For The Love Of Chocolate
A themed event so sweet you can taste the success
By Matthew Kaiser
Photos: city of Fairfax, Va.
The absence of fun gatherings during a year of lockdown was especially deflating for parks and recreation staff in the city of Fairfax, Va., a small community located 20 miles west of Washington, D.C. The staff members take pride in organizing large community events throughout the year for residents and visitors, and canceling one event after another was very dispiriting.
One event that was sorely missed was the annual Chocolate Lovers Festival, held the weekend before Valentine’s Day. The festival kicks off the city’s events season with a two-day celebration of everything chocolate, and it is extremely popular. (The festival was voted the Best Food Festival by Virginia Living magazine a few years ago.) “The community knows, in the dead of winter, they have something to look forward to: chocolate,” says Cathy Salgado, parks and recreation director.
As vaccinations continue and limits on gathering sizes are lifted, now is an opportune time to brainstorm new events to engage your community. First, let’s take a look at how Fairfax’s festival came to be and what the city has learned in the nearly 30 years of hosting it.
Economic Recovery
In 1992, as the city was recovering from a nationwide economic recession, a committee was formed to draw people to Old Town Fairfax, the city’s entertainment and retail district. The committee, which includes the local Chamber of Commerce and business associations, George Mason University, the city of Fairfax, and other clubs and civic organizations, decided to create an event around the theme of “the love of chocolate.” Their vision was to hold a fun, memorable event in the heart of Fairfax to boost economic activity and foster cooperation among city government, the business community, and residents.
After covering costs, each organization contributes 15 percent of its proceeds to the grants fund. Four thousand dollars are split two or three ways among nonprofit organizations that support city residents, such as food banks, the city band, and the library’s friends group.
The inaugural Chocolate Lovers Festival was held in 1993, and the city knew it had a winner. Foodie festivals are popular now, but there was nothing in the region like the festival then. It was unique, and people ate it up. The festival has been held every year since, except for 2021, due to COVID-19.
At the center of the festival is The Taste of Chocolate. Chocolatiers from near and far gather inside Old Town Hall to share samples and sell their confections. Even on the coldest days, the line stretches from the columned entrance down the block and around Old Town Square.
Other activities are spread throughout Old Town Fairfax, including a cake walk, the Kiwanis Club barbeque lunch and craft show, and a silent auction to support grants, along with traditional festival activities, such as balloon animals, magic shows, jugglers, live music, and photo opportunities. Community partners offer eye screenings, fingerprinting, and storytelling. To take advantage of the influx of people, the city opens its historic buildings for tours.
One of the most popular activities during the festival is the Liquid Chocolate tent. This event was added several years ago to provide something for adults to do at night. Inside the heated tent, attendees can quench their thirst with a fizzy chocolate soda, sip on intoxicating cocoa whiskey, or relax with a soothing cup of chocolate tea. A warm and festive atmosphere is created as people explore new chocolatey concoctions and indulge themselves.
All of these activities keep people downtown, driving business to retailers and restaurants. “Chocolate Lovers is unique in the metro D.C. region. It is the perfect event to highlight the city as a destination,” says Salgado.
A Boost For Old Town Fairfax Businesses
Since the primary purpose of Chocolate Lovers Festival is driving business to Old Town Fairfax, the Fairfax City Economic Development Authority (EDA) is involved. EDA runs the Golden Ticket Contest, in which festival attendees visit stores to purchase a Golden Ticket Bar in hopes of finding a golden ticket inside. Those who find a ticket have the opportunity to win a gift basket of city-branded items, gift cards, and coupons. The contest provides potential customers to 20 to 30 businesses that don’t have an active role in the festival. Proceeds from the chocolate bars are donated to the grant recipients. The contest exemplifies how EDA capitalizes on robust events to connect people to the business community.
The Secret Ingredient Is Leadership
Chocolate Lovers Festival averages 5,000 to 7,000 attendees on Saturday and 3,000 to 4,000 on Sunday. Compared to the logistics of running Fall Fest (30,000 attendees), the Independence Day Parade, and Rock the Block, a concert series that draws up to 3,000 people per show to Old Town Square, hosting Chocolate Lovers Festival is a breeze.
That’s easy to say when the festival has strong leadership from the city’s events coordinator, Mitzi Taylor. The committee members work well together and are not tribal about individual activities or sharing volunteers, but Taylor, who has been organizing the festival for a decade, is the undisputed chief.
All Hands On Deck
Chocolate Lovers Festival requires a coordinated effort. For the city, this means recruiting other departments to help with setup, traffic, fire safety, trash removal, and marketing. City employees understand the work and time commitment to help deliver safe, successful community events.
Coordination with businesses that wish to participate improves the event. As examples, the local hardware store runs a “construct a cupcake” activity, and a storefront that was changing ownership provided space for the cake walk. Coordinating these additional sites ahead of time ensures they are listed on the event map provided to attendees.
