Cathedral City
RFP RESPONSE
SPECIAL EVENTS CONTRACT(S) FOR SERVICES
CATHEDRAL CITY INTERNATIONAL HOT AIR BALLOON
FESTIVAL
for
Cathedral City, California
(877) 357-5459 SOUNDSKILZ
www.soundskilz.com
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Section 1 A - COVER LETTER ........ 3
Section 1 B - STATEMENT OF QUALIFICATIONS & 5
EXPERIENCE..
Section 2 - TEAM & KEY PERSONNEL ... 7
Section 2 - REFERENCES AND SIMILAR WORK
Section C - PROPOSED WORK PLAN / SOW APPROACH ....... 14
A. & B. COVER LETTER & SERVICES PROVIDED
February 22, 2025
Dear City of Cathedral City Mayor, City Council, Staff & RFP Selection Committee Soundskilz is a group of senior event production gurus with over 75 years of combined large scale event design, production and management experience around the globe. Established in 2000, Soundskilz boasts a wide range of capabilities, directly relevant experience and strategic relationships which we feel uniquely qualifies us to design and execute the desired event progran for City of Cathedral City.
Our range of services and experience include:
event design and production management
supplier & vendor solicitation, management and logistics • marketing, promotion and public relations for ticketed and public events • indoor/outdoor AV design, rental, and technical production for small-to-arena scale venues • box office, ticketing and revenue management
event budgeting, accounting and auditing
event staffing; site plan engineering
artist/talent relations, contracts and booking
• sponsor development, sales and management
• retail and F&B vendor management
• on-premise alcohol & hospitality services
• traffic planning and road/highway closures
• Police/Fire/EMT services and Emergency Action Plan development ...and more.
Our team is composed of industry leaders who have executed world class events across music, film, fashion, art, sports and cultural gatherings in 3 countries and 13 different states.
In the pages that follow, you will find that we have worked with a wide range of clients throughout our 20+ years of experience. Many of our experiences include a large number of city municipal, state and federal government entities; major media outlets; NGOs; state fairs and fairgrounds/DAAs; Fortune 100 brands; LGBTQ and ethnic cultural organizations; corporate retreats & summits; global film & music festivals; fashion weeks; fun runs; presidential and political campaign events and more. These experiences will help ensure the success of the various events and activations that the City produces.
We have extensive experience producing multi-day events up to 30+ days in duration. HQ's in Temecula, CA, our staff and satellite offices are located throughout the USA. We travel internationally to Canada, Mexico and the EU for our clients. There is truly no event that is outside of our scope or capabilities.
In summary, we believe our track record with city municipal clients, and our municipal experience is uniquely matched to the needs of the City of Cathedral City's International Hot Air Balloon Festival opportunity. If awarded this contract, we pledge our commitment to deliver amazing results on behalf' of the agency with full transparency, accountability and dedication to excellence, and in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in the resulting Agreement.
STATEMENT OF AUTHORIZATION
I, Steve Clayton, as President of Soundskilz, Inc, am authorized to make the representations contained herein and throughout the attached proposal on behalf of the Company. I am further so authorized as the sole shareholder of the Company and its President to bind the Company to contract with the City if we are awarded the contract.
