Request for Assistance- Research Project

[Kruzar]

Good Morning....

I will start off by saying that I am not entirely sure if this is the place to be posting this, but thought it fit more closely than anywhere else...

I have recently started a course in Project Management, and the team I work with was given the opportunity to come up with whatever project we wanted to do... being the Rennie that I am, the first thing that came to mind was starting my own Ren Faire. 

I have several links and such to faires, and will be reaching out to some of the management groups in hopes of getting some information, but since this is the Place for Rennies, I thought I would ask for assistance here as well.

I am going to be looking at the Faire from a business perspective and will attempt to dive into things like headcount, entertainment, merchants, location space, resources in general, and just basically that makes a faire work.  Please also provide any insight that you may have on what makes a faire a good faire versus a great faire.  Since this is a class project some of the items will be pure fantasy, but the closer I can get to what it really would take the better.

So I come to before my wonderful Faire Friends and Family asking for assistance.  Any help that can be given will be helpful, and I look forward to the responses.  Please post them here or renmail me if they get into a more confidential or touchy matter.

Thank you all for your help...

Michael

[renren]

One thing thats always handy at a faire is nice seating.. picnic table type, esp. in the shade/rain protected,will keep the patrons/playtrons there longer, and buying more!

Other than that, entertainment beautiful music, funny shows.

[PurpleDragon]

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION.  yeah, I know that's a cliche', but trust me ease of access is key factor in whether or not the patrons will come.

Lots of shade and lots of facilities for disposing of ones bodily waste. 

[RumbaRue]

MONEY MONEY MONEY!!!!

Not just location, but you need to have permits, porta potties, viable water, parking and parking assistants if needed, SECURITY, and a huge chunk of MONEY for advertising. That's just the tip of the ice berg, there's a whole lot more involved like getting businesses to sponsor you for example.

[anne of oaktower]

Want a successful faire?  Give the people what they want! 

* Spacious, clean, flushies would be a good start...with real sinks with running water.  (Ok, we don't have to have HOT water, but we do like running water as opposed to that lousy hand sanitizer stuff!)

*  Accessible water for refilling water bottles.  I don't mind paying several dollars for soda, lemonade, alcohol...that is to be expected at any type of fair/festival.  But, water is one of the most basic of needs and should not be used as a means of profit.

*  Pay attention to the location of your acts!  Make sure the PG-13 stuff is located a good distance from the children's areas.  There is one faire that makes the terrible mistake of placing a large, very loud musical instrument in close proximity of several other stages.  Don't get me wrong, this thing makes beautiful music.  Unfortunately, for both the nearby acts and those trying to enjoy them, this thing drowns out every other show around it.  It can be heard throughout the entire shire!  Either keep these types of acts in their own corner - far away from everything else - or make sure it is scheduled to play only at times when other acts are not.

*  Lots of advertising and a great website!  The faire I just mentioned also makes the mistake of not advertising well and the website is not very good.  A comprehensive list of the acts and merchants is a must!  I may want to tell my friends about your faire...I want to convert them into rennies...your website may "make it or break it" for them.  If they're not impressed by the website, where's the incentive to come to the faire?

Those are my thoughts at the moment, and in no particular order.  Hope you find them a bit useful.  Good luck with your project!
A/O

[CatAshtrophy]

Yummy food, cold drinks , and lots of available garbage (and recycling too perhaps) bins for the waste created from these. You'll also need to have a way to get the waste from your site somehow.

[Brother Gregory]

Location is a plus, easy access for all people, price of admission that everyone can afford. Then there is the unfunny items like advertising, trash cans, port-a-potties, and other management items.

[GirlChris]

Keep the entertainment happy. Always ensure that you can pay them and give them extras they ask for such as food, water (both for drinking and for props), a backstage area, hotel arangements etc.- if you breach contract, the entertainment leaves and you're left with a craft faire. And the entertainers talk to each other- if you get a bad rep from one group, everyone else will know. I've known two faires that didn't pay the entertainment- they only lasted a year each.

Another thing to think about is the length of the run. The longer the run, the more people can come out. However, the longer the run the more it costs. You have to find a balance.

You also have to think about how much you charge vendors, whether it's a juried show (merchandise has to meet quality standards) whether vendors have to make everything they sell, or can they also resell other items? Do you give discounts to vendors who give demonstrations? How much space does each vendor get? Do they have to build a permanent booth, or are tents fine? Are they ALLOWED to build permanent structures? Do they have access to electricity?

