KC Event Planners Talk About the State of the Industry

Bernays Saunce mothership EventPros, Inc.'s owners are featured in an interview in Special Events Magazine, where they discuss the state of the Special Events industry and the birth of EventPros, Inc. They also touch on marketing and public relations firms doing special events:

In 2008, for instance, while other event business owners were wringing their hands about tightened budgets, canceled events and the prospect of more bad news to come, Svoboda and Short debuted a communications services department. As Short explains, the duo created the new department to compete directly with marketing and public relations firms that were cutting into EventPros' market share.

“These companies were handling events, but they didn't even like doing it — they were just doing it because their clients needed it,” Short says. “Because they weren't making any extra money on events, they weren't hiring us to do them. They were just doing the events themselves, and not doing a very good job.”

With its new division, EventPros is able not only to sell clients on the strength of its event-production capabilities but to add value by offering marketing and communication services such as Web development, scriptwriting and video production. Short adds, “It speaks to our fiscal responsibility that we were able to bring in-house a lot of services we were farming out.”

Read the rest here.

Sunny San Diego and The Special Event

Your humble Bernays Sauce editor here--just checking in to report that San Diego was sunny and fun, but alas, the Special Event Gala Award for KCRiverFest eluded our grasp.

Just getting nominated was a great honor for EventPros, producers of the event. KCRiverFest was in the rarified air of top three fairs/festivals in the world as recognized by the "bible" of the special events industry, Special Event Magazine.

We also attended some great seminars which may turn into a posting or two here on the Sauce.

Anyway, trophy or no, it's good to be back.

Will KCRiverFest Bring Home the Gold?

EventPros to Represent KCRiverFest and Kansas City in San Diego

Kansas Citians know that KCRiverFest is a great July 4th festival and the event’s producers hope judges for an international award think it’s the best festival in the world.

“We’re very excited to be in the final three for the international Special Event Gala Award,” said Bill Svoboda, co-owner of EventPros, Inc., KCRiverFest’s producers. “We view this as an award not only for KCRiverFest and EventPros, but for Kansas City as well. Whether we bring home the trophy or not, we’re proud this event brings tourist dollars and positive recognition to Kansas City.” Svoboda, co-owner John Short and colleague Alex Greenwood will journey to San Diego for the gala awards ceremony Jan. 30.

Late last year, the Special Events Magazine Advisory Board released the list of entries nominated to receive a Gala Award, the most prestigious prize in the special events industry. EventPros, Inc. received the nomination for their work producing KCRiverFest, Kansas City’s annual Independence Day festival. EventPros produces KCRiverFest on behalf of Friends of the River—Kansas City.

"We had nearly 400 entries, a 20 percent increase over last year," says Special Events editor Lisa Hurley. "The competition was fierce." This year’s competition drew entries in 35 categories from Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, England, Germany, Spain, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and the United States. Nominated entries went through three rounds of judging. The Gala Awards will be presented Jan. 30 at a black-tie gala ceremony.

As finalists for the Best Fair/Festival, EventPros/KCRiverFest is in competition with events in Sacramento, California and Harrisburg, N.C. Last year’s winner in this category was Marketing and More of Munich, Germany for “Mini United 2007,” a three-day car festival in Zandvoort, Netherlands.

“EventPros is the premier event planning company in Kansas City, and their nomination to receive a Gala Award from Special Events Magazine is a testament to the quality of their work,” said Chris Gutierrez, KCRiverFest chairperson. “KCRiverFest has become Kansas City’s Riverfront tradition and Friends of the River-KC is pleased to be working with EventPros on this event through 2011.”

The 2008 KCRiverFest, presented by KCTV 5/myKSMO, was the first produced by EventPros. Shortly after the successful festival, EventPros accepted a three-year contract to produce the acclaimed festival.

“We’re very proud of our team, as well as the leaders and volunteers of Friends of the River,” added John Short, EventPros co-owner. “It’s an honor to work with them on this growing event, and we’re looking forward to making KCRiverFest 2009 an even bigger success.” The EventPros team producing KCRiverFest includes Svoboda, Short, Greenwood and Lisa Holst, along with a host of professional staff and volunteers.

Major sponsors for KCRiverFest included KCTV 5/myKSMO, the Port Authority of Kansas City, Isle of Capri Casino, Neighborhood Tourism Development Fund, EventPros, Inc., Time Warner Cable, Cumulus Radio, Urban Times Magazine, Radio Disney, Burns & McDonnell, Hertz, King Hershey Attorneys at Law, Clarkson Construction, Liberty RV and BlueCross BlueShield of Kansas City.

For more information on The Special Event show, visit thespecialeventshow.com. For more on the magazine, visit specialevents.com.

Friends of the River-Kansas City (FOR-KC) is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to celebrate the heritage and to promote the development of the Kansas City riverfront through education, community outreach, volunteer commitment and fundraising.

Founded in 2001, EventPros, Inc. specializes in all facets of event planning and production of any size and budget, including large-scale community festivals. The firm recently introduced extensive image management, marketing and communications consulting services. EventPros also performs functions for events, conferences and parties including theme development, food and beverage design, transportation and tours, talent sourcing and on-site event management. Visit http://www.eventprosinc.com or call 816.960.3400 for more information.