I appreciate your consideration of this proposal and look forward to serving you. Sincerely,
sselague
Stephen Clayton, President
B. STATEMENT OF QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE:
Soundskilz is a full-service entertainment marketing and event production agency. Our primary business is broken in to three areas:
Production of cultural and music festivals under contract to municipal clients and private entities
• Rental of professional stage, lighting and sound equipment to large scale events • Development of original IP-based owned & operated events and festivals Our range of services & skills include but are not limited to:
• Concept, Design and Production Management for events up to 500,000 attendees • AV Design, Rental, and Technical Production for small-to-arena scale indoor and outdoor venues:
• Site Plan Engineering for large-scale indoor and outdoor mixed-purpose venues • Event Budgeting, Accounting and Auditing for up to $10mm+ event budgets • Box Office, Ticketing and Revenue Management for multiple simultaneous shows • Event & Volunteer Staffing and Management for up to 300+ person event teams • Marketing, Promotion and Public Relations on a regional and national scale • Sponsor and Vendor Recruitment, Onboarding and Management • F&B Management for Hospitality services covering tens of thousands of event attendees daily • Parade and Carnival event planning including multi-acre sites and multi-mile civic parade routes
• Event Safety Planning and Emergency Action Plans for public scale events (1) Firm Structure
Soundskilz, Inc. - a registered California Corporation California Secretary of State
Founded:
2000 (sole proprietor), incorporated 2006 (stock corporation) SOUNDSKILZ, INC. (2939534) Headquarters: Temecula, CA
Satellite Offices / Executive Locations:
New Braunfels, TX | Washington, DC | Initial Filing Date 12/22/2006 Status Active
Goodyear, AZ | Atlanta, GA | Miami Beach,
Standing - SOS Good
FL
Standing - FTB Good
Standing - Agent Good
Staff: 10 full-time employees, 40 part-time employees Standing - VCFCF Good Formed In CALIFORNIA
Billings: ~$10mm annually
Entity Type Stock Corporation - CA
General
D-U-N-S Number: 835679353
Ownership: Single
Shareholder, 100%
Steve Clayton
39444 Calle Portillo
Temecula, CA 92592
877.357.5459
Project Manager:
Steve Clayton
[email protected]
951-712-9709
(2) Financial Capabilities & Resources
Soundskilz Inc has been in continuous operation and "good standing" in the State of California since its inception. Neither the firm nor its principals have ever filed for bankruptcy protection in any jurisdiction.
The Company owns real property, assets & inventory in excess of $4mm. This includes a multi-million-dollar inventory of staging, sound & lighting equipment for execution of its live events and for a robust ancillary rental division providing equipment rentals to third parties. These include mobile trailer stages SL100 (24'x20') and SL320 (40' x40') along with concert grade audio, lighting and LED Video.
The Company maintains minimum cash reserves and an institutional line of credit totaling over $500k and has the ability to fully finance its own projects and client work on a case-by-case basis, with given incentives, as needed.
With a flexible event-based staffing model, key company personnel located in multiple regional offices, and a coast-to-coast network of seasoned subcontractors and suppliers with multi-year histories together, the Company is capable of executing multiple simultaneous large-scale campaigns & events nationwide. (3)Municipality Production Experience
Soundskilz has provided our expertise in event marketing and management for Muti- municipalities. In the pages that follow; Soundskilz will highlight our successfully executed projects for the following municipalities:
Huntington Beach, Upland, Cathedral City, Brownwood Texas, San Bernardino County Fair amongst others.
(4) Organization Chart and Staff Biographies
COMPANY ORGANIZATIONAL CHART
Stephen Clayton
Lydia Mello Alan Long
ACCOUNTING/HR COV'T AFFAIRS
Leonard McGee PR Agency Radi8
Garry Stalling
VP OPERATIONS PROJECT DESIGN
Johnny Vallenti Alex Flores Sarah Madrid
AV & Staging casey Dolan
BOX OFFICE/ DIGITAL
OPERATIONS MANAGEMIENT MEDIATADS
Artist Relations Electrical & Vendor Services F&B
Contractor Team Services Audits
Services
Art Department
Soundskilz Founder and Executive Producer Steve Clayton* has a distinguished history as an Event Educator at University of San Diego & UC Riverside, coupled with 20+ years' experience producing and managing large scale events. From creating and launching The Neon Run™M annual event in 10 different markets, to producing political campaign tours, State Fairs and music festivals, Steve brings tremendous touring experience and logistics management to every engagement. [email protected] Steve is a leading industry speaker often presenting at industry conferences such as: Music Biz Con (Nashville), Canadian Music Week (Toronto), X-Live (Las Vegas), Mobile Beat (Las Vegas) WFA (Anaheim/Reno), FestForums (Santa Barbara), The Special Event (Austin)
Air National Guard Account // Atlanta, GA
NATIONAL DIRECTOR OF EVENTS
• Direct operations related to employees, federal customers and subcontractors as part of the larger team, maintaining key customer relationships and enhancing the company image
• Serve as the primary communications leader between senior management.
Nu Opp Inc./Steve Harvey Radio Network // Atlanta, GA
NATIONAL DIRECTOR OF EVENTS
• Produced televised live events, including 12 out of 14 editions of Steve Harvey's Neighborhood Awards.
• Partner with Executive Director and Producers to determine strategic direction and execution plan.
• Directed production of national comedy/gospel tour for award winning performers and entertainers.
• Manage negotiations with premiere venues, including MGM properties and Radio City Music Hall.
