The Black Rock Iconwith Harley DuBois, founder of

Burning Man

MILESTONE MANAGEMENT STAYING AHEAD OF COMPETITIONREALITY OF DREAMING BIG

July 2012

JULY 201202

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JULY 201204

O ne of the most common questions asked to college

grads, new business owners, and small event committees is, “Where do you want to be in five years?” Are you kidding? I do not know where I want to go for lunch.

A friend innocently asked me that prime question last year. Identifying it as a genuine inquiry, I went into a long, deep spiel that actually sounded like I had a definite plan. Now, about eight months later, I could entertain myself by giving you just as thorough of an answer, all the while

trying to decide between the office deli, surrounding chains, or a CLIF BAR®.

Some may ask why I look at the future that way. If you live a safe, cookie-cutter life, then you are missing out on an incredible learning experience. For those that do not mind adventure, you have likely experienced the answer first hand. The reality is, so much can change in such a short period of time, making nearly any answer

trivial. That is why it is so important to focus on the everyday little things as much as, if not more than, your goal itself.

It is all too natural to dream big, as you should. That ultimate destination is what keeps most of us going. However, for those of you picturing fame, fortune, or a cabana on a white sand beach, I am pretty sure time travel is still in the works.

The articles in this month’s issue touch on three very important categories of how to take your event to the level your imagination has come up with. John

Lyman’s Managing Event Milestones not only gives you a template of creating goals and checklists, but informs you how to keep even the most elusive boxes checked. Mandy Adwell’sBurning Man Empire

focuses on how its founder Harley Dubois successfully experimented with a tool many of us fear to use in this cutthroat world; trust. Melanie Votaw’s Do You Know Who Your Competitors Are? Provides us with a technique that makes sure you do not get caught off guard and keeps your competitors chasing you.No matter how daunting the obstacles you must face become, just keep your dreams fresh and remember this simple tip;

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AUTH

OR’S

CORN

ER “Businesses that fail to create a competitive intelligence plan are not just at a disadvantage, they are at risk. Survival today requires that companies know what they are up against?”Melanie Votaw, author of Do You Know Who Your Competitors are?

EAMFOUNDER, EDITOR-IN-CHIEFMichael Burciaga-----------------------------------

PUBLISHER Travis BlytheEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Dwamian McleishART DIRECTOR Erica WeaverRESEARCH ASSISTANT Shannon SpakeEDITORIAL ASSISTANT Sara Safi

CONTRIBUTORS Melanie VotawJohn LymanMandy Adwell

SPECIAL THANKS Kali InteractiveSpectrum PrintingLynxPics (Lieven Leroy)Dust To Ashes (Alex Prikryl)Harley DuBois

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HE

It is important to focus on the little things as much as your goal itself.

Think Globally. Live Locally.

MB

Do You Know Who Your Competitors Are?

Learn the technique of “Competitive Intelligence” to stay a step ahead of

everyone else.

PG 126 Things You Don’t Know About Me

Harley DuBois, Founder ofBurning Man Music Festival

PG 11

Managing Event Milestones

Knowing where you are going is important, but just as necessary are the

steps to get there.

PG 6

Burning Man EmpireFrom desert bonfire to one of the

most popular music festivals in the world. Learn what they did that made such a

tremendous difference.

PG 9

JULY 201206

Summer is here and we are getting into peak season for marathons, mountain bike races, corporate

getaways, outdoor concerts, festivals, fun, food-anything and everything that just oozes fun for everyone. Hey, did I mention fun and food too? If you are like me during this time of year, you are either signing up for an event somewhere or you are diligently working on planning one. Or if you are really one of those people who is constantly in high gear from sunrise to sunset, you might be doing both! If you are planning an event or events for the coming months, make sure you are spending some time “in lower gear” and paying attention to the analytical, little details that go with planning an event. Sure, it is not as fun as managing the big picture, but let me give you an example of what happens when you do not pay attention to details:

