Slump Doesn’t Dampen Interest in Rose Parade
Economic concerns have caused a few companies to cancel plans to send floats to the 102nd annual Tournament of Roses Parade, but others have jumped in to fill their places, event organizers and float builders say.
“You always manage to fill the parade, but you may fill it with a different caliber of float,” said Bill Lofthouse, co-owner and president of Bent Parade Floats in Pasadena, the largest local float building firm.
Although he said his gross revenue is down almost $800,000 over the last two years, he is still building 23 of the parade’s 60 floats this year.
The largest, most elaborate entry belongs to General Motors and the United Auto Workers. It features a 70-foot talking wizard. While small floats can be built for $50,000 to $75,000, industry sources said the GM-UAW entry will cost about $300,000.
Twelve companies signed up with the Tournament of Roses Assn. as potential float builders; 10 ended up getting contracts, said association spokeswoman Kristin Tranquada. She said the softening economy has not affected float sponsorship this year; some companies always drop out but others wait to take their places.
Most companies are scrutinizing expenses, but executives say being in the parade is a cost-effective way to reach consumers. An estimated 350 million people see it on television, while another million or so are expected to jam the parade route on New Year’s Day.
Commercial sponsors pay a $3,000 parade fee; civic groups and cities pay $1,000; student or university groups pay $500.
This year, 28 commercial floats, including entries sponsored by Baskin-Robbins ice cream, International House of Pancakes, Security Pacific National Bank, Kmart, China Airlines and Delta Airlines, will roll out before dawn on Jan. 1; 28 other floats are sponsored by cities, towns, churches and civic groups; the remaining entries represent football leagues or ferry the parade queen and her court.
“We regard a float in the Rose Parade as image advertising,” said Malcolm Lumby, vice president of internal communication for First Interstate Bank. “With banks in 20 states, it is a way to let all of our customers know that First Interstate has a national presence.”
Most parade lovers have no idea how much money or time goes into building a float. Until about 15 years ago, builders held other jobs, moonlighting on nights and weekends before the parade. Today, the industry employs about 150 people year-round and hundreds more in the season, which stretches from April to December. In the last weeks before the parade, thousands of volunteers donate time to decorate the floats.
When most Southern Californians head to the beach, Gregory Jenkins and Thomas Neighbors, partners in Bravo Productions, sweat in the searing summer heat in Azuza, already at work on floats.
The towering structures, painted and trimmed, now await finishing touches--fresh flowers, flower petals, dried flowers and organic decorations, everything from potatoes to cinnamon and onion seeds.
Neighbors and Jenkins founded Bravo about three years ago after working for a competitor. This year, they are building five floats, including an entry to celebrate the 700th anniversary of Switzerland’s Alpine Festival and another touting “the Magic of Reading” for First Interstate Bank. They are also building Transamerica Life Cos.’ Alice in Wonderland-themed float, “Such a Curious Game.”
Jenkins got into float building after working in advertising and public relations for major sporting events. Neighbors was designing elaborate head dresses for the Las Floristas Ball when a florist friend introduced him to the world of parades.
Across the bustling Azuza construction yard, their former boss, Rick Chapman, is overseeing his own crew of about 40 workers. Chapman, founder and president of Festival Artists and Floatmasters, is building 11 Rose Parade floats this year. He started the business in 1966 and said half of those in competing firms worked for him at one time or another.
When his workers are not building Rose Parade floats, they keep busy building things for Super Bowl half-time shows and for attractions at Universal Studio.
At Transamerica, Gillian Nash, vice president of corporate communications, said she wanted to work with Bravo because it had a reputation of finishing floats ahead of schedule. “I didn’t want to be sitting there chewing my nails at the last minute,” said Nash, who is working with scores of Girl Scouts to complete the company float.
A special merit badge relating to the history of the Rose Parade is in the works and a lucky Scout will get to play a real-life Alice.
Besides its sponsorship, the company publishes the Rose Parade News, which tells its agents and clients about the float and the parade, Nash said, adding: “A lot of our agents and brokers are scattered across the country in small towns. Being in the Rose Parade gives them local visibility.”
