HomeMy WebLinkAbout08. VLMDAC Event Process Timeline
Annual timeline of special event sponsorship process
The Town of Vail has historically funded special events through a process utilizing an
RFP for event funding with the support of the Commission on Special Events and
approval of town council. The process has recently evolved with town manager support
to approach events from a sponsorship perspective, mapping out strategic deliverables
that benefit the efforts of the VLMDAC and the town. These benefits are around
awareness, brand recognition, etc and focus primarily on the capture of event customer
data to enrich the VLMAC’s customer relationship management system.
With the town moving toward a Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) structure,
including strategic leadership coming from the VLMDAC, now is a good time to discuss
how to manage the process in 2024. Below is a summary of the event sponsorship
timeline for 2024 covering events in 2025. The purpose of this discussion is to confirm
the involvement of the VLMDAC in the process in this transitional year.
• July – Budgeting process for Town General Fund begins including allocation for
special events. Initial discussions about event strategy and any expected
changes to budget allocations begin.
• August – RFP for Special Event Sponsorship is published. The RFP is available
for events occurring anytime in the following fiscal year. Most events apply during
the first cycle. A 2nd cycle of the RFP is published in Q1 of the following year for
events occurring later in the fiscal year or new events that missed the first cycle.
• September/October – Sponsorship proposals are reviewed and presentations
from event producers are requested as needed. New events, events with
significant changes to the requests, or events that did not meet expectations in
the prior year will likely get a more thorough review.
• October – Event Funding Committee, comprised of Town Manager’s office,
finance and Econ Dev plus up to two VLMDAC members review applications and
make recommendations for sponsorship.
• November – Staff presents final sponsorship recommendation to -Town Council.
• February – Publish 2nd cycle of Event Sponsorship RFP.
• March – Sponsorship proposals are reviewed and presentations from event
producers are requested as needed. New events, events with significant changes
to the requests, or events that did not meet expectations in the prior year will
likely get a more thorough review.
• March – Event Funding Committee, comprised of Town Manager’s office, finance
and Econ Dev plus up to two VLMDAC members review applications and make
recommendations for sponsorship.
• April – 2nd Cycle finalized and presented to town council