must decide how each event fits into the organization’s promotional plan and why each event is unique and deserves coverage. Other experts (Leibert & Sheldon, 1972) agree that the most important guideline for successful special events is deciding whether the proposed event is important enough, is identified sufficiently with an organization’s purpose, and justifies the effort and cost necessary to assure the event’s success. Despite the 32 frequent- use of special events by many organizations, events cannot erase years of neglect by a company’s executives; nor can they instantly turn the tide of an institution’s image or act as a Band-Aid to cover up bad policies or poor leadership. Small-shop professionals should not, then, be asking whether special events should be pursued, but under what circumstances should they be pursued. To be effective, special events should be planned strategically. They should be geared toward a precise, clearly defined objective, formulated within the context of the organization’s overall fund raising efforts (Ensman, 1992, p. 59). Planning Details No single element ensures the success of a special event. Practitioners and marketing professionals agree a combination of elements, implemented through careful planning, provides the best recipe for success. The event must target specific audiences, demographics and psychographics, so a practitioner’s goal is to find which event most effectively reaches the desired target audience. Different audiences prefer different types of events. For example, D’Alessandro (1993) concluded that "men are more interested in sporting events. But more women (51 percent vs. 31 percent of men) and younger 33 people (51 percent of adults age 25-44 vs. 31 percent of adults age 45-64) prefer local family oriented activities like concerts, art festivals, and free days at the zoo." One event rarely covers a multitude of audiences, although this is not an impossible feat. The one special event, according to D’Alessandro (1993), with the broadest appeal to consumers is the Olympics. Eighty-three percent of a national sample found the Games appealing - an appeal that cuts across all ages and income levels. Once the audience has been targeted, consensus varies among authors as to the element most critical in the planning of successful special events. Lesly / (1991) believes staffing stands as the most important detail of publicity and special events. Leibert & Sheldon (1972) hold a similar mind-set, saying that "success depends on the joint efforts of volunteers and staff. Volunteers are the ’backbone’ of special events. Many events fail due to lack of men and women volunteers" (p. 16). The success of any event, according to Russell (1989), rests on the shoulders of every individual involved, after matching the right people to the right job. A differing criterion is given by Curtis (1989), who feels the one essential ingredient for producing and benefiting from a special event is careful planning. For many authors, the element of planning plays a large role in the success of the special event. "To plan, consult first with the institution’s chief 34 Public Relations officer. Then make a planning committee" (Harris, 1988, pp. 3-4). The planning committee, according to Harris, should be carefully selected and should include persons with knowledge of the organization, communication specialists, and a selection of community leadership. If planners are to be properly equipped to make a successful special event, Gable (1991) recommends starting with goals and strategies for the event. Then brainstorm and create a critical path, while developing strategic alliances or partnerships with community organizations. In addition, budgeting of human and financial resources with an agreed upon means of measurement / must be completed. "The most important watchwords are plan carefully, proceed according to plan - alert to see that every detail is handled, check and double check in advance, and don’t relax until the final curtain is down" (Leibert & Sheldon, 1972, p. 21). However, with any type of special event, an organization’s top management must be frequently briefed and actively included in the planning process, and Cantor (1989) believed that "it is valuable in special events planning to allow media access to top officers when feasible" (p. 255). The professional planning a special event must remember that flexibility can serve as a key to success. A plan must be developed and committed to, realizing there may be times when one may have to bend to meet the 35 objectives. It is also important to develop contingency plans. But in the real world, one cannot foresee every problem that might arise, so "avoid planning an event that’s too complicated" (Parkhurst, 1985, p. 166). Parkhurst also listed several pointers for planning a successful event. These included choosing an event that no one else is doing, carefully selecting the event’s location, allowing for plenty of time to complete planning of the event, and selecting a date which will not conflict with any competing events. A memorable event requires planners to begin early to get approvals from the community. Pre­ event publicity and planning may be as critical as the actual event. / Russell (1989) offered her six secrets for great events: identify the objective, break down the task into the activities needed to reach that goal, determine a timetable, figure out the actual skills needed by supervisors in the various areas, delegate authority, and set up a schedule of weekly meetings or written reports for key managers (p. 77). A Word to the Sponsors For each special event, a sponsor will hold a varying set of self-serving objectives and goals that often serve to complicate the planning and implementation of the event. D’Alessandro (1993) addresses this concern with "Do’s and Don’ts" for sponsors and organizers, which include working around 36 biases and listing each party’s needs and expectations at the start of planning. Most event sponsors require a specific return for their money. Dealing with these expectations may become more difficult for practitioners than organizing an event. McKenna (1992) provides ten special event principles that serve as tips in working with sponsors: sales and marketing expectations must be clear, derived from consensus, well discussed before the fact, and in writing; expectations must evolve into specific plans and measurable results; special event programs should be designed with (the user in mind; keep the event’s product expandable; look for events that are long-term; the event should enhance brand and customer image; if possible, think big; the event should eventually pay out; planners can always improve a program; and decide whether the event should be managed in-house or out-of-house (pp. 41-53). A practitioner must not forget the impact of the event on the audience, in light of its appropriateness to the mission of the organization. "What is more important ... is the increased emphasis such activities place on better long-range, pre-planning retailer tie-ins and the right strategic fit" (Bowman, 1989, p. 108). Gable (1991) presents criteria for this evaluation. A sponsor may consider questions such as: Is the mission and the position of the business supported? Is the event appropriate? Is it relevant? Will the audience 37 remember the event for the right reasons? Will anyone be offended by the event? Will relationships be built from the event to the community or target audience? A special event should hold some essential characteristics for success. These include a publicity value of its own, innovation, and a positioning of the sponsoring organization, according to Stevens (1984). Evaluation Evaluation of the special event may serve as the most crucial element of planning. Sponsors may require specific numbers and results for their dollar donations. An organization’s administration may demand a review of the number of participants and a report of the media coverage received. These evaluative factors can determine an event’s success and its level of excellence. McKenna (1992), for example, believes that special events have the potential to excel because of four basic reasons: 1) special events are generally not duplicated by competition, 2) special event promotions are usually non-price related events, 3) the assimilation factor - special events help products gain acceptance within a market, and 4) special events can be fun for sellers and buyers. While these methods for evaluating may be critical to the successful planning of future special events, Kaatz (1989) believes other evaluating methods may include determining the targeted audience, pre- and post- event 38 sponsorship surveys, sponsor or product name recall, attitude changes, increased awareness of the sponsor’s image, actual responses delivered, sales leads experienced, and/or visibility of the company’s identity in media coverage. A well executed event guarantees editorial coverage. There are so many facets to any given activity that it is not uncommon to see it reported on entertainment pages, sports pages, metro pages and editorial pages. Because of the visual opportunities, television coverage and live on-site radio broadcasts are good bets (Ukman, 1984, p. 21). Leibert & Sheldon (1972) stress that an organization should write a final report, telling of the event’s mistakes and successes, for use in planning the next special event (if a repeat performance is desired) and for financially justifying the event. However, practitioners may face a challenge in assigning quantifiable figures to a promotional event. Advertising is, in general, an inexact science, and quantifying the impact of event marketing can result in even more nebulous findings. It really depends on what an advertiser is looking to get out of [the event]. There are a lot of variables. But with other marketing costs escalating, clients are going to keep looking at events to make their dollars work more effectively (Brunelli, 1993, p.9). For a more effective event, D5Alessandro (1993) measures success by an 39 event’s ability to do seven things: enhance the name brand, elevate awareness and consideration of the company, increase productivity and sales, boost morale, promote the sponsor as good a corporate citizen, gain hospitality out of the event, and provide the right mix of corporate sponsors. Other elements to consider during the critique of an event include networking with community organizations and generating community involvement. Zahradnik (1987) points out that companies must find ways to measure the impact of media special events without crippling other advertising efforts. "With clients nervously watching their bottom lines, how will they fund their i increasingly passionate romance with event marketing? The answer is that the money will be pulled from funds earmarked for traditional media advertising" (Brunelli, 1993, p.9). Conclusion The special event provides an option for the marketing efforts of many organizations. As special event usage increases, as events accomplished their objectives, and as success is more firmly critiqued, a definitive list of elements should emerge. Yet, despite the practitioner’s effort to categorize and quantify successful special event elements, particular variables about events will not allow measurement or control. These variables, such as weather and media 40 "emergencies" which require immediate attention (fires, natural disasters, deaths, etc.), provide an element of contingency that even the best practitioner cannot anticipate. However, literature does suggest three major themes or variables over which a practitioner may have control. When these elements are addressed and planned for, the likelihood of a successful event may be significantly improved. The first element for successful special events, consistently addressed by experts, relates to the purpose of the event. A special event, despite theme or topic, may not be appropriate for every type of target audience. When implemented, an event can serve as a persuasion tool to affect an audience, to attract attention to an organization, and to create news. But planners must use the special event only when most appropriate to gain these responses. One special event, as mentioned in the literature review, cannot make up for years of neglect by an organization. And one event, when presented to the wrong type of audience, may have disastrous effects for an organization. Matching audiences and objectives is key to the successful use of special events. This matching process leads to the second element for success: careful planning. Planning should be applied to every detail of an event, from audience targeting, to staffing needs, to contingency plans, to defining goals and objectives. A practitioner should start early in the planning process, and 41 should plan to keep the event logistically as simple as possible. Early in the planning process, sponsors should address their expectations for the event, and the details should be reviewed in light of several questions: Is the event appropriate? Will the event position the sponsoring organization favorably? Does the event hold a publicity value of its own? Once these planning questions are considered, event planners can note these expectations more accurately and realistically. Thirdly, and possibly most important, a method for evaluation is needed to determine the level of success. If the .event’s preliminary planning was completed, these objectives should already be in place and ready to measure success. Criteria for each event will vary, depending on the target audience and the sponsor’s objectives. Some organizations will measure success simply by the visibility of the sponsor’s name or the number of people who attend the event. Other criteria may include an increase in product name recall, coverage received from the media, number of responses generated, networking opportunities with other organizations, a boost in company morale or identification of the sponsor as a good corporate citizen. Whatever the specific criteria used to evaluate the success of a special event, a final report summarizing the event and its elements, should be written. 