Hannah Benjock, Andrew Creech, Christian Jackson, Ellison Lambert, Erin Williams

Table of Contents

Executive Summary 2

Organizational Profile 4

Situation Analysis 6

Strategic Focus 8

Risk Management 10

Financial Data on Human Resources 12

Organizational Structure 14

Hiring 19

Event Evaluation 22

Compensation 23

Sponsorships 24

Team Management (Appendix) 26

References 46

1

Executive Summary

For our event, we have developed ‘A State Affair’, the first signature event of the

Tourism Management Association at North Carolina State University. The purpose of the event

is to benefit The Marriott Foundation for People with Disabilities and their provision of services

through Bridges From School to Work. Following the mission of Bridges to train and place

people with disabilities in a stable job, we are hosting an art gallery by students at The Governor

Morehead School for the Blind. Through our event production that focuses on the importance of

philanthropy, we were also able to integrate promotion of North Carolina tourism.

‘A State Affair’ is a unique event. It is a mix between a large scale wine tasting, like the

Triangle Wine Experience, and a large fundraiser, like the Bridges Annual Gala, but on a much

smaller scale. A State Affair is geared more towards young people who want to give back and

people that can not afford to attend a large event with a silent auction with items that go for

thousands of dollars. Based on the event’s mission, we are able to find clear correlation between

the event and mission of the Association. Throughout the event production process, we have

engaged in risk analysis through meetings with RAVE! Event Services, as they are the entity

who manages the Duke Energy Hall at James B. Hunt Jr. Library. Estimates and cost projections

have helped to understand how much income is needed to be raised, how much can be spent,

how much is needed to charge participants.

The organizational structure is based on that of The Tourism Management Association at

NC State, that being said ‘A State Affair’ will not hire any outside staff to work our event. We

will heavily rely on members of the Association and other student groups to volunteer their time

to work the event. Following the event, we have approached the evaluation to determine

satisfaction of the event, including the volunteers, the experience, and the food and drink. We are

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also looking for any suggestions to improve the event for years to come. The event has relies on

donations, and is not providing any monetary compensation to volunteers. The funding is made

possible by our presentation of Sponsorship Packages that were sent out to potential sponsors

months before the event.

3

Organizational Profile

The Tourism Management Association (TMA) at North Carolina State University has

been identified as a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization by the Internal Revenue Service. TMA is a

student organization with the purpose of providing a network for students who plan to enter the

tourism industry as professional managers, or simply express an interest in exploring the impacts

tourism has on all global industry. Members share a common goal of helping each other

understand the professions of event services, accommodations, foodservice, leisure planning,

destination management, and hospitality. Similarly, members are to promote the tourism industry

in the community and engage in corporate partnerships and philanthropy. TMA’s official

philanthropy is the Bridges From School to Work program, supported by The Marriott

Foundation for People with Disabilities. The Foundation provides programming that provides

young adults with disabilities the opportunity to find employment and workplace training. Each

year TMA gets the opportunity to send representatives to the Annual Bridges Gala in

Washington, DC where members have the chance to volunteer and network at the gala. The

Tourism Management Association at North Carolina State University puts on at least one event

during each school semester. For this Spring semester, TMA is hosting a charity gala and

auction event that will raise money for Bridges School to Work. This event will be held on April

28, 2018 from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM in the Duke Energy Hall at the James B. Hunt Jr. Library.

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This event will include benefit auctions, wine and beer tasting, an arts showcase, and passed hors

d’oeuvres and desserts. The arts showcase will feature singer/songwriter, Drew Schell, and

artwork of students from the Governor Morehead School.

5

Situation Analysis

‘A State Affair’ is a unique event. It is a mix between a large scale wine tasting, like the

Triangle Wine Experience, and a large fundraiser, like the Bridges Annual Gala, but on a much

smaller scale. A State Affair is geared more towards young people who want to give back and

people that can not afford to attend a large event with a silent auction with items that go for

thousands of dollars. Our event will also include beer, in addition to wine. This makes it

appealing to a wider range of people. The cost of the silent auction will make it so that people

with lesser means can still participate and get an experience of a lifetime.

