Wheaton Arts Parade (WAP) is seeking the services of an event planner/manager to work with WAP to produce the 7th Annual Wheaton Arts Parade & Festival on October 15, 2023. WAP will provide site plans and manage registration, including the identification of vendors, exhibitors, performers, parade participants, and volunteers. Contractor will manage all logistical aspects related to (1) the parade, and (2) the food and beverage vendors. Wheaton Arts Parade will pay a fee of up to $10,000 for these services. Wheaton Arts Parade will manage additional contracts for tents, power, and toilets.

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Parade Management Tasks:

• The parade starts at 10am on Sunday, October 15 and lasts approximately 90 minutes. See website for route and details.

• work with Client to develop a parade order of appearance and instructions to participants (based on previous year's instructions.)

• work with Client to assign assembly locations for parade participants and floats

• notify participants of their parade order, assembly locations and arrival procedures

• work with participants to get a brief "script" for the master of ceremonies to read when they reach the reviewing stand

• coordinate volunteers to move floats from storage area to their staging places

• manage arrival & check-in and direct parade participants to their assembly locations

• secure a place in the VIP assembly area for art to be placed for VIPs to carry and assign a volunteer to watch over the art.

• greet VIP participants at the designated location and ensure they have art to carry.

• identify the artist of each piece carried by a VIP and provide that name to the Grandview Stage Manager so it can be read when the VIP passes the reviewing stand. 

• coordinate volunteers to assist paraders and pull floats as needed, including positioning volunteers at critical locations along the parade route.

• manage the entrance of participants and floats their assembly places into the parade column so that they are in the order written in the program

• work with Client to identify places for floats to be located after the parade and during the festival and coordinate float pullers and volunteers to put them in their assigned spots.

• coordinate volunteers to move floats to a storage area designated by the Client at the end of the festival.

 

Festival Vendor Management Tasks:

• Food sales begin at 10am on Sunday, October 15. Alcohol sales begin at 12PM. Sales end no later than 5PM.

• there are 8 10'x10' tented exhibit spaces for food vendors and a 20'x30' tented space for the beer and wine vendors. A total of 10 vendors is planned.

• contractor will maintain a list of food/beverage vendors who have registered or have been identified by Client. VLM will make Client aware of any cancellations or requests from additional food or beverage vendors who want to participate.

• work with Client to assign vendors to exhibit spaces.

• work with food vendors to identify technical requirements, including power and make the power contractor aware of the vendors' requirements.

• communicate with food and beverage vendors to make sure they have applied for and received the necessary permits.

• work with Client to edit instructions and disseminate to all vendors.

• oversee contractor's tent set-up and power supply and address problems that may arise.

• hang vendor signs on the designated exhibit space and ensure vendors have menus and prices posted.

• coordinate with Client to design an arrival plan and assign arrival times to each vendor

• manage the arrival and check-in and direct vendors/exhibitors to their spaces

• coordinate volunteers to help vendors unload and move vehicles quickly

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