Let us say you have decided to go on a vacation to a fantastic destination that you have had your eyes on for years and now is your chance. You have got your calendar cleared up to take time off from work or other obligations, and you have put through a phone call to the getaway of your choice. You have told them when you plan to arrive, how long you plan to stay and what you want to do when you get there. Then you mark up your calendar with felt pens and stickers highlighting your departure date so much that it stands out enough for a satellite from space to see it. Then the big day comes and you stand outside your front door and exclaim, “Ok world, here I go!” But there is a problem: You did not pack a suitcase or backpack;

you did not bother to find out how to get to where you are going, you have not arranged transportation and you did not arrange for your neighbor to feed Fido or Fluffy while you are gone. Essentially, you did not do any real detailed planning and now that the big day is here, you are going nowhere. Literally.

Of course, this is a ridiculous example but there is a message behind the story. If you are planning an event, you would not just mark off the event day on your calendar then stand back and do nothing, would you? Of course not. That is why event planning requires using milestones and a good dose of micro-managing. Using and managing event milestones gets your event from the idea stage to the big stage; makes an event fun for everyone and it even helps prevent headaches and that “I would like to pull out my hair because I am stressed” feeling.

MANAGEMENT AT MISSION CONTROL REQUIRES HAVING A CLEAR MISSIONRegardless of what kind of event you are planning, you need to start planning early and start with a clear mission. Just saying you are planning on putting together a 5K run is not enough. You need to start with a mission statement. A brief, clearly written and easy to understand paragraph or two stating what your specific goal is.

It should state where the event is taking place, when it is taking place, and why the event is taking place. That last point is important. Is this a “just for fun” event, or is it a fund raising event? You also need to clarify the human resources needed. Can you plan this event with just 3 people or do you need a team of a dozen or more? Write everything out, but keep it brief and to the point. Once you have this done, you will have an idea of where you want to go and everyone else involved in the planning will have a clear understanding too.

SET MILESTONES THAT CAN BE ATTAINABLE AND TRACKEDBefore going any further, let us take a look at what a milestone is. If you yourself were in a 5K run, you would probably encounter physical milestones that not only let you know how far you have gone, but also tell you that you are on track to the finish line and mentally tuned in to where you are in relation to the goal you set for yourself prior to the start. This is the way event planning milestones work. You need to know that certain things have been accomplished in the planning, such as on a checklist, but you also need to be able to keep track of things or tasks that need to be done or be approved by someone else prior to your event.

For a lot of events (and not just athletic types), it is a good idea to sit down with your planning or management team at least 12 months in advance to determine what specific details need to be accomplished or fulfilled in order to complete the overall

Managing Event Milestones: Keeping Up With the Details BY JOHN LYMAN

goal that has been previously mentioned. Smaller events can be planned with less advance notice, but most of the time professional event planners will suggest you start at least 12 months ahead of time for large events that require cooperation with hotels, convention centers, public safety departments (such as the police for traffic control) and various local and state government offices.

You can start out by listing your specific needs with a pen and paper or you can use a project planning software application-it does not matter. Just make sure that if you use a software application to manage details (which we will now refer to as milestones), make sure you have someone on your team who knows beforehand how to use it. You do not have time to learn a new software application; you will have a lot of work to keep you busy as it is. If software is not the thing for you, use standard printed graph paper. You can write your milestones that you need to take care of along the left side of the graph paper from top to bottom and write in milestone deadline dates along the top. Then as you go along during the planning process, you can fill in one or more squares from left to right to give you an idea if you are on track to meet a milestone or deadline or if you are behind schedule. Sounds complicated? Rather than stressing over complication, think of managing milestones as a means of eliminating last minute surprises.

One thing people ask all the time is, “What milestones should I set?” That depends on what kind of event you are planning. And if you are planning an

event that you have never planned before you definitely should have people on your management team who have been involved in planning the same kind of event. If you are a newbie planner and you are going solo, you are going to be navigating dangerous territory. If you are planning a marathon, ask your running buddies to help or ask them for names of people who they might know who have done it before. Ask your local Chamber of Commerce or Convention Bureau for help if you need to.If you are planning something such as a business conference or seminar at a local convention center or hotel, you will likely be able to easily find people at the location where the event is being held who will gladly help you determine what kind of milestones need to be set. A great advantage to planning this kind of event is that in most cases planning assistance comes with the cost of renting the venue.