42 This allows planners of future events to quantify and justify their activities, since the report also serves as a historical record of marketing efforts. These three elements - purpose, planning and evaluation - provide public relations practitioners and event planners with a basis for entertaining and purposeful special events. / I I Chapter Four Development of the Spring Highlands Festivals 45 established in Scotland. The Ancient and Honorable Order of St. Patrick was established first in New York by a group of Ulster-Scots. The Caledonian Society of Montreal, founded in 1855, even incorporates a hammer thrower in its badge. Most Scottish Societies, such as the Robert Bums Society, have a living history group that camps out and act out the living history (T. Thompson, class handout, 1993). Events of Scottish Festivals Highlands Dancing - This activity mixes beauty and grace with music. The Highland Fling, the Word Dance and the Seann Triubhas were originally performed only by men. Modern day competitions are based on timing, expression and proper dress. Historically, males wore kilts while females wore the Aboyne - a full skirt, white blouse with an over-the-shoulder plaid. Today’s dancers still don this traditional costume. Scottish Country Dancing - Originally restricted by the Scottish Church, the roots of Scottish country dancing are difficult to determine. Researchers have tried to discover the elements of the original Scottish country dance, but without success. According to Dr. Thompson, "in 1923, Scottish Country Dancing was revived through the efforts of two people meeting in a small Glasglow office. The two founders 46 wanted to keep the dances as traditional and correct as possible. They were determined to get as much information as possible from elderly people who had really danced the dances. The founders gathered a wealth of knowledge, and the description of all dances and dancing methods collected and taught by the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society is based on the spoken word" (T. Thompson, class handout, 1993). Scottish country dancing performed today mirrors the ballroom dancing' originally performed in Scotland. Tossing the Caber - In this most traditional Scottish athletic event, contestants attempt to flip a 100-130 pound, 17-21 foot long caber end over end so the caber lands with the small end pointing directly away from the contestant. The straightest toss is named the winner. Weight Toss and Weight Throw - These two events, usually combined, challenge contestants to throw a 28-pound weight, and a 56-pound weight for distance and height. Tossing the Sheaf - A burlap sack filled with a bale of hay weighing about 16 pounds, is pitched over a bar. Each contestant is allowed three attempts, each with the bar being raised about 6 inches. 47 Putting the Stone - A stone weighing 16-25 pounds is thrown in a method similar to modern day shot put. Scottish Hammer Throw - A long handled 16-22 pound hammer is thrown for distance. Implementing the Idea The purpose of the Spring Highlands Festival at Edinboro University was two-fold: to raise funds for Edinboro Lake Restoration and Conservation Foundation and to establish an annual event celebrating spring and the Scottish i heritage of EUP. Before 1993, no Scottish-type festival or games had been held at EUP and no large festival or celebration of spring currently existed. To initiate the event, festival planners first designated target markets and demographics, as follows: Primary audience: EUP audiences (students, faculty and administration) Secondary audience: Edinboro residents, Scottish community groups, EUP parents and alumni. EUP demographics (1993): freshmen 34%; sophomores 18%; juniors 17%; seniors 18%; graduate students 8%; transfers 5%. EUP student housing (1993): dormitory 30%; private 2%; commuters 42%; off campus 26%. Based on these assumptions, work began on the implementation of the 1993 festival. Dates for the festival were set for April 23-24, 1993. University 48 facilities were first secured by Dr. Thompson, who initially projected attendance of 5,000 people (later revising this projection to 1,000 attendees). The fields at Perry Lane, the lawns and fields at the north side of the Towers building, the cross country course, the outdoor volleyball courts near McComb Fieldhouse, and the University Center’s multi-purpose rooms were reserved, plus a local golf course for the proposed golf tournament. Twenty students in Dr. Thompson’s fall 1992 graduate class in Managing Public Relations then began the initial festival work by contacting the Robert Burns Scottish Club of Erie, the SAGA Scottish Group and Mr. / David Peet - the primary planner of Ligonier Scottish Festival and Games. Students listed their individual areas of expertise, then divided into four task groups to address the topics of message design, media planning, research/marketing, and event planning. Meanwhile, Dr. Thompson represented the festival planners at a campus organizational fair on September 26, 1992. A strong interest in the event was shown by the students present, which allowed various campus organizations to promote their organization and recruit new interested students. Following the fair, Dr. Thompson estimated approximately 70 graduate students and undergraduates from all areas of the University were involved in planning the event. By end of the fall 1992 semester, Dr. Thompson estimated at least 100 49 students were "committed to working through the completion of the event" (T. Thompson, personal communication, September 26, 1992). Graduate students continued working to summarize the conception of event and to suggest critical paths to implementing ideas. Suggested activities included: Scottish music, dance, heritage exhibitions, games (caber toss, throwing of the weight, tug of war), golf tournament, volleyball tournament, softball tournament, mountain bike race, canoe races, and smaller scaled games. Other Scottish ideas included "a best legs in a kilt" contest, a "Mad about Plaid" race (possibly some type of relay), a bonfire, camping on a hill near the University’s cross country course and Scottish food provided by the campus food service contractors. A logo, developed by University students and staff, was affectionately dubbed "Nessy," and used for promotional materials. Graduate students also suggested a variety of fund raising methods including t-shirts for purchase by participants, allowing entry into games; selling of admission buttons; restricting the festival area and charging an admission fee; printing a program booklet with advertisements from local businesses; donating a percentage of food sales and proceeds from the mountain bike race and golf tournament to the Lake project. 50 Several questions of planning and logistics were also addressed during this semester. Students concentrating on the event promotion worked to identify audiences. Message design students determined the planning, scheduling, and production of the media, the design of all collateral - programs, tickets, and certificates, public service announcements and feature stories, and wrap around events, such as Scottish Week at Miller School (the University’s day care center). Research Conducted While the graduate class worked to manage the event and to provide notes for future festivals, undergraduates in Dr. Thompson’s fall semester 1992 public relations class worked to detail the promotion and execution of the event. These students surveyed 250 fellow EUP students to determine interest level in Scottish festival, events, games, media usage. Results were as follows. Events: Fifty-one to sixty-two percent of those surveyed expressed at least some interest in watching Scottish event exhibitions. The highest interest occurred toward the tug of war, volleyball, and softball events. Thirty-one to thirty-nine percent of those surveyed definitely expressed interest in participating, with sixteen to twenty-five percent partially interested depending on the type of event. Twenty percent of surveyed students expressed interest in 51 watching cultural events. (Researchers considered the result of cultural interest to measure higher among EUP Administration/staff and community members). Costs: Fifty-five percent of all those surveyed were willing to pay a $12 admission fee. Forty-six percent were willing to pay this fee if they received an event souvenir (a button, for example). Fifty-seven percent of all surveyed stated they would pay $6-8 for a commemorative t-shirt. Forty-one percent of all surveyed would pay an entry fee for competitive team athletic events. Media: The most frequently used and effective media were word of mouth, the Spectator (University newspaper), a faculty announcement in,class, campus bulletin boards, WFSE (University radio station), and table tents in student dining areas. This "research indicated a significant level of student interest in all aspects of this event and a demonstrable potential as a successful fund raiser" (T. Thompson, class handout, 1993). Based on completed research, event planners decided to keep all proposed festival events. While the cultural events gained low interest from the surveyed student population, planners believed these could be maintained because of non-student interest. A recommendation of a one-to-two dollar admission fee with a complimentary button or nominal gift was proposed. 52 Also, based on research, an $8 maximum price was proposed for commemorative festival t-shirts. Festival Planning Upon completion of the research, Dr. Thompson’s undergraduates developed three global objectives for the project: 1) to provide a celebration of spring, 2) to sponsor an event denoting the Scottish heritage of the university, and 3) to raise monies for the Edinboro Lake restoration project. Next, immediate objectives and a schedule of tasks were developed by, the graduate student class. "Initially, we planned a festival with limited games, entirely for EUP students, faculty, staff and administrators. As planning progressed however, it became evident that various Scottish groups from the Northwestern Pennsylvania region were interested in participating." (T. Thompson, class handout, 1993). Because of this extended interest by outside groups, the festival’s scope grew to include Scottish vendors, performers, EUP alumni and parents, and residents of Edinboro. Proposed events included (on Friday) a golf tournament, a display by the Robert Burns Society, a "What’s Under the Kilt" contest, a bonfire, a euchre tournament, and possibly a community event at The Highlander (a local golf course facility). Saturday’s proposed events included a "snake around the lake" 53 parade and opening ceremonies, softball and volleyball tournaments, Scottish bands and athletics, student/children’s events, closing ceremonies, and a ceilidh. A mountain bike race and an exhibition rugby match were proposed for Sunday. Festival planning began with the assumption of no available budget dollars. Staying with a budget (monies received from the festival could pay for all festival expenses) served as a measurement of success, as did meeting the festival’s global and terminal objectives. Message Plan A task group of the graduate students proposed ideas for the message plan. First, objectives for advertising copy were defined to include an invitation to EUP and the community to join the festival. Nessy, the festival mascot created a visual link to the message plan. "The creation of a logo (specifically a mascot) seemed to be the most logical way to create an identity for the festival" (T. Thompson, class handout, 1993). Proposed advertisements to EUP students emphasized fun and festival participation, while messages to the community emphasized efforts to raise money for the Edinboro Lake restoration project. 54 Based on previous research, the graduate students suggested using a variety of vehicles in the media mix- printed programs, banners around campus and in the community, table tents in student dining areas, EUP student bill inserts, change jars in local bars, a poster contest for local elementary schools, EUP television station (ENN) and radio station (WFSE), the Spectator, the Independent-Enterprise (weekly community newspaper) and posters to area merchants. Media Plan Two goals of the media planning were identified. First, increase awareness and knowledge of the festival, to be accomplished through traditional means and reinforced with repeated exposure. Second, persuade to action, achieved through personal contact upon the establishment of individual relationships. Most importantly, the media plan was required to meet guidelines of the proposed budget. Considering the ideal and the probable media, graduate students proposed a traditional media mix which included television, newspaper, radio, direct mail, billboard, giveaways, and one-to-one promotion. Specifically, the following mediums were proposed: 55 Print: The Spectator and the Independent-Enterprise. Expand in later years to include Erie newspapers, especially the "Showcase" (weekly tabloid for arts and entertainment). Television: Four area stations from Erie (Channels 24/ABC affiliate, 35/CBS affiliate, 12/NBC affiliate and 54/public broadcasting), two local cable companies, student television stations (ENN/EUP station and Fox 66/Gannon University station). Radio: Public service announcements on all area stations. Direct Mail: Personal invitations, flyers, brochures, order forms. Person-to-Person: Applied Communicators of Edinboro (ACE) members to attend sorority, fraternity, and other campus organization meetings such as the Student Government Association, and Dorm Council. Other - outdoor advertising, gimmicks or promotions, ads. Create a "Love the Lake" promotion at local bars. Hold a window decorating among EUP dorms. Event Planning: Contact representatives from the Ligonier Highlands Festival for EUP Scottish games ideas. Contact EUP Outdoor Recreations Center for rules, entry forms, and regulations of team athletic events. Contact local universities for rugby exhibition match. Fund Raising Ideas: Athletic team entry fees, admission tickets to cultural events, sell specialty items, ask local bars to sell special "Nessy drink", sell raffle tickets for a trip to New York City or Toronto, message-grams sold at local retailers, print a program booklet with ads of sponsors. 