Boots On The Ground
Setting up the festival and keeping it clean falls to the park and recreation’s operations crew, and much of that is handled by as few as three people. They manage the tent contracts and fill barrels with water to stabilize the erected tents. The crew sets up tables, monitors propane heaters, empties trash and recycling bins, places directional signs, installs lights, and checks electrical connections.
Fencing is used to protect Old Town Square, create parking, and manage foot traffic. The crews use plastic fencing or snow fencing because metal “cattle gates” are too heavy. Preserving stamina is important when supporting a multi-day event.
Balancing The Books
According to event treasurer Larry Larson, Chocolate Lovers Festival costs between $2,500 to $3,700 to run. The figure can be as high as $7,000 in years when the committee purchases merchandise such as cookbooks and sweatshirts. Larson emphasizes the importance of keeping accurate records, managing bank accounts, collecting receipts, and tracking expenditures and revenues.
Planning Never Stops
With limited space available at a highly popular event, chocolate vendors begin reserving tables for the next festival as soon as the current one ends. Salgado recommends planning at least six to nine months in advance. This allows enough time to select an open date, lock in vendors, and promote the event. (Park catalogs are often assembled six months ahead of time.) Salgado stresses the need to involve volunteers to help organize and staff the event.
Keep It Fresh
After Taylor organized the festival for two years, she felt it had grown stale. To spice things up, she added a cake walk and Liquid Chocolate. “Adding alcohol was a big hit,” she says. The new activity extended the festival into Friday evening and created a buzz for the unique drinks available.
Committee member Paula McMillan used her background in interior design to create a new floorplan inside Old Town Hall, which reduced bottlenecks, created space for a few more vendors, and improved overall foot traffic at Taste of Chocolate. Event planners should plan the flow of an event from start to finish and consider the attendees’ experience.
But for all the ideas that worked well, there were others that fizzled. For example, a Willy Wonka event held at a nearby community center, where people could enjoy chocolate and a movie, wasn’t well-attended. It’s possible that the location, which is a long, cold walk in February, was just too far from the main event.
And still there were others:
The Chocolate Challenge, which Taylor describes as “very cute,” is a cake-baking and decorating contest judged by the mayor and a George Mason University representative. The event had no entries in 2020, but nearly 40 people participated the year before. Entries for 2022 will be solicited earlier in an attempt to revive the contest. Taylor doesn’t want to lose the “community vibe.”
The Kiwanis Club held a popular pancake breakfast at the firehouse, but it lost money. The volunteer firemen were also tired from the bingo event held the night before.
The Retired Teachers Association opened a nearby historic schoolhouse for tours, but due to a lack of interest, it will probably remain closed.
The city ran a shuttle called the Chocolate Express, but the bus service was too expensive for the small number of riders it served.
A coupon book was created one year to attract sales, but participation by retailers and restaurants was spotty.
The takeaway here is to be open to ideas and give them a try. Monitor how they perform and decide if they are worth continuing. You never know if you’ll stumble across a keeper like Liquid Chocolate.
Improving The Recipe For Success
Due to the capacity of Old Town Hall, people often wait in long lines in the cold to enter the building. The Chocolate Lovers Festival Committee is discussing selling tickets with timed entries. This will cut down on wait times outdoors and reduce the crowd size indoors.
All event planners should consider making spending money easy for attendees. Many people don’t carry cash anymore, so providing a credit-card service and other e-payment options is expected. This requires providing reliable Wi-Fi service.
A unique form of payment is employed at Taste of Chocolate. Attendees purchase pogs, described as wooden nickels or poker chips. Pogs allow for a quick exchange and are counted at the end of the event. Vendors are paid at the end. The only problem is pogs aren’t accepted for other activities, such as Liquid Chocolate, which uses tickets. This can be frustrating for attendees who expect a seamless experience as they move from one activity to the next. The committee is now considering a form of universal payment.
A Vendor’s Sweet Testimony
Ellen Graham and her husband founded Every 1 Can Work in 2012. Their nonprofit organization creates permanent employment opportunities for young adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities. Employees work at the nonprofit’s store, Cameron’s Chocolates and Coffee.
Cameron's has sold its delicious chocolate creations at the festival every year since 2014. Graham says participation in Chocolate Lovers Festival has led to more sales at her store. “It is a wonderful way to have our chocolates presented to the community in such a fun way,” says Graham. “Our workers absolutely love being a part of this event and meeting all the people who come from near and far.”
Get Creative. Good Luck!
Once you have identified a fun theme for an event, start planning. Assign a chief, then decide on goals, location, dates, budget, marketing, and who should be involved. Spread the work around, and keep track of everything. Regularly scheduled meetings are helpful. Create an event book to reference in the future. Remember to focus on the user experience.
Fairfax City is looking forward to bringing the festival back in 2022, sweeter and richer than ever!
Matthew Kaiser is the communications and marketing director for the city of Fairfax, Va. Reach him at Matthew.Kaiser@fairfaxva.gov.