In the past several years, there is a much higher demand for craft beer and fancy wines. It

has become a trend to be wine or beer conosiors. More and more people are going to breweries

and wineries to learn about these types of drinks and taste every kind they can get their hands on.

We are bringing this trend into our event to appeal to millenials who want to expand their tasting

pallets.

There are many other events that people can attend the same day, however. Local events

that are going on during the same weekend as ‘A State Affair’ include Romeo & Juliet with the

North Carolina Symphony, BrewGaloo in Downtown Raleigh, The Ryan Higgins Crowd Work

Show! - Standup Comedy, 25th Annual Spring Daze Arts & Crafts Festival in Cary, and the

ACC Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championships. Statewide events that are going on during the

same weekend as ‘A State Affair’ include the Mountain Thunder Car Show in Asheville, Pioneer

Day in Asheville, Days at the Docks Festival along the Coast, Liberty Antiques Festival in

Winston-Salem, and the Mt. Olive Pickle Festival in Mount Olive, NC. National events that are

occurring on the same weekend as ‘A State Affair’ include Arbor Day celebrations, Miami Wine

and Food Festival in Florida, Tribeca Film Festival, and Vidalia Onion Festival in Georgia.

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Our major competition will be BrewGaloo, but we feel we are a stronger competitor. We

have a lower price, and we are giving back to the community, whereas BrewGaloo is simply a

social event. People could also potentially go to both, since A State Affair is in the evening, and

BrewGaloo begins earlier in the day. Our other competitor will be the North Carolina Pickle

Festival. That event is geared more towards family fun and exploration. Once again, that event is

earlier in the day, so people could potentially attend both events.

As previously stated, ‘A State Affair’ is a small scale mix of the Triangle Wine

Experience and the Bridges Annual Gala. These would be our benchmark organizations.

Although our event is on a much smaller scale than either of the two, we can use their numbers

compared to our scale to figure out where we are and where we should be. This will keep us on

track and make sure we do not overdo spending, as well as making sure we create a fun,

inspirational event for wine and beer lovers and people that care to support Bridges.

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Strategic Focus

‘A State Affair’ is pleased to support the charitable work of The Marriott Foundation for

People with Disabilities and the Bridges From School to Work program. As this support is the

key component of our event we have produced the following mission for the event: “TMA will be

hosting our First Annual ‘State Affair’, a charity gala and auction event that will raise money for

our association’s official philanthropy, Bridges From School to Work. The Marriott Foundation

for People with Disabilities provides programming through Bridges From School To Work

allowing young adults with disabilities the opportunity to learn workplace skills and be placed

with an employer following high school special education programs. Through our gala, the

association hopes to raise funding to support this program that is a valuable asset to thousands

of disabled young adults across the nation, while simultaneously bringing awareness to North

Carolina Leisure, Hospitality, and Wine and Beer tourism”. We believe this mission holds true

in defining the purpose of the event, summarizes event details, and promotes our local tourism

industry.

The Tourism Management Association at North Carolina State University has a few

primary objectives. First, the Association is responsible for engaging students in networking

events with professionals in the tourism industry on a local and national scale. Secondly, an

emphasis on educating the community of the importance and dominance of the tourism industry

to the worldwide economy and environmental impacts. Lastly, we are committed to ensuring that

we conduct the Association in a manner that is charitable to the community.

Based on the event’s mission, we are able to find clear correlation between the event and

mission of the Association. Through the production of this event, we are providing students with

a cost effective way of networking with professionals in attendance, while practicing for future

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philanthropic events. Educating those in the community of the importance of the industry will

also be a showcase of the event through aspects such as our Local Beer and Wine Tasting, Local

Tourism Benefit Auctions, and an informational presentation on the importance of giving back to

those in the local and national community through job placement for those with disabilities. And

overall, the entire event contributes to the Association’s mission of conducting business in a

manner that is charitable, as the purpose of the event is to benefit the Bridges program and The

Governor Morehead School.

