Title Town Gator Club Event Dec. 5, 2010, at the President’s House

Project By:

Adam Borenstein Bailey McDaniel Joshua Conyers

Kara King Leslee Highsmith Rachel Raddatz

Event Size ______________________________________________________________________________

The University of Florida Alumni Association Executive Board of Directors has about 50

members, most of whom will be at the event answering questions regarding the Gator Club

membership packages. The board of directors will also have information tables set up at the

front entrance of the house, where individuals will have the chance to look through the

information and ask questions they may have throughout the afternoon. Florida Cicerones, who

are the official student ambassadors at UF are considered the link between the past, present

and future Gators, will also be at the event. These ambassadors represent the University at

various functions throughout the year and are required to attend the UFAA on Dec. 5 at the

President’s House. The four Florida Cicerones in attendance will greet the future members,

operate the informational table and handle all the money at the event.

Virginia Horton, the Associate Director of Club Relations and Young Alumni & Affiliate

Groups, has been of great help regarding the negotiation of a lower price for the President’s

House and contacting other board members. Although our original plan was to send out

semiformal invitations to all the alumni members on the Association’s list serve, we decided

that to be more time efficient and financially conservative to send an invitation through e-mail

to all the members directly. Our group then came to the conclusion that word-of-mouth could

be the most beneficiary means of communication. Since most people check their e-mail at least

once a day, the individuals receiving the invites will more than likely to share this event with

their friends and family members.

We are expecting about 200 to 300 people will decide to attend the event and since the

President’s House can hold a maximum of 300 people, capacity will not be a problem. With the

UFAA Board of Directors, Florida Cicerones and attendees we expect about 250 guests. We

cannot predict how many will come the event at the same time because it is an “open house”

where guests are allowed to come and go. Due to this, our group decided that name tags will

be helpful. We concluded that many people will be interested in attending this event to find out

more information about the club and meet other Gator alumni in the area, which will result in a

meet and greet setting. At 2:30 p.m., the men’s basketball team has an away game at

American University. It makes sense to have a viewing party as well. Changing this event to be

both a meet and greet as well as a viewing party, gives it a more diverse atmosphere catering to

people with all different interests.

The event’s primary purpose is to be the first organized alumni gathering promoting the

very first gator club developed by the UFAA in Gainesville. There are numerous gator clubs

across the United States from Miami all the way to San Diego. The memberships to these clubs

are outstanding, giving all Gator fans the chance to come together and root for the team. For

example, “The Atlanta Gator Club is a 3,000+ member organization of alumni, parents and

friends of the University of Florida, bound together for the purpose of assisting the university

and the Alumni Association achieve its goals and objectives” (The Atlanta Gator Club). There

are many people all over the nation that are involved with gator clubs, such as the Atlanta

Gator Club, and their memberships and generosities have positively influenced the Gator

Nation for many years, and this membership is growing larger every year.

Risk Management Plan

______________________________________________________________________________

After conducting extensive research we felt it is necessary to devise a risk management

plan. From looking at the floor plan, building plan, location, logistics, security precautions and

legal and regulatory laws relevant to this event, it is imperative to protect the venue and UFAA

from any possible issues that can occur. Using some past events as an example helped our

evaluations and understanding of what needs to be attended to. Being proactive and looking

for the best interest of everyone is why we developed such an extensive plan.

We looked at the President’s House website and discovered we are not required to have UPD

supervise this event. In an effort to be prepared, proactive, prepared and educated about

anything that can occur, we will staff two UFPD officers to serve as staff and first respondents.

Some emergencies that can occur include: power outage, fire, bad weather,

disturbances, choking or allergic reaction from the food and intoxicated guests. Below, we will

provide further, specific detail of the recommended protocol in handling each of the possible

emergencies if they do happen to occur during the event.

