Pam Bell Productions
Pambellevents.com
415-637-5497
Event Planning Commitment & Contract
2027 Fort Bragg Blues Festival
This agreement is entered into by Pam Bell Productions and the City of Fort Bragg to establish the framework for executing and elevating the annual Fort Bragg Blues Festival, taking place from April 30 to May 2, 2027.
Festival Vision
The 2027 festival aims to deepen community roots and boost consumer confidence, scaling the event's economic impact while preserving its signature intimate atmosphere. The core vision relies on a synchronized effort to transform the city:
● Official Designation: Securing a formal City declaration of the first weekend in May as the “Fort Bragg Blues Festival Weekend.”
● Venue Expansion: Increasing the capacity of the flagship festival tent at Noyo Headlands Park to safely accommodate higher attendance.
● Downtown Activation: Mobilizing local merchants on Friday to establish a unified, high-energy "total blues vibe" throughout the downtown commercial district. ● Elite Curation: Securing an impressive, top-tier lineup of musicians to solidify the festival's reputation as a premier cultural event.
Strategic Goals & Deliverables
To ensure mutual success, operational efficiency, and financial viability, both parties commit to the following objectives:
● Financial Growth: Maximize ticket sales and sponsor revenue to ensure robust profitability and competitive compensation for key organizational roles.
● Guest Experience: Streamline festival programming and logistics to deliver a seamless, premium experience for attendees.
● Community & Media Impact: Elevate regional and national media coverage to amplify community benefits and drive local tourism.
Qualifications & Past Performance
Led by Fort Bragg resident Pam Bell, Pam Bell Productions brings over 35 years of expertise in high-impact event planning, project management, marketing, and cross-sector leadership. Her company possesses a proven track record of uniting municipal boards, local businesses, and community stakeholders to deliver seamless, high-yield public events.
Core Competencies & Experience
● Proven Local Success: Successfully produced the last two iterations of the Fort Bragg Blues Festival and spearheaded The Longest Table Fort Bragg, demonstrating exceptional logistical and organizational command.
● Economic Impact: Specialized in driving tourism and boosting the local economy during critical shoulder seasons, directly aligning event execution with the City of Fort Bragg’s economic development goals.
● Strategic Marketing & PR: Executed targeted promotional campaigns that have expanded the city's regional footprint, securing media attention and cultivating a dedicated fanbase well beyond our immediate region.
The Bottom Line: Pam Bell Productions combines local roots with decades of institutional knowledge, offering the precise leadership required to elevate Fort Bragg's cultural profile and maximize tourism revenue.
Scope of Services
Pam Bell Productions will provide comprehensive planning, production, and execution services for the 2027 Fort Bragg Blues Festival. Building upon the operational framework of previous years, the scope of services includes, but is not limited to, the following core deliverables:
1. Concept Development & Program Design
● Experience Enhancement: Refine the overall festival footprint to include a high-value VIP experience, enhanced blues history education, and integrated downtown venue partnerships for "Blues Friday."
● Pre-Festival Programming: Evaluate and potentially implement a preliminary shoulder-season or lead-up event to maximize community engagement and economic impact.
2. Project & Timeline Management
● Cross-Agency Collaboration: Oversee all planning and execution phases in direct coordination with City staff, municipal departments, and community volunteers. ● Milestone Tracking: Establish and maintain a comprehensive, time-phased master schedule to ensure all operational deadlines are met.
3. Talent Acquisition & Artist Relations
● Lineup Curation: Secure, contract, and manage an expanded, high-profile roster of regional and national blues musicians.
● Hospitality Logistics: Oversee all artist accommodations, coordinating with local lodging and restaurant partners to fulfill required rider and hospitality needs (estimated baseline: 40 hotel rooms and 65 meals).
4. Financial & Revenue Management
● Budget Oversight: Manage the macro event budget, strategically allocating resources for increased talent acquisition, advanced production elements, and expanded marketing. ● Sponsorship Development: Structure and pitch tiered sponsorship packages to secure corporate partners, strategic alliances, and localized underwriting. ● Ticketing Strategy: Partner with specialized independent contractors to manage a complex, multi-tiered digital ticketing platform. Execute a pricing strategy designed to maintain 2026 baseline rates while utilizing premium, value-add experiences to target $90,000 in gross ticket revenue.
5. Marketing, PR, & Collateral Production
● Campaign Execution: Deploy a data-driven, demographic-targeted marketing strategy utilizing radio, localized print, strategic flyering, digital newsletter campaigns, and social media advertising.
● Agency Coordination: Partner with The Idea Cooperative to establish a strict production timeline for all creative assets, branding, and festival collateral.
6. On-Site Operations & Volunteer Management
● Volunteer Mobilization: Recruit, train, and schedule the volunteer workforce required for festival operations.
● Logistical Execution: Direct all on-site logistics, vendor placement, stage management, and troubleshooting throughout the multi-day festival weekend.
7. Post-Event Analysis & Reporting
● De-Brief & Metrics: Deliver a comprehensive post-event report to City leadership, featuring detailed financial reconciliation, marketing analytics, attendee demographic data (including zip-code tracking), and strategic recommendations for 2028.
