We are seeking volunteers to be part of the Festival Planning Committee to help plan for 16^th Annual Arizona Dragon Boat Festival on March 30 – 31, 2019.  Please see below the festival flowchart and description of any position that you like to help with for planning the festival.

This is an amazing opportunity to develop professional and personal growth by leading or helping with any part of the festival committee. You can shadow a director or committee to get the experience too if you feel you are not ready to take on a position solo.  Also, planning hours for the festival are counted towards any project management certification and/or experience. Yes, you will have to attend all festival meeting so you are aware of what is being done and what is needed.  Most importantly, your contribution would help expand AZDBA’s growth and awareness of dragon boat sports within Arizona that we all enjoy.

We will be having our first festival kick-off meeting on Saturday, Oct 27th at 1 pm until to 3 pm at McFate’s Brewery Restaurant.

1312 N Scottsdale Rd, Scottsdale, AZ 85257

Please send an email to festival@azdba.org if interested or have any questions about the positions.

Desiree Simmons and Binal Patel
AZDBA Festival Committee

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Festival Directors

(UP – Unable to paddle during festival)

Festival Directors (UP) – Serves at the festival focal point, oversees steering committees, and manages festival budget. Serves as the liaison to the City of Tempe, supports the Festival directors, and helps oversee steering committees.

• Festival Director (UP) – Oversees and lead steering committees: Charity, Sponsorship/Gift baskets, Entertainment, Creative, Media & Publicity, Website/Social Media, Team Party

• Operation Director (UP) – Oversees and lead steering committees: Insurance & Permits, Facilities, Security, Vendors, Transportation, Parking, Team Hotel Accommodation and Volunteer

• Race Director (UP) – Oversees and lead steering committees: Teams/Practice Coordinator, On the Water, On the Land, Finish/Start Line, Boat Equipment, and BCS

Committee Descriptions

Festival Treasurer – Tracks all income and expenses from the festival.

Breast Cancer Survivor (BCS) – Serves as liaison for BCS teams and oversees BCS ceremony at the festival.

Charity – Serves as liaison for designated charity, oversees charity contract, and manages any charity pledge program and/or fundraiser.

Creative – Creates and obtains awards, T-shirts, festival program, and publicity material.

Entertainment (UP) – Solicits entertainers, creates festival entertainment schedule, coordinates opening and closing ceremonies, and coordinates with BCS presentation.

Facilities – Coordinates all equipment (e.g. stage, sound system, tables, chairs, tents, port-a-potties, etc.), creates festival site layout, and oversees set-up and clean-up of festival.

Finish Line Officials (UP) – Manages the race times, timing tent and ensure the IDBF guidelines are followed.

Insurance & Permits– Ensures that time-sensitive insurance policies (e.g. vendor, etc.) and required permits (e.g. lake, vendor, entertainment, etc.) are processed as required by the City of Tempe and Maricopa County.

Kidz Dragon Lair – Coordinates kid activities and programs.

Media & Publicity – Secures media (e.g. radio, print, television, website, etc.) for the festival and tracks media coverage, newspapers, AZ TV, and news stations.

On-the-Water (UP) – Coordinates on-the-water requirements with the City of Tempe for practices and race weekend, coordinates use of safety launches, sets up race course, and helps create the festival race schedule.

On-the-Land (UP) – Coordinates on-the-land requirements, organizes supplies (e.g. paper, ropes, cones, etc.) required on race day, coordinates marshalling areas and docks, and helps create the festival race schedule.

Parking/Transportation (UP) – Coordinates public parking with City of Tempe, private property owners, and businesses. Coordinates shuttle transportation for teams and the public from parking locations or hotels to and from the race site.

Safety & Security– Coordinates security for the boats and coordinates with City of Tempe’s safety/security requirements for EMT’s, police, etc.

Social Media / Website– Manages & updates festival information on the AZDBA website and social media applications.

Sponsorships/ Fundraisers – Solicit sponsorships for festival, which may include phone calls and/or letters and coordinates sponsor participation in festival (e.g. teams, logos, banners, etc.), talks with businesses, companies, etc. to get funding or any type of in-kind items needed for the festival. Also, coordinates AZDBA Gift Basket festival fundraiser and other fundraisers.

Start Line Official (UP) – Manages start line-up, commands and ensure the IDBF guidelines are followed.

Team Party – Plans the Friday night Team Happy Hour: location, food, entertainment, and door prizes.

Team/Practice Coordinator– Serves as the liaison for teams, solicit teams, provides communications, and organizes team registration and all practices.

Team Hotel Accommodation – Coordinates hospitality for out-of-town teams.

Vendors– Coordinates and solicits vendors, assists vendors with permit process and set-up prior to and during festival, and creates vendor layout.

Lead Volunteers (UP) – Recruits volunteers to assist with festival security and event activities, coordinates pre-festival volunteer meeting, volunteer assignments/training, obtains T-Shirts, and supervises volunteers on the days of the event.