Power Outage- In case of an area-wide electrical power outage, the two UPD officers will be

the first respondents and work as crowd control, contact the appropriate Florida Power and

Light dispatch and communicate with the other UFAA staff to keep everyone calm and quiet

during the outage. The house’s back-up generator should start working as soon as one minute

after the initial outage. If it doesn’t turn on, we will begin escorting guests out of the house and

to the backyard area to ensure their safety. The UPD officers should be equipped with a

flashlight as part of their uniform. Four emergency flashlights will be available in the bottom

cabinet of the president’s kitchen with an additional four flash lights available behind the

outside bar on the bottom shelf. UPD and UFAA staff on site will work as crowd control until

power is restored. They will listen to the fire and electrical departments for when it is OK to

resume the event and let guests back into the house.

Fire- In case of a fire, UPD will officers will contact the fire department and direct the guests to

the nearest exit. Exits are either the front door or back door, and in extreme emergency the

guests can be directed to exit through the kitchen exit or the northwest side exit. UPD and

UFAA staff will serve as crowd control until the fire department arrives.

Bad Weather- If severe storms and lightning is occurring before the event, we will have the UPD

ensure that all of the guests stay inside the house until it is safe. Safety will be determined

when notification from the local Emergency Alert System is received and gives permission to

allow guests to resume the festivities and go outside. Safety of our guest is top priority.

Disturbances- If any of the guests informs a staff member they are being or feel threatened by,

immediately contact the nearest UPD officer who will then attend to the matter and resolve it.

Be as calm and as non-confrontational as possible.

Guest Choking on Food- If a guest appears to be choking from food the staff member should

clear the area where the individual is choking and contact the nearest UPD officer. If an

individual who has his valid CPR-AED First Aid Certification Card, then he is allowed to assist the

victim while EMTs are on the way. DO NOT allow an individual who is not certified in CPR-AED

First Aid to assist the victim who is choking under ANY circumstance.

Intoxicated Guests- If any guest or attendee is acting intoxicated or is disturbing other guests,

contact the nearest UPD officer. The officer will remove the disorderly individual from the

premises. If any UFAA staff member is confronted by an intoxicated guest, be as calm and non-

confrontational as possible until the UPD officer arrives.

Cost of Rentals ______________________________________________________________________________

President’s House: $775

PA system: $300

Decorations: N/A because the venue will already be decorated

Rental rate for President’s House:

5 to 50 guests: $500

51 to 100 guests: $775

101 to 150 guests: $1,000

151 to 200 guests: $1,200

201 to 300 guests: $1,400

Other Venue Estimated Cost

Meeting room in a hotel:

Tables (included in cost of room)

Chairs (included in cost of room)

Table clothes: $75-$100

PA system & visual Equipment: $350

Podium: $75-$100

Stage: $150

Lightening: $75-$100

Microphone: $50-$75

Dance floor: $150-$200

Decorations: $150-$200

The difference in the two locations is the amount of space both locations can hold. The

President’s House can only hold 300 people, where a meeting room in a hotel can

accommodate 500 to 600 people, or even more if needed. Some of the equipment that we will

need to rent can only be rented through companies used by the President’s House for all

events. If our event were to be elsewhere, like a hotel, some things it can provide for an

additional charge include a dance floor, special lighting, a microphone, stages, podium and PA

system.

Venue Confirmation and Related Expenses

_____________________________________________________________________________

The venue we will use for our event is President’s House. The house is in a central

location and brings a level of prestige to the event that no other Gator Club can obtain.

Although the president of the university no longer lives in the house, it can be rented for events

such as ours by university departments, colleges and divisions for university-sponsored

functions only. We have been granted an exception to host the event there because it is hosted

through the University of Florida Alumni Association.

Another perk that we are receiving is the waiving of the rental fee. The normal cost to

rent the house is $775, but we will be able to rent it for free. This includes the set-up and clean

up by the catering staff. The date that we decided on is Dec. 5, since it will be a holiday themed

party and is the day after the SEC championship game. It is also during an away men’s

basketball game. We are planning on using this date to our advantage in a few ways.

The first is that the house will be decorated with holiday themed décor for this date,

saving us the cost of decoration. Another benefit to the Dec. 5 date is that the Gators men’s

basketball game can be shown on TVs provided by the catering company, giving the guests a

reason to stay for the entire event. The catering company will also provide extra tables and

chairs if necessary, depending on the amount of RSVPs.

