"The FFEA Convention and Trade Show provides a tremendous opportunity for event planners and producers to learn and network.The speakers are phenomenal - the best in event industry. It is a wonderful opportunity to network with other event planners  and producers, as well as vendors and sponsors. And, all for an affordable price! I never miss it!"     

Dutch Sanger, Director Panama City Downtown Improvement Board

 
Registration  •  Agenda  •  Educational Sessions   •   Exhibitor Information

Entertainment Showcases   •  Silent Auction   •  SUNsational Awards

Hotel Accommodations  •   Travel Information   •   Convention Committees

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!

I’ve always liked Christmas. I’m a crafter and a baker so what’s not to like about Christmas, right?! Now that I have kids, Christmas has taken on a whole new meaning. I tried to pretend last year that my son, Matthew, who was 1 1/2 at the time, had even a remote understanding of what Christmas was all about. Let’s face it – he didn’t have a clue and the trips to see Santa, unwrapping the presents, singing Christmas carols – that was all for Mommy. At least my husband is smart enough to know it’s easier to just appease me. But this year – this year is different. Matthew is 2 1/2 now and he is delighted with “Santy Kwause” and our “Kwismas Twee”. No – he doesn’t understand the concept of Christmas yet fully but I am taking sheer pleasure in the fact that he is even somewhat interested. So when Auburndale Chamber Director Joy Pruitt told me about the Havendale Christmas Parade I knew we were destined to pack the kids in the car for some old-fashioned family fun.

I have to admit that I really wasn’t expecting much. I haven’t been to a parade since I was probably 9 years old so I had just pictured a few floats going through a downtown area with some music playing. I have never been so excited about being so incredibly wrong! There were a total of 84 floats ranging from community groups and school marching bands to the Sheriff’s office and even Mickey Mouse. An estimated 10,000 people attended the parade, which spans Havendale Boulevard between two cities, Auburndale and Winter Haven. If you haven’t been before, it’s truly a treat for all ages. The proof is in the look on Matthew’s face when Santa finally arrived…

History of Havendale Christmas Parade

 In the early months of 2001, Auburndale City Manager Bobby Green started thinking about Christmas.   In previous years, neither Auburndale nor Winter Haven had a Christmas parade.   What a great concept to have one grand Christmas parade for both Auburndale and Winter Haven communities, City Manager Green thought.   Connecting both Winter Haven and Auburndale and aptly named after both cities, Havendale Boulevard would be the perfect staging area for this parade.  Upon contacting then Winter Haven City Manager Carl Cheatham, the first meeting of the Havendale Christmas Parade took place on September 11, 2001.  Due to the tragic 9/11 incident, it was decided not to have the parade in 2001, but to give a full year of planning to make it one of Polk County’s best Christmas Parades.  With both Auburndale and Winter Haven staff working together the First Annual Havendale Christmas Parade took place on Friday, December 6, 2002.  It was decided that the Havendale Christmas Parade would take place on the first Friday in December, following Lakeland’s first Thursday in December Christmas parade.  The date lends itself to encourage professional floats by the business community to participate in both parades.   The Havendale Christmas Parade is truly a hometown parade with bands from both Winter Haven and Auburndale rotating the lead in the parade

This is truly an effort of not only both Auburndale and Winter Haven, but all the businesses located on the Havendale Boulevard corridor.  With staging and the start of the parade at Spring Haven Retirement Community and Spring Lake Square in Winter Haven,  the parade travels west on Havendale Boulevard, ending at Publix in Auburndale.

Celebrating its 11^th year, the Havendale Christmas Parade continues to grow and entertain Polk County and is celebrated as one of the most favorite holiday traditions of many residents.

When the last school bell rings in June, the Havendale Christmas Parade Committee has already met and started the planning for the annual Havendale Christmas Parade that takes place each year on the first Friday of December.  Under the direction of Parade Chairman Mickey Etherton, the committee is made up of staff from the City of Auburndale, City of Winter Haven,  Auburndale Chamber Of Commerce, Auburndale Police and Fire, Winter Haven Police and Fire, Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Rodger McCoy, Ernie Simmons and staff.  Thank you to each individual for their time and effort in planning the parade from start to finish.