Is cast volunteer, paid, or a combination? Does everyone get paid the same? Do they provide their own costumes? Are there rehearsals? Do they get a rehersal stipend? Do they have to do shows, or do they just wander?

This is just the stuff I came up with off the top of my head.

[anne of oaktower]

You also need to decide whether or not this will be a "hat pass" faire.  Go to the Performers Topics section of the forums and check out the Tipping thread for an objective view of the subject.

[Lady Renee Buchanan]

Things that make a faire great to me:

Some of the things others have mentioned, but they are so important, I am reinforcing them.

Flushable privvies  -- and enough of them, in various locations

Good seating, not just bales of straw

A location that has shaded areas with real benches in them so people can get out of the sun, especially around the food areas

Lots of flowers, gazebos, water features, etc, to give the place atmosphere.  I prefer permanent buildings, it gives more of an authentic feel.  But I have been to great faires that have only tents.

Good musical entertainment, and enough of it. Not everyone wants to see The Washing Well Wenches or The Mud Show every time they go (not bashing them, but to see once a season is ok, every week, no.  But the musicians change their shows every time, so it's never repetitive)

Free parking.  After paying a lot to get in, since you park mostly in some kind of field, it leaves a feeling that you're trying to gouge for one more thing

A good variety of fairly-priced food items, not just fried this and fried that.   Plus at some faires, it's hard to find anything vegetarian.  And $6.50 for a turkey leg?  Come on, that's a ripoff.  Food booths that aren't a commercial truck with a window you walk up to with absolutely no effort to try to look like they fit into the period

Cast that interactions with patrons.  It makes it so much more fun

Juried show for merchants.  I don't want to go to a place where I'm ready and willing to spend my hard-earned money to find they are selling imported junk.  I am willing to pay a fair price for merchandise that someone has made with love and skill, not something the merchant has opened a box and put on their table.

[HollyAtFairyEffects]

There is soooo much administrative stuff that goes on behind the scenes at a fair.  Some one has to write and enforce the rules and regulations for participants.  Someone has to schedule the entertainment and demonstrations.  You need accountants and lawyers on staff.  You need liability insurance and property insurance.

And don't forget that you have to pay an administrative staff, janitorial staff, a grounds crew, ticket takers, and information booth personnel. 

A permanant site would definatly be preferable, from a patron's point of view.  You can have permanant structures, defined "streets", indoor plumbing, and gardens.  But you would have to own or lease the property, which would be extremely expensive.  Your start up costs would be huge.  The other option would be to rent a park or something, and all the vendors would set up in tents.  I've been to both kinds, and they both work.  The tent villages are kind of neat, b/c it seems like a traveling band of merchants.  And obviously cheaper for the owner, because you don't have to purchase the land.  But you may be limited to port-a-lets (ew).

And don't forget about taxes.  Depending on if you set up in an incorporated area or an unincorporated area, you could save some money on taxes.  It also makes a difference in how many permits you need for mass gatherings and such.

You may also want to do some research on how many people attend faires per state, or city.  That way, you could predict how many people might attend your faire. 

Good luck!  It sounds like a fun project.  And because it's your fantasy, you can make whatever kind of faire you want!

[Kruzar]

Thank you so much for all of the feedback on this topic.  I have made note of all of the ideas here and will try to incorporate them into the project.

Are there any other areas I should keep an eye out for?  Thank you all for your assistance....

[Peddlin]

Yes, lots of market research. And of course, there are things that you have to think about that are not so pleasant, like state health laws, hired security, entertainment contracts, insurance, etc. It is a tremendous amount of work, but well worth it.

[groomporter]

Also see the "Starting A Faire  - So You Want To Start A Renaissance Faire " FAQ on the old Scribe website. http://scribe.faire.net/scribeFAQindex.html

The Scribe was the very first online directory of Renfairs and although last I checked it was no longer being updated it has some interesting stuff in the archive

[Blue66669]

You may want to look into providing accomodations to your participants, patrons even. Either campsites, or bunkhouses, or a mixture of both. Patron camping is something that not alot of faires have, but speaking as one who frequents "Patron-land", it's the best idea EVER!!! Totally crosses out the need for a designated driver when you're just walking back to camp. Also, consider what you'll be paying your participants. Will they be offered some sort of benefits or perks?

Oh, and I almost forgot... will your site be permanent or just a soft site? If it is a permanent site, you'll need to pay for landscaping and groundskeeping for the entire year. And, if you're anything like TRF, a WAR against fire ants right before opening weekend...