56 Schedule of events/tasks 1993 2/1-4/25 Fund raising Promotions 4/1-4/25 Logo Cups, Souvenir Sales 4/18-23 Scottish Week, Window Painting, "Dress’n Nessy" Art Contest 4/23 4/24 4/25 noon 11:00 AM Golf Tournament 5:00 PM Robert Burns Exhibit 7:00 PM Euchre Tournament 7:30 PM "Highlander" Movie 8:00 PM Bonfire 11:00 AM Opening Ceremonies 11:00 AM One-Pitch Softball 11:00 AM Volleyball Tournament 11:00 AM Scottish Bands Noon Athletic Events, Scottish Student and Children’s events 4:00 PM Tug of War 5:00 PM Closing Ceremonies 7:00 PM Ceilidh, Spring Jam/World Music i Mountain Bike Race, Rugby Exhibition 57 1993 Vendor Clans: Rampant Lion, Clan Ferguson, The Gaelic House, The British Shop, Clan MacBean, Clan MacNeal & Maclnnis, Celtic Imports, House of Boyd, Clan MacNicol, Harry’s British Isles, Hunter Clan, MacPherson Clan. 1993 Children’s Events: Mini caber toss, pony rides, egg-on-spoon, face painting, ring toss, dunking booth, pie throwing, tossing the brick, frisbee toss, sheaf toss, haggis throw. 1993 Student/Adult events: Haggis throw, tossing the sheaf, putting the stone, hammer throw, tossing the caber, tug of war, volleyball tournament, softball tournament, mountain bike race, golf tournament. Highland and Country Dancers performed at intervals throughout Saturday afternoon. 1993 Festival Completion The first annual Spring Highlands Festival attracted approximately 300 participants and festival volunteers to the three day event. Cold, rainy weather caused the festival’s activities to end early on Saturday. Despite these adverse conditions, the festival was deemed a success by Dr. Thompson and the event planners, who completed thank you letters and appropriate festival follow-up. 58 Monetarily, the first Spring Highland Festival covered its expenses and did not allow a donation to be presented to the Edinboro Lake Restoration Fund. 1994 Planning Immediately following the completion of the 1993 festival, planning began for the 1994 festival. Throughout the fall 1993 and spring 1994 semesters, Dr. Thompson’s public relations students worked planning the second annual festival. The 1993 festival - with its successes and failures provided an excellent basis to begin the 1994 planning process. Some areas of activities were adjusted to align more with the Scottish festival theme. For example, the 1994 festival included an expanded Kid’s Fair area, a Highlands Dancing competition and a pipe and drum competition. Additionally, Dr. Thompson organized a small festival planning committee which consisted of selected EUP faculty and students plus community members skilled in specific areas relating to the festival - Scottish bands, art design, Highland dancing, athletic events and fund raising. This committee met occasionally to discuss the 1994 planning and specifically addressed problems of logistics and proposed activities for the day. According to Dr. Thompson, over 1200 persons attended the 1994 Spring Highlands Festival. Demographics of festival participants and 59 comments about the festival are including in Appendix D. Since the festival’s revenue simply covered its expenses, no donation to the Edinboro Lake Restoration Fund was presented. i Chapter Five Presentation of Data i i 61 Observation Grid Methods Six observation grid categories were duplicated directly from Bales (1970). The researcher added six new categories and descriptions, tailored to the festival participants. These categories were then divided into positive reactions (seems friendly, agrees, dramatizes, laughs, claps, encourages, chats with friends and buys, eats, browses) and negative reactions (seems unfriendly, shows tension, disagrees, alone, and frowns). Bales (1970) divided his categories (for small group interaction) into "acts initiated" and "acts received," but this was not probable for a large group observation activity. Participant Survey A survey was developed by the researcher to determine levels of participation and satisfaction of those attending the 1994 festival. Dr. Timothy Thompson and Dr. Kathleen Golden both reviewed the survey instrument and provided input into survey questions, form and methodology. Dr. Phil Kerstetter approved the Human Subjects Review form on May 5, 1994, with the assistance of Ms. Cheryl Lossie, EUP Graduate Office Assistant. On May 4, four EUP undergraduate communication students, selected with recommendations by Dr. Kathleen Golden, were provided instructions on the survey methodology and the survey form. Surveyors included: 62 Tacie Tonks, with assistance from Mark Thomas, who surveyed at the Friday night festival activities (movie, highland dance workshop). The researcher estimated 200 attendees at these events, therefore Tonks received 50 surveys (25%) to complete. Dorothy Feidler surveyed at the Ceilidh on Saturday evening. With an estimation of 250 in attendance at this event, the researcher presented Feidler with 60 surveys (24%) to complete. Surveyors at various sites at the festival on Saturday, included Kristen Homer, EUP undergraduate, Barbara Best, Maryann Wilkinson, and the researcher herself. With an estimated 500 attendees at the festival, Kristen and Barb were presented with 40 surveys each (15.9% of total). Wilkinson and the researcher completed additional surveys when not conducting other observation techniques. A complete report of the results is included in Appendix D. Highlights of the participant survey results include: 75.8 % did not currently attend college 27.2 % listed the Edinboro zip codes (16412) as their current residence listed the EUP zip code (16444) as their current residence 6.0% 32.9% 24.8 % travelled 0-5 miles to attend the festival travelled 15-40 miles to attend the festival 63 54.8% 38.1% 43.0% 14.0% 78.1% 59.1% 60.1% 92.3% attended with family attended with friends learned of the festival through word of mouth learned of the festival through posters did not attend the 1993 festival rated the festival as "very good" had not attended similar Scottish festivals would attend next year’s festival Overall, comments from those surveyed during the festival weekend proved very positive. Only 24.2% of those surveyed attended college full time - a demographic that was initially considered by festival planners to be much higher. Much of the event marketing and activities were directed at the festival’s primary audience - the EUP student body. Almost thirty-three percent of those surveyed travelled zero to five miles to attend the festival. This response included those on campus who walked to the festival, as well as community members from the Edinboro area. Since over half of participants surveyed attended the festival with their family, the conclusion may be made that the festival attracted area families from Edinboro. Again, the overall opinion of the festival proved very positive, with 59.4% of those surveyed rating the festival as "very good." An overwhelming 64 92.3% responded that they would attend next year’s festival. This strong response offers an excellent case for continuing the festival into future years. Observation Methods During the festival activities on Saturday, the researcher completed an observation grid by surveying for three minutes intervals every twenty minutes, stroking every three seconds. Locations varied, depending on the current centers of activities. However, this method was not conducted inside McComb Fieldhouse during the Scottish Dance competition. Maryann Wilkinson simultaneously recorded festival participants’ verbal segments for three minutes every twenty minutes. Results of the grid observations are presented in Appendix C. Overall, positive non-verbal cues totalled 313 observed acts (94.6%), with negative non-verbal cues totalling 18 acts (5.4%). These results lead to the following conclusion: with such a high percentage of positive acts recorded, festival participants expressed their positive feelings about the festival through positive actions. Results of the verbal recordings are presented in Appendix F. Categorizing these cues proved difficult since upon review, the statements were out of context. However, the researcher grouped the cues into three categories, aligning as much as possible with the categories developed by Bales and used 65 for the observation grid technique. To clarify, three categories were determined: Positive cues (+) - comments which expressed positive words or a statement of positive future action. Neutral cues (N) - comments which presented no sign of positive or negative attitudes, or comments which could not be determined due to the lack of context. Negative cues (-) - comments which expressed negative words or a statement of negative future action. In retrospect, the data collector for this method should have marked each comment, when recorded, with a "+", "N", or depending on the context of the comment as well as the tone of voice, facial expression and other non­ verbal cues which accompanied the verbal comments. This would have helped to categorize the comments at a later date. Additionally, this method of data collection may not be as appropriate as first determined by the researcher. The purpose of this technique was to provide an additional method of categorizing the participants’ interactions. However, simply listening to pieces of one’s conversation, it was difficult to determine whether those being observed were discussing the festival or the social affair they attended last week. In total the results were almost evenly divided into the three categories, and are as follows: Positive - 58 comments (38.4%) Neutral - 61 comments (40.4%) Negative - 32 comments (32%). 66 Kate Shaw, EUP undergraduate, videotaped the festival events and participants, so that the researcher could later analyze the participants’ non­ verbal communication using the identical Bales-based observation grid. This video may be edited and used at a later date to promote next year’s festival. Overall, positive non-verbal cues totalled 79 observed acts (98.7%), with negative non-verbal cues totalling 1 act (1.3%). These numbers align closely with the observation grid findings from the festival in that the majority of acts recorded were positive. Vendor Survey To identify responses by the clans represented at the festival, a survey was mailed to 11 clan representatives. Dr. Timothy Thompson reviewed the survey instrument prior to mailing. A complete report of the results is included in Appendix D. Highlights of the participant survey results include: 60.0 % 20.0 % 20.0% 37.5% 12.5% learned about the festival through a personal invitation from festival planners learned about the festival through a brochure learned about the festival through other methods - Scottish publications, vendors, etc. travelled 76-150"miles to attend the festival travelled 0-75 miles to attend the festival 67 100% 100% 100% expressed no difficulty in setting up their booth have attended similar Scottish festivals at other locations would attend next year’s festival. Most of the vendors learned about the festival from word of mouth - an initiation from Dr. Thompson or festival planners. This leads to the conclusion that paid publicity to attract vendors may be an expense not needed, and should be carefully evaluated should this question arise in future festivals. While a few vendors felt that their expense in travelling to the festival , did not justify their attendance, it should be noted that not all vendor booths gain income from the festival. Some clan booths simply hold the goals of promoting themselves to festival participants. Therefore, this type of cost analysis is not appropriate for all vendors. A better method of categorizing the booths would be to label the vendors (income generating) separately from the clans (non-income generating). Chapter Six Conclusions and Recommendations f / 69 Critiquing a special event often proves difficult for any practitioner due to the wide variety of planning elements. No two special events finish the same - each holds different objectives and criteria for success. However, as noted in the literature review, a special event must hold basic elements for effective implementation. Using these basic foundations, the researcher performed a critique of the 1994 Spring Highlands Festival. First, a special event may be given a critique on the purpose of the project; that is, does the special event suit the target audience and does it demand an appropriate response by the participants? As stated, the 1994 Spring Highlands Festival held a three-fold purpose: to raise money for the Edinboro Lake Restoration project, to celebrate spring, and to commemorate the Scottish heritage of EUP. With a primary target audience of EUP students, faculty and staff, and a secondary audience of area community residents and Scottish band participants, the event clearly relates to these audiences. However, the event’s purpose did not clearly address the desired responses by the target audiences. Raising money for the lake restoration project stood out as a desired response, but a further delineation on this would assist in future events. For example, public relations experts note three basic responses to special events - attracting attention, creating news, and persuading an audience. The Spring Highlands Festival fit nicely with the first two of these responses; 70 however, its ability to persuade an audience was not listed as a strength. Of course, an effective special event may not require all three responses. One response may satisfy a sponsor and festival planner. But whatever the desired response(s), they must be clearly detailed prior to the event’s implementation. Perhaps the desired response is simply to attend the festival. Planners must determine how this response can be measured. If another response is to donate to the Edinboro Lake restoration fund, planners must also develop methods of measuring response. Secondly, careful planning makes a special event effective. Details relating to audience targeting, adequate staffing levels, sponsor expectations and goals and objectives must be determined early in the planning stages. The planning also includes the effective and efficient use of planning staff members - matching members’ abilities to specific tasks for an event. Originally, planners roughly defined the goals and objectives for the Spring Highlands Festival and target audiences. The research conducted at the start of the planning process assisted with these two areas. However, as the planning developed, no further development of the goals and objectives occurred. Such an exercise could help to define more closely the event and to keep its purpose in the forefront of the planners’ minds. 