How did you get into the industry?

I graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education from Middle Tennessee State University. I was a Physical Education teacher for 10 years and I knew that was not the profession for me. I was asked to coordinate a holiday craft show for the local community center as a fundraiser. I always enjoyed festivals, craft shows, and expos as a child, as well as an adult so I was very excited to take on the challenge! The event went so well my husband told me that I should pursue event coordination for a living. Having no idea where to start, I prayed about it for seven months for The Lord’s guidance on what to do. God spoke to my heart, “Touch the Sky Events” which was the perfect name for my company as my favorite song is “Touch the Sky” by Hillsong United. In July of 2016 Touch the Sky Events & Promotions was created, and the rest is history!

What’s new in the business?

The evolution of new events has been popular among the event business. Everything from a Honeybee Festival to a Men’s Expo to a Grilled Cheese Festival, festival-goers are sure to find something that fits their interests!

Where do you see opportunities or challenges for the business moving forward?

In my experience, I have seen an increased amount of event coordinators start a lot of events with a much lower vendor booth fee. This is attractive to vendors as they see the lower booth fee vs. our higher booth fee. What people don’t realize is, you get what you pay for. There are reasons why our booth fees are higher; we pay a lot in advertising. Once the vendors experience this for themselves, they are willing to pay the higher booth fee for more foot traffic. More foot traffic = more sales for the vendors. As a company, we need to keep our customer service at the top of our game and never let any part of it slip. We provide the community with high-quality vendors with great products and we do not want to lose them.

What is your goal for the business moving forward?

My goal for this business is to have everyone know and trust our brand. I want not only the vendors to know, but the customers to know that when they attend an event promoted and coordinated by Touch the Sky Events, it will be an event memorable and worth going to. People have a lot of options to choose from when it comes to family entertainment. I want our events to be an activity the families of the community look forward to year after year.

Talk to us about training and support, how do you deliver?

The franchisee will go through a thorough 1-2 week training session that will include office work as well as hands-on training at a LIVE event. They will experience encounters with the vendors, attendees, venue personnel, entertainment, and my staff members. I, personally, will be the franchisees point of contact for training and support. I will also be conducting live Zoom calls with all franchisees twice a month where they are welcome to ask any questions they have as well as discuss the past weekend’s events (if applicable).

What is the fee structure?

The franchise fee is a one-time $35,000 fee. There is a royalty fee that is 8% of the franchisees monthly gross sales OR $500, whichever is greater.

What is the size of a territory?

Each franchisee is assigned territory of 150,000 people or more. That franchisee is allowed to promote and coordinate 6-10 events per year in their territory.

What does a day in the life of a franchisee look like?

This looks very different depending on the time of year. Regardless, the website will need to be updated daily. Franchisees will process vendor applications, email vendors, respond to emails received, and return phone calls every day. When event season is not underway, franchisees will be booking venues, booking entertainment for their events, emailing vendors notifying them of upcoming events, posting upcoming events on certain websites to begin advertising, booking billboards, etc. If the event season is coming up within a month, the franchisee will begin social media ads, placing vendors in booth assignments, arranging entertainment schedules, emailing entertainers, security, venue personnel, insurance, etc. Each event has a checklist included with it so the franchisee will know what to do and when to do it.

Who is the idea franchise candidate?

• Personable and outgoing 
• Excellent communicator  
• Energetic 
• Involved in the community 
• Organized  
• Ability to work with different personalities at any given time 
• Professional 
• Responsive  
• Quickly accommodate to change  
• Progressive in future growth  
• Ability to bring vendors and customers together to one marketplace
• Time Management

What are the goals for the franchise model in the future?

We would like to have multiple locations, provide jobs for people who are excited about coordinating events for the community, and small businesses a successful platform to sell their products and services! This event industry is unique and exciting! Our brand recognition and marketing will become a household name that families in the community will trust. Not only is this beneficial for the attendees of the community, but local businesses as well. We give small and large, business owners a platform to sell their goods and services to a captive audience. We create a marketplace and an entertainment avenue for family-friendly activities that are beneficial for everyone involved!

For more information on the franchise, visit our website at www.TouchTheSkyEvents.com