• Select, hire and oversee training of production crews for live events and in-house productions
• Lead daily operations for the production studio inclusive of staff and budget management.
Radio One // Atlanta & Los Angeles, CA
SENIOR MARKETING AND PROMOTIONS DIRECTOR
• Directed strategic marketing, promotional and special event ctivities for the company's flagship broadcast property wit udgets up to S500K, a team of ten and revenues up to $15N • Formulated and launched an innovative events portfolio with profits of $4 to $10 per invested dollar.
Leonard lead the Steve Harvey Neighborhood Awards Show production to multiple years of success; working with the likes of Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, Keith Sweat, Maxwell, Charlie Wilson & Steve Harvey to name just a few.
Leonard currently operates out of our Atlanta Office.
Washington DC native, now based out of Atlanta, Noni Nicolas has worked behind the scenes in entertainment for over sixteen years. Starting out as a production assistant in news and sports, she has aggressively climbed her way up the ranks as a powerhouse female in a predominately male-dominated industry. From booking, to scripting, developing to producing, Noni has worked in nearly every facet of production, which has donned her the affectionate nickname "The Know it All".
The Sports genre has been a large part of Noni's career as she started here and worked as an associate sports producer for networks, NBC, UPN, TNT, Comcast and BET. Among her many duties, were scheduling shoots, assisting with highlight features during the NBA season, and writing daily shows. During this tenure, Noni also worked as a stage manager for various award shows which perfected her skills as a multi-tasker, a skill that would undoubtedly take her to In 2005, Nicolas joined the Steve Harvey Family as the Talent Coordinator for The Steve Harvey Morning Show. Yet, with her knowledge of the business and diligence, she was the show's Producer within the first year. While there, Noni caught the eye of BET Executives who were impressed by her no-nonsense business ethics. At the time the company was growing and opening offices in Atlanta, Georgia. BET asked Nicolas join the company as the Creative Then Radio One team welcomed Noni as an Executive Producer for their syndicated radio shows in 2013. And in 2014 TV One opened their arms to Noni to join the News One Now team as the Sr. Lead Editorial Producer.
Noni still takes time to do the things she loves like working with the Big Tigger Foundation, EarthGirl Inc., shopping, traveling, and spending time with her son and family. She is an active member of Delta Sigma Theta.
Production Manager Johnny Valenti runs events in California along with our Washington DC & Florida offices and oversees production design, site operations and hospitality for Soundskilz events. Johnny's experience includes hundreds of high-profile multi-day productions including Air + Style, LA Fashion Week, Chase Sapphire Lounge at Sundance, VIP operations at the Electric Daisy Carnival, Details Magazine x Hennessy Coachella activation at The Mirage and the Latino International Film Festival.
[email protected]
Senior A/V Producer Garry Stalling has been with Soundskilz for 11 vears and oversees all stage and live performance departments for Soundskil events. Garry manages our multi-million- dollar A/V inventory and all stage planning/design/engineering, FOH and backstage operations, talent rider fulfillment and technical crews for all live performances. [email protected]
Social Media Director Casey Dolan Ashe runs the in-house digital media agency of Soundskilz, bringing more than 20 years' experience managing paid ad campaigns and social media for hundreds of clients. Jamie has successfully executed over $20mm in digital ad campaigns for live events and has dramatically increased YOY engagement of every Year 1 festival contract engagement of Soundskilz to date. [email protected] Government & Public Affairs Manager Alan Long oversees municipal relationships for Soundskilz, bringing over 30 combined years as a retired Fire Division Chief and past Mayor, Council member, Commissioner, and local events & venue business owner in Murrieta, CA. Alan has overseen critical planning for a wide scale of local, national, and international events such as:
MLB World Series, NHL Stanley Cup, various festivals, conventions, marathon and many more. Alan's institutional knowledge gives him a uniqu bility to balance the needs of the community along with larger municipa interests in our contract executions.
