Douglas Smith is serious about fun.
And the recently-hired executive director of the Hyack Festival Association has some big plans that could dramatically change the way the Royal City's many celebrations and festivals look in the years ahead.
"I'm a pretty aggressive guy when it comes to visioning what we're doing and I believe that we need a complete restructuring of the delivery of the major festivals and events in New Westminster," he said. "Our business model and master plan for events in this community needs to be completely overhauled. I've been given that mandate by our board and I've certainly been given that mandate from my conversations with senior city staff and mayor and council."
For Smith, festivals and events are tied directly to the quality of life in a host community, and pulling off a good party can change the way a city is viewed by its peers and its own citizens.
Smith said it's time for the Hyack Festival Association to renew its relationship with the City of New Westminster and local stakeholders like the Downtown New Westminster Business Improvement Association, the Fraser River Discovery Centre and Arts Council of New Westminster, and start planning for bigger festivals, with more funding to appeal to the changing demographics of New West and whole Lower Mainland.
Smith brings some serious credentials to the job. Previously, he ran his own event management business with an emphasis on training community groups and non-profits how to get sponsorships. As the City of Surrey's manager of filming and special events, Smith spearheaded and grew a number of Surrey shindigs including the Fusion Festival and Canada Day, which is now one of the biggest Canada Day celebrations in the country, Smith noted.
Beyond that, Smith started a number of festivals as the City of Parksville's economic development officer and recently organized the Kitsilano's West 4th Music + Art Festival, something he said would be perfect for Columbia Street.
Smith said the association should be actively trying to re-invent itself to keep up with a rapidly changing city that more families, young professionals and immigrants are calling home. And city infrastructure itself is going through big changes, with Westminster Pier Park due to open soon, construction on the new civic centre and the city showing a renewed interest in connecting downtown to the waterfront - all things the association needs to respond to stay relevant.
"This city has got great things happening now. It's a very exciting time to be in our community," he said.
But changing as New Westminster is, the Royal City is also known for having a strong sense of tradition and staying connected with its roots - something not lost on Smith.
"I don't see that as an issue at all. I think we can embark on a new direction in terms of the festivals model without endangering the traditional elements that we've been involved in," he said. "We're going to keep our connection to our Royal City history - the Anvil Battery, May Day - we can do all those things and still achieve a different delivery."
So how might things change after some years of development? It's not a new snow cone maker for the parade, more street vendors, or more bouncy castles and balloon animals.
"We need to elevate the entertainment level. There's no doubt," he said, referring to big name musical acts who now play in Surrey. "I upped the ante significantly. By bringing in sponsors and building a bigger budget, we were able to bring in Tom Cochrane, and Colin James and on and on. I'm not saying we're going to get there immediately but that's the path we want to get on."
Beyond that, Smith said he wants to bring more street performers, interactive events and food.
One of the first steps moving forward will be getting some sustainable revenue. The festivals of recent years have been chronically underfunded, Smith said. That's where his expertise in finding sponsorship comes in. Smith said sponsors need to know they are getting more than a little bit of name recognition for their investment, and early meetings he has had with potential sponsors make him highly optimistic.
"I don't operate by going hat-in-hand. If I want $10,000 from a sponsor, I'm going to give them more than $10,000 in value - quantifiable," he said.
Getting the city's youth involved in the planning and execution of a festival is also part of the strategy, Smith said.
While big change never comes fast, Smith said New Westminster is due and so far, the thought of bigger festivals and more fun is generating a lot of enthusiasm from virtually everyone he's talked to.
"There's nothing wrong with New Westminster puffing out its chest once in a while and saying, 'You know what? We have a great community. We're really proud of it and through this festival, we're going to show you it's a pretty good place to live," he said.
"I've been totally excited by the response from the key stakeholders and the community. They have a complete willingness to go in a different direction and work in partnership, completely. It's been great."
www.twitter.com/BrentRichter
