The Secret Sauce of

Advance Event Revenue

Wes Allison

Kendra Wright

• Began building websites in 1995

• Helps events market themselves smarter online

PRESENTERS

Kendra Wright Saffire Events

• Serves as President and CEO

• Oversee management of Extraco Events Center and Heart O’ Texas Fair & Rodeo

Wes Allison Extraco Events Center

Heart O’ Texas Fair

HISTORY

EVENT PORTFOLIO Rodeo Austin

South Texas State Fair

Rodeo Belton/ 4th of July Celebration

Brazos Valley Fair

Heart O' Texas Fair & Rodeo

Amarillo Tri-State Fair

Fort Bend County Fair

Central Texas State Fair

Comal County Fair

Okeechobee County Fair

Amador County Fair

Chowchilla Fair

Palomino Fest

Lea County

Coors Cowboy Club

Washington County Fair

Texas State Forest Festival

American Royal

Colorado State Fair

Napa County Fair

Dodge City Round Up

Brazoria County Fair

San Angelo

Rogers County Fair

Greater Baton Rouge State Fair

Central States

Black Hills Stock Show/Rodeo

Los Fresnos

Twas the Lights

Reno Rodeo

Redding Rodeo

Northwest Washington Fair

Sikeston Rodeo

Delaware State Fair

Sangamon County Fair

East Texas

Park of East Texas

Laramie County Fair

Benton-Franklin Fair

Carroll County Fair

Pendleton Round-Up

Pony Express Days

Arizona National Livestock Show

Yolo County Fair

California Rodeo Salinas

Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show

Old Sorehead Trade Days

Cuero TurkeyFest

Fiesta San Antonio

Glenn County Fair

State Fair of Louisiana

Four States Fair

Montgomery County Fair

Fiesta San Antonio

Glenn County Fair

State Fair of Louisiana

Four States Fair

Four States Fair

Montgomery County Fair

Agricultural Learning Center

Grant County Fair

North Texas State Fair

Rooftop Rodeo

West End Fair

Crabtree Amusements

Trinity Valley Exposition

Brackenridge Recreation Complex

Kitsap Rodeo Cowpokes

Refugio County Fair

Rockdale Fair & Rodeo

Children’s Center

NILE

MATE

Volusia County Fair

Firefighter’s Fair

Fayette County Fair

Extreme Tix

Salvation Army

Jerry Jones Education Town

Wings Stadium

Bradford County Fair

Pasco County Fair

Greeley Stampede

Sweetwater Events Complex

iFest

Hardee County Fair

Angelina Ccounty Fair/Expo

Midland Horseshoe Arena

Harborside Events Center

My River District

Taylor County Expo

Five State Fair

Western Heritage Classic

Extraco Events Center

Central Washington State Fair

El Paso County Fair

OVER

100 CLIENTS!

SAFFIRE ASSOCIATION PARTNERS

PALAMINO FEST

WHY DOES SAFFIRE CARE?

WHY DOES SAFFIRE CARE? – We think this program could work

with all sizes of events

– Builds relationships across

volunteers

WHY DOES SAFFIRE CARE? We like money!

WHAT IS IT? – Volunteers sell advance tickets and more

– Top salespeople are rewarded with a trip

– Bottom line: Self-funding and self-

rewarding

HOW DID IT START? – Originally gave prize of a trip to top volunteer

salesperson

– Discovered that Chamber better rewarded volunteers

– Turning point was awarding trips to a much higher

number of volunteers

– Bottom line: INSURANCE

SECRET SAUCE ELEMENT #1

#1: THE ITEMS FOR SALE – Important to give enough choices but

not too many

– Include big and small ticket items

– Make sure it feels like a value

• “I’m getting something I can’t get

anywhere else; it’s exclusive”

#1: THE ITEMS FOR SALE – Make it for a limited time

• Ours starts 5 months prior to the

fair

• Stops 2 weeks before the fair

#1: THE ITEMS FOR SALE – Biggest sales items are:

• General admission to fair

• General admission to secondary event

• Family fun packs

• Sponsorship packages

• Calf scramble packages

• Meet and greet with performers

#1: THE ITEMS FOR SALE – Be open to flexibility year to year

• Timeframe

• Infrastructure – Committee structures

– Rewards sessions

• Items

SECRET SAUCE ELEMENT #2

#2: THE INFRASTRUCTURE Absolute requirements

• Chairman is biggest cheerleader

• Staff member or super dedicated person to record and

manage the program. • Cash

• Rewards tracking

• Trip planning

• Everyone has to sell something

#2: THE INFRASTRUCTURE Chairman

Division Leader 1

Team 1

Team 2

Team 3

Team 4

Division Leader 2

Team 1

Team 2

Team 3

Team 4

Division Leader 3

Team 1

Team 2

Team 3

Team 4

Division Leader 4

Team 1

Team 2

Team 3

Team 4

Division Leader 5

Team 1

Team 2

Team 3

Team 4

Vice Chairman

Each team has

12-18 members.