71 Staffing the event was affected somewhat by the students taking Dr. Thompson s public relations classes. Therefore, little matching of planners to their areas of expertise occurred. Because of this situation, Dr. Thompson and his graduate assistants provided the only consistency between the two years of festivals. Delegating specific planning areas to volunteers will allow for a more effective match of staff. Through the process of delegation, this will provide for a more organized event. Staff from each area may report to one event chairperson, helping to address any problems of physical limitations of the planners. Additionally, festival planners should not ignore the valuable resource of community members willing to help with the festival. Should future festival events specifically hold the objective to more fully involve the community, this resource will prove valuable. Caution should be exercised, however, if festival planners personally contact community members. The University should be fully aware of this recruitment effort, so that any activity of this type may fall in line with University policies and procedures. A more formal method of delegation should allow for better planning of the many details of the event - how much food to order for the Ceilidh, how many admission tickets have sold in advance, how much to charge for program booklets, etc. These details, while overwhelming to one planner, could be handled much more effectively through delegation to event planners. 72 Finally, an evaluation of the event is imperative to ensure a level of success for the event. Through a combination of methods, participants and sponsors must be able to provide feedback about the event. The Spring Highlands Festival successfully allowed for responses. However, these data have not been developed or recapped into a final report - a critical element for future success. This case study provides a baseline of responses for festival vendors and participants. Future festivals should build on this baseline to show improvement each year. A post-event evaluation by festival planners would also be helpful for continuous improvement. This information should then be compared to the festival’s original criteria for success, so that recommendations for future events may be recorded. In conclusion, the basis of the Spring Highlands Festival of Edinboro University has set the stage for an effective special event in years to come. Using these recommendations, which are based on expert opinion, planners should be equipped to improve the festival of 1995 and of years beyond. I i References Bales, R.F. (1970). Personality and Interpersonal Behavior. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston. Blackwell, S.H. & Crihfield, T.S. (1991). Controlling the communications impact. Public Relations Journal. 47(6). 34-35. Bowman, R. (1989). Strategic Sizzle. Marketing and Media Decisions. 24(10). 108. Brunelli, R. (1993, August 16). The big event gets bigger. Mediaweek. p. 9. Curtis, C.L. (1989). Special events: how they’re planned and organized. In B. Canton Experts In Action, (pp. 246-257). New York: Longman. Cutlip, S.M. (1982). Effective Public Relations (5th ed.L Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Cutlip, S.M. & Center, A.H. (1964). Effective Public Relations (3rd ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. D’Alessandro, D.F. (1993, March). Event marketing: The good, the bad and the ugly. Paper presented at the International Events Group Annual Event Marketing Conference, Chicago. Ensman, R.G. (1992, March). About those special events. Fund Raising Management pp. 59-60. Gable, T. (1991). Going beyond ordinary anniversary celebrations. Public Relations Journal. 47(12). 25-27. Goldblatt, J.J. (1990). Special events: The art and science of celebration. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold. Grunig, J.E. & Hunt, T. (1984). Managing Public Relations. New York: Holt, Reinhart & Winston. Harris, A.L. (1988). Special events: Planning for success. Washington, D.C.: Council for Advancement and Support Education. Kaatz, R. (1989). Advertising and marketing checklists: 77 proven checklists to save time and boost advertising effectiveness. Lincolnwood, IL: NTC. Langley, J.M. (1992, July/August). True value. Case Currents, p. 72. Leibert, E.R. & Sheldon, B.E. (1972). Handbook of special events for nonprofit organizations. New York: Association Press. Lesly, P. (1991). Lesly’s handbook of public relations and communications (4th ed.). Chicago: Probus. Maund, P. (1991). The role of event management in corporate communication strategy. International Public Relations Review, 14(3). 30-33. McKenna, S. (1992). The complete guide to regional marketing. Homewood, IL: Business One Irwin. Newsom, D. & Scott, A. (1985). This Is Public Relations (3rd ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. Parkhurst, W. (1985). How to get publicity and make the most of it once you’ve got it. New York: Times Books. Prior, O. (1983). Planning the big bash. New York: Caxton. Randall, M. (1993, April). What you should know about special events. Fund Raising Management, pp. 15-16. Russell, A.M. (1989). How to manage a grand project. Working Woman. 14(12). 73-77. Seitel, F.R. (1984). The practice of public relations (2nd Ed.). Columbus, OH: Bell and Howell. Stevens, A. (1984). What’s ahead for special events. Public Relations Journal, (40)6. 30-32. Ukman, L. (1984). The special event: finding its niche. Public Relations Journal, 40(6). 21. Zahradnik, R. (1987). Powie Zowie. Marketing and Media Decisions. Nov 1987. pp. 81-84. I Appendix A Interviews Interview with Dr. Timothy N. Thompson (edited) February 22, 1994 NC: I want to get a historical perspective of the festival. What was your initial purpose when you started planning? TT: Initially, I was looking for something for an undergraduate Public Relations class to do as a project. Then, as it turned out, we had both an undergraduate and graduate class in the same semester. I had them try to work with each other, so the graduate class ended up working on it as well. So that was it - to establish some kind of event and to give them a project to do. We knew there was homecoming at Edinboro in the fall, and people said there wasn’t an equivalent spring type of party or festive event. So the initial plan was to have some kind of thing in the spring. NC: Who did you talk to that said we needed something in the spring? TT: I just got the feeling. I didn’t talk to anybody who said we needed it. Students just kind of said it’d be nice. Let’s do something fun. Then I talked to the president and some vice-presidents - this would have been in December of ’91. I wrote to the President’s office and said "Hey, have we ever thought of having a Scottish festival?" They took me out to lunch. I went with the President, John Fleischauer (Provost) and Cliff Cox. They essentially said that it had been thought of before and they had contacted the Association of Scottish Games and Festivals and it was just too expensive. It was going to cost for judges, awards, prize money and travel ... and all kinds of things. I said "Oh, okay. Maybe I’ll just try to have student games." So we originally started off to do something for the students and do it cheap, for free. Just make up some fun and games. We took off from that. NC: That was in ’90? TT: My first experience with Scottish games was June of ’90 when I went to the Ohio Scottish games. It was very rainy and cold in Oberlin that day. The fall of ’92 is when Public Relations classes, the undergraduate and the graduate classes, started working on it. When I went to lunch with the President, he gave his approval and said he would put up $500 out of his discretionary fund to get it started. Right after that lunch, we presented the festival plans. The graduate and undergraduate classes presented them. We had a small crowd. I saved the news until afterwards and announced that we had approval. "The games will go on", I said. We had Art Makynen, a bagpiper, come in and play the pipes. He played "Scotland the Brave" after we said "Let the games begin." So in December ’92, we got the approval from the President and we started planning in the spring of ’93. April 23-24 were the dates of the first festival that fateful Saturday when it rained and poured. Pam Alesky (a graduate assistant) evolved as the one to be assisting with the festival. She had done similar things with Red Cross, so she was used to organizing things. She rose out of nowhere to take over certain things and start planning like the vendors and plans. Elaine Surma (a graduate student) was instrumental because she suggested bringing in some Scottish bands. I didn’t think it was possible. I thought we’d have to pay all kinds of money. She thought these people like the Grotto band and Zem-Zem come to play for free. So she put ;me in contact with them and the planners of the Ligonier games. I got a long initiation talking to Dave Peet, who heads up the Ligonier games. On the phone he gave a long list of all kinds of things that go into a festival - like planning for the vendors to come, the clans, the dancers, what we typically pay dancers, what we pay bands, what kind of prize money we have, athletics, kids events. He covered all the things, and my head was swimming. I had sheet upon sheet of scribbled down notes of what we could do. Out of all that, we tried to pick and choose and see what we could do. Just locking a few bands in place was enough for the first year. I’d contacted Eripa Grotto and then went to one of their band practices to present the idea. They agreed to play. Then we thought that we had better ask Zem-Zem because they come down and play the homecoming every year. They might be offended, so we asked them. Through Kip Allen and Gary Means they confirmed and went ahead and played. I guess that was the first time they’d played together in 25 years. Somewhere back in history - they’re in some kind of a disagreement or fight or something - they hadn’t played together for a long time. This brought them together. NC: So it expanded and evolved from your idea of just a student activity to more? TT: Right, moving more toward Scottish games. The actual Scottish/games. There are many different kinds, but they have all kinds of band and dancing competitions, solo drum and solo pipe competition and dancers. And they all have formal heavy athletics, prizes and people who know what they’re doing. They have "putting the stone," the caber toss, and the sheaf. Sometimes they do the hammer. So we moved somewhere between the original idea of a student thing and actual Scottish games. Now we’re moving more in the direction of the Scottish games, and eventually we’ll start offering competitions. NC: What was the significance of the Scottish festival? TT: Well, that tied in with Edinboro. It was a surprise to me that Edinboro didn’t have any kind of Scottish event, being those are the roots here. The Fighting Scots and all that. And partly from my own background. I am part Scottish, so I’m interested because of that. NC: Once you started the planning and implementing the first festival, what was your role during that time? TT: Essentially coordinating it all and coming up with ideas. Like making decisions about where, and when and what we were going to have. Last year, we tried to combine Scottish with student oriented things - volleyball, a softball tournament. We had a band in on Saturday night, for Spring Jam alternative music at the University Center, at the same time we had the Ceilidh over at the Fire Hall. There were all kinds of different events. We were trying to please everyone. I’m not sure that worked very well, especially because it stretched us too much. We had too many things going on at once. NC: So some of the things that happened were not strictly Scottish oriented? TT: Right. We were trying to combine the American and Scottish to give some people things that were familiar so they’d come play. This year, we’ll probably streamline it more into Scottish. My role in coordinating is to maintain the contact between all of the different people who are in charge of their particular area - like the leader of each band, the drum band, the leader of any dancers, and the people who are setting up the Ceilidh at the fire hall. The student organizations, like the Tri Sigs, ran the kids’ thing; the Beta Chis ran the athletics; the Alpha Omegas helped with selling buttons and tickets and prepromotional types of things. Coordinating the advertising and making sure the advertising got out to the right places on time ... making sure there are people to do the program, or the brochure, or the flyers, and getting the copy done on them. So I was a jack-of-all-things. Last year, I was setting up at Giant Eagle, SureFine, and Ames, selling buttons. Anything from that to going out on a button blitz trying