Interview: Maryland Renaissance Festival GM

This Man Helps Make Revel Grove

By Christine Stoddard
QuailBellMagazine.com

Quail Bell recently asked the General Manager of the Maryland Renaissance Festival, Jules Smith, a few serious questions--and he gave us a few serious responses:

• What's the history and origin of the festival? What inspired you to start it?

Renaissance festivals began in California in the mid-sixties, and by 1971 George Coullum (who had been a stained glass vendor in a California show) had arrived in Minnesota and wished to open a festival there. He needed investors and eight people put up $3,000 each to start the event. After the first season, he bought back the shares from all but Julius Smith, who was an attorney in Minneapolis, in order to utilize his services. Six years later he sold the entire event in order to move to Texas and start the Texas Renaissance Festival.  

Smith was looking to start his own festival and a friend, Jim Rouse, who owned the Rouse Company and was building the town of Columbia, Maryland, offered Smith land adjacent to Merriweather Post Pavilion.  The Maryland Renaissance Festival began in 1977 in Symphony Woods next to Merriweather and operated eight years before relocating to a larger piece of property in 1985.  

The Maryland Renaissance Festival is now in its 36th season, its 28th at its present location.  The inspiration was the fun of the event, the enjoyment it brought to attendees and the unique business model that was innovative at its time.

• How has the festival evolved since its inception? How did it become the second-largest renn fest in the United States?

Like most developing events, rather than rapid growth, the festival evolved over time, acquiring additional merchants, expanding the number of stages and increasing the variety of food. Growth followed the economy of scale approach. Additional components were added when it was felt they would be supported or in answer to a demand.  Several innovations occurred that changed the presentation of the Festival and greatly improved its standing with customers.  

Shortly after Jules Smith, Jr. took over in 1986. After overseeing the new site development in 1985, several changes were initiated. Craft merchants were given two years to either remove the items they did not make and expand those they did (although there are some permitted exceptions of intrinsic value to customers), or they would not be invited back to participate. This, along with limiting the number of vendors, so that there would be a high customer to vendor ratio rather than a massive number of merchants selling a mishmash of products, attracted the premier merchants on the circuit. Eventually, even regional merchants who had no products thematic to the show developed lines that would be acceptable in order to participate and realize the potential market benefits.

Secondly, hat passing was phased out and eventually eliminated. Although Maryland has the lowest gate admission price among the major renaissance festivals, it is the only one of them that does not allow hat passing to beg tips from the audience. The festival pays their performers more than other shows in order to ban hat passing, or “busking,” and improve the customer’s experience by removing the badgering of stage acts for money.  

Third, the festival reduced and restructured prices in 1990 to be more family-friendly and attract more customers, opting to create a show sustained by the crowds rather than pushing the acceptable price points to maximize profit while serving fewer people.  

Fourth, the festival introduced fundraising opportunities for local charities and civic organizations (now in its 25th year) to give them a chance to raise money for their causes. This extended the event into the community, raised grass root support and improved the event's perception as a business that gives back.  

Finally, the festival began a profit sharing program with its own food booth managers and some of the games the event operates. This was initiated to improve customer service, encourage employee incentive and loyalty and allowed the event management to be more competitive with the independent food and game vendors at the show. As a result, all the food and games improved and the customer became the beneficiary of the improved product and service.

Each year the Texas, Minnesota and Maryland shows vie for the most attendance. Maryland drew the most in 2007, 2008 and 2010, and Texas the most in 2011. Claiming second place means not having to downgrade from first.  These are the three biggest shows in attendance and the one with the best weather is usually the top show of the year. We have a slightly unfair advantage in that we run a weekend longer than each, but because of geography, we have the smaller site of the three.

• What makes Maryland a great location for a renn fest?

The audience is very appreciative. Acts that work festivals around the country say that the audience here is the quickest and best educated they perform for.  The region survives economic fluctuations better than others, primarily because the Federal Government is constant.  As far as appeal, the Annapolis area is a known and desirable destination already so the festival's proximity to that city is improved by association. It is close enough to D.C. and Baltimore to be a comfortable day trip and far enough that people dedicate themselves to it as the activity of the day rather than just spending some time and then leaving to do some other activity.

• What's your personal favorite thing about the renn fest?

I enjoy most seeing other people enjoy themselves. I like to see people relaxed. They can go at their own pace, see as much or as little as they want. Eat, shop, sing-along, laugh, share experiences with others. We call it a hi-touch, not hi-tech experience. When folks leave--whether it's families with a toy sword and princess hat, dad’s shirt untucked and mom smiling or couples with their arms around each other’s waists or just a group of friends saying good-bye as the sun sets after having spent the day together--it makes me appreciative. Our guests want to enjoy themselves. We just have to provide the place, they’ll figure the rest out on their own.