HOW MUCH TIME IS ENOUGH TIME?A big challenge for a lot of people is determining milestone dates; that is, how far in advance should you set a milestone or deadline. It is really not that complicated. Go down your list of milestones and find out who is tied in to that milestone. For example: You need to have certain streets or roads blocked off for your marathon. Call your local city mayor’s office or whoever manages your municipality and ask them who gives approval for such

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things.Then call that department and ask them how far in advance you need to apply for permits and notify local law enforcement. It is not really hard. It just takes time, attention to detail, and most of all the ability to follow through and follow up on what needs to be done.

Understanding milestones and using them are paramount

to your event’s success.Embrace them and use them to your advantage. The end result will be a successful event, and your future in event planning will be stellar.

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Burning Man Empire: From Sand to SuccessAn Exclusive with Founder Harley DuBois

by Mandy Adwell

JULY 201210

As an event planner, you are probably comparing your work to other events, similar or not, who

have garnered great success through their brand and efforts. While it is unlikely you are comparing your efforts to an event like Burning Man, stereotyped by many as a hippie love-fest taking place deep in the desert of Nevada every August, you might be surprised what you can take from such an empire.

What started as a ritualistic bonfire and experiment in community twenty-five years ago has sprawled into an event so largely successful, the creators have begun cutting ticket sales early for fear of passing their fifty-thousand ticket limit. The numbers do not lie - Burning Man is incredibly successful, enough to make any event planner green with envy - but how is it they have developed such a loyal following and successful empire when it’s not even a literal product they are selling?

First, Burning Man is known for their strong sense of culture, independence and radical self-expression and reliance. Attendees, more commonly known as “burners,” are in charge of everything

to make the event a success other than the city grid, port-a-potties, and rangers. That means everything going on during the week-long event in Black Rock City, whether it is yoga classes, juice bars, hula hoop gatherings, or worship centers, is set up and tore down by burners who want to share their passion with others.

According to Burning Man founder and Black Rock City Manager Harley DuBois, Burning Man is a “values-driven event with ten basic principles used for good decision making. This is a good tool to develop a sound base on which to build for years to come.” With life and safety as the two most important factors, it is important for workers and volunteers to have a solid structure that accounts for rain storms, wind storms, fires, and other unexpected situations. Every day, workers are incorporating the ten principles into their work to determine how each piece of the puzzle connects. Once you are familiar with your event setup, your patrons, and your organizing style, you may develop

your own principles that go into every detail of the planning process.

Burning Man also operates on an entirely money-free system. Rather than encouraging creativity through monetary gain, appreciation and exchange are used. Sure, if you want to attend you are going to have to shell out

three-hundred dollars for a ticket, but it is not uncommon for first-time burners to leave and already have ideas for what they want to do next year. Offering up a skill or installation you are truly passionate about and receiving positive feedback and gratefulness in return is what keeps the empire moving and keeps burners inspired to create bigger and better installations every year. Many burners also leave with a newfound realization that working in such a positive, non-judgmental community does more for their creativity than selling a product ever could.

DuBois also notes that when preparing for Burning Man, the purpose is not to make as much money as possible, but to “engage the most individuals as possible in the most meaningful way. They are to leave no trace when we are done, and in fact, leave our environs better than we found them. Our goal is to have as much fun as possible while creating our environment and to further our culture of inclusion and self-expression every way we can.” While it is nearly impossible for most event directors and planners to exclude finances from the picture, putting meaning and appreciation before fiscal policy will lead to more fruitful ventures than sticking to a budget that just refuses to budge.

