Fighting Illni Froggers - University of Illinois

Red Frog Events Cast