Trends in the industry are a key factor when planning or organizing a special event of any

scale. Some trends and behaviors in the organization that we have focused on is the usage of

technology and social media to draw attention to the event for guests and volunteers alike. This

technical aspect also allows us to better equip our volunteers at various points throughout the

event. And the presence of Bridges From School to Work’s social media productions, we are

able to show guests first-hand where their contributions are going.

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Risk Management

Since TMA will be offering alcohol at ‘A State Affair’, an ABC Special One Time

Permit is required. To to be eligible to receive one of these permits, one must be at least 21, be a

resident of North Carolina, not have been convicted of a felony within three years, not have been

convicted of an alcoholic beverage offense within two years, not have been convicted of a

misdemeanor controlled substance offense within two years, not have had an alcoholic beverage

permit revoked within three years, and not have an unsatisfied outstanding final judgment that

was entered against him/her in an action under Article 1A of Chapter 18B. When applying for

this permit, there are a number of things that must be turned along with it such as the lease

between venue and non-profit, floor plan of premises, 501 (c)(3) documentation from IRS,

purpose of event letter, a certified copy of requester’s criminal background check, signature of

local law enforcement, and notary signature. A Tourism Management Association officer was

able to meet these requirements and receive an ABC Special One time Permit for the event. A

few other things that involve risk management include a NCSUPD - Special Event Notification,

On-Campus Alcohol Service Documentation, and on-site management. On-site management

will include door and ticket sales ID check, wristbands for underage guests, and a tasting

maximum of 12 - 2 oz. pours.

We have engaged in risk analysis through meetings with RAVE! Event Services, as they

are the entity who manages the Duke Energy Hall at James B. Hunt Jr. Library. Having gone

over specifications regarding alcohol service, we secured a licensed bartender who will be

pouring the tasting service. We also created a 3D rendering of the space, to map out any potential

hazards, and this was also addressed for the entire library during numerous site visitations. While

event security will be handled by NCSU PD and the Hunt Library Security Staff, we were also

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tasked with limiting alcohol consumption to within the ballroom. We have positioned staff at the

door, to ensure no drinks are permitted in the Emerging Issues Commons, which serves as our

pre-function area. Training for evacuations, health issues, and terrorism were addressed to all

staff and volunteers during training sessions prior to the event. Liability issues, however, are

taken care of by RAVE! Event Services, as this insurance is included in the contracted security

and on-site managers that they provide.

While a crisis may occur at any time during our event, we have made sure to plan for

each of these in detail with RAVE! Event Services. We will have on-site at all times someone

who is certified in CPR, a copy of all room location details to direct first responders to the

location, clear markings of all exits, as well as secure locking doors in the event of a site

lockdown. The required ABC permitting mentioned above could also become an issue if

questioned by local law enforcement or an ALE officer. For this, we have ensured that the ABC

Permit will be on display at the welcome table at all times throughout the event, and the

bartender will have their license on them as well. However, one thing we will not require is

liquor service or liability permits, as spirituous beverages will not be permitted in our event. For

more in-depth analysis of the ABC Special One Time Permit, it has been included in the below

appendix in its entirety with sensitive information disclosed (Figure 1).

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Financial Data on Human Resources

One of the most important things to know when planning an event is what it will cost. To

help estimate incomes vs expenses, it is crucial to put together a budget planning and make sure

it is followed. Estimates and cost projections will help understand how much income is needed to

raise, how much can be spent, how much is needed to charge participants, etc. Of course,

the most important way to reduce event expenses is to get sponsors or underwriters

for our event.

Since the Tourism Management Association at North Carolina State University is a

nonprofit student organization, the budget for ‘A State Affair is provided from donor and

sponsor giving. A total of $1,150 was given from private donors and a total of $1,325 was given

from corporate sponsors. The expenses of this event include the RAVE Venue Contract of $123

and additional catering of $150. Both of these are easily covered through the donations

previously mentioned Wine and beer, partial catering, and $1,000 decorations were graciously

donated for our event as well. We plan to use the additional leftover money that was donated in

order to enhance the decorations and put into place any ideas that were previously cut before the

sponsor donations were given to us. After the event has been completed, and leftover revenue

will be donated to the Bridges from School to Work foundation, and also The Marriott

Foundation for People with Disabilities.