 As Executive Director of the Florida Festivals & Events Association (FFEA), Suzanne Neve oversees the state's leading organization for festival and event professionals. FFEA's 450 members represent the industry's top leaders and the Association serves as a resource to help them perform at their peak through education, networking and the cultivation of the highest standards. In her role with FFEA, Suzanne and her team visit events throughout the state of Florida and United States and they strive to connect, educate and advocate on behalf of FFEA's diverse membership. Prior to joining FFEA, Suzanne worked in the events and hospitality industry for over 10 years, producing more than 350 events with combined millions of attendees. She garnered several awards for her work including General Manager of the Year, statewide Community Service Awards, several Telleys, Addys, Daveys and regional marketing awards. 
How can FFEA help your business? Call or email us today to find out! 407.203.1334

I absolutely love fall. Ok so Fall in Florida isn’t quite the same as Fall up North but I have been discovering some pretty cool events throughout Florida that make me forget all about jumping in leaves. One of my favorite fall concepts this year was the Leesburg Scarecrow Building Contest. If you haven’t been to Leesburg you really need to check it out. They seriously have an event going on just about every weekend. The Leesburg Partnership has an amazing staff and I can totally relate to being crazy busy year round with events but they pull off some pretty incredible and innovate ideas with great crowds every time. The scarecrow contest is no exception!

The Leesburg Partnership has been doing the Scarecrow Expo and Build-off for 4 years now. They created this event after completing a vision tour with Community Leaders in St. Mary, GA. The Partnership staff works with community partners to get the scarecrow building supplies donated and people can come and build a scarecrow the day of the build-off using the donated supplies or they can build their own and just display it.  Scarecrows are then judged in 4 different categories:

• Schools – Each winning school receives $50 for school supplies
• City Departments
• Downtown Businesses
• General Public – Cash prizes of $100, $75 & $50 for First, Second and Third Place

All winners also receive a ribbon! What a fun, creative idea to bring together the community, while decorating their downtown area for the fall! Kudos to the team at Leesburg. If you want to check out some of their events, make sure to visit their Facebook page – I promise you won’t regret it!

Here is a quick sampling of just some of the amazing creations!

January and February are busy event months in Florida so naturally I’m busy visiting them! (I know – my job is so hard, right?!). This weekend was no exception. I started in North Palm Beach at the ArtiGras Kick Off Party and had a blast. Then I headed south to West Palm Beach for the South Florida Fair (post below) and now I’m on my way back North again to Port Saint Lucie to the Taste of Little Italy. I have been to the “sister” event, Feast of Little Italy quite a few times as it was walking distance from my house so I was excited to visit Jerry with Via Productions for the Taste. And secretly I was hoping that since it was just a “Taste” and not a “Feast” that I would have more self control and stick to my diet but that didn’t happen. Oh well.

The producers pride themselves (rightfully so) on offering patrons a Cultural Journey Filled With Authentic Italian Food, Music, Art and Tradition and they definitely delivered!

I was there on opening night (Friday night) and got to see headliners Tommy Mara of the Crests & Joey Dee along with some great vendors (food and art). I wish I could have been there Saturday as well since that’s when the incredible Jennifer Chaparro did a chalk painting (pictured below).

I asked Jerry to send me over some information about the Festival and below is the information on their mission and Charity. They are so involved in the communities that they are located in and really support local vendors and non-profit organization. I absolutely love their philosophy. Here are some pictures too – just try not to salivate over the food photos!

Mission:

“Several years ago we started with a vision to create an experience rich in Italian culture. We look to celebrate the contributions of great Italians through food, music, art and tradition. Today as we stay dedicated to encouraging the importance of family and community we hope to stay mindful of the hardships that our ancestors endured in migrating to this great country. We can only hope to continue creating memorable moments together as we share in the passion of the Italian – American culture.”

