Expert Advice from Chamber Professionals for living through parade craziness
As the saying goes, “Everybody loves a parade.” This is until they’re in charge of organizing it.
If you are managing a community holiday parade, you know it is both a logistical challenge and a creative endeavor. That’s why we pulled together some suggestions from experienced chamber professionals (as well as technology tools) that can help you streamline the event and ensure smooth execution while avoiding common pitfalls.
1. Planning and Organization
Set Goals and Timeline:
- Define the parade’s purpose and outcomes (e.g., community unity, increased foot traffic for local businesses). What is the goal for the chamber and how what does it do for your community?
- Create a backward timeline from parade day, allocating milestones for permits, sponsor outreach, insurance questions, and lineup logistics.
Registration Management:
- Use Google Forms for easy participant registration, capturing essential details like contact information and entry types. This also simplifies group communication. Susan Downum Creed, Executive Director of the Edenton-Chowan Chamber of Commerce said, “First, we use a Google form for registration, so we capture their email address and communicate with them as a group. We don’t assign placement in the lineup. We use a large parking lot for staging area and group them by type of entry (floats, commercial, antique cars, horses, bands, etc). That way we can feed them into the lineup in an order that makes sense, mixing in floats and bands with the commercial vehicles sprinkled in.”
Image from Dawn Viola Perez, ED of the Taylor County Chamber of Commerce and Tourism
Delegate Responsibilities:
- Assign tasks to committee members (e.g., sponsorships, lineup coordination). Tools like your chamber CMS, Trello or Asana can help you track progress.
Permits and Insurance:
- Secure road closures, parking lot access for staging, and liability insurance well in advance.
2. Sponsorship and Fundraising
Sponsorship Packages:
- Not sure about how to organize line-ups? Offer tiered packages, including premier placements in the lineup for sponsors. Ali Vice Rauch from the Opelika Chamber shared, “We have 130 spots, our largest ever too! We use yard signs with numbers to space those out and put the parade lineup in place… We sell sponsorships for premier placement at the beginning of the parade and then after those spots are taken we just put everyone in the order of the date they submitted their application.”
- Highlight exposure opportunities like logos on banners, announcements during the parade, and social media mentions.
Streamline Communications:
- It’s likely you’ll be sharing a lot of emails to participants. The last thing you want is people responding “reply all” with a simple question like “Can I wear a Santa hat on the float.” Samantha Muñoz from the Cameron Texas Chamber of Commerce sends emails with all necessary details to herself, CCs key team members, and BCCs participants. That way even if someone does respond with “reply all” it’s still only going to her.
3. Line-Up Management
Flexible Staging:
- Use a large parking lot to group participants by type (e.g., floats, bands, vehicles). This allows flexibility to mix and match entries for visual and auditory variety. (Susan Downum Creed)
Order of Arrival:
- Many parades adopt a “first come, first served” approach, with key exceptions for dignitaries or marching bands that require specific spacing. (Cathy Mellody Murray Partridge, Basil E. Bacorn, Megan Hausch) This comes down to preference. Some parade organizers want to space out bands and like groups for variety and…
- Musical acts need separation to prevent overlapping sounds. Carefully space marching bands and other musical entries. (Barry Waite, Jane Spurling Torres)
Safety First:
- Horses and kids should be placed away from fire trucks and other potentially startling vehicles. (Joanne Frick Moore). The Chincoteague Chamber of Commerce shares all the important information on their website. They also include the lineup ahead of time and where each group will be staging.
Adapt for No-Shows:
- Prepare for last-minute changes and no-shows by keeping the lineup flexible. Use a parade marshal to guide entries as needed. (Jenn Oba, Jane Spurling Torres)
End with a Bang:
- Santa, cheerleaders, or other high-profile entries should conclude the parade to leave a lasting impression. (Ali Vice Rauch, Jane Spurling Torres)
4. Marketing and Community Engagement
Leverage Social Media:
- Create a hashtag (e.g., #HolidayParade2024) to encourage attendees to share their experiences.
- Post lineup details and staging maps on event pages and the chamber website. (Joanne Frick Moore)
Involve Local Media:
- Collaborate with newspapers, radio stations, and influencers to increase visibility. Create a press release and reach out to them. Include pertinent information including theme and VIP guests.
Community Contests:
- Run fun competitions, like “Best Float” or “Most Festive Costume,” to engage participants and the audience.
5. Day-of Logistics
Efficient Check-In:
- Have participants check in upon arrival and fill out a form with details for announcers including pronunciation of names. Assign numbers if necessary. (Ashlee Spring)
Volunteer Coordination:
- Station volunteers at critical points to manage crowd control, assist participants, and handle emergencies.
Clear Signage:
- Use yard signs or cones for staging areas, and create clear pathways for vehicles, walkers, and horses. (Ali Vice Rauch)
Real-Time Adjustments:
- Employ apps like Slack or GroupMe for communication among staff, allowing quick responses to issues.
6. Post-Parade Wrap-Up
Celebrate and Reflect:
- Host a post-event gathering to thank sponsors, volunteers, and participants.
- Gather feedback using tools like SurveyMonkey to identify areas for improvement.
Documentation for Next Year:
- Save your lineup, maps, and communication templates for easy replication.
Special Considerations
- Inclusivity: Ensure diverse community representation in the parade lineup.
- Controversial Entries: Avoid contentious groups or political themes if they could disrupt the event’s family-friendly atmosphere. (Chanda Ryan) Make all participants aware of what you allow and what you don’t. Don’t assume your participants will know what “family-friendly” means.
- Accessibility: Make accommodations for participants with disabilities.
- Egos: If you include elected officials on multiple levels, they may be expecting a pecking order to be followed. Give special attention to their line-up even if they didn’t pre-register (or you’ll likely hear about it.
- Contingency Planning: Prepare for bad weather or unexpected delays and communicate when they will be enacted. Is a little snow going to stop the parade? Don’t leave your audience guessing about what inclement weather means.
Want to continue the conversation with other chamber pros? Check out the parade topic here.