Head of Finance & HR Lydia Mello, CPA manages all Soundskilz finances and event accounting operations, from billing to cash management to AR/AP to event settlement and post-event auditing. Lydia oversees all contract payments, revenue share collections and accounting, payroll, disbursements and post-event audit reporting for Soundskilz events to ensure clear and transparent reporting for all stakeholders. [email protected] Sub-Contractor(s)
Entertainment Broker:
Romeo Entertainment Group
35 States 150+ Events per year
470+ Artists Booked
70 Years in Business
90,000,000 Tickets Sold
Relevant Acts Booked:
A Grape Escape Balloon
Celebrating our 30th year in business, A Grape Escape Balloon Adventure is a family owned hot air balloon tour company based in the Temecula Valley wine country. They operate a fleet of fifteen balloons, offering daily sunrise flights exclusively over the Temecula Valley wine country. They were a founding operator in the Temecula Valley Balloon & Wine Festival and have been a participant for over 30 years.
Cielo Balloons - Operator
We are a small, family-owned business passionate about providing you the finest experience possible in a hot air balloon with over 20 years of experience flying in Temecula and the greater Southern California area.
Cielo Balloons is also a premier operator in the Temecula Valley Balloon & Wine Festival
ATTACHMENT B - ADDITIONAL REFERENCES
Our specific event history and experience affords us a unique opportunity to fulfill the needs of this RFP. Over the years we have produced numerous multi-day festivals, concerts and events and managed all key elements of the events on a turnkey basis. Some examples include:
• Municipal: We are the current Agency of Record for the Huntington Beach innual 4% of July Festival (500K people annually); City of Upland Upland Lemo Festival (120K attendees) & Upland Irish Festival (25,000 attendees), Cathedra City LGBT Days and Taste of Jalisco Festivals (15K attendees each) and City of Westminster Westminster Tet Parade. City of West Palm Beach Florida Blues, Brews & BBQ Fest, Winter in Paradise & Nights in Northwood Village, Temple Texas a $10m - 3 year contract to produce a 20k person per year country and BBQ Festival, Brownwood Texas $1m Country Music Festival
www.feelslikehomefest.com. With a successful year 1, we are now planning year 2, City of Lancaster California High Desert Beer & Wine Festival. The City of Chula Vista with a 5 year contract to produce all of their city municipal events.
Including Starlight Parade and Festival which is 70,000 person parade and festival.
• Travel & Tourism: We have years of experience working with airlines, tourism and convention/visitor bureaus, municipal government Special Events departments, destination properties/resort cities, high end travel media, luxury travel concierges and more. Our clients and experiences have included Greater Coachella Valley CVB, VisitHB, Palm Springs Life, Travel + Leisure and more • Diversity & Community: Our contracts have us overseeing various events targeted to numerous demos, from families to adults to millennials/Gen Z, cultural segments from Latino to LGBTQ+ and more. Diversity is a core principle of our event planning and marketing in every municipal event we manage. • Carnival & Amusements: We have partnered repeatedly with some of the largest carnival operators in the nation, to subcontract for Carnival rides and operations successfully at multiple municipal events over the last 3 years. Our carnival partner would be prime subcontractor for us to provide the necessary carnival design and planning/execution for this project.
• Sponsorship: In the last 10 years we have procured over $6mm in corporate sponsorship for events, with deals from S2000 to $200,000 per event/category, enabling local/small businesses and national brands alike to participate at
appropriate budget levels. Past event sponsors have included Tesla, AB InBev, Beam Suntory, Deep Eddy Vodka, Dick's Sporting Goods, La Crema Wines, Comcast NBCUniversal, Prime Video, ABC7, Hint Water, Monster Energy, Red Bull and over 65 more brands/companies.
• Marketing & Media: Our in-house digital media agency and regional PR teams will enable us to bring an expanded geographical reach to events, drive wider awareness and build sizable earned-media opportunities ties to destination marketing goals. We have worked repeatedly with the top PR firms, lifestyle media companies and bloggers in North America on PR campaigns, media barter/ sponsorship and branded co-productions since our inception. Soundskilz will be able to garner your city more earned media for your event - period.
Below is a selection of event productions we have managed in recent years, along with references and links to key supporting materials and press coverage. Further information on any event listed (or additional examples from our history) is available upon request.
HUNTINGTON BEACH - 4TH OF JULY FESTIVAL -
www.hb4thofjuly.org Instagram
Synopsis: The largest 4th of July celebration west of the Mississippi, a 118-year-old tradition attracting 500K annual attendees from the entire west coast, 15+ additional states and the greater LA/San Diego metro regions and beyond. Open to public.
Events Managed: multi-day Pier Vendor Festival (100+ vendors/sponsors, 30+ live performances) and multi- ride Carnival installation on PCH, Surf City Run 5K (4000+ entrants), Main St Kickoff Block Party, 4th of July Parade (2.5 miles, 300+ entries), Fireworks Over The Ocean.