Little Smiles is our official Charity

“We had a very successful Toy drive prior to the Taste in the Treasure Coast with Little Smiles and the help of BB&T banks and Rodger Dean Buick GMC. We Delivered mountains of toys to Lawnwood Hospital on Christmas Eve. We also sponsored the first Junk Food Run at Lawnwood Hospital with Little Smiles, this is a wonderful, fun time where we push around a huge red pull cart filled with all candy, sweets, desserts, etc. In conjunction with the doctors and nurses it helps the children that are going through chemo replenish calories and at the same time makes them feel like kids again. We also visited all the children that were there.They all get to fill big bags and pick whatever they like. To see the kids faces light up is indescribable, to think something as simple as candy can cheer them up that much, their smiles are priceless!”

As Executive Director of the Florida Festivals & Events Association (FFEA), Suzanne Neve oversees the state's leading organization for festival and event professionals. FFEA's 450 members represent the industry's top leaders and the Association serves as a resource to help them perform at their peak through education, networking and the cultivation of the highest standards. In her role with FFEA, Suzanne and her team visit events throughout the state of Florida and United States and they strive to connect, educate and advocate on behalf of FFEA's diverse membership. Prior to joining FFEA, Suzanne worked in the events and hospitality industry for over 10 years, producing more than 350 events with combined millions of attendees. She garnered several awards for her work including General Manager of the Year, statewide Community Service Awards, several Telleys, Addys, Daveys and regional marketing awards. 
How can FFEA help your business? Call or email us today to find out! 407.203.1334

The South Florida Fair has been a tradition for over 100 years – unfortunately for me I had absolutely no idea just how incredibly amazing this Fair was until I had an opportunity to do a Behind the Scenes Tour this month.

I don’t really know what comes to your mind when it comes to Fairs, but for me it has always been food and rides. I’m almost embarrassed to admit that as many times as I have been to fairs throughout the state, I have never really taken the time to “explore” all that they have to offer. All of that changed this weekend when I visited the South Florida Fair.

Here’s a little background on this event:
The South Florida Fair has been around for 101 years and is held at the Fairgrounds and Expo Center for 17 days in late January/early February each year.

Over the past several years, the annual fair has incorporated a theme as a means of stimulating tourism as well as the educational and cultural interest of the residents of Palm Beach County. This year’s theme was “Washington DC, Our Nation’s Capitol” – more on that later.

The annual fair attracts nearly 500,000 people through its turnstiles and has more than a $149,000,000 (yes that’s alot of zero’s!) Economic Impact.

Ok – so here’s how our tour went!
We started the day in the Expo Center where we saw the sponsor exhibits and were able to explore the remarkable and patriotic 70,000 square foot exposition of the first planned capital. Here were a few highlights:

• The Florida Holocaust Museum exhibition, “Courage & Compassion: The Legacy of the Bielski Brothers,” which includes an overview of the Holocaust within the history of the Bielski partisan group
• “The President’s Photographer: Fifty Years Inside the Oval Office,” is a new traveling exhibition showcasing both iconic and rarely seen images of U.S. presidents through the eyes of their official photographers.
• The “American Presidential Experience” allowed visitors to enter Air Force One, the Oval Office, view exhibits of First Lady gowns, sit in President’s chairs and experience a photo opportunity at the President’s desk, the U.S. Capitol Dome and the Washington Monument.

Seriously I could have spent all day in there! I’m not normally the history buff in the family (my husband was a history major turned banker) but it was so incredible to see these amazing exhibits and to get to touch and see actual American history. Here are a few pictures of the exhibits.