The main expense we have had to deal with outside of those already listed is the money

that is needed to promote and make sure people know about our event. The total amount we

spent on advertising and promotions totaled $104. This number is fairly low considering the

typical amount of money that is typically spent to promote an event, but there are several reasons

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for that. The biggest reason is that our event has a 100 ticket limit, so we want to be careful to

not overshoot and have too many people interested in such a low amount of tickets. Due to this, a

lot of our advertising was done through flyers around North Carolina State University and simple

word of mouth through presentations in classes of NC State students, and throughout the

surrounding community. The only expenses associated with this kind of promotion is the fee to

print all of the flyers, and any sort of travel expenses accumulated by traveling to different places

to advertise the event.

There will be two training sessions for the volunteers of the event beforehand. However,

the volunteers will not be paid, and the only expenses associated with that is food and beverage

for the volunteers and event coordinators to be able to consume during the training sessions. This

total amounted to just $84 considering there are just 13 total staff members including Whitney

Knollenberg, who is the advisor of the event.

Since the event is on North Carolina State’s centennial campus on a Saturday evening,

when parking is free to everyone, there will be no sort of expenses associated with parking or

transportation. Guests will be instructed to park in the two parking decks in front of James B.

Hunt Library, or take one of the Wolfline buses to Hunt Library for the event.

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Organizational Structure

The leadership structure of the Tourism Management Association at NC State includes an

Advisor, President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer.

Tourism Management Association Leadership Roles

Advisor: Dr. Whitney Knollenberg

● Maintains an awareness of the activities and programs sponsored by the Association

● Explains and clarifies campus policy and procedures that apply to the Association

● Maintains contact with Office of Student Involvement and the Department of Parks,

Recreation, and Tourism Management

● Provides direction in the area of parliamentary procedure, meeting facilitation, group-

building, goal setting, and program planning

● Assists the Executive Treasurer in monitoring expenditures, fundraising activities, and

corporate sponsorship to maintain an accurate and up-to-date account ledger

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● Maintains relations and provide connections with industry professionals and assist

Executive Committee in selection of Corporate Partners

President: Andrew Creech

● Provides leadership and direction to the Association

● Understands and adheres to North Carolina State University Guidelines

● Coordinates Association activities through the Executive Committee

● Establishes short- and long-range objectives and goals in conjunction with membership

● Represents the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management by planning

programs and publicity campaigns that support the Department and its students

● Works to update information of and forge new relationships with official Association

partners

Vice President: Hannah Benjock

● Understands and adheres to North Carolina State University Guidelines

● Plans, coordinates, and recruits committees and committee chairs that manage a series of

meetings and programs

● Provides data collected by previous committee chairpersons on past Association events to

allow current committee chairs to benefit from experience and suggestions for

improvement

● Ensures strong leadership succession by identifying and recruiting new Association

volunteers

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Secretary: Ellison Lambert

● Handles the correspondence of the Association and keeps record of it

● Informs officers of deadlines for reports, mailings, future commitments

● Tracks attendance of members at regular Association meetings as well as events

● Maintains a roster of officers and other board members with current address, including

email, and telephone information

● Distributes this roster to board members, the Alumni Counselor, and official partners

● Maintains complete and up-to-date copies of the Association’s bylaws and other

organizational documents

Treasurer: Logan Rose

● Oversees Association finances, collects dues, and receives other monies, e.g. proceeds

from tickets

● Assists the President and other officers in preparing program budgets

● Maintains and supervises Association bank accounts

● Assists President in creating requests for Student Government Appropriations

● Files IRS forms as necessary, and appropriate state forms to comply with fundraising

statuses

● Ensures that adequate budget and financial controls are maintained

● Pays all Association bills and outstanding charges on time

‘A State Affair’ Job Descriptions

Supervisor

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The supervisor’s role is to be aware of every aspect of the event. The supervisor is to

watch over the event and make sure that everyone is doing their jobs. If the supervisor notices

any risks or unfulfilled jobs, they will notify the President or Vice President right away. The

supervisor must be someone who is responsible, observant, and communicative.