Scope of Work: Official Agency of Record, responsible for ALL event concept design, planning, permits, vendor/sponsor sales, event staffing, budget planning, subcontractor bids & management, marketing/ advertising/PR, social media, City BID relations, site plans/engineering, creative, live music/stage production, photo/video/content and event recap
Broadcast TV Clips Print/Digital Media Clips
2023 Sponsor Deck
Reference/Contact:
Chris Cole, Community Services Supervisor - Specific Events (714) 2925962 [email protected]
UPLAND LEMON FESTIVAL https://www.uplandlemonfestival.com Synopsis: Soundskilz was awarded a multi-year contract to produce the Upland Lemon Festival in the
post- COVID era, which for 25+ years has celebrated the City of Upland, CA and its citrus grove history.
Outcome - with less than 8 weeks of planning & marketing from the date of the award, the event attracted over 60,000 attendees and participation of 150+ vendors and food trucks, and operated with a perfect safety record and a substantial net operating profit. In year 2 and 3 of this project, we added 5 total stages, 50+ performers with headline country and rock talent such as Eve 6 and Tyler Rich.
Reference/Contact:
Michael Blay, City
Manager (909) 931-4106
Promotional Video
Post Event Earned Media Value
2023 Sponsor Deck
CATHEDRAL CITY - TASTE OF JALISCO FESTIVAL & LGBT DAYS
Synopsis: Soundskilz was awarded the official City Agency of Record contracts to produce the 2022 Taste of Jalisco (Feb)Festival in Cathedral City, CA, returning both events to form after a 2- year hiatus due to COVID. In 2023 we produced the event again, with substantial YOY growth. With past perior aces from Groupo Control and Ballet Folklorico de Los Angeles/Mariachi Garibaldi de Now in our 5th year, we have added performances with Banda Maguey, Nacho Bustillos, Lucha Libre Live Wrestling.
https://www.tasteofjalisco.com/
Official Event Creative
Press Clip
2023 Sponsor Deck
Reference/Contact:
Ryan Hunt, Communications / Events Manager
(442) 637-3335
C. SCOPE OF WORK & PROPOSED WORK PLAN
Soundskilz understands that the City of Cathedral City seeks a qualified entertainment and event producer to manage City's International Hot Air Balloon Festival. At Soundskilz, we are committed to delivering high-quality event management services that align with the City's obiectives to create successful and memorable community events Core Areas of Focus
We feel it is critical to note that in our combined 40+ years of professional experience with municipal clients, we have found that it is nearly impossible to present fully formed event concepts with actionable, viable production plans, creative design or realistic budgets without extensive detailed planning time, highly specific input from the client City, and approvals of key elements which dictate certain parameters of production.
This is simply the reality of production in a municipal setting and particularly for events that are annual traditions. Where very specific event variables, City codes, community sentiment, historical precedents, seasonal fluctuations in pricing and political expectations of elected officials all must be considered.
Some examples of Key Considerations required to deliver realistic/actionable plans and budgets, but are not stated in the RFP or Response to questions, or cannot possibly be accounted for prior to winning the award, include:
• Financial objective(s) re: event outlays; make a profit, break even or engage in net expenditures on funded events
• Preferences/restrictions over music genres, and expectations for the entertainment referenced in the RFP.
• Amount of agency control/input over event specifics once a concept/scope is approved including talent selection, event creative, branding, etc. • Municipal code limitations on events in various areas including noise ordinances, special event permit limitations, turf/lawn damage mitigation, alcohol laws, etc.
• Ability to close roads and analysis of available routes for special events, and review of associated costs/policies and public safety requirements (barricades, PD overtime, etc)
• Mandates to utilize local businesses for preferred bids on goods & services • Max public assembly caps or triggers on attendance which change required planning and use of services
• Tourism metrics the agency may be attempting to achieve to plan local vs
regional marketing and advertising campaigns
• Owned assets (venues, advertising, ctc.) and City services that are available to event producers, including fee schedules and/or fee waivers • Effects of inflation and price indices on costs quoted today versus execution date If chosen as the most qualified agency to design and execute the list of events on the agency's behalf, it would be our intent to immediately undertake the process outlined in our Project Management Approach (below), and work with the agency to achieve meaningful, realistic decisions on event specifies and develop detailed, accurate budgets for consideration and approval.