#2: THE INFRASTRUCTURE • Setting goals

– Set total goal amount – let’s say $100k

– Division leader goal is $20k (1/5th total

goal)

– Team goal is $5k (1/4 total division goal)

#2: THE INFRASTRUCTURE How infrastructure was set initially

• Fair chooses campaign chair and vice chair – Chair and vice chair is one-year commitment

• Campaign chair and vice chair choose 5 division

leaders – Division leaders are two-year commitments

Later on, top salesmen become leadership

#2: THE INFRASTRUCTURE – Captains:

• Keep one member

• Draft 4

• The rest are randomly chosen by fair

– If there is an opening for division leader, team

leaders move up based on sales

#2: THE INFRASTRUCTURE – Materials include: • Committeeman guide and structure

– Letter from fair and chairman

– Campaign leadership

– Campaign goals

– Meeting dates and times

– Order form

– Details about items for sale

– Sponsor list (do not contact)

– Volunteer sales list (with volunteer contact)

– Frequently Asked Questions

– Selling incentives

#2: THE INFRASTRUCTURE – Materials include:

• Leave-behind materials – Sales materials

– Business cards

– A few other things

SECRET SAUCE ELEMENT #3

#3: THE KICK-OFF PARTY – 4 months before event

– Invite current volunteers and a guest

– Sponsor involvement

• Held at sponsor location

• Sponsor can do additional promo

• Sponsor provides meal

• Bar with beer

• Drawing among attendees

#3: THE KICK-OFF PARTY – Chairman (and HOT Fair) go over

program details

– Disseminate sales materials

• Sales packet

• Business cards

• Leave behinds

#3: THE KICK-OFF PARTY

SECRET SAUCE ELEMENT #4

#4: ONGOING COMMUNICATIONS – Meetings every two weeks • Communicate anything new

– Division leaders speak

• Volunteers turn in money

• Reward people for hitting sales levels

• Sponsors involved in these too

• Keeps people energized

– Mega ongoing emails!

#4: ONGOING COMMUNICATIONS

#4: ONGOING COMMUNICATIONS

#4: ONGOING COMMUNICATIONS

SECRET SAUCE ELEMENT #5

#5: THE INCENTIVES • Set the “payback %” as 20%

• Gambled at first that not everyone would get trip

• Leadership picks destination from in-budget options

• Previous trips were cruise, Jamaica, Mexico

#5: THE INCENTIVES

#5: THE INCENTIVES • Trip benefits:

– Volunteers get to know each other and

fair staff better

– They are more efficient volunteers at

the fair

– They almost become extended “fair

staff”

#5: THE INCENTIVES • Who gets a trip:

– Chairman and vice chair (for two)

– Division leaders (for one)

– If division leaders reach goal, they can get extra trip and 2% incentive

– If team leaders reach goal, they get one trip and 2% incentive

– There are also levels where you can get merchandise and cash

– Individuals must raise $5,400 for trip for one or $6,600 for trip for two

SECRET SAUCE ELEMENT #6

#6: THE TRACKING At first, all tracking was in Excel

• Manually entered in all orders by

team

• Calculated rewards

• Time-consuming as program grew

TRACKING WITH EXCEL

THEN SWITCHED TO TRACKING SOFTWARE

Now teamed with a developer to

build tracking software

o Still enter orders, but it calculates

what is sold and if they get trip

o Figures division and team totals, as

well as incentives

STARTING SMALL • Determine what is most important to sell

– For most, this is gate admissions

– Consider packages (e.g., family fun pack)

• Develop a way to track revenue and reward volunteers

• Find a volunteer to rally troops for the program

– Set up a small leadership committee

• Make sure you have a way to fulfill tickets

THANK YOU

Questions? • Leave your business card, and we will send:

– This presentation

– Original spreadsheet

– Marketing materials

– Free subscription to The Dirt for online marketing tips

– Invitation to upcoming Saffire educational webinars