With the goal of producing a five-year strategic plan, the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association and Star Insights, a L.A.-based strategic advisory firm, co-created a five-phase strategic planning process that emphasized inclusion and collective input from our stakeholders

DISCOVERY & EXPLORATION

Between February and March 2022, members of the Association’s Strategic Planning Team and Star Insights met on a weekly basis to develop a framework for a listening and input phase of the strategic planning process. We co-created a stakeholder map and set of core strategic questions to support engagement with members of our community. For additional details about this phase of the planning process, please refer to the “Discovery & Exploration Overview.”

In the spirit of driving an inclusive strategic planning process, we engaged a diverse range of internal and external stakeholders. We wanted them to share their thoughts, ideas, and unique perspectives on the Association’s strategic future through various listening activities, including individual interviews, small and large virtual group workshops, and a strategic planning survey. More than 20 stakeholder groups representing more than 1,000 individuals were engaged through this phase. The engagement level was strong, and the volume of ideas and input was significant, with activities connecting to more than 300 Association stakeholders.

We engaged a diverse range of Tournament of Roses stakeholders to create the Strategic Framework and Strategic Priorities. Participants included: Sponsors (current and past), Broadcast Partners, Float Participants (current and past), Float Builders (commercial and self-built), City and State officials, Community leaders, Staff and Association Members at all levels.

At the conclusion of Discovery & Exploration, Star Insights summarized the key learnings into an internal-facing “Learnings & Implications” (L&I) report. Insights in the L&I report informed our highly interactive strategy development workshops between June and July and served as the basis for the iterative development of our final strategic framework and plan.

WORKSHOPS TO CO-CREATE OUR STRATEGIC PLAN

Throughout the strategic planning process, engaged stakeholders emphasized a focus on our ability to deliver and execute – the need for practical solutions that are followed through with central accountability for the five-year plan, including post-measurement tracking. It is ideal when the plan is integrated into our annual business activities, so it is clear how to operationalize the priorities.

To complement this need, we co-created and launched a series of highly interactive workshops that drove the development of our Strategic Framework and Strategic Priorities for the Association’s Strategic Plan. In addition, the reports created by Star Insights served as a reference for future planning activities with the Executive Committee and other identified stakeholder groups based on topics and focus areas identified. Through this process, we also engaged in workshops and discussions to update and refresh our Mission, Vision and Values that will support this strategic plan and elevate our future.

MISSION

We bring people together to celebrate the hope and joy of a new year filled with unlimited possibilities – inspiring imagination and creating memories.

VISION

Enriching lives through the arts, sports, storytelling and community.

VALUES

Champion volunteerism
Respect traditions
Advance innovation
Cultivate leadership
Embrace diversity, equity and inclusion
Have fun

The Pasadena Tournament of Roses has a rich history. The Association has been an integral part of our local community, and through our iconic events, we’ve brought hope and joy of the new year to people around the world for more than 135 years. As we look to the plan for the future, we must acknowledge the tremendous changes taking place in the world around us. These changes impact our ability to stage and host our iconic flagship events: the Rose Parade® (“Parade”) and the Rose Bowl Game® (“Game”). From global pandemics, to rising inflation and changing formats of how entertainment content is consumed, there are many significant, macro-level forces at work. Additionally, there are seismic shifts taking place in college football that will impact not only the Rose Bowl Game, but also the future of college athletics as a whole.

All of these influences indicate the need for the Association to develop a forward-looking, resilient, and flexible mindset and corresponding road map to change and adapt to an evolving world. Our new five-year plan will lay the framework and foundation for our Association as we move forward and navigate these rapidly changing times. The passion and dedication demonstrated through this process by our internal and external stakeholders was truly impressive. We are committed to making the changes necessary to move the organization forward and achieve the vision we all have for its future success.

Ensure the Future of our Assets:
The Parade and Game

Reimagine and Reinforce
the Membership Model

Elevate our Brands

Enhance Relationships
and Community Collaboration

Align Association Resources
to Optimize impact

These themes are common areas of focus that are interwoven within each of our Strategic Priorities. Consideration of these themes will be critical as business plans are developed.

• Prioritizing Fiscal Sustainability
• Strengthening our Community
• Embracing Innovation, Change, and Technology
• Striving for Excellence
• Leveraging the Power of Storytelling & Communication

The Association is the owner and steward of two valuable assets. The Rose Parade (“Parade”) and the Rose Bowl Game (“Game”) are both iconic, bucket-list events that have had deep personal meaning for generations of people. Stakeholders have championed the events within their companies as sponsors, float participants and broadcast partners. To ensure the Parade remains a prestigious, culturally relevant and internationally recognized event, we must continue to solicit regular feedback from our vested external stakeholders.