Collaborative Framework: City Staff & Agency Relations
To ensure seamless integration of municipal oversight and event execution, Pam Bell Productions will maintain a close, collaborative working relationship with the City of Fort Bragg and its designated partners. Roles and responsibilities are delineated as follows:
1. Municipal Support & Permitting
The City of Fort Bragg will provide critical administrative guidance, jurisdictional expertise, and operational support, including:
● Regulatory Approvals: Facilitating and processing all necessary municipal permits, zoning adjustments, and official road closures.
● Venue Access: Coordinating logistical access, utility coordination, and maintenance for all utilized city-owned properties and venues.
● Staffing & Public Safety: Providing general municipal staff support during the planning and execution phases, alongside deploying dedicated security and public safety personnel during the festival weekend as required.
2. Marketing & Agency Alignment
● Unified Branding: Pam Bell Productions, the City, and The Idea Cooperative will operate as a unified committee to align public relations, community messaging, and regional marketing campaigns, ensuring all collateral meets the City's strategic standards.
Budget, Compensation, & Terms of Agreement
This section defines the financial structure, risk allocation, payment schedule, and legal safeguards between Pam Bell Productions and the City of Fort Bragg for the 2027 festival cycle.
1. Compensation & Fee Structure
The total direct financial commitment to Pam Bell Productions for comprehensive production services is $53,500, structured as follows:
● Base Service Fee: $50,000 for the complete planning, management, marketing, execution, and post-event analysis of the festival. This fee is guaranteed regardless of event profitability and includes a $10,000 non-refundable mobilization deposit. ● City Capital Contribution: An additional allocation of $3,500 provided by the City specifically designated for initial artist and talent booking deposits. ● Profit-Based Incentive Bonus: Pam Bell Events will be eligible for a $10,000 incentive bonus only if the festival generates at least $40,000 in Adjusted Net Profit before payment of the bonus.
This requirement ensures that, after the bonus is paid, the City retains a minimum of $30,000 for reinvestment in the following year’s Blues Festival.
○ “Adjusted Net Profit” means all festival-generated revenue actually received, less all documented and approved festival expenses, excluding the incentive bonus. The City’s direct financial contribution will not be counted as festival-generated revenue nor as a festival expense.
○ If Adjusted Net Profit is less than $40,000, no incentive bonus will be paid. The first $30,000 of net profit will be retained by the City and designated for the following year’s Blues Festival, subject to City Council appropriation. Any profit exceeding $40,000 will also remain with the City unless otherwise agreed to in writing.
2. Payment Strategy & Schedule
To ensure operational cash flow and facilitate early talent acquisition, city-allocated funds will be disbursed according to the following schedule:
Milestone / Due
Date
Payment Breakdown Amount
Due
September 1, 2026 Initial Upfront Disbursal (50% of total allocated funds + talent capital)
$26,750
January 15, 2027 Final Remaining Base Balance $26,750
3. Financial Responsibility & Risk Allocation
● Performance Independent: The base service fee is a fixed professional cost and is not contingent upon the festival’s final financial performance or profitability. ● Liability for Deficits & Overruns: The City of Fort Bragg assumes all final financial liability for the event. The City is responsible for any operational overruns not accounted for in the approved budget. Should the festival operate at a net loss, the City of Fort Bragg bears the financial risk, will absorb the deficit, and will be billed accordingly. ● Economic Contingencies: In the event of macroeconomic disruptions beyond reasonable control (e.g., a severe national recession), any subsequent modifications to this agreement will be negotiated collaboratively between Pam Bell and Isaac Whippy, City Manager of Fort Bragg.
4. Term, Termination, & Cancellation Policy
● Term: This agreement naturally terminates upon the successful completion and delivery of all post-event services and financial reporting. Any amendments must be executed in writing and signed by both parties.
● City Right to Cancel: The City reserves the right to terminate this agreement via written notice.
In the event of termination, refunds from Pam Bell Events to the City will be strictly limited to unearned professional fees, unused operational funds, and unexpended out-of-pocket expenses. ● Late Cancellation Penalty: No refunds of any paid fees or deposits will be issued to the City if the festival is canceled 90 days or less prior to the scheduled event date. (90 days out is January 30, 2027, or later).
5. Force Majeure (Acts of God)
If the festival is canceled due to an Act of God, labor strikes, natural disasters, or other Force Majeure events, Pam Bell Events will retain the $10,000 non-refundable deposit and require payment only for the documented professional hours logged up to the date of cancellation. All unearned balances will be returned to the City.
Contact Information
Pam Bell Productions, Event Producer/Project Director
[email protected] / 415-637-5497
315 E. Alder St., Fort Bragg, CA 95437
Signatures
Pam Bell, Principal, Pam Bell Productions Isaac Whippy, City Manager, City of Fort Bragg Signature: ____________________ Signature: ____________________ Date: ________________________ Date: ________________________ rincipal, Pam Bell Prod
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08/10/26