We would estimate a planning process of 60-120 days after award to finalize specific details of the event and deliver an accurate version 1 of the project budget for consideration. Without a detailed deep dive into the above-referenced topics and more, there is simply no feasible way to deliver an accurate, achievable (or even community- informed project concept and budget beyond the basic description already listed in the RFP.
Project Management Approach
We have refined a unique and proven approach to municipal engagements over the years, centered around key research into historical data, planning milestones and execution steps. Our key steps to any successful event include:
1. Conduct a review of prior event executions, to determine successful best practices and identify past execution problems, any potential liability issues, and any history of commercial disruption issues/complaints with neighboring businesses.
2. Conduct informal surveys and/or 1:1 interviews with previous vendors, sponsors, stakeholders, local Chamber and Tourism entities, etc. to gauge their direct experience with prior local events and solicit recommendations for future improvement and measure community sentiment and awareness.
3. Analyze tourism trends, hotel/bed inventory, parking/transportation options and other key travel- based metrics to determine how best to position, market and program the event to maximize reach and draw. Establish a specific network of tourism/travel-related partners and assets that can be activated on a scalable basis to promote and service the event.
4. In collaboration with the agency, review all vendor and commercial rules &
regulations, and set up appropriate licensing protocols for on-site event vendors to ensure compliance across all participants and activities. This step also encompasses initial setup of our online Vendor Portal for applicants via the EVENTHUB platform
5. Analyze existing-owned digital/online assets, and with our in-house digital agency team integrate official event sites and social channels (and/or create new channels for same) to streamline event functions and maximize data capture value/opportunity. This includes websites, social channels, participant/ vendor application processes, required document management, FAQ's, ticketing functions (if necessary), help desk (email) using our standardized suite of platforms, including EVENTHUB, CMS frameworks and back-end business advertising tools.
6. Propose an initial pro-forma built out with all expenses and potential revenue scenarios for the agency's review and approval.
7. In conjunction with the pro-forma, develop and initial site plan/layout and timeline for the event. The budget, timeline and site plan must be built in conjunction with one another; as no one product lives in a vacuum. A change to one item will cause a change to another.
8. Set-up weekly staff meetings and individual departmental staff meetings.
Below is an example of what previous events require for our department leads. • 120-90 days prior department heads will be working about 6-8 hours per week
• 60-90 days prior department heads will be working about 10 hours per week
• 30-60 days prior 15 hour per week
• 5-30 days prior department leads will be working about 20 hours per week • Build, Run of Show & Post Event department leads could be working about 15 hours per day.
9. Coordinate with agency to identify all appropriate owned advertising and sponsorship assets and clear them for usage - signage such as light poles, OOH locations, digital billboards, kiosk advertising, etc. and activation opportunities such as experiential buildouts, concession exclusivity, venue naming rights, etc. - and ensure the permit process is vetted and known for
each specific use- case.
10. Develop high quality print and digital sponsorship presentations and event-specific advertising materials to promote the event alongside agency advertising campaigns.
11. Develop service-specific RFPs and conduct competitive bid processes for best- in-class vendors, with an eye towards prioritizing local merchants and service providers to keep the spending within the local community, as well as observing any agency-preferred HUB/MBE/LBE policies. Additionally deploy sponsorship sales teams at local, regional and national levels to pitch our 20+ year network of commercial partners in multiple markets.
12. Develop new and/or expanded integrated marketing and PR campaigns to simultaneously promote the event and the agency to grow reach, commercial opportunities and media coverage. Special emphasis will be placed on digital media and technologies, regional media partners, influencer relationships (particularly local/regional talent) and strategic relationships with key brand partners.
13. Manage the ongoing planning and fulfillment of the event requirements up through the actual event date and post-event recap period.
14. Provide the agency with a full post-event review, best practices report, media/PR recap with clips/content/statistics and recommendations for future years and best practices.
This methodology has been honed and refined over numerous municipal event throughout the country. The result of these productions has repeatedly proven to deliver growth in multiple key metrics at our newly awarded/contracted events, including audience reach, engagement metrics, sponsorship dollars secured and carned media results for the host agency and stakeholders.