Oval Office

First Lady Dresses

Lincoln Sand Sculpture

Before leaving the expo center we had the opportunity to meet with Rick Vymlatil, the Fair’s President. I kind of have a soft spot in my heart for Rick because, well, he was on the search committee that hired me. But also because he is one of the most genuine people you will meet – which is actaully true of everyone I have met on his team which in my opinion is a direct reflection on his leadership. Rick graciously spent his time talking to our group about the Fair’s entertainment and how they operate. He explained that they focus on “edu-tainment” (totally stealing that word!) and use the many components of the fair to educate the patrons on agricultural and livestock exhibits which clearly provide the greatest variety of such exhibits anywhere within Palm Beach County. Even though agriculture is such a tremendous part of Palm Beach County’s economic base, many school children have never been exposed to it. However, at the South Florida Fair, not only can they see and learn all about agriculture, but can even witness a calf being born, or learn how a dairy is operated. (lots more on that later!) Anyway, it’s pretty clear that there is no shortage on Entertainment at the Fair – everything from book signings with James Patterson (yes, THE James Patterson) to Elephant Encounters, the Price is Right to the Classic Rock Tribute Band Competition and from hypnotists to Hambone Pig Racing. You name it and they have got something for everyone throughout the 17 days.

After the Expo Center tour we headed out to the midway. It was before the Fair opened and it was really amazing to me how clean the grounds really were. The whole team seemed to really take pride in how clean and efficient they were and that was very apparent throughout the entire day. The other thing that really stood out to me was their environmental consciousness. The Operations Manager told us that his team spends each night of the fair sorting through the garbage to pull out anything that can be recycled. Seriously? That just blew me away. I don’t know of many events that go that far to reduce their footprint. Super impressed!

Here are a few ride photos. Oh the other cool thing about this Fair is that their midway partner, Wade Shows, started a new Gold Access Pass program where you can purchase a pass and move through the line faster. Totally worth it!

After the midway we headed off to the Agriplex. This is where my eyes were really opened. Like literally. Now I should note here that I’m from a small town in PA so I should really know about things like pigs and goats and horses and the like. The Fair had so many different varieties of poultry that our group couldn’t even see all of them during our tour. I took a picture of my favorite – the mean rooster – he doesn’t really look that mean to me but let’s just say I wasn’t about to test him!

While we were there the Fair Committee was busy doing tours for hundreds of school children – which they do every day while they are open. It was so great to see the kids get excited and learning about Florida Agriculture.

After the Agriplex Tour we headed to Yesteryear Village – an area totally unique to the South Florida Fair. Yesteryear Village is a history park nestled on 10 acres at the Fairgrounds, showcasing buildings and artifacts from the 1895’s to the 1945’s. They offer year 0round tours and events where guests can discover a large collection of early, original and replicated buildings including an old school, a farm, a blacksmith shop, a general store, and several houses. They also have the only big band museum in the United States, the Sally Bennett Big Band Hall of Fame Museum. Here a few pictures of the buildings and volunteers.

I think we could have spent days touring the Fairgrounds and still would not have really been able to experience everything they have to offer. There are so many other things that I didn’t even touch on – their scholarships, the Pageant, – I could go on – but you will just have to join me at the Fair next year! Special thanks to all of the Fair staff and volunteers for being such gracious hosts and to Rita and Vicki for planning and coordinating.

Tomorrow I’m off to the Taste of Italy – these trips are really killing my diet but who can turn down Tiramisu?! Until then here are some more Fair pictures!

As Executive Director of the Florida Festivals & Events Association (FFEA), Suzanne Neve oversees the state's leading organization for festival and event professionals. FFEA's 450 members represent the industry's top leaders and the Association serves as a resource to help them perform at their peak through education, networking and the cultivation of the highest standards. In her role with FFEA, Suzanne and her team visit events throughout the state of Florida and United States and they strive to connect, educate and advocate on behalf of FFEA's diverse membership. Prior to joining FFEA, Suzanne worked in the events and hospitality industry for over 10 years, producing more than 350 events with combines millions of attendees. She garnered several awards for her work including General Manager of the Year, statewide Community Service Awards, several Telleys, Addys, Daveys and regional marketing awards. 
How can FFEA help your business? Call or email us today to find out! 407.203.1334