to sell buttons - which is how we got money for the festival last year. We made the buttons. We still have 3,000 left. But we did make our money back on them, which was good. We did get hit very hard with the weather, and we only had the kids’ games indoors. The rest stayed outdoors, and it blew away with the wind. Just like "Nessy" the float did. Even though we took a hit, we ended up making $517 after all expenses. There were a few decisions that were made right at the very last minute. We were thinking "what if we get thousands of people and all these people have to go to the bathroom?" We didn’t want them going in Towers to use the bathrooms. So we paid $300 to get toilets out here that no one used at all. A few of the decisions, like the buttons, I could take back. I wouldn’t take it back, I would take back putting M1993n on them. Those decisions, even though they made us some money, cost us $1500 to be made. After giving so many away, we made 1850 total buttons. So we made $350. That wasn’t bad. We had a formal caterer for the Ceilidh at $8 per plate. We had to estimate plates and ate a few dinners. So you definitely learn about things like estimation, what you do and don’t need, and what’s worth it to actually enhance the festival. One of the decisions this year ... I’m in contact with some of the professional pipe and drum bands. One of the North Coast bands in Cleveland is the only Division Two or Grade Two band in America. The guy originally said the band could / come for $500. As he kept talking, he said for sure for like $600. "I’m sure we could go," he said. He kept on going and said "Yeah, like I said, $700 and we’ll put on a show you will not believe. We’ll bring Scottish dancers, Irish dancers, you name it, we’ll bring them." So he kept pushing upward to where he eventually asked for $700 plus 14 double rooms at the Edinboro Inn. I’ve had to call him and tell him "Sorry, we can’t pay it, but I hope you’ll come still play. How about a couple dollars for travel? That’s it." So there’s always these decisions on whether you can justify the cost for what it would do for the festival. This band and their dancers will add a dimension to it, there’s no doubt about it. But we can’t pay that kind of money. The decisions where to advertise and how much advertising is necessary, trying to get as much free publicity as we can I feel I’m in a sales mode a lot. Initially, we had a certain "to do" list with dates of when things were due. But then, things came up. Like tomorrow, I’ll get interviewed by someone in PR to do stories, to do press releases and getting as much free publicity. Janice Edwards, at the luncheon yesterday for Academic Festival, is going to try to work with Channel 24 again. We’ve got Jim from WVCC talking to us about coming out and doing it. I’m contacting McDonald’s. I went in there with the kids to eat one day and those place mats had Mountain View on them. I though that we could do that too. So I contacted Chelsea down in Meadville. She got back to me the other day and said we could do it. So they’re printing them up for us. NC: Looking back on the evaluation from last year, there are certain things that you’ve learned differently to do this year. Any major changes or any major mistakes last year? TT: Last year, I was aware that we needed a rain plan, but never quite got around to really doing it. We didn’t have the facilities even if we made one. I was really worried about doing damage to the University property, so I chose a place that was pretty well off campus. It was on campus but it was the Perry Lane fields that were way out. And we really didn’t have any place to go in case of rain. This year, we’ve set that up. In case of the weather, we’re set to go inside the field house. That was big ... having contingency plans for bad weather ... knowing what you’re going to do ... trying to figure out... Any PR text will tell you to try and figure out everything that could go wrong and what are you going to do about it. Plan it so you don’t have to be scrambling that day. And to a certain extent we had made some plans. We had the Red Cross there, and we were ready for certain things. We knew what we were doing with the money. A number of things. But there were still things that came up, like the wind knocking the tents down and blowing them across. So we were there holding tents in the ground. We weren’t quite ready for the weather to get that bad. We had the tents ready for rain, but we weren’t ready for cold. NC: About how many people attended last year? TT: Between 400-500. We started at 11 AM over by the lake. We had about 200 in attendance at the opening ceremony. It was supposed to go to 4:30 or 5:00, but by 3:00 the temperature had dropped to about 20 degrees. These high winds came that were uprooting tents, pulling stakes out of the ground. It blew "Nessy" - this 15-feet-tall float that we had built on wheels so guys could walk inside it and move her around - across the field into the pony trailer. No one was riding the pony. The pony woman packed up and left at 3 PM. So really by 3:00 we had cleared out. Then at 6 PM we went out for the Ceilidh at the fire hall. NC: Was it mostly students that attended? TT: No, it was mostly the Scottish group. When we targeted last year, we did most of our advertising and promotion for students and the campus faculty and administration. If half of those people were students, I’d be surprised. I don’t think we had the numbers. It was mainly families with kids and people from the Scottish community that liked to travel around to these things. They were the people whom the weather didn’t really affect. We did surveys right there. They said that most of the people thought this is just the way it goes. The weather does this to you. So they still had fun. NC: What about the interplay between you and the University bureaucracy? TT: That’s a good question. If I had an answer, I’d tell you. NC: Was it difficult? TT: Yes and no. For some reason, I feel I was lucky. For instance, for the University to decide "Where does this baby lie? Who are we going to give Thompson to have them direct him on this thing?" Originally, they had led me to one person who was going to put up a lot of road blocks. It was very obvious right from the beginning. Through some miracle, at the meeting where the President approved it and Vice President O’Dessa decided where to place it, they had been talking and they decided to put it over in Institute for Research and Community Service (IRCS). At the time was through Ray Dombrowski and I was working with Donna Hall. She was wonderful. So everything in that respect went well. The approvals that we needed for University space and facilities went fairly well. There’s so many people to contact. Emil Magdik to contact about facilities, then David O’Dessa and Bill Coleman for facilities as well. What the needs are going to be, how many risers we were we going to need for the platform and the stage, sound system, trash cans, safety, things like that had to be worked out. And all the space assignments need to be figured out for the vendors and clans. Who’s going to be where. To get all the facilities secured, I started right away in September. I asked for the Fieldhouse and got that right around October. That was a big thing. People went "You’re kidding, he’s going to let you use the Fieldhouse." Because the guy in charge wants to protect it. So I had to sell my soul to guarantee that I was responsible if anything happened. Now I’m hooked in with IRCS because this is a community service type of thing. I’m also in contact with the President s office because I had to get approval from him on a number of things. We wanted to give part of the proceeds to the Edinboro Lake, so I had to get approval on that. I worked with Provost Fleischauer because there were students involved and it did affect the University’s calendar of events. It’s right in between the Honors Convocation one week and Graduation the next, so I worked with him. I worked with David O’Dessa who’s charge of institutional advancement and all the facilities. So I needed to stay in contact with each of these people. I wrote and sent them letters and Festival literature. Then I did a report to the President and made 10 copies to each of the different people who were working. One aspect was to keep all those people up on what went on, and to work out any possible kinks. There were concerns about having a raffle - whether that was illegal or if we needed a small games license. Elaine Surma checked with the DA’s office and they said no. So things came up like that I found out. You had to check into it, so you started in another group of communication. NC: Those people were an informal committee working on the project because of their position? TT: Right. Just because of their position. At the University it falls within their domain and their responsibility. NC: Did you feel that you were supported? TT: Yes. The President’s been very supportive. From what I hear, he’s always been interested in getting something like this going. So he’s been supportive. David O’Dessa loves fun stuff, so he’s been very supportive. Dean Weber’s been very supportive. John Fleischauer ... everyone that’s been involved has been supportive. Maintaining that support is a kind of courtship. When I think of Public Relations, I think more of one-to-one relationships with people, writing letters, going to see them, talking to them. It’s an ongoing courtship. You are trying to please your loved one. You’re trying to keep people appeased, to make it easy for them to say yes and to enjoy what you’re doing. You don’t create too many questionable situations. NC: Since all of those networks have been established from last year, should that make it easier for this year? TT: It has made it easier. But at the same time, I’ve had to be sure to not get overconfident and think that they know. I ve gotten some memos asking what’s going on. Sometimes it’s due to miscommunication. I had typed up and sent ten copies of a letter to the President, then gave them to his office and asked them to pass them around to all the names on the list... provosts, deans, whoever. And they didn’t because they were very busy right before Christmas break. So after we got back from Christmas break in January, the provost was asking what was going on with the festival. I said "Didn’t you get the report? I wrote a full report that everything’s planned." He said no. And everyone else said they hadn’t seen it. It was also supposed to go to food services, to Bill Coleman and facilities, David O’Dessa, John Fleischauer, Weber and IRCS to let them know what was going on. It didn’t. So the Dean’s office contacted the President’s office to see what happened to the report. So things like that happen. Even though the network is established, there’s still uncertainty. Even though certain things seem like clockwork, there’s always uncertainty. NC: What about your satisfaction of this? Do you feel satisfied with what happened last year? TT: Yes, I do. I feel more satisfied that we got it off the ground. It’s that cliche "It’s the journey, not the destination." Last year, preparing for the festival was all the fun. Making a float, getting people together, selling buttons, producing and creating this thing out of nothing was a blast. Then the day it happened we got nailed with the weather. I had a dream three or four months before of this torrential storm and I was sitting under what I thought was a tent, looking out. I was cuddled and afraid. The day of the festival, I was running around with this raincoat on and there was my dream. I did what needed to be done. We tried to keep things in whatever order we could while it all fell apart around us. I still enjoyed it, and I enjoyed the Ceilidh. NC: What was the benefit of the festival to the groups involved - you, the students, the University, the community? TT: It gave us something to look forward to. It gave us something to do. It’s one thing that brought University and the community together. There are others, but this was one of the big ones. It really encouraged people from the community to come on over. It helped that relationship. It will eventually help in the recognition of Edinboro - who were are, what we are. NC: Do you have a vision of what you’d like the festival to be five years down the road? TT: Five years down the line, unless by some miracle I would get release time or whatever, the festival will be someone else’s. That’s not only me speaking, that’s my wife speaking. (Laughs) Five years would be a nice target date. I really haven’t thought of five years. I’ve made initial plans for ’95, but I hadn’t even thought about five years. I have this rough vision of a full blown festival with pipe and drum competitions, dance competitions, all kinds of different music, and entertainment. I’m not sure we’ll get to be huge, and at the same time, try to keep it as much like right now so that it’s almost guaranteed to make money. That’s one thing Dave Peet told me. Sometimes people start out with their first festival and make a little bit of money, and think it was easy. So they start doing all these grandiose things, and inviting all kinds of bands, and paying all kinds of travel money, awards or whatever. A lot of them end up losing money. He said don’t plan on making money. But I think we can keep it small enough and manage it. What we want to do is turn it into charity, like even at the Lake this year or eventually go towards a study-in-Scotland scholarship. Interview with Pam Alesky (edited) March 10, 1994 NC: Can you tell me about your role in the Spring Highlands Festival? PA: One of the reasons I got my assistantship was because I had experience in organizing and coordinating special events and activites like that. So basically my role was to coordinate it. Tim (Thompson) was the creative person and the official contact. He got the ball rolling, he got all the approvals, and he did most of the work with the university. As a coordinator, I was the