Donor Host

The Donor Host’s role is to collect all money, food and drink donations given by

sponsors. The donor host will help set up the event, with a main focus on the silent auction. The

donor host will oversee the event as it is happening and will address any problems as they arise.

The Donor Host must be someone who is dependable, flexible, and knowledgeable.

Gala Host

The Gala Host’s role is to train volunteers prior to the event, help set up the event, and

monitor the event while it is happening. The Gala Host will socialize with the guests and answer

any questions they might have. The Gala Host must be someone who is approachable,

communicative, and dependable.

Welcome Table Worker

The Welcome Table worker’s role is to greet and thank Gala attendees as they arrive.

They will collects tickets, check IDs, hand out wristbands to those who are under 21, and keep

track of attendance. Welcome Table workers are not to let attendees into the Duke Energy Hall

until 7:00 PM. The Welcome Table Worker must be someone who is friendly, reliable, and

organized.

Library Usher

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The Library Usher’s role is to personally direct Gala attendees to the Duke Energy Hall

from the entrance of the James B. Hunt Jr. Library. The Library Usher must be someone who is

friendly and aware.

Parking Attendant

The Parking Attendant’s role is to direct the Gala attendees to the two parking decks in

front of James B. Hunt Jr. Library to avoid any parking tickets. The Parking Attendant also

directs the Gala attendees who rode the Wolfline to the entrance of the library. The Parking

Attendant must someone who is friendly and aware.

Catering Table Server

The Catering Table server’s role is to pass around hors d'oeuvres in the appropriate

serving sizes with quality service. The Catering Table Server will make sure that the food is

constantly replenished. The Catering Table Server must be someone who is respectful and

diligent.

Tasting Server (21+)

The tasting server’s role is to give out wine and beer tastings with quality service to those

who are over 21 years old. They must check for wristbands and pour the proper amount. The

must be careful not to over serve people and they must keep in mind how much beer and wine

they have available at all times. The Tasting Server must be someone who is respectful and

diligent.

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Hiring

‘A State Affair’ will not hire any outside staff to work our event. We will heavily rely on

members of Tourism Management Association and other student groups to volunteer their time

to work the event. There is no age restriction for volunteers, as none of the volunteer positions

will encounter the serving of alcohol. Our volunteer philosophy encourages teamwork between

members of Tourism Management Association and other hired service workers so that we can

provide customers and attendees with the best experience possible. We will focus in on our

volunteers unique skills, talents, and knowledge to create positions that are perfect for their skill

set to provide personalized attention to visitors, enabling the President and Vice President to

focus on their hosting job, and to educate our attendees about the mission of our organization and

our philanthropy’s mission.

Multiple volunteer positions will be available for members of Tourism Management

Association and other school organizations to volunteer their time to work. Some of these

positions are Library Ushers, Parking Attendants, Welcome Table Greeters, Catering Table

Servers, Gala Host, and Donor Host. The descriptions of these different positions are listed

above.

The volunteer selection process begins a month and a half in advance of A State Affair.

An email including descriptions of the volunteer roles was sent out to members of Tourism

Management Association, as well as to some members of Rho Phi Lambda and CNR

Ambassadors. Interested members filled out a google form with their contact information, which

volunteer role they were interested in, and answered a few brief questions. These questions were

broad and open ended, asking themed questions about philanthropy and why they were interested

in volunteering. From there, our secretary, Ellison Lambert, reached out to each person that

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submitted the form to conduct an informal interview. The purpose of this interview was to get to

know the potential volunteer better so that they would be placed in the volunteer position where

they would use their skills the most and be able to perform best. Once the volunteers were

selected, training sessions were held the two Thursday nights before the actual event. What was

covered in these meetings is discussed below.

Ability and personality assessments were used to determine if a volunteer was right for

specific positions. These criteria that go along with the position are below:

Library Ushers: volunteers must have a charming and engaging demeanor. They will be the first

face that attendees see when entering the facility, so it is important that they are welcoming and

knowledgeable. Ability to make connections with anyone and engage in casual conversation

easily. Knowledge of library and facility layout was also a must.

