Sometimes when beginning a new job, there are elements of the job that are not known about or discussed beforehand. These job functions sometimes have the potential of being one of the most vital elements to the success of the company. I had an experience with this when I began working for Dickey Farms.
As a local farm and ‘tourist destination,’ Dickey Farms has the capacity to host several large events and festivals throughout the year that results in lots of business, brand awareness, and local community bonding. After working at Dickey Farms for a few months, they approached me regarding the start of planning for their 2023 Strawberry Festival. In my head, I was panicking, as I had never even planned as much as a birthday party before!
After several discussions with coworkers in the office, I started to piece together what needed to be done and what would be great additions to the festival to draw in more visitors. I knew they had previously done a Strawberry Festival in 2022, before I started working there. However, I knew very minimal information about the success of the event or what vendors were booked to be there.
Going off of little to no prior experiences or knowledge, I began by asking my bosses for a specific number of local vendors to book for our festival. At that point, I had no idea the scale or amount of work I was about to endure and experience. Once I put all the details on paper and created a vendor application, I decided to begin planning the branding of the event. What would the vibe of the festival be? How did I want to post and promote so the most people possible see and share information about the event?
I handled everything from social media posts and a Facebook event page, signage in our market for in-person customers, advertisements in local magazines, and reminders when speaking with customers on the phone, to one-on-one management of vendors, organization of hundreds of vendor applications, alignment of schedules for set up on the day-of, constant communication with vendors through email/phone calls, handling and tracking of vendor payments, communication with the owners of what to expect, and morning-of direction to each vendor at the festival location. This was a lot to endure for someone who had never planned much of anything before, but the amount of self-fulfillment and pride I felt when the event came together was unmatched.
The challenge of fully diving into something that I was unprepared for and knowledgeable about was a great one, but it came together in the best way possible and was successful for everyone involved. This success led to doing a brand-new Fall Festival that same year. From then on, the festivals for Dickey Farms have grown in scale on many fronts. We increased the number of vendors and food trucks for each festival, included more kids’ activities, expanded the reach of targeted visitors, and upscaled the promotion for events.
The planning, scheduling, hands-on work, and promotion process for each festival was a lot to take on, but with each one, I got more capable in how to handle and plan it. I have implemented many file organization templates, along with established relationships with each vendor, and I am now super confident in my abilities to host, promote, and plan a huge event. This experience has given me great confidence, people skills, organization skills, and management skills that I truly am grateful for.
Mallory Tilson 