Event Deliverables Per Event
Based upon each events needs we take additional steps in planning and executing successful events with our municipal partners. These may include:
Talent Booking
• Upon review of events, we develop target lists of performers and live acts
with consistent local awareness/reputation. Along with regional/national artists who have successfully toured the area. All acts are vetted to also meet the genre-specific needs of each specific event.
• Once a target list of artists is agreed/approved with the agency, we begin negotiating offers through our talent contacts and direct with artists. Talent buying is much the same as buying a home. There are two sides. It is important to know certain things that could cost a buyer a lot of money after the contract is signed. This is one of our specialities. • Objective is to typically secure lineups for events 90-120 days before the event date
Marketing & Event Communications
• Appraisal of existing online assets, and rollout of websites and social media channels (FB, IG, TikTok) for events
• Create a paid online media campaign per-event to attract authentic, segment-targeted audiences focusing on tourists/visitors, regional awareness and in key geo-targets for the agency as defined in local CVB/ Tourism Dept guidelines.
• Develop a content posting schedule led by our dedicated social manager, to include:
• Save The Date announcements
• highlighting "greatest hits" content from prior year events (if applicable) • influencer engagements and cross-posting
• online polls and contests for the local community to raise awareness • Assessment of agency tourism marketing efforts and how to cross- promote and amplify the campaign vis-à-vis specific events • Appraisal of local radio, travel guide and CVB/Tourism agency assets/ channels we can use to promote
• Local signage, flyer/poster and print campaign resources • Direct outreach to all local businesses to pitch B2B vendor opportunities and advertising assets during the event (banners, signage, booths), and to create internal promotion incentives to secure storefront signage for event posters, email blasts to their customer databases, etc.
Food & Beverage Programs
• We have extensive experience managing F&B operations at large-scale events and understand the critical importance of an effective hospitality management program. The contribution of F&B revenues to the bottom
line, concerns of alcohol liability and the relevance to the customer experience at points of service are all critical factors in the success of any event.
• Through our Vendor Coordinator we conduct an extensive campaign to recruit top local food vendors to set up during events and provide a wide-ranging culinary experience (when applicable)
• On an event-specific basis, and after a thorough review of the venues' available infrastructure (power, water, concession locations, etc.), we propose an ideal mix of food operators and effective food management plan to maximize revenues and provide relevant and high-quality experiences to attendees.
• Furthermore, our vendor onboarding protocols and onsite management ensure 100% health code compliance at each event and seamless auditing for revenue management.
• We request alcohol policy-specific meetings with the City to discuss local laws, protocols, liability concerns and licensing options before determining any event-specific plan(s). Options on a per-event basis include awarding a third-party alcohol licensee a management contract for alcohol concessions, or to secure an event-specific license in partnership with a local non-profit - and thereby manage all alcohol operations "in-house." Production & Administrative Services
• Soundskilz is a full-service live event production company, specializing in 360-degree event planning and management at venues from raw spaces to fully built halls and arenas. We own, and can provide our own staging, audio, LED and AV to events where appropriate.
• When we contract with a city municipal client, our agency fee is transparent and along with our costs to our contractors. We subcontracted services on a per-event basis at no cost mark up. These services would typically include the following rental services and labor providers:
• Fencing and barricades
• Canopy tents for vendors (fire-rated)
• External generators and power service (25 kVA and above) • Licensed and bonded security personnel (crowd control and backstage) • Porta-potties and janitorial services
• Our in-house accounting team operates on site during all events, managing all cash handling, revenue collections, F&B daily audits,
expense disbursements and HR-related tasks such as signing in/out shift employees and day labor. This enables quick and efficient settlement of our events and a professional back-office presence for handling employee issues during event production.
• At each event, we maintain/operate a General Services Help Desk/ Information booth for attendees staffed by full-time production team members and volunteer staff. This enables us to provide real-time customer service across multiple areas, from refund requests to first aid to general inquiries and more, and ensure a high level of public facing customer service which also provides us constant feedback and insights into the event itself for future review.
Public Safety, Regulations & Permits
Soundskilz has extensive experience working with every level of government agency to ensure smooth, safe and legal execution of every element of event activities. Public Safety is a paramount concern at every event we produce, large or small, and we proudly point to our 100% safety record at every major event we have produced - including those that have featured commercial alcohol promotions and even cannabis consumption. Our experience includes having worked on event protocols, permitting and activation specifics with:
• US Secret Service
• US Federal Marshals Service
• US Dept of Homeland Security
• FAA
• Chicago Dept of Aviation
• CA Dept of Food & Agriculture
• CAABC and alcohol agency equivalent in 7 other US states • CA District Agricultural Associations (multiple)
• CA Bureau of Cannabis Control
• County and State health departments nationwide
• State, county and local police forces
• City Fire Departments
• City and County Councils / Boards
• and more...