There are certain guidelines that need to be followed when renting this venue. One

UFAA requirement states if there is a party of 50 or more, Florida Cicerones must be present to

greet and sign-in each guest. Each group project member knows at least one Cicerone, making

this guideline easy to meet since we must coordinate efforts to have them at the event.

Parking for the event will be in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center parking lot, very close to

the President’s House.

The last guideline refers to the maximum capacity for events held at this location, which

is 300 people. Time and date restraints are another factor to whether the venue can be

secured for events.

Necessary Purchases _____________________________________________________________________________

President’s House: $775

Chairs and Tables (Included)

Caterer (Food/drink): Amount unknown -- Cacciatore Catering; Contact: Dean Cacciatore

Utensils

Plates/Napkins

Cups

Set up/Clean up

Table Cloths

Chair covers (possibly)

Invitations: Completed by UFAA via e-mail

Entertainment or Speakers: UFAA board of directors

TV: $200

Name tags: $25

All of the above things are necessary when planning an event of any sort because

everything is needed to make the event a success. The caterer approved by the venue must be

used for events. For meetings of fewer than 10 people, food may be brought in from an

alternate source upon prior written approval. Catered events will be set up and cleaned up by

the caterer, with cost will included in the service fee.

For our event, décor will not be purchased because the President’s House will be

decorated already in a holiday theme. If this would not have been the case then décor must be

approved in advance and in writing by the President's Office. No confetti, glitter, rice/bird seed

or similar items may be used at the President's House unless approved in advanced by the

President's Office. Candles may be used only if it is contained in a glass enclosure such as a

globe or hurricane lamp and candles may not be taller than the enclosure. Banners, posters

and/or flyers may not be hung or attached to walls in any interior space. Banners may be hung

on the exterior of the President's House with prior written permission from the President's

Office. Live entertainment must be approved in writing by the President's Office prior to the

start of the event. In accordance with UF Policy, after 10 p.m., no live bands using a PA system

may perform outside.

Invitations being sent to attendees must be approved by the President’s Office prior to

sending them out.

Invitation Guidelines for all events:

The President’s Office asks that no one use the president's or his wife's name on the invitation unless they have agreed to co-host the event.

If they have agreed to co-host, the following titles may be used:

J. Bernard Machen, President President J. Bernard Machen President J. Bernard Machen and Mrs. Chris Machen Bernie and Chris Machen Mrs. Chris Machen Chris Machen

We are allowed to listthe location as one of the following:

University of Florida President's House President's House on campus President's House at the University of Florida Please do not use the word "The" when referring to President's House

Internal/External Staff and Security Expenses

_____________________________________________________________________________

After researching the expenses and staff needed to run this event, we have developed a

budget. We thought of where funds need to go. Costs include paying the catering company

for their services, the UFAA staff, President’s House staff and the University Police Department

officers. According to the President’s House regulations and guidelines, we are not required to

have UFPD supervise our event. In an effort to be prepared to handle a possible emergency, we

have decided to hire one UFPD officer to supervise the event. We have decided not to serve

alcohol. If we had decided to serve alcohol, extra precautions and permits would be required.

The President's House will determine if security is required for other events. From more

research on the President’s House website, we found that security will be provided by UPD and

arranged by the hosting organization. All charges will be paid directly to UPD as determined by

UPD, with a three-hour minimum. Prior to the event, the hosting organization will check with

UPD to determine if an event at the O'Connell Center will coincide with their event at the

President's House. There is a men’s basketball game the same day as our event, but fortunately

is away. UPD will be used to monitor VIP parking in the circular drive and direct all other guests

to the O'Connell Center, or alternative parking as required.

Utilities and Necessary Permitting ______________________________________________________________________________

Most of the utilities will be covered in the cost to rent the facility. Within the rental

agreement, the president’s house will provide the electricity, air conditioning and the sewage

utilities. Power, electricity and water are the utilities that will likely be used most for our event,

and even those are covered in the waived rental fee. It is possible that our UFAA speakers will

need some sort of AV equipment, such as a microphone or speaker system. In that case, we will

contact the catering company and rent what is necessary. The only other utilities that we

imagine can be crucial for our inside/outside open house is air conditioning and/or heat

because the event is taking place in December. The event will be taking place during the

daytime so it should not be unbearably cold.