Aside from relaxing on the financial sense, one of the biggest lessons an event planner may be able to take from Burning Man is that you cannot place orders and dictations on the level of creativity and inspiration that will go into and be taken

out of your event. While many first-time burners often create an installation that does not go over as well as they thought, there are others that likely would not have succeeded if event coordinators put down more than the basic rules and regulations. They leave it at a theme and a few guidelines for safety, but other than that, you and your creativity are on your own. This sense of independence and self-expression is part of the reason there is such a loyal following.

On a similar note, the creators of Burning Man instill a great deal of trust in the burners and their volunteers, and each person, whether they volunteered or just attended, are left feeling fulfilled and genuinely appreciated by the creators. DuBois says her biggest piece of advice to any event planner is to show volunteers appreciation in as many ways as possible. “Never sell them out,” she says. “Always set them up so their intentions to give are transparent and are not compromised, and then honor their gift to you fully.”

Community, creative exchange, and trust are just a few of the reasons why Burning Man, as “out there” as it seems to many, has become so successful and gained such a loyal following. Event attendees do not want to feel like an employee or like they are under a strong set of rules and pressure once they are through the gates.

Whether you are selling a brand or product with a goal of publicity and financial gain or you are more on par with Burning Man’s purely communal services, you are much more likely to succeed with an event that inspires and engages its participants.

Burning Man is not the only event that can succeed through the use of radical self-reliance, expression, and the exchange of appreciation and inspiration. Everything a company uses to promote itself, including aesthetics, social media, and yes, events, starts with engaging its customers and developing a culture, with hopes of gaining

and maintaining a community in return. If you provide a space and environment that people want to see and are eager to be a part of, you will develop a natural direction for how your events should operate and what best benefits your business.

Do not be intimidated by putting the budget aside and giving your team and community a little freedom and trust. When given, it is easily reciprocated and respected. You just might come to realize this unconventional way of thinking is just what your planning committee has been missing.

Photo Credit to LynxPics: 2011 “Temple of Transition” (Article Cover). A burner in the “O” of Laura Kimpton’s 2011 “L.O.V.E.” Installation (Across, Top Right).Photo Credit to Alex Prikryl: Kate Raudenbush’s 2009 “Braindrop” installation (Across, Top Left). 2011 Saturday Night Firework show (Across, Bottom). 2011 Fire Dancer Performance (Above).

6Things You Don’t Know About

I have an educational background in visual and performing arts

I’ve worked as a firefighter, teacher, and fitness instructor

I have over 15 years of experience working with and coordinating training of volunteers to ensure success in Black Rock City

I moved to San Francisco from New Jersey 20 years ago when I came to visit a friend

My first love is oil painting and I hope to go back to it someday

I first joined in on the concept stages of Burning Man in 1991 while living in a house with members of the the Cacophony Society

Harley DuBois

JULY 201212

Do You Know Who Your Competitors Are?by Melanie Votaw

T here is no question that competition is fierce in today’s marketplace. If you do not

keep tabs on companies that are taking a part of your market share, you could find your business belly up. Yes, you need to learn all you can about your target customers, but you also need to learn about your competitors. This practice, called competitive intelligence

or “CI,” hardly requires a spy kit – especially today. So much is available on the Internet that you can find out a great deal while sitting at your computer.

First of all, conduct your research to determine which competitors you should evaluate. If your business is in a large geographic area, you would not be able to study every competing business. You will have

to figure out which ones are most likely to take customers from you.

Your competitors fall into three categories.

Obviously, first-tier competitors are of primary importance, but it makes sense to take a look at second and third-tier companies as well. You may be surprised to learn

that one of these businesses is taking more of your customers than you realized.

Create Competitor DossiersOnce you have decided which competitors to investigate, begin your initial research. There are a number of ways you can find out what these companies are up to.

Watch Twitter and Facebook feeds, as well as any other social media sites. Look for announcements on LinkedIn as well.

Subscribe to any reports or newsletters that your competitors publish.

Visit their booths at trade shows and conferences.