The issues associated with the Parade are complex and multifaceted. While its aggregated television viewing ratings continue to be exceptionally strong, shifts in the landscape and how viewers consume media have resulted in some softening in the ratings. Other metrics, including sponsor turnover and broadcast partners changes, point to a need to evaluate our value proposition in the marketplace. The Parade’s long-term success is dependent on many factors, including financial sustainability in the face of increasing production costs. Other considerations that need to be addressed include planning for the long-term capability to build floats, ensuring the relevance of Parade content including broadening appeal to target audiences and the importance of sustaining a motivated volunteer membership.

The Rose Bowl Game, which has been a part of college football for more than 100 years, is entering a unique period in its history as the landscape of college football continues to change. Significant shifts in the college football world will require the Tournament of Roses to remain flexible and open to change as we work to ensure the traditions of The Granddaddy of Them All.

SUPPORTING STRATEGIC INITIATIVES

ROSE PARADE

• Support our current broadcast partner model while exploring new models, media opportunities and platforms to generate added revenue and reach new audiences.
• Ensure the longevity of our commercial float-building capability and evaluate short-term and long-term strategies for the continued viability of producing floats.
• Determine the best model to create financial stability and independence.
• Explore and analyze the best plan for monetization of the Parade and its ancillary events.
• Study, itemize and strengthen our control of the Association’s Intellectual Property, data, relationships, and other brand touch points as we develop a plan to ensure long-term ownership and possible monetization.
• Identify, evaluate and embrace the target audiences and work to better understand and maximize the influence the Parade can exert on these audiences.
• Explore the development of a formal structure for gathering ongoing feedback and insights from key internal and external partners.

ROSE BOWL GAME

• Develop a strategic direction, aligned and in partnership with the College Football Playoff expansion and our conference partners, that preserves the Rose Bowl Game brand and its storied relationship with the history of college football.
• Establish strategic focus and investment, while remaining flexible, around the changing college football landscape to positively impact the Rose Bowl Game brand and its connection with the Rose Parade and America’s New Year Celebration.
• Explore how to further nurture and enhance the fan experience for all fans that embraces new innovations and technologies that refresh and modernize the overall game experience.
• Work closely with our partners at the Rose Bowl Stadium to continue to innovate the venue and keep it competitive when compared with other venues in the Los Angeles market.
• Capitalize on our relationships and work collaboratively with our partners in college football.

As a volunteer-led organization, the Association’s mission and world-renowned events have been stewarded and elevated through our membership’s collective and consistent achievements of excellence. Our Member’s devotion of time, expertise, and efforts to the planning and execution of our world-renowned Parade and Game has been, and will remain, crucial to the Association’s future success.

The stability of our membership has been challenged in recent years. Evolving societal attitudes towards volunteerism, including the need to better engage our members and provide meaningful experiences, have elevated our need to strategically address the significant shifts we’ve observed within our membership.
As we look to the Association’s future, it will be crucial to explore how we continue to attract the next generation of volunteers, while also ensuring current Members feel appreciated, supported and valued for their role in our future success.

SUPPORTING STRATEGIC INITIATIVES

• Evaluate and address the significant shift in the Association’s membership base, placing focus on the factors leading to volunteer resignations, future recruitment and retention practices and fostering a more engaging and rewarding membership culture.
• Develop new and innovative ideas to attract and retain Members in support of the Association’s future success.
• Assess and optimize the roles and functions of membership committees and staff responsible for membership development.
• Explore opportunities to align staff and Member efforts for collaborative contributions to strategic priority areas.
• Evaluate and explore opportunities to improve cross-collaboration, efficiencies and communications through technology.
• Focus on member satisfaction by emphasizing a culture of Member appreciation, offering enhanced opportunities for members to socialize, and providing opportunities for development of leadership skills.

Our marquee events, the Rose Parade and the Rose Bowl Game, have built and sustained significant brand equity over the years. The three brands that comprise the Tournament of Roses’ brand family – the Association, Parade and Game – share positive brand attributes: unique, world-class, prominent, celebratory, historic, nostalgic, familial, storied, cherished and iconic. The positive brand characteristics can be emphasized to effectively elevate our collective brands for the next generation of Members and fans.

For more than a century, the Tournament of Roses has been an economic powerhouse and generous benefactor for the City of Pasadena and the surrounding region; however, many people are unaware or unclear of our significant contributions. For all of our excellent work, we have been modest in heralding our generous giving and haven’t taken advantage of the positive impact these efforts should have had on the brand. This, coupled with a certain mystique surrounding the organization and challenges within our history, has impacted our brand reputation.

Our sub-brands each require their own focus and attention. The Game’s brand, related to the event itself, is very strong. On the other hand, the Parade’s brand identification has become less clear. For our flagship events to sustain and thrive, our leadership and marketing department must continue distinguishing and strengthening each brand’s unique DNA. By being open and flexible about embracing new ideas that emphasize unique aspects and diminish negative sentiments of our sub-brands, we can both strengthen and future-proof the events.