Volunteers will be trained on the best route to get to the room in Hunt Library, tricks and tips on

engaging visitors, best practices for welcoming people, and FAQs about the event.

Parking Attendants: Parking attendant volunteers must have had their drivers license for three or

more years and have not gotten into any major accidents that were caused by them. A voluntary

background check will be run to ensure that there is no past criminal behavior. People who are

more on the introverted side, but still want to help out will be good at this job.

Volunteers will be trained in how to interact with attendees who use the valet service, will learn

the best route to drive the cars from the pick up area to the storage lot, and will be trained to be

able to answer potential questions that they may be asked.

Welcome Table Greeters: The welcome table greeters will be the Secretary and the Treasurer of

the Tourism Management Association. These members will be engaging to attendees and focus

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on relaying any information that guests may need. They will ensure that the registration and

check in process is completed and every attendee is accounted for.

Volunteers will be trained in the process for registration and check in, check out and auction item

pick up best practices, and tips and tricks for how to be most engaging and professional at the

welcome table. These volunteers must also know the answers to all frequently asked attendee

questions and be able to handle situations that may arise quickly and professionally.

Catering Table Servers: People with waitressing experience are given preference, but anyone can

hold this volunteer position. Volunteers must be welcoming and professional. A clean, kept

appearance is mandatory.

Volunteers will be trained in proper serving techniques, learn tips for engaging with

attendees that they will be serving, and best practices for presentation and grooming. They will

also be trained to answer questions that guests may ask them.

We hope that our volunteers will enjoy being a part of our A State Affair family and will

want to return and help at the following galas year after year. We will keep an updated list of

contact information and volunteer information that will include all our volunteers, past and

present. In the unlikely event that a volunteer does not fulfill their duties or needs to be

terminated, we will have a closed door meeting that will include the volunteer in question, two

members of the Tourism Management Association executive team. A dialogue will be held

detailing why the volunteer was being terminated and what they could have done differently.

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Event Evaluation

We are committed to determining the overall opinions of A State Affair. We have

approached the evaluation to determine satisfaction of the event, including the volunteers, the

experience, and the food and drink. We are also looking for any suggestions to improve the event

for years to come.

We have prepared an online survey through Qualtrics that will be emailed to the

attendees of the event. We will not send this evaluation to donors or volunteers. We will include

this survey in an email that is thanking each attendee for their contribution on Monday, April 30.

The recipients will be able to click on a link to get to the survey that will take no more than five

minutes. We hope to have around 80% participation in the survey in order to be able to

accurately depict the satisfaction of A State Affair. The survey that will be provided to guests

can be found in the below appendix (Figure 2).

After the completion of the survey, the respondents will be thanked for their time. To

encourage participation in the survey, we will let attendees know that if they complete it, they

will be entered into a drawing for a pair of free tickets into next year's State Affair. The survey

will close after seven days, and the drawing will be done and winners emailed the following day,

Tuesday, May 8.

We used recycled paper and plastic for all products related to the event. All flyers,

tickets, wristbands, sampling cups, etc. are all made from recycled material. We will also have a

recycling station at the event with signs and explanations, so that attendees can place all their

used products into the correct bin for effective recycling. This is the main way we plan to bring

sustainability to our event.

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Compensation

The ultimate mission for our event is to raise funds for the Bridges from School to Work

foundation while educating attendees on the mission of The Marriott Foundation for People with

Disabilities. With this in mind, we would like to keep the focus of our event on raising money

and awareness for these foundations. Therefore, no one working for this event will be monetarily

compensated including volunteers, board members, as well as the supervisory head of the event.

There are several other options we have thought through for other forms of compensation for

employers of the event, such as little take home items with our logo and event title on it.

