Summer Arts Festival Event Game Workshop

The Omaha Summer Arts Festival and Lively Omaha joined forces to engage artists, vendors, board members and the public in an Event Game Workshop on Saturday, June 28th 2003, during the Festival. Lively Omaha facilitators led small groups by looking, listening and walking around the Festival and then brainstorming ideas to make the event even better. The Event Game is an adaptation of the Place Game created by Lively Omaha to help public event organizers and their boards.

The results of this Event Game were distributed to the Summer Arts Festival Board to assist them in their evaluation of this year's event and to plan for future festivals. Vic Gutman, Summer Arts Festival organizer said, "The Event Game conducted by Lively Omaha provided all of us associated with the Festival valuable insights into how the festival-goer sees the event and how we can make it better, more fun and more inclusive for all Omahans."

The festival is in its 29th year and has grown to include the works of 135 painters, potters, jewelers and sculptors. There are over two dozen food vendors, several street and stage performers including blues, jazz, Latin, reggae, calypso, alternative rock, folk, disco and big band. Family activities include a Children's Fair with creative, hands-on activities, a Family Entertainment Stage with music, magic and dance, plus a Young Artist Exhibition, a showcase of artwork created by school children in grades 6 through 12.

The Event Game Workshop participants were assigned to three festival activities including the Children's Area, Food and Entertainment and the Artist's Area.

Emerging Themes

Specific short-term and long-term improvement ideas were developed by each team at the sessions for all the functions observed. The concepts for each area or activity are presented here.

Children's Activities

Food and Entertainment

Artists Areas

In addition to improvement ideas, Event Game participants came up with organizations and groups that might be interested in becoming partners to help implement their suggestions.

Local Partners

For more information about Lively Omaha and the Place Game, email connie@livelyomaha.org.