{"id":5529,"date":"2009-10-07T20:26:35","date_gmt":"2009-10-08T00:26:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.southsidecentral.com\/wordpress\/?p=5529"},"modified":"2009-10-07T20:26:35","modified_gmt":"2009-10-08T00:26:35","slug":"the-response-to-the-brew-fest-scandal-fest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.southsidecentral.com\/wordpress\/2009\/10\/07\/the-response-to-the-brew-fest-scandal-fest\/","title":{"rendered":"The response to “The Brew Fest Scandal Fest”"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rosalee Maxwell, the Director of Tourism for the City of Danville, has written a very detailed response to the concerns noted in SouthsideCentral’s “The Brew Fest Scandal Fest<\/a>” article. Although her comments were in the original article, I feel that they also deserve the same article status as the original story. Click on the cutline below to see Rosalee’s response.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

How ironic that once again, the public has been misinformed. But, why does that surprise me? It is so unfortunate that only one side of the story is told. Anyone can swing a vote with only half of the information.<\/p>\n

Please allow me to clarify many of the incorrect points. I believe I know the \u201crest of the story\u201d better than most as I am the past President for Danville Harvest Jubilee, the Director of Tourism for the City of Danville and I also serve as one member of the Brew Fest Committee.<\/p>\n

The first incorrect assumption: the \u201cCITY\u201d is not the decision maker in this event, nor is the Tourism Division. Danville Harvest Jubilee is the facilitating organization for the Brightleaf Brewfest. DHJ is a non- profit, 501-C6 organization. This group of hard working volunteers annually coordinates a minimum of ten quality events.<\/p>\n

This specific event is done as a fundraiser for Danville Harvest Jubilee. Why fundraisers? Not only does DHJ support other events, but they also have the same kind of bills that small businesses have such as insurance, fees for police, security and fire personnel, printing and postage, advertising, and more. The City of Danville does not cover these expenses. DHJ raises the funds to cover all of these expenses through sponsorships and ticket sales.<\/p>\n

DHJ supports the community through hosting events held specifically at the Crossing of the Dan. If you remember way back in the 80\u2019s and 90\u2019s, the Crossing was not the beautiful entertainment complex Danville boasts of today. The Community Market had fallen into serious disrepair and became unusable even for one annual event, The Shrimp Fest. The Auctioneers Park was located in a flood plane; I was there one year when you could ride a canoe through the park. There were no public bathrooms at all. There was no permanent infrastructure for events, concerts, etc. Parking was difficult at best.<\/p>\n

The board of directors worked diligently with city officials for many years to resurrect this historic area into a extraordinary facility. The amphitheater boasts some of the best features of an outside venue of its size in the south. The Board of Directors for Danville Harvest Jubilee was instrumental in reclaiming and preserving this area. Following the revitalization of the Pepsi Building and the Community Market, more change followed with the addition of the Danville Science Center, the re-adaptation of the Train Station and even the growth of the River walk trail. All of these are jewels are found in our downtown historic tobacco district.<\/p>\n

Are you beginning to see the big picture here?<\/p>\n

Revitalization of this area was paramount to the success and growth of the downtown business district.<\/p>\n

DHJ has funded countless events held in this area over the past 29 years. Many of the members of the board of directors have worked either as board members or volunteers for many of these years. I only missed one year; I gave birth to my daughter during the Saturday event in 1988, or I would have been there.<\/p>\n

How was DHJ able to fund these activities? Fortunately, these events were run with a business template and were financially successful more often than not.<\/p>\n

As a seasoned event planner of 27 years, I believe the success of an event is judged not only by participation numbers but also by the final budget figures. This is a tough economic season. This year, the sponsorship committee decided it was necessary to recruit additional sponsorships. The event industry now attempts to have all aspects of events sponsored. I contacted a spokesperson for a national\/international event and attraction organization for ideas on recruiting sponsors. This group even had the toilet paper sponsored one year. The national trend for event planners is to \u201csponsor\u201d every single aspect feasibly possible. This is a business decision.<\/p>\n

This accepted practice keeps the cost down for the individual attendee and allows the sponsoring organization to raise additional funds.<\/p>\n

Another false impression: Texas Steakhouse did NOT contact the Brew Fest for sponsorship rights.<\/p>\n

Another error: Don\u2019t believe that \u201cchain restaurants\u201d do not pay the same fees as small, privately owned restaurants. Danville\u2019s chain restaurants all pay meals tax, sales tax and property tax. These \u201cchains\u201d also provide many jobs to our residents. Many of our \u201cchain\u201d restaurants have proven to be wonderful community partners. Many times the staff members who work community events are not compensated for their time.<\/p>\n

Why is DHJ or any fundraising group in this City required to \u201cmake it fair for the local restaurants\u2019? Does that mean we shouldn\u2019t ask any major company in the United States for sponsorship funds or does this only apply to small restaurants? Hmn\u2026. I don\u2019t see the logic here. I guess you make up rules that apply only in certain instances\u2026<\/p>\n

Personally, I love our small restaurants, but I also know that a city of our size must have our \u201cchains\u201d to not only meet the needs and demands of our residents, but also to serve our many visitors.<\/p>\n

Another misconception: The organizers did not put the sponsorship out for bid, nor did it look for the \u201chighest\u201d bidder. The organizers put a dollar figure on the value of the sponsorship and began recruiting. Actually, Texas Steakhouse was NOT the first business approached. Bronx Boys was given first rights of refusal as a sponsor for 2009. However, they chose not to participate. It is unfortunate that they didn\u2019t feel they could make as much revenue or get as much valuable advertising as another restaurant. Savvy businesses do not sponsor events for the \u201cdollar\u201d they will make at the event; it is for future return.<\/p>\n