Join and attend industry events and meetings. It never hurts to meet your competitors face to face (or, at the very least, hear about them from others in the industry).

Create a Google Alert for your competitors’ names in order to make sure you never miss a news item. This is a free

service offered by Google that allows you to receive emails listing websites that mention the search words you provide. While you are at it, create a Google Alert for your own company name. Some competitors will try to undercut you by writing negative posts about your business on the Internet. If this happens, you need to become aware of it immediately so that you can prevent it from affecting the public’s perception of your brand.

Talk with your competitors’ customers to find out about competing services.

Do you use any of the same vendors? You may be able to obtain information from some of these people.

Remember, however, that CI has nothing to do with illegal or unethical activity. Never try to find out secrets. Simply look or ask for non-proprietary information.

Do Not Just File Those Dossiers!After you have gathered your initial information about your top competitors, do not just put it away. Evaluate each of these firms, writing down a list of their strengths and weaknesses. Make a list of your own strengths and weaknesses as well, and compare.

Who do these competitors target? Are those targets the same as yours?

What ways do you and each of your top competitors provide what your customers want and need?

Where does each competitor have an advantage over you? Do you have an

advantage over any of these competitors?

How are your offerings the same or different from each competitor?

Use the CI you have gathered to study trends in the industry. What do customers want? With this information, you can then brainstorm with your team to provide an innovative answer to a trend. What can you provide that might even set a new trend?

Everyone on your team can be responsible for keeping track of the

competitors you have designated. Keep the number to the key companies that can impact your business, and give that list to everyone who works for you. They can then keep their eyes and ears open for any information or news.

In order to keep the burden of CI from taxing any one person, you can also delegate specific CI tasks to certain members of your team. One person can keep track of Twitter and Facebook accounts, for example, while another receives Google Alerts.

It is also important to continue to gather intelligence. You never know when one of these companies will make a change that could impact your business. The sooner you know about these changes, the faster you can react in a way that protects what you have built.

You may find, for example, that a competitor pre-announces a new offering that allows you to get a jump on the same service. Bear in mind that your competitors are keeping track of your actions as well, so think hard about the timing of your own announcements. If you release information too early, a competitor may gain an advantage over you.

Instruct your employees to not just look for what your competitors are doing wrong. You will improve your own business by noticing what your competitors are doing right. Then, if you copy some of their ideas, try to do them one (or two) better. Build on what your competitors do well and improve upon it, spinning it so that you make it your own.

Price Is Not EverythingBesides the three categories of competitors previously mentioned, your competitors will fall into one of two types:

Companies that compete based on price, which generally means a low price point.

Companies that compete based on strategy and value, i.e. what they have to offer that is different from the competition (you).

If one of your key competitors suddenly drops its prices, should you follow suit? Not necessarily. Before you have a knee-jerk reaction that tells you, “We must meet the lower price point,” think about what your company offers that your competitor does not. If you are not sure, evaluate your CI to determine if your service is superior. If it is not, work on creating a point of superiority – a competitive edge – either for your entire target market or a niche

Companies that essentially perform the same services as your company and target the same customers as you.

Companies that perform some of the same services as your company and may target some of the same customers.

Companies that perform different services as your company but may provide an alternative to your service for your target customers.

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group that has the potential to sustain your business at your current price point. Then, make sure that all of your marketing focuses on this superiority. In this way, you may avoid lowering your rates.

Keep It FriendlyRather than spend your time trying to hurt your competitors’ businesses, make a commitment to learning why they are drawing customers from you. Once you know what they are providing to potential customers that you are not, you can make alterations in your own services and/or marketing to begin to take some of that market share.

Do not treat your competitors like your enemies! Making friends with them can open up all sorts of possibilities. You may be able to work together in order to improve business for both of you. For example, you may offer something that a competitor does not and vice versa. Combining your services may put you both in a powerhouse position in your market.

Whether or not you ever decide to work alongside a competitor, CI is simply part of the cost of doing business in today’s atmosphere. It is the only way to maintain a sustainable company.

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