liaison with everybody else, particularly the outside groups. I did some coordinating of the internal things, such as the students who were doing course work with it. They were kind of neat. In the fall semester is really when I got all of this going and laid the ground work, and then I took more of a role once by virtue of the fact that I was sitting in the office and that was what I was supposed to be doing. So I took more of a lead role, but really I was primarily there to coordinate with all the external people. I had to do all the clan letters and the vendor letters, to keep up with the phone contacts when they started calling in asking questions and wanting information. I made sure that the Public Relations information got out, particularly the Edinboro Newspaper (The Independent). I was the person responsible in making sure that all of the news got there. I guess just coordinating while I really didn’t have to do specific things so much as to make sure that everything got done. It was more like organizing. I made up forms on the computer. I did letters. I had the time lines all down. I did quite a lot of work on one brochure. I did flyers and layout stuff like that. Part of that came by way of the Advanced Message Design Class with Tim and some of it came since I had more time than other people to work on it. NC: So you really assisted Tim? PA: Yes. I was Tim’s organizational factor, because organization isn’t Tim’s strongest point. He’s creative. It worked out well because we balanced each other. I’m the one that made sure the right forms got sent to the right people and I reminded him of who he needed to touch base with on certain things. He did all those things, but I made sure that it didn’t get overlooked along the way. When I left at the end of the year, I left a file of masters form. If you need any historical information or original material, the computer has the original plan, original vendor letters, and original types of forms that we used. Many of the press releases that I had access to are there. Copies of the brochure and copies of any of the flyers and other things that we did are on file. We also put together a final evaluation report of the event. It’s in rough form on disk. I had finished it, but it needed some touching up. Ask Tim about it. I don’t think it has ever been done. It was like a final advertising report, encompassing advertising and some of the things of the event itself. Our goal was to get that done and produce two or three books on this event so if anyone took this information to look at it, they would have all the PR, advertising, and hands-on organizational materials. NC: Was there any type of evaluation at the event? PA: As a matter of fact, they ran around with a couple of surveys and evaluated vendors and clans, got evaluations from spectators. I can’t remember who else we evaluated but I know they ran around by hand and interviewed people. Part of that went into the final advertising report because it was geared toward advertising and how did people learn about the event. NC: Is there an evaluation on that disk because I would like to use that same form this year? PA: There are other copies of it. Tim has them. I will say that it’s not the best type of evaluation but for continuity’s sake you need to reuse it. It is certainly re-do-able. There was also an evaluation that went out to students. Mostly as an awareness thing, because we were trying to gauge how well the advertising was doing. We had 200 students. There was not only just the evaluative information, but also the general demographics. I wrote that one. NC: In your opinion, was the event successful? PA: Oh yes. The final conclusions on what we did, despite the fact that the weather was really bad... We were pretty low on attendance, but we thought that for a first time event we broke even. We are doing it inside this year so it will be terrific. The clans and the vendors were wonderful people to work with. They were really good at providing advice. NC: You worked under Tim. Was there any other kind of committee? PA: They weren’t as organized last year as they are this year. As I understand it, they have an organization committee this year. We didn’t have a formal committee. We had an informal committee. The PR was also kind of indirectly related. We had some trouble last year getting everybody together to meet. NC: What was the big strength of the festival last year? PA: The biggest strength was probably the psychological momentum and the fact that everyone was excited and keyed up. It was a first time event. Tim was a great help. He was really enthusiastic from the beginning to the end. NC: And the biggest weakness? PA: I guess the lack of organization and the ability of being about to make a final decision and keep it final. I mean, up to the day before, we were changing major things. Our goal was to have a plan drawn up by December or January. We never really got that solidly done. We were working as we went. And that made me uptight because I am a very organized person. So a lot of it was lack of organization. There were 49 people going 49 different directions. NC: If it would have been organized a bit more, would that have had an effect on the festival? PA: Probably not. The things that really affected the festival were out of our control. It would have made it seem more coordinated for those of us planning, but I’m not sure anybody attending it or participating would have known the difference. Maybe the approach to the community got out differently than I would have liked. I’m not sure the message that got out to the community was very organized. NC: You mean about the festival or the benefits? PA: Not about the benefits - just about what we were doing. Obviously we did not do a good job in the pre-sale of the buttons. The fraternities and sororities were supposed to sell them on campus. That was a total disaster. But part of the problem was that we didn’t contact them soon enough. NC: Were there any other major players involved? PA: The people who were doing the radio and TV and the public relations. They were really working on their own with that. NC: What about the marketing of the event? What could have been done differently? PA: More organization. We were trying to do too much at one time. Our goal was to be focused, but we ended up being not so focused. Like the thing with the messages. NC: What were the messages? PA: You know how around Christmas you have the little things you can by for a buck in the bar? We had the little Nessy Monster. They were called "Nessages" and for a buck you could buy your message and hang it on the board. But nobody got interested in that. We were behind schedule on getting some of those things going. NC: Was there a budget for the event? PA: No. But I’ve been in many non-profit organizations and the budget kind of forms as we go along. Saying this is what we have and this is what we can allocate. We really didn’t have any budget until March. We revised it all the time after that too. NC: Were did the funding come from? You said the president kicked in $500 from his discretionary fund. Some of it was from the sale of the buttons, right? PA: Rental fees for vendors, buttons, messages. The clans put up a booth, but we didn’t charge them because they are more of an educational type of thing. I guess this year Tim is asking them for donations. NC: So most of the money came in through vendors? PA: Yes. Besides charging them for the land, we charged them for renting a tent. We had advertising sponsors also, but because of lack of organization we didn’t do too well with that. NC: What about the golf tournament? PA: That raised a lot of money because we plugged into a golf tournament that happens every year. So I don’t think we had any problems with that. NC: Where will the festival be in five years? PA: It will be where Tim’s vision of the first one would have been like. It will be very successful. Real potential is showing, but it will take more than two or three years to get it going. Then it will be an annual event. NC: Were there any political battles that you had to fight? PA: Well, with the University you have to tread lightly and be sure not to offend anyone, make sure you go through the appropriate people. I think we did okay. Interview with PJ Strait (edited) June 28, 1994 NC: What was your overall feeling from the festival - the good, the bad and things to improve? PS: The festival went extremely well. We had decent weather. We had lot of community participation, as well as groups and clans and Scottish-related individuals. I was disappointed that there weren’t many college students. I saw a lot of community people, but we need to enhance college student attendance. Overall, there was a lot of positive response from the people there, and it was affordable and enjoyable for the kids. In other aspects - in the planning of it - we needed to implement the decisions in a more timely manner. The timeline was well done, but things could have been implemented better, and been delegated a little more. Tim did an outstanding job, but he could have delegated more. He needs to do so for his own sanity, as well as his wife’s! NC: Were there specific areas that really suffered because of this lack of delegation? PS: The band area. In the middle of the project some new developments occurred which were creative. They were thrown in, and weren’t done very thoroughly. For instance, with the band competition, at the last minute I had few glitches because I wasn’t well informed. The bands needed things and I wasn’t that knowledgeable on it. We had a committee of good people, but decisions weren’t always made. We discussed, but we didn’t come to an agreement at the end of a meeting. NC: The planning committee was new this year? There wasn’t a committee the first year’s festival? PS: Right. So it was definitely better organized. The committee could have been made up of more University people. It was just Tim, myself, Dr. Stone and a gentleman from the art department. I would have liked more support, even from our department. Tim did most of it himself. It would have been nice to have other people from our department share with him in some of those responsibilities. NC: Was that a lack of not wanting to delegate or a lack of available people? PS. It s a combination. I was happy with the fraternities and sororities that came and volunteered the day of the event. They did an exceptional job. They were dependable. They were there even when it started to rain. I trusted them and they were good with the money and with sharing the responsibilities. The clans and the vendors were very good to work with. We did a much better job informing them - sending letters and information - so they were more aware this year. NC: On the day of the festival, was there anything you should have developed a contingency plan for? PS: Initially, the opening ceremonies were delayed. That was unfortunate because we could have started on time. With our set up and our information tent - we could have done a better job there. Even though we had good people working the tent, I knew a lot but I wasn’t always right there. I should have made a list of some important information, so that everybody didn’t need to find Tim or myself for answers. Also, for the competition, there weren t a lot of people involved. NC: In the dancing? PS: No, the dancing was quite good. But for the haggis throw and the running kilt race, there were only a few people involved. Yet there were some good prizes. I don’t know if it wasn’t understood or advertised enough, but that could have been improved. The Ceilidh was a huge success. Elaine Surma helped with that. She did a lot of work and a nice job. Carl Peterson was outstanding and did a fabulous job. We did well, I’m sure, with the fund raising there, because it was packed and the food was excellent. We presented some plaques - some Nessy medals. NC: For the games? PS: No, for the volunteers like Tim and his wife. Tim’s said "Coordinator Extraordinaire." His wife’s said "Dee-Dee #1 Nessy Supporter." I was glad we were able to do a little more. This year, we had t-shirts with Nessy on the front. These were good for identification purposes, and helped to do something for the volunteers. The other problem is that we didn’t have a wrap-up meeting of everyone saying good and bad, giving their input. When I did the planning for this year, I found very little from last year. I found a few notes from Pam, but not much for key areas to improve upon. There’s a need to still do that - to get some key people together and say what can we do better. NC: Hopefully, some of the comments that I’ve received from the surveys will help. PS: Those surveys were excellent because the people really gave the insight. They were there, and were much more objective. NC: We received good comments overall. The biggest complaint was that the opening ceremonies started late. A haggis throw or another activity was scheduled right after. But there was a lag and the schedule got pushed back. People were grumbling about that. PS: We could have done better on signage. Maybe a listing out front with the times and locations where things were going on. Some people were wandering around asking and not everyone knew. The directional signs were well done this year. Much better than before, so that was a plus. NC: What about the goals of the festival? Do you think they were met? PS: As far as it being a fun-filled, community and University activity, yes. And providing good entertainment and some cultural aspects, yes. But as far as the fund raiser, no. I don’t know if Tim donated anything. At this point, I have not seen the final budget. I would like to see a nice contribution. NC: Was the budget unrealistic or did a lot of added expenses come in? PS: The budget was initially in good shape. More expenses were later added. Since it’s a major public relations event for the University, they could do more to help fund the event. They donated five hundred dollars, but not anywhere near