SUPPORTING STRATEGIC INITIATIVES

THE ASSOCIATION

• Articulate a clear, contemporary brand statement that honors our traditions and aligns with our refreshed Mission, Vision and Values. The brand statement will serve as a north star for our decision-making.
• Elevate all of our communications to ensure strong, compelling storytelling and messaging
• Re-evaluate all of our current and future branded events for relevancy through the lens of our newly articulated brand statement.
• Explore options to expand the brand identification and reach on a year-round basis to increase brand awareness, audience engagement and sponsorship revenue.

ROSE PARADE AND ROSE BOWL GAME

• Articulate clear, contemporary brand statements for the Parade and Game and continue working to define the target audiences for each asset.
• Modernize and evolve the Parade and Game brands to improve the audience experience and engagement in ways that respect legacy and tradition and stay true to our brands’ essence.
• Take advantage of how today’s audience consumes and engages with the media to ensure relevance and increase awareness and engagement.
• Focus on strengthening and growing our multi-generational appeal.

As a global organization, the Association interacts with a variety of communities – our community of Members, the geographic and diverse communities of Southern California, and the communities around the world from which our participants come. For more than a century, the Tournament of Roses has made substantial contributions to these various communities through a blend of event-driven economic impact and other forms of giving.

• Annual generation of $200 million dollars in economic impact to the surrounding region
• Donations of $500,000 to area nonprofits and community organizations annually
• Providing an estimated $1.2 billion dollars to America’s colleges and universities over the past several decades though the Rose Bowl Game

By investing more strategically in efforts to educate the public around our community involvement, the Association should not only aim to illustrate its rich history of giving, but also emphasize a forward-looking commitment to cultivate meaningful, engaging and service-oriented relationships within our communities. Beyond our community involvement, developing a heightened understanding of what our internal and external partners need and want from their relationship with us is vital and something that continues to evolve. Strengthening clarity around what our stakeholders value will in turn support the mobilization of our resources, confirm a commitment to our collective relationship and provide insight to any significant shifts. Through closer relationships and better understanding of our stakeholders, we have the potential to realize greater collective impact.

SUPPORTING STRATEGIC INITIATIVES

• Develop a Relationship Management plan and determine the resources necessary to better serve our external stakeholders and their needs.
• Amplify and educate audiences around the Association’s community work to showcase impact, placing focus on recent hands-on initiatives.
• Foster existing community relationships and recent Association work to further our future community engagement and initiatives.
• Optimize usage of Association assets (i.e. Membership, Parade, Game) to enhance the Association’s presence in the community.
• Invest in and support diverse communities throughout the region
• Explore how local community partnerships can further support the growth of the Association’s regional community presence.
• Explore aligning with flagship causes and mission-driven organizations to amplify impact connected to the Association’s strategy for community collaboration.

For more than a century, Members and professional staff have worked together to produce New Year’s Day celebrations including the Rose Parade and the Rose Bowl Game. To ensure future Association success, it will be essential to explore how the organizational structure, decision-making processes, roles, responsibilities, collaborations, and culture will operate to sustain our mission, vision, values and future business plans.

We must allocate our resources efficiently while utilizing tools and reducing redundancies and making better use of resources and processes. Empowering Members and staff with the tools and resources to make critical decisions and drive progress will continue to be vital to the organization. In addition, we must continue to encourage the exploration and testing of new approaches and opportunities. Finally, where possible, staff departments and committees should be evaluated and aligned to support the strategic priorities.

SUPPORTING STRATEGIC INITIATIVES

• Review the Association structure, including committees and departments, to create a more agile model that can respond to our evolving needs and is aligned with our strategic priorities.
• Evaluate the comprehensive human resources necessary to best serve the needs of the sponsors and our strategic priorities in the areas of relationship management, research, and data analytics; explore ways to better allocate those resources.
• Evaluate and enhance a goal-oriented and accountable Parade sales organization structure with optimal resources focusing on national sponsorship and partnership growth and longevity.
• Ensure performance goals for the organization are aligned with strategic plan initiatives that are tied to measurable targets that drive future impact and outcomes.
• Create strategic measures that unify collective effort and collaboration across the Association.
• Explore the creation of a strategic advisory board (internal and external to the Association) that complements the Executive Committee and Association leadership and emphasizes innovation, new technology ideas, and how to optimally achieve our strategic priorities.
• Research resources and functions that emphasize data and analytics to drive outcomes and performance.
• Define what service mindset is for the Association and integrate this mindset throughout our culture and future plans.
• Develop a culture that encourages innovation, listening, and testing to identify and incubate new ideas and programs and creates an environment that builds upon quick wins and allows fast failure.