We will not need any permits, such as digging or for alcohol, because the contract with

the venue handles those. The only case where we would need a digging permit, one used to

have the power to drive stakes into the ground, is in the scenario that the president’s house

wasn’t already equipped with tents in the backyard. Since events take place almost every week,

the tents will already be up and the stakes will already have been approved and have necessary

permits.

Another permit that will not be required at this event is one for serving alcoholic

beverages. This permit is not needed for a few reasons, such as responsibility of the caterer

when serving alcoholic drinks. Since the caterer is already accepted by the venue, the liability

and permitting will fall on them. Also, our event will be taking place from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and

we do not find it necessary to serve alcoholic beverages at this time. In the guidelines for the

president’s house, it states alcohol cannot be served before 5 p.m. on weekends.

Marketing and Media Relations

______________________________________________________________________________

For our event, we plan to market to the about 21,000 individuals on the list serve. We

plan to send an e-mail invitation to everyone, invite them and also encourage them to invite

their friends. Since UF is in Gainesville, we may choose to expand and invite some students or

faculty and staff members.

Because the event will be Dec. 5, the party is a holiday celebration and will be decorated

accordingly. Our group will be able to market the event as a Gator basketball viewing party,

with the holiday theme.

Possible marketing plans will can implement include: e-mailing the UFAA list serve, e-

mailing the SAA list serve and sending formal invitations to high-end campus officials inviting

them and a guest. Some of the high-end members may include Bernie Machen, Urban Meyer,

the student government president, deans of the colleges and other sports head coaches.

An idea we have considered is to distribute flyers in promotion of the event. A possible

flyer is with the statue of Albert in the background and information written on top of the photo.

The information will include location, time, date and who is hosting.

For media relations, we can write an article and pitch it to the Independent Florida

Alligator or The Gainesville Sun for publication, speak to media outlets such as WUFT-TV and

the Gainesville Television Network and compose a media release. The media release may be

distributed to different networks after the event has already been spoken about as a follow up.

Another wise decision may be to ask a reporter or reporting student to cover the event,

a way to promote the coming Gator Club and provide positive publicity for the UFAA. In

pitching the story to a reporting student, it may help more students understand the benefits of

becoming involved with the Student Alumni Association through the college years and joining

the UFAA upon college graduation.

The news article would state the purpose, benefits and reason for the new club. The

media release would include most of the same information, but would have one source for an

interview instead of the three for the news article.

Food, Beverages and Serving Methods

______________________________________________________________________________

All the food and beverages offered at the event will be catered by Cacciatore Catering

Company, the President’s House specified catering company. Cacciatore Catering Company will

also be providing servers as part of the fee for using their company. It would be easier to use

outside donators and resources for the simple food and drinks, but in booking any type of event

at the President’s House the renter is required to use Cacciatore Catering Company for all

needs. At this holiday-themed event, holiday drinks and deserts will be served.

Considering the event will be from around 2 p.m. until about 5 p.m., we can assume that

everyone has already eaten lunch and most people will eat dinner after leaving the venue. For

drinks, there will be Pepsi products. This will include Diet Pepsi, Pepsi, Mountain Dew and

Sierra Mist. Apple cider will be offered as the holiday refreshment. Since servers come with the

catering company fees, having a small bar set up outside and two servers serving the drinks

would make the process run much smoother. Having commonly requested drinks prepared

ahead of time will decrease the guests wait for drinks and allow more time for the guest to

meet one another, while also learning more about the gator club.

For food, we decided to provide a variety of different desserts. These desserts include

holiday designed cookies, apple pie, pecan pie, red velvet cake, vanilla cake, chocolate covered

pretzels and warm chocolate fudge brownies. The servers will also be available to assist guests

with retrieving their food. The desserts will be on a long table in the common area, before

stepping outside of the house. Since the event is inside and outside, all platters will have covers

provided by Cacciatore Catering Company.

The catering company will be providing many of the essentials needed for this event.