the cost in exchange for what it gives them. In the future, it would be nice if they would contribute for the overhead costs and support it financially. Because it does benefit them greatly. Good public relations, good public affairs. NC: Ideally, it would become a University-sponsored event, instead of just a department-sponsored event? PS: Yes. And it could do very well if it’s managed right and supported. NC: What about staffing? Was it adequate? PS: Not in any regard. I did the organizational aspects and Tim did the planning and creativity aspects. He did a wonderful job. But it was mostly him and I. In the department, there were problems because people weren’t thrilled about the thought of the event. I had to make sure I was available so they weren’t frustrated. It was the attitude. It wasn’t more work for them, because Tim and I did most of it. But it wasn’t well received. Some students did some really creative things which were helpful to our department and the Art department. But overall, there weren’t enough people to manage it. Even The Spectator published their article on the festival too late. And they are our own newspaper. It wasn’t due to a lack of our planning. Another thing - the golf tournament. Dr. Stone tried very hard, but it wasn’t very well attended. I don’t know if it’s worth it to put the time and energy into it. We didn’t have good weather, and it’s contingent upon the weather. That’s one thing we spent time, energy and money on, but it didn’t give us back much. We need to reassess that. NC: How did the the mountain bike race go? PS: I wasn’t there on Sunday, but it did very well. The other thing we could have done was to better track the actual counting of the monies. NC: Was that centralized with you? PS: Yes, I did most of it myself and had some help from Nancy in the Grants Department. Someone different should have done it, because I was busy with other things. I did it the best I could, but not as efficiently or effectively as it could have been done. You need a separate individual to do that. That’s key in certain areas. One person to handle one thing, rather than being scattered all around. I thought Carl Peterson was well received and lots of fun. That was a good choice in the entertainment. He was easy to get along with. When I asked him to sing or do anything, he was very helpful. NC: Were there mostly Scottish band people or community people at the Ceilidh? PS: A good mix of both. A lot of community people. Not as many students though. NC: Any more suggestions for next year? We talked about delegating more... PS: and more support from the University ... just trying to find a way to intrigue the students and to get more participation from them. We had good advertising overall, and the selling the program booklet ads went very well. Acquiring more University resources and personnel would be key. Appendix B Observation Grid Explanation of Observation Grid Categories Positive Cues Seems Friendly - socially positive attitude shown through non-verbal cues of smiling, approaching others, touching others. Agrees - nodding head while talking interpersonally. Dramatizes - Uses hand and arm gestures to explain positive verbal communication. Claps - Shows enjoyment and appreciation of festival entertainment by applause. Laughs - Uses non-verbal clues of pleasure and humor. Chats with friends - exhibits non-verbal cues of talking to others within a personal length of space. Also communicates verbally with others in an informal manner. Buys, Eats, Browses - Purchases souvenirs, food from vendors. Verbally interacts with vendors. Encourages - Provides verbal support and whistling, clapping to performers and participants. Negative Cues Seems Unfriendly - Withdrawn non-verbally, little interaction, attempts to control others, verbally giving demands, pushes others. Disagrees - Fails to pay attention when others are speaking, fails to give a request, tone of voice and emotions are negative. Shows Tension - Wringing of hands, furrowed brow, nervous twitching or habits, does not laugh, raising of voice volume, verbal interruptions. Frowns - Show non-verbal signs of frowning, negative facial expressions. Withdraws - Yawning, slouching, retiring from crowd, quitting, leaving, resignation, sleeping. o O CD o ^T1 o £ 3 > o 3 CD C/3 3 2 CO CD CD 3CD co c/3 =r o C/3 CD CD £C/3 3c/> H C CD 3 3 cr 03 1< i <* CD CO 3 CO c: a o Q a CD CD 3 C •a 3 CD CO =T C/3 3 CD CO m 3" 0) CD £2. 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Observation Grid Results Bales’ Median Observed Range Variance* Seems Friendly 2.6-4.8 10.0 +5.2 Agrees 8.0-13.6 4.8 -3.2 Dramatizes 5.4-7.4 13.6 +6.2 Laughs 17.8 Claps 2.7 Encourages 2.7 Chats with Friends 22.1 Buys, Eats, Browses 20.9 Seems Unfriendly 2.4-4.4 0.3 -2.1 Shows Tension 3.5-6.0 1.2 -2.2 Disagrees 3.1-5.3 0 -3.1 Alone 1.5 Frowns 2.4 * Negative totals calculated from lowest medium range value; positive totals calculated from highest medium range value Appendix C Participant Survey with Results 1994 Spring Highlands Festival On-Site Survey 1) What is your age? 2) Sex? 3) Are you a full time college student? yes If yes, which college do you attend? 4) What is the zip code of your current residence? 5) How far did you travel to come to the festival? miles 6) If you travelled to the festival, were the directional signs yes no easy to follow? 7) Are you here at the Festival Male 13-17 19-22 23-30 31-40 41-55 56 + Female no alone with friends with family other 8) How did you find out about the festival? apply. Check all that Television. Which Station? Radio. Which Station? Newspaper. Which One? Word of Mouth Brochure Poster Other, describe yes 9) Did you attend last year' s festival? 10) Which Scottish events have you... attended Movie: Local Hero Scot. Country Dance Workshop 17th Century Battles Clan/Craft Displays Opening Ceremonies Mass Pipe Bands Pipe and Drum Bands Carl Peterson Highland Dancing Ceilidh Athletic Events Sunday Picnic and Games no plan to attend 1994 Spring Highlands Festival 11) On-Site Survey, Page 2 Which athletic events have you... attended Golf Tournament Kilted Race Caber Toss Putting The Stone Sheaf Toss Tug-of-War Scottish Hammer Throw Mountain Bike Race plan to attend 12) Did you bring children with you to the festival today? yes no If yes, did they attend the kid's Highland Fair in McComb Fieldhouse? yes no 13) Have you tried any of the food at the festival? yes no If yes, how would you rate the food on a scale of 1-4 (with 1 being excellent and 4 being poor) Taste _________ Ethnicity _________ Value for $$ 14) Did you purchase any souvenirs from the festival? yes no 15) Overall, how would you rate the festival? Very Good Average Excellent Poor 16) Have you attended similar Scottish festivals at other no yes locations? 17) Do you feel you will attend next year's Spring Highlands no yes Festival at EUP? 18) Do you have any suggestions to help improve next year's festival? Surveyor's Name Day of Survey__ Time of Survey_ Location_________ 1994 Spring Highlands Festival On-Site Survey - Results 1) What is your age? 13-17: 18 : 19-22 23-30 31-40 41-55 56+ : 2) Sex? (44.2%) 3) Are you a full time college student? 4) Male: 65 5 3 24 13 38 35 33 ( 3.3%) ( 1.9%) (15.9%) ( 8.6%) (25.2%) (23.2%) (21.9%) Female: 82 yes: 36 no: 113 If yes, which college do you attend? Edinboro University: 30 University of Pittsburgh: 1 Waynesburg College: 1 Xavier University: 1 Gannon University: 1 What is the 12065 13673 15025 15046 15116 15140 15206 15227 15239 15618 16059 16063 16123 16125 16127 16146 16150 16157 16335 16403 16410 16412 16415 16424 16426 16433 16438 16444 16502 16504 16505 16506 zip code of your current residence? 2 (East Worcester, NY): 3 (Philadelphia, PA): 1 (Clairton, PA): 3 (Glenwilliard, PA) : 2 (Glenshaw, PA): 1 (Pitcarin, PA): 1 (Pittsburgh, PA): 1 (Pittsburgh, PA): 1 (Pittsburgh, PA): 1 (Avonmore, PA) : 1 (Valencia, PA): 2 (Zelienople, PA): 2 (Fombell, PA): 1 (Greenville, PA): 1 (Grove City, PA): 1 (Sandy Lake, PA): 1 (Sharpsville, PA): 1 (Wampum, PA): 3 (Meadville, PA): 11 ( 7.3%) (Cambridge Sprgs, PA): 1 (Cranesville, PA): (27.2%) 41 (Edinboro, PA): 1 (Fairview, PA): 1 (Linesville, PA) : 1 (McKean, PA): 2 (Saegertown, PA): 1 (Union City, PA):_ ( 6.9%) 9 (Edinboro University): 5 (Erie, PA): 3 (Erie, PA): 2 (Erie, PA): 3 (Erie, PA): (55.8%) (24.2%) (75.8%) (88.2%) 16507 16508 16509 16510 16511 18053 18080 18092 22042 22043 22986 26440 43402 44004 44041 44095 44111 44116 44135 48098 69103 (Erie, PA): (Erie, PA): (Erie, PA): (Erie, PA): (Erie, PA): (Germansville, PA): (Slatington, PA): (Zionsville, PA): (Falls Church, VA): (Falls Church, VA): (Ruckersville, VA): (Thorton, WV): (Bowling Green, OH): (Ashtabula, OH): (Geneva, OH): (Willoughby, OH): (Cleveland, OH): (Cleveland, OH): (Cleveland, OH): (Troy, MI): (North Platte, NE): 4 5 5 2 7 1 1 2 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 ( 4.6%) 5) How far did you travel to come to the festival? 0-5 miles: 49 (32.9%) 5-15 miles: 21 (14.1%) 15-40 miles: 37 (24.8%) 21 (14.1%) 41-100 miles: (14.1%) 21 100+ miles: 6) If you travelled to the festival, were the directional signs (12.5%) no: 13 (87.5%) yes: 91 easy to follow? Saw one at "T" of 6Nn Comments: "Didn't see any. "Did not need themI" "Called two times to get directions" "Yes, except for one "Y" in the road eastbound out of. Edinboro" "Could have been a little bigger" 7) Are you here at the Festival 8) How did you find out about the festival? apply. 2 Television: 4 Which Station? WJET: 3 ENN: 1 WICU: alone: with friends: with family: work: band: business: 5 64 92 2 4 1 ( 2.9%) (38.1%) (54.8%) ( 1.2%) ( 2.4%) ( 0.6%) Check all that Radio: 5 Which Station? WQLN: 6 Rocket: 1 WFSE: 2 WVCC: 1 Newspaper: 3 Which One? Erie Times: 15 Independent: 5 Showcase: 3 Spectator: 2 Tribune: 1 New Castle News: 1 Word of Mouth: 70 (43.0%) Brochure: 13 ( 8.0%) Poster: 23 (14.1%) Son of American Revolution: 1 Highland Magazine: 1 Here last year/letter invite: 2 Work (bartender): 1 Festival staff/planner: 2 Dance teacher: 1 Competition: 2 Pipe band member: 1 Dr. Thompson: 9 Miller School: 3 Dr. Golden: 2 Nila Canfield: 1 1 Ed Best: 13 ( 8.0%) Family Member: 2 Fellow EUP student: 1 EUP faculty: 4 Burns Club: 9) Did you attend last year's festival? 10) Which Scottish attended ( 1.7%) 7 ( 6.1%) 25 ( 1.2%) 5 ( 8.5%) 35 ( 9.0%) 37 (15.5%) 64 (12.6%) 52 (15.5%) 64 (12.6%) 52 (10.2%) 42 ( 6.6%) 27 ( 0.5%) 2 yes: 32 no: 114 (21.9%) (78.1%) events have you... plan Movie: Local Hero Scot. Country Dance Workshop 17th Century Battles Clan/Craft Displays Opening Ceremonies Mass Pipe Bands Pipe and Drum Bands Carl Peterson Highland Dancing' Ceilidh Athletic Events Sunday Picnic and Games to attend 0 5 ( 2.1%) 10 ( 4.2%) 17 ( 7.2%) 19 ( 8.1%) 23 ( 9.8%) 27 (11.5%) 22 ( 9.4%) 26 (11.1%) 27 (11.5%) 36 (15.3%) 23 ( 9.8%) Comments: 11) "Carl Peterson was excellent" "We have attended all had we planned better. Nicely done." "Great announcers" Which athletic attended 3 ( 2.6%) 14 (11.9%) 31 (26.5%) 22 (18.8%) 17 (14.5%) 18 (15.4%) 7 ( 6.0%) 5 (4.3%) events have you... Golf Tournament Kilted Race Caber Toss Putting The Stone Sheaf Toss Tug-of-War Scottish Hammer Throw Mountain Bike Race plan 3 26 20 21 19 29 18 3 to attend ( 2.2%) ( 2.2%) (14.3%) (14.3%) (13.7%) (20.8%) (13.0%) ( 2.2%) 12) Did you bring children with you to the festival today? yes: 37 (25.7%) no: 107 (74.3%) If yes, did they attend the kid's Highland Fair in McComb Fieldhouse? (60.5%) no: 15 (39.5%) yes: 23 13) Have you tried any of the food at the festival? (53.6%) no: 59 (46.4%) yes: 51 If yes, how would you rate the food on a scale of 1-4 (with 1 being excellent and 4 being poor) "2": 13 (46.9%) (26.5%) "1": 23 Taste "4": 2 (22.5%) ( 4.1%) "3": 11 Ethnicity "1": 18 "3": 3 (45.0%) ( 7.5%) "2": 13 "4": 6 "2": 18 (33.3%) "1": 15 "4": 4 8 (17.8%) "3" : "Get Smith's hot dogs" "Get rid of food service from college" Value for $$ Comments: (32.5%) (15.0%) (40.0%) ( 8.9%) 14) Did you purchase any souvenirs from the festival? no: 73 (59.8%) (40.2%) yes: 49 15) Overall, how would you rate the festival? (23.2%) Very Good: 82 Excellent: 32 (17.4%) Poor: 0 Average: 24 16) Have you attended similar Scottish festivals at other no: 95 (60.1%) (39.9%) yes: 63 locations? 