Another fallacy: The Community Market has only one kitchen. The Market will be utilized at both ends of the facility this year as is necessary to grow the event. It is not logistically possible to house four concessionaires in this area. There is simply not enough physical space in the kitchen for even two vendors to safely work out of.<\/p>\n

The organizers are planning for a sell-out of 1,000 tickets. This will require a concessionaire who has the staff, equipment and experience to supply a lot of food, very quickly. We are very fortunate to be working with Texas Steakhouse.<\/p>\n

Texas Steakhouse was a sponsor for the 2009 DHJ Concert Series and Fridays at the Crossing. Texas Steakhouse and their staff have been wonderful to work with this past year; they not only financially sponsored our events, but they also gave us many volunteer hours and even hosted events for DHJ in their venue. Texas Steakhouse has proven to be a wonderful community partner to many other groups and non-profits not associated with DHJ.<\/p>\n

Is it a shame that there is a boycott? Absolutely.<\/p>\n

Do you actually think any other event organizers will ever want to work with a small restaurant who may react to them in this manner? Absolutely not.<\/p>\n

Is this publicity helping or hurting Bronx Boys? Since I work with the public every day, I have heard many people share their concern over the negativity of this couple.<\/p>\n

This is the real shame.<\/p>\n

You were correct in stating that my office has supported Bronx Boys and we will continue to do so on a daily basis. However, I am appalled and ashamed that these fine people would react in this manner. I have showcased Bronx Boys on the local tv show \u201cWhat\u2019s up Danville\u201d several times, they are listed on our website, we even have included a stop at their restaurant on one of our new group tour itineraries. It made me deeply saddened and quite disappointed to see Bronx Boys act in this manner.<\/p>\n

A resolution: Bronx Boy Bagels never once contacted the Brew Fest sponsorship committee to offer another suggestion, alternative or any other idea of working together. There were many options for this restaurant.
\n\u2022Offer a special dessert at their premises \u201cafter the event\u201d.
\n\u2022Offer special packages for folks who are in town for the event.
\n\u2022Offer to be a ticket outlet to draw more people to the store.
\n\u2022Plan to carry the most successful beers in their business after the event to further encourage traffic to their establishment.
\n\u2022And the list goes on and on\u2026.<\/p>\n

In conclusion: Perhaps a lesson in Marketing could help. Customer Service is King. I personally do business with people who have positive, can-do attitudes. My mama always told me you could draw more flies to honey than you could to vinegar. Perhaps a little southern advice would be beneficial.<\/p>\n

I personally support establishments who support the community. As a matter of fact, this is a national trend, many purchasing decision makers are now voting with their pocketbook and spending money with businesses who give back to the community. I strongly encourage Bronx Boy Bagels to re-visit their approach and become a positive, working partner in this City. I look forward to working with them on future projects and wish them great success.<\/p>\n

Please make plans to join me and the other DHJ volunteers at the 2009 Bright Leaf Brew Fest. It\u2019s a good thing, and it\u2019s good for this community.<\/p>\n

Most Sincerely \u2013 Rosalee Maxwell \u2013 Director of Tourism
\nDanville, Virginia <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rosalee Maxwell, the Director of Tourism for the City of Danville, has written a very detailed response to the concerns noted in SouthsideCentral’s “The Brew Fest Scandal Fest” article. Although her comments were in the original article, I feel that they also deserve the same article status as the original story. Click on the cutline […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4,58,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5529","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-businesscentral","category-danville","category-eventscentral","odd"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pwqFk-1rb","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5548,"url":"https:\/\/www.southsidecentral.com\/wordpress\/2009\/10\/10\/some-more-thoughts-about-the-brew-fest-controversy\/","url_meta":{"origin":5529,"position":0},"title":"Some more thoughts about the Brew Fest controversy…","author":"SouthsideCentral","date":"October 10, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"I talked to Rosalee Maxwell & Heather Vipperman today about the Bright Leaf Brew Fest controversy. 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Tickets are just $27 in advance and you can get yours\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Danville"","block_context":{"text":"Danville","link":"https:\/\/www.southsidecentral.com\/wordpress\/category\/locations\/danville\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"blbf600x90","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.southsidecentral.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/blbf600x90.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.southsidecentral.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/blbf600x90.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.southsidecentral.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/blbf600x90.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":14568,"url":"https:\/\/www.southsidecentral.com\/wordpress\/2015\/11\/19\/2015-bright-leaf-brew-fest-part-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":5529,"position":3},"title":"2015 Bright Leaf Brew Fest \u2013 Part #2","author":"SouthsideCentral","date":"November 19, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"We'll continue our PhotoCentral journey at the 2015 Bright Leaf Brew Fest in this article. We've already published Part #1 in the series. In this article, we're going to get our wristbands and make our way inside. Let's get moving! And away we go... again! Two down, and we're on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Danville"","block_context":{"text":"Danville","link":"https:\/\/www.southsidecentral.com\/wordpress\/category\/locations\/danville\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/i.imgur.com\/ENCGe8Y.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/i.imgur.com\/ENCGe8Y.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/i.imgur.com\/ENCGe8Y.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/i.imgur.com\/ENCGe8Y.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":14573,"url":"https:\/\/www.southsidecentral.com\/wordpress\/2015\/11\/20\/2015-bright-leaf-brew-fest-part-4\/","url_meta":{"origin":5529,"position":4},"title":"2015 Bright Leaf Brew Fest \u2013 Part #4","author":"SouthsideCentral","date":"November 20, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Four in a row! You're loving the PhotoCentral series on Danville's 2015 Bright Leaf Brew Fest, so we're serving up Part #4 for you now. 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