Not only will food be their primary concern, but Dean Cacciatore, the owner of Cacciatore

Catering Company assures us that any additional tables, chairs, cloths and necessities will be

available for use. The will take place in the afternoon of Dec. 5. Most of the time, the end of

November to beginning of December has cool weather. It is appropriate to assume the food

and beverage station should be a comfortable temperature. With all the holiday decorations,

along with the food and drinks, this event will be a once in a lifetime opportunity many will

want to come and experience.

The Atlanta Gator Club - A University of Florida Alumni Association Group. 2008. Web. 27 Oct.

2010. <http://www.atlgators.com/about/index.htm>.

Sponsorship and Donations ______________________________________________________________________________

We are not charging an entrance fee for our event. We have a budget of $1,000 from

the UFAA with the rental fee of the President’s House being waived. For this reason, we do not

feel sponsorships are necessary because the estimated and expected cost is under $1,000.

We will not be accepting donations because the UFAA will be trying to sign members up

for the gator club. Since price of joining the UFAA is very costly, prices ranging from $300 to

$600 depending on when you join, we feel it more important for a table to be stationed for

membership than to collect donations.

Budget

______________________________________________________________________________

As a starting budget, the University of Florida Alumni Association agreed to give our

group $1,000 to host the event. Most of that, $775, was going to be used to rent the UF’s

President’s House, but the President’s House agreed to waive the rental fee for the UFAA. As a

result, $650 of our budget will now be used for food and beverages. In addition, we will spend

approximately $50 to rent a screen and projector or television so that the Gator men’s

basketball game can be shown at the event. Twenty dollars will go to creating and printing

flyers to help advertise for the event and $30 will be used to buy nametags and markers.

Because the event is for the UFAA, there are many advantages that we would not have

had otherwise. In the column titled ‘Estimated Cost’, approximate prices for items that would

have had to been purchased or rented if we weren’t working with the UFAA and/or if the event

was hosted outside of Gainesville.

UFAA Event Budget Summary

Event Date:Days Remaining:

Total Budget $1,000Estimated Expenses $3,180Actual Expenses To-Date $750Available Budget $250

Description Estimated Cost Actual Cost NotesVenue (President's House) $775.00 $0.00 UFAA was able to rent the venue for no feeSound System and Microphone Rent $150.00 $0.00 Included in venue rentalLighting $100.00 $0.00 Not needed for our eventOverhead Projector and Screen Ren $50.00 $50.00 Do not yet have a price quoteTable and Chair Rental $150.00 $0.00 Included in venue rentalTotal $1,225.00 $50.00

Description Estimated Cost Actual Cost NotesFood $400.00 $450.00 *We do not yet have a quote from Cacciatore CateringBeverage $250.00 $200.00 *We do not yet have a quote from Cacciatore CateringPlates/Glasses/Untensils $0.00 $0.00 Included with catererTotal $650.00 $650.00

Description Estimated Cost Actual Cost NotesInvitations $200.00 $0.00 Not needed for our eventEnvelopes and Stamps $40.00 $0.00 Not needed for our eventMedia Kit $50.00 $0.00 No cost to usAdvertising $150.00 $0.00 No cost to usPosters and Flyers $20.00 $20.00 Price for printing and paperSpecialty Linens Rental $75.00 $0.00 Not needed for our eventEvent Décor $100.00 $0.00 Included in venue rentalTotal $635.00 $20.00

Description Estimated Cost Actual Cost NotesSecurity $240.00 $0.00 2 police officers for 3 hours at $40/hourName Tags and Markers $30.00 $30.00 Cost of itemsEmployee Payroll for Event $400.00 $0.00 5 employees for 4 hours at $20/hour (Estimate)Florida Cicerones $0.00 $0.00 Student organization required to be there by venueTotal $670.00 $30.00

Food and Beverage

Event

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Other

Collateral Materials

Meet-and-Greet at the UF President’s House.

The Title Town Gator Club cordially invites you to attend a holiday themed meet-and-greet at the University of Florida

President’s House. Come out and learn more about the new Title Town Gator Club and what the it has to offer. Enjoy

snacks and drinks while the Gator men’s basketball team takes on American University.

Parking is available at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center parking lot.

Dec. 5, 2010 from 2 to 5 p.m.

2151 W. University Ave., Gainesville, FL 32603

Organization

Title Town Gator Club