17) Do you feel you will attend next year's Spring Highlands no: 11 (7.7%) yes: 132 (92.3%) Festival at EUP? (59.4%) 18) Do you have any suggestions to help improve next year's festival? "Add solo piping and drumming contests" "Have the weather warm" More publicity/advertising" (7 responses) "More More bands, continuous bands. They're wonderful!" "Invite and have a pipe-band contest. This ______ should „ attract bands from far and wide, ie. Canada and other US states, maybe bands from either Scotland and/or Ireland. Best wishes for the future!" "Better weather" "Have it in June" "Better directions. Advertise better" "Dancing access to refreshments. More ads for students" "Weather all else is terrific" "The Highland dance competition was very organized and well run. Mini-band competition was great." "Larger war re-enactment, if possible" "Better organized for children's activities" "Keep performance events on time" "Hold dance workshop in more danceable location - no carpet!!" "Have full band competitions with grading. Advertise earlier. Have professionals run athletics for professionals. Advertise more widely. Get sponsorship for prize money for bands to attract more bands with a big purse." "These games have great potential at EUP. My recommendation is to hold them a little later in the year. First week in June my provide warmer weather. Also, need to ADVERTISE more. Ceilidh should serve draft beer!" "More/better children's activities" "More food!" "June would be a good time to have this event" "More organization" "Have one ticket price that includes beer for the Ceilidh" "Relaxed, welcoming" , _ , _ „ "Make time of events more clear and stay on schedule better" "Excellent" "More events _ get more people involved "More demonstrations" "Better weather, different weekend" "Great, convenient, relaxed" "Have family/children rates for Ceilidh. Staff was great" "Later in year - June or July" "Instead of $2 per drink, have beer and pop free and charge for mixed drinks. At the dinner, it was quite expensive to pay $2 per beer when a beer at even an established business is not that expensive" "Get the 17th century battles to occur. Serve the food sooner at the Ceilidh. Some of us have to travel Saturday night" "Stripers and more chips" "Move it to Miami, Make beer drinking mandatory for all athletics. Saran wrap kilts. Mud wrestling. Free liquor at the Ceilidh" "Sunshine!" "Have family/children rates for Ceilidh, Bring sunny weather" "You might consider charging only $1 for programs - have a can for donations - leave it to the people to decide how much they want to donate. Have Scottish music playing at all times in McComb. Ceilidh - you need a keg/beer, should be included or BYOB" "Just great" "Keep things rolling faster. Bring better weather" "Have ticket sellers better informed about schedule, where to go" "Good idea!" "More mass bands. More field events (heavy events)" "Staff is very cooperative and responsive and very pleasant to deal with. Excellent kids are involved" "Last year, a person directed us at the entrance - needed that this year. Give directions for clan set-up. Have one vendor selling tea. If chilly, put clans inside, if possible" "Kids' bagpipe tournament. Kids' chanter tournament. Kids' drum tournament" "Later in May - better weather" "Very unorganized - more organization. Keep to schedule. More information on activities" "Disorganized. Information booth. No one knew where tent was to be set. More organized" "More bands" "Keep it moving! Behind schedule. Not organized. Lovely location" "More food booths" "More weapons" "Serve liquor" "More variety of food" t "Better/different activities for kids (pony rides)" "Needs to be more organized. More bands. Kids events were great" "Better scheduling of events" "More bands. More advertising. More advance notice" "More organized. Don't know where to go" "Disjointed - needs to be better organized, More advertising" Total Number of Surveys: 151 Tacie Tonks/Mark Thomas Maryann Wilkinson Kristen Horner Nila Canfield Barb Best Dorothy Feidler Unknown 24 4 37 16 11 54 5 (15.9%) ( 2.7%) (24.5%) (10.6%) ( 7.3%) (35.7%) ( 3.3%) Friday Night Events Saturday Festival Saturday Festival Saturday Festival Saturday Festival Ceilidh Appendix D Vendor Survey with Results May 13, 1994 Dear Spring Highlands Festival Vendor, Thank you for your participation in the 1994 Spring Highlands Festival held recently at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. As a graduate student at EUP, I am conducting research on the festival event for my thesis project. The information gathered as a result of this research will help to improve the festival in future years. Please take a few moments to complete the enclosed survey. Your comments and suggestions are very much welcome. Listing your name on the survey will also be helpful, but is not necessary. I'm asking for your response by June 1, 1994. A pre­ addressed stamped envelope is provided for your convenience. Again, thank you for your participation and your input into the annual Spring Highlands Festival. I look forward to seeing you at the 1995 event. With regards, Nila Canfield 1994 Spring Highlands Festival Vendor Survey i) How did you find out about the festival? Check all that apply. Television. Which Station? Radio. Which Station? ____ Newspaper. Which One? _____ Word of Mouth Brochure Poster Personal Invitation from Other, describe 2) Is there a better, more effective way to let you know about the festival? yes no If yes, what would you suggest? 3) How far did you travel to join the festival? 4) Were the directional signs easy to follow? Comments 5) Did you have any problems setting up your booth? yes no Comments ____________________________________________ 6) Was the vendor fee set at a reasonable cost? Comments _____________ ________________________ 7) Did you purchase any food at the festival? yes no If yes, how would you rate the food on a scale of 1-4 (with 1 being excellent and 4 being poor) Taste ______ Ethnicity _________ Value for $$ _________ Comments 8) Have you attended similar Scottish festivals at other no yes locations? 9) Did your income from the Spring Highlands Festival justify no yes the cost/efforts of attending? Comments ____________ over, please miles yes no yes no Spring Highlands Festival Vendor Survey, Page 2 10) Please rate the following elements by circling your choice Festival attendance Overwhelming 1234 Poor Vari®fcy of Scottish events at festival Good Variety l 2 3 4 Limited Selection of Ethnic Foods Limited 1 2 3 4 Good Variety Quality of Scottish Bands Poor 1 2 3 4 Outstanding Availability of parking Limited 1 2 3 4 Adequate Floor Plan of festival (for flow of traffic) Confusing 1 2 3 4 Easy to follow Overall rating of festival Excellent 1 2 3 4 Poor 11) Did you attend last year's festival? 12) Do you feel you will attend next year's Spring Highlands Festival at EUP? yes no Comments 13) Do you have any suggestions to help improve next year's festival? 14) Additional Information Male no 19-22 23-30 31-40 41-55 56 + What is your age? Sex: yes Female Please return by June 1, 1994 to Nila Canfield, RD 3 Cambridge Springs, PA 16403. Thank You! Box 204, 1994 Spring Highlands Festival Vendor Survey - Results 1) How did you find out about the festival? apply. 0 0 0 0 2 0 6 2 Check all that Television Radio Newspaper Word of Mouth Brochure (20.0%) Poster Personal Invitation from Dr. Thompson, festival organizers (60.0%) Other: Scottish publication, vendor (20.0%) 2) Is there a better, more effective way to let you know about the festival? yes: 2 (25.0%) no: 6 (75.0%) If yes, what would you suggest? "Handouts- try to get free notices in area newspapers and tv, if possible" "By letter, as early as March 15th, if possible" 3) How far did you travel to join the festival? (12.5%) 0-75 miles: 1 (37.5%) 3 76-150 miles: (25.0%) 151-300 miles: 2 2 (25.0%) 300+ miles: 4) Were the directional signs easy to follow? no: 0 (100%) yes: 7 Comments: "More signs would be helpful- also direction in mailing to vendors would help" 5) Did you have any problems setting up your booth? (100%) 8 no: yes: 0 "Very nice location this year" Comments: 6) Was the vendor fee set at a reasonable cost? (12.5%) no: 1 (87.5%) yes : 7 $50 would have been enough for what Comments: "Too high. you had" "As long as you limit the number of vendors" 7) Did you purchase any food at the festival? (33.3%) no: 2 (66.7%) yes: 4 If yes, how would you rate the food on a scale of 1-4 ^ (with 1 being excellent and 4 being poor) Taste "1": 1 (33.3%) "2": 0 (66.7%) "4": 2 "3": 0 Ethnicity " 1" : 1 "3 " : 1 (16.7%) (16.7%) "2": 2 "4": 2 (33.3%) (33.3%) Value for $$ " 1" : 1 "3" : 0 (25.0%) "2" : 3 "4": 1 (75.0%) (25.0%) Comments: 'Try to get really Scottish meat pies and sausage rolls" 8) Have you attended similar Scottish festivals at other locations? yes: 8 (100%) no: 0 9) Did your income from the Spring Highlands Festival justify the cost/efforts of attending? yes: 6 (75%) no: 2 (25%) Comments: "Clan tent does not derive income" "Never has. It comes out of my own pocket" 10) Please rate the following elements by circling your choice Festival attendance "Overwhelming": 0 "3": 3 (42.8%) " 1" : 0 "4": 1 (14.3%) "2" : 2 (28.6%) "Poor": 1 (14.3%) Variety of Scottish events at festival "Good Variety": 0 "1": 1 (25.0%) " 4 " : 1 (25.0%) "3": 1 (25.0%) "2 " : 0 "Limited": 1 (25.0%) Selection of Ethnic Foods "1": 1 (20.0%) "Limited": 0 "4": 2 (40.0%) "3": 1 (20.0%) "2": 1 (20.0%) "Good Variety": 0 Quality of Scottish Bands " 1" : 0 "Poor": 1 (14.3%) "4": 1 (14.3%) "3": 4 (57.1%) "2": 1 (14.3%) "Outstanding": 0 Availability of parking " 1" : 0 "Limited": 0 "4": 2 (40.0%) "2": 1 (20.0%) "3": 1 (20.0%) "Adequate": 1 (20.0%) Floor Plan of festival (for flow of traffic) "2": 2 (28.5%) " 1" : 0 "Confusing": 0 "4": 3 (42.9%) "3": 1 (14.3%) "Easy to follow": 1 (14.3%) Overall rating of festival " 1" : 0 "2": 3 (50.0%) "Excellent": 0 "3": 2 (16.7%) "4": 1 (16.7%) "Poor": 0 Comments: "Very good for second year 11) 12) Did you attend last year's festival? no: 5 (44.4%) yes : 4 (55.6%) Do you feel you will attend next year's Spring Highlands no: 0 (100%) yes : 6 Festival at EUP? Hope to see it grow" Comments: "Very good day ! "Undecided" 13) 14) Do you have any suggestions to help improve next year's festival? "Need to put out trash containers around clan tents excellent kids programs (games) . Need ribbons or badges for prizes (not so much candy). Could use better PA system. Need more advertising in regional papers - maybe try some handout notices to place in other location bulletin boards. Keep up the good work" "It was great to see the dancing competition do so well. I would like to see the pipe do the same. Add some more pipe bands if possible" "Someone to be assigned to assist clan set up and location. Tim and PJ cannot be everywhere all the time. When I had questions, I had to search for them and usually they were available but busy with all the other events taking place" "Best children's events I've seen at a festival. Keep up the good workl Are dogs allowed? the dog trials are another interesting event at other festivals. Have athletics in a more visible location" "Get more pipe bands. Do more competition between individual pipers and drummers" "none at present, but this year's festival was greatly improved over last years" Additional Information 0 19-22 What is your age? (12.5%) 1 23-30 0 31-40 (37.5%) 3 41-55 (50.0%) 4 56+ : Sex: Male: 7 (77.8%) Number of Surveys Sent: Surveys returned: 11 8 Female: 2 (22.2%) (72.7%) Appendix E Recording of Field Notes Site # 1 These are pretty (+) Wow, what is that? (N) I’m looking for your hat (N) Let’s see what you’ll take (+) American Express (N) Can’t over do (-) Yes (laughter) (+) Looking at something (N) I know exactly what I’m looking for (+) Look at this great jacket (+) That’s what it is when you’re not married (-) When did you know a Scotsman not to float a loan? (+) Yes, this is great (+) This one’s better (+) Going to wait on this (-) He and daddy are shooting the breeze (N) Site # 2 Yes, alright (+) How you doing? (N) A gift for mother’s day (+) Let’s go to the tents to see what’s going on (+) Can we buy something? (+) Would you like a hot dog? (+) Want a hot dog, Willie? (+) Is it hot? (-) I’m following you (N) This isn’t bad (+) An enjoyable weekend (+) I like this (+) Look what’s inside (+) Scottish bag (N) Anyone for a brochure? (+) Haven’t seen you since last year (N) Site # 3 Look at the pretty flowers (+) I’ve gotta have it (+) I like some of that jewelry (+) I’ll have to come back (+) A lot of people just don’t like it (-) Hey, did you see this? (N) Here it is (N) I wonder where they’re from (N) Site # 4 Where are they at? (N) It’s okay (N) Want to get a book? (+) He has really done well (+) It doesn’t matter, Joan (N) I’ve got to go find my wife (+) Boy, did you thin out (+) Blame it on your father (-) This map doesn’t make sense (-) I can’t find it (-) There it is (N) We need to buy a Scottish flag (+) Where’s your kilt? (N) I’ll put money on you (+) Site # 5 I didn’t want to come over here (-) "Happy Birthday Song" (+) They are running a little behind (-) I said if you behave (+) I don’t know, there must be something soon (-) Maybe a re-enactment (N) Give me your hand now (+) Is that the Kilt Shop? (N) No, I said Ligonier (-) When the wind dies down, it’s actually okay (+) Site # 6 One’s for Pittsburgh (N) Sure are good (+) Finish the rest so I can wipe my hands (+) Aren’t they pretty (+) Go ahead. You’ll get in trouble (-) Daddy will be done in a little bit (N) Hey, dad (N) Now if they’d sell Scotch, we’d be okay (N) It’s over (N) Not it’s not (N) Mom, can I get one of them things? (+) They are going to have more, aren’t they? (N) Site # 7 Where’s my hat? (-) Hey give me that (-) My hat (N) Did you get a large or extra large? (+) I can’t decide (-) I’m telling on you (-) Escape ... now (-) Mommy, I have to go potty (N) I’m going to my mom (N) Where’d he get that popsicle? (+) At the ring toss (N) Give me my hat (+) See the bubbles (+) Don’t make me fall (-) Can I try? (+) No, I want a sucker (+) Site # 8 Daddy, let me (+) You have to open your mouth more (+) That’s expensive (-) If I end up not being able to buy it later (N) I’m not playing (-) It depends if you know where you’re going (N) You could get ripped off (-) Dad, I’m hungry (-) A lot of walking today (N) Am I holding you back or anything? (N) Site # 9 What’s in there? (+) Kid’s Fair (N) Asking the wrong person (-) Ask a true Scotsman (+) What the hell do you mean by that? (-) You ready to walk some more? (+) The tapes and records are great (+) That’s the truth (N) Everybody could go for some Scotch now (+) Not bad for the second year (+) Site # 10 You’re eating that Scottish thing? (N) Probably made here (N) It’s hot though (-) You guys playing today? (+) In about an hour (+) I wish I was sleeping (-) Here’s another pipe band (N) I think Zem-Zem had to cancel (-) They are expensive (-) They are playing (+) Come on (N) Boy, this is nice (+) Great jacket, isn’t it? (+) It’s on sale (+) Hey, look at this (N) Wait, I see something (N) Site# 11 How cute (+) It was unbaked in the middle (-) No, no he didn’t do as well as the other one (-) How heavy is that? (N) It’s something about the angle (N) That’s the end of the first round (N) Everyone gets three turns (N) What else would you like to know from your youngest son? (+) Oh, yes. Nice (+) Didn’t bounce in the right place (-) Some say the origin was tossed over streams to walk across (N) Dispute the origin of this (N) I thought the caber had to be bigger (N) Site # 12 Who’s that playing? (N) What does he know (N) He’s not here today (-) You mean that’s him? (N) They don’t count till you start playing (N) They’re gonna kill us (-) That drummer’s into it (N) You sleep at all, or just work? 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