As previously stated, we considered several different types of compensation including

wine glasses with our logo on them, t-shirts, koozies, pens, etc.. We ultimately decided that all

volunteers and board members for our event will be able to take home a free wine glass with the

event logo and name of the event on it, as well as a t-shirt that highlights the Bridges from

School to Work foundation and also The Marriott Foundation for People with Disabilities that

we are raising awareness for with our event.. The only other way to obtain these items would be

through the auction bidding that is taking place at the event.

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Sponsorships

For our event we have prepared Sponsorship Packages that were sent out to potential

sponsors months before the event. These letters and packages were asking for a monetary or in-

kind sponsorship for the event. Following return communication from interested organizations,

we would then elaborate on the event needs and purpose, so they could allot the appropriate level

of giving. Listed below are the available sponsorship types:

$150 – Platinum Sponsor: Company name and logo on all advertisements, signage and

recognition at event, Company name and logo on all event tickets, VIP area sponsor, 5 VIP event

tickets

$100 – Gold Sponsor: Company name and logo on all advertisements, signage and recognition at

event, table sponsor presentation, 2 VIP event tickets

$50 – Silver Sponsor: Company name and logo on all advertisement, sign and recognition at

event, 2 VIP event tickets

In-kind sponsorship – Live or Silent Auction Donation, Food or Beverage Donation: Company

name on auction advertisements, social media posting, signage and recognition at event

It is through these inquiries that we were grateful to secure many sponsors (both

monetary and in-kind) for our event production. Interested parties seemed to share an overall

yearning to better tourism in North Carolina, education accessibility, or higher education. We

had a mix of corporation sizes who wanted to be involved in our event, including individuals and

families who donated. Below are listed event sponsors and donors to date:

Premier Tasting Sponsors: Sierra Nevada, Trump Winery, Shelton Vineyards

Corporate Sponsors: SAS Institute, Pike Electric Corporation, Kiawah Island Golf Resort,

Renfro Corporation

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In-Kind Sponsors: North Carolina Symphony, Busch Gardens, The Ritz-Carlton Sarasota,

Carolina Cafe and Bakery, Dollywood, Harris Teeter, North Carolina Football Club, NC State

Athletics, Insomnia Cookies, Durham Bulls

Individual Donors: Richard Marriott & Family, Kathy Hamilton-Gore, Rick & Carole Vaughn &

Family, Joseph & Andrea Creech, Joe & Glenda Creech & Family, Eric & Belinda Pike &

Family, John & Penny Kerhoulas & Family

When delegating with sponsors on how materials would be presented, we let them know

that they would be given both visual and spoken recognition at our event. Visual recognition

would come prior to the event also, as we include them in social media postings, advertising, and

all media presentations of the event. Visual presentation at the event entails inclusion in our

virtual step-and-repeat, that will be on loop throughout our event. Similarly, they will also be

thanked in our event programs and presentation. As suggested from numerous studies by The

Marriott Foundation, by which we are governed, sponsors and donors do not enjoy post-donation

surveys from the event, therefore we will be sending them personalized letters of thanks.

In preparing sponsorship packets, we were tasked with including as much information

and relevant documentation as possible for consideration. Each packet was hand-crafted and

tailored to the organization that was being contacted. This is something that is crucial in

sponsorship acquisition, as you are more likely to see a great outcome when producing a

personal relationship with the potential sponsor. The sponsorship information and an official

copy of the Sponsorship Packet for ‘A State Affair’ can be found listed in the appendix (Figure

3).

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Team Management (Appendix)

Figure 1: North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission - Special One Time Permit

for service of wine and beer at a ticketed event to benefit a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization.

Figure 2: Copy of Guest Event Satisfaction Survey that is to be sent out the Monday following

the event.

Figure 3: Official copy of the Event Sponsorship Packet that was provided to all potential donors

and sponsors.

Figure 1:

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Figure 2:

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Figure 3:

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References

Work, Bridges from School to. “Bridges from School to Work.” Bridges From School to Work,

www.bridgestowork.org/about-bridges/.

A State Affair 2018.” Tourism Management Association at NC State,

sites.google.com/ncsu.edu/tourismmanagementassociation/a-state-affair-2018.

“Marriott Foundation.” Marriott Foundation, www.marriottfoundation.org/.

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