Re-Configuring the Norm

1. Re-Configuring the Norm Jeff Curtis Executive Director Portland Rose Festival Foundation

2. Presentation Outline • What is Tradition? What is the Norm? • Portland Rose Festival 101 • Share the Situation • Problem Solving – Road to Sustainability • Solutions • Outcomes • Future Opportunities • Lessons Learned

3. What is Tradition? • tra⋅di⋅tion 1. the handing down of statements, beliefs, legends, customs, information, etc., from generation to generation, esp. by word of mouth or by practice: a story that has come down to us by popular tradition. 2. something that is handed down: the traditions of the Eskimos. 3. a long-established or inherited way of thinking or acting: The rebellious students wanted to break with tradition. 4. a continuing pattern of culture beliefs or practices. 5. a customary or characteristic method or manner: The winner took a victory lap in the usual track tradition. 6. Law. an act of handing over something to another, esp. in a formal legal manner; delivery; transfer.

4. What is a Norm? Norm 1. a standard, model, or pattern. 2. general level or average: Two cars per family is the norm in most suburban communities. 3. a designated standard of average performance of people of a given age, background, etc. a standard based on the past average performance of a given individual. • Mathematics. a. a real-valued, nonnegative function whose domain is a vector space, with properties such that the function of a vector is zero only when the vector is zero, the function of a scalar times a vector is equal to the absolute value of the scalar times the function of the vector, and the function of the sum of two vectors is less than or equal to the sum of the functional values of each vector. The norm of a real number is its absolute value. b. the greatest difference between two successive points of a given partition.

5. Portland Rose Festival Traditions • Chosen a young women to be crowned Queen since 1914 • Selected the Rose Festival Queen from Portland High Schools since 1930 • All Portland School District High Schools have been represented on the Rose Festival Court since 1930 • Laid a Queen’s Plaque in Washington Park since 1921 • Produced Fleet Week since 1947

6. Portland Rose Festival Traditions • Produced a motor sports event consecutively since 1959. • Held our Grand Floral Parade two weeks after Memorial Day Weekend since 1908 • Produced our illuminated Starlight Parade one week after Memorial Day weekend since 1907 • Opened the Portland Rose Festival with its Waterfront Village event the first Thursday after Memorial Day weekend since 1963 • Produced our Junior Parade since 1936

8. Background - Portland Rose Festival • For 103 years it has been produced by an Oregon non profit called the Portland Rose Festival Association • Produce the Rose Festival on a 4 million dollar budget • Has a 12-person full time professional staff • Beginning in 2008, the PRFA became the Portland Rose Festival Foundation produced by one 501 (c)(3) charitable organization. • It’s a collection of over 50 events spread out over a 4 week period. • Signature events are our parades • Our primary revenue engine is our Waterfront Village event.

9. The Situation • While public perception coming off the centennial celebration if 2007 was at an all time high, the economic model needed adjustment. • The revenue growth in some areas were maxed out, while aggressive cost cutting had come close to reaching their limits without dramatic programming cuts

10. 2008 Breakthrough & Wake –Up Call • Made a huge change in our organizational Structure. • Endured our one of our largest financial losses in decades.

11. 2009 internal themes • Out of great challenges opportunities are born. • Pledge to be Positive.

12. Problem Solving – Planning • Strategic Plan • Put Strategic Plan on Hold • Created a Sustainability Plan – Road to Sustainability

13. Problem Solving – Road to Sustainability • Financial Management Strategy • Sponsorship slide • Conservative Budgeting • Political Strategy • City partnership • Partnership/Charitable giving strategy • Charitable gifts • Overhead Cost Strategy • Rose Festival property • Programming Strategy

14. Problem Solving – Road to Sustainability • We created a plan that ultimately provided the platform to break through our traditional dates, address our challenges and paved the way for future growth • An expansion plan was created while other events were contracting.

15. Early Travels on the Road • Educate internal and external stakeholders • Position of strength versus “Help, were sinking” • Sponsorship Decline, which resulted in Budget Cuts • Local Politics- City of Portland Breakthrough • Lease of a Waterfront café • Sign ordinance waiver • Major progress on a fee relief plan • Naito Parkway programming • Re-energizing the sprit of the Rose • Neon Rose Sign and Rose Lighting Ceremony • Funding of an incredible Opening Night

17. Programming Solution Memorial Day Weekend

18. Memorial Day Weekend

19. Memorial Day Weekend • Friday Fireworks and Rose Lighting Ceremony • Military Families offered Free Admission • Memorial Day March • Memorial Day Ceremony • Memorial Day Concert

20. Outcome - PR • Incredible press that presented the organization as innovative and really smart! • Tracked the highest amount of media stories covering a specific topic since we began tracking media stories (20 years)

21. Outcome - Programming • We have our 4th Parade that is the centerpiece to a new Rose Festival weekend.

22. Outcome - Programming • Honoring past and present men and women who have served our country.

23. Outcome - Programming Business Model Expansion • Old Model (Anchored in Tradition) Two Weekends anchored by a major parade and other related events

24. Outcome - Programming Business Model Expansion • New Model Three weekends anchored by a major parade and Memorial Day Holiday with the opportunity for other major events • New Park space for programming • Naito Parkway programming

25. Outcome – New Sponsors

26. Outcome – Balance Sheet • New weekend grossed over $750K in new revenue at our Waterfront Village • Created an extra weekend to assist in buffering potential weather impacts further in the month. • Weekday closures eased overtime costs • Expenses were minimal

27. Outcome – New Customer • Opened the festival to a new holiday travel audience. • Opened up an opportunity for kids in school to attend on the extended weekend

28. Outcome – Marketing & New Sponsors Weekday closure allowed us to create format changes over multiple weekends May 22-25 Open May 26,27 Closed May 28-31 Open June 1,2 Closed June 3-7 Open

29. Outcome – Marketing and New Sponsors Remembrance Revelry Roses Sold sponsorships for individual weekends

30. Lessons Learned • Communication - Can never over communicate a date change. • Griswold Family Vacation – Wally World • There will be some impact on attendance later in the event run. 15-20%

31. Lessons Learned • Just one week earlier, can throw off your traditional planning. • Don’t take your traditional dates for granted

32. Where are we on our road trip? • Just sold our existing building last Fall • Moving to our new home in March • We had a near six figure surplus in 2009 • Our cash reserves are re-bounding • Getting to set to unveil a new BBQ & Brew event as part of our new separate weekend format. • City is on the verge of formally adopting a partnership plan that focuses on future event development and strengthen some core traditions. • On January 12th, 2010 we became the official festival of the City of Portland.

33. “Never underestimate the awesome power of special events”Thank you & Good Luck!!!www.rosefestival.org