Twelve Ways to Kill a Fair, Festival, or Special Event

1. Rest assured that everything will fall into place. There's no need to organize.
2. Begin your planning tomorrow. These events are a piece of cake.
3. Ignore Health Department regulations. After all, the inspector was once on your bowling team.
4. Give everybody equal authority. There's no need for leadership.
5. Assume that publicity is under control. The local newspaper is sure to provide front-page coverage.
6. Draw up rigid plans. Flexibility is for gymnasts, not event organizers.
7. Forget the idea of a simple event. Get your money's worth and start out with a weeklong event.
8. Demand help from local businesses and organizations. They owe you some cooperation.
9. Don't worry about extra help. You and your six helpers can handle any crowd.
10. Move the event date around from year to year. There's no reason to establish a traditional time for it.
11. Discard receipts, invoices, and other records. These things just get in the way.
12. Let somebody else worry about start-up money. Spend your time auditioning the entertainment.