Our team is highly experienced in researching all applicable legal requirements and ensuring that all activities are properly licensed, insured and operated within all applicable code requirements. We pride ourselves on our risk mitigation policies and planning skills, and work collaboratively with all government stakeholders in our events to ensure safety, compliance and fulfillment of all necessary obligations months and weeks in advance of every event. This conduct extends to our vendors and subcontractors, all of whom are given comprehensive pre-production guidelines and all necessary permit materials that must be completed before they commence activation on a Soundskilz job or event site.
We expect to work closely with staff and departments to conduct pre-event public safety meetings and develop Emergency Action Plan(s) as required for each activation. In addition, we shall highlight all necessary permits and required code compliance months in advance of the event to our vendors, suppliers and subcontractors, and will use our technology-based event platforms to provide constant monitoring of required filings, permits and approvals through every step of the production process.
Volunteer Groups & Charity Experience
Through over 100 of our smaller event productions and in virtually every major festival, the Soundskilz team has extensive experience integrating volunteer groups and non-profits, NGOs and other similar organizations. We work with local NPOs to determine opportunities for volunteer staff, discounted or free booth space and cross-promotional campaigns to help them spread their message and campaign drives.
Some examples include:
• Our standard practice of creating a non-profit "Community Corner" vendor program at every applicable festival, with substantially reduced or zero-cost pricing for NPOs and community organizations to set up vendor experiences/booths and engage the local community; we dedicate a portion of our ad spending and onsite branding/signage to promote these initiatives at each event
• Designing and managing a volunteer program during the Huntington Beach 4th of July Festival, comprising 100+ volunteers from local organizations such as Junior Life Guards, to manage the parade route, merchandise and ticket sales, and a 5K fun run for thousands of entrants. Volunteer groups
received donations from the event budget for their contributions.
Collaboration Model
We value collaboration with multiple event stakeholders in every event we produce - and in municipal events such as contemplated in this RFP, cooperation and communication among many parties is paramount to success. • Through our upfront survey process of prior stakeholders and participants, we allow people to be heard, gain wisdom from their own firsthand experiences with local events, and help shape best practices and YOY proposals that can only improve the experience and reputation of the events that take place in the City
• We typically conduct monthly and then weekly event status calls and/or in- person meetings as event dates approach. As well, we remain available for on-demand meetings for urgent or timely event requirements as needed/ • Our key subcontractor personnel are welcome and invited on team calls and specific issue meetings, to ensure that all parties responsible for execution of critical path elements are "part of the conversation" that affects their performance and deliverables/scope of work. Key decisions are therefore able to be informed by the experts in each department or service that needs to be addressed, and things do not get lost in translation or layers of management.
• We maintain dedicated email accounts for each event (for example, festival@, vendor@, siteops@, publicity@, accounting@ ) that give partners direct lines of communication to our executives and department teams for prompt routing and response to questions and concerns. • We utilize advanced team collaboration tools, including ASANA, Slack and others that can be opened to each stakeholder in the event who needs to interact with our direct planning schedules, document repositories and internal chat threads about specific event planning issues.
Through this approach, we have successfully executed large scale events involving government officials, corporate partners, publicity/media teams, technical production units, vendors, suppliers, sponsors and more in a unified system with minimal friction and quick access to answers and solutions at every step of the event production and planning process.
Soundskilz proposes to keep the key elements of the Cathedral City International Balloon Festival as close to consistent as possible while adding some new suggestions for consideration. By no means is our list exclusive.
Should the City or Key Stakeholders have suggestions for inclusion or improvement, Soundskilz will do everything in our power to add these activities. Major elements that Soundskilz proposes are as follows. • Morning Balloon Rides
• Evening Balloon Glows
• Hot Air Balloon "Curious" Seminars and Touch & Feel Opportunities • Specialty Balloon Characters
• Balloon Influencers
• Artesian Vendor Market
• Craft Food Options
• Free Community Entertainment
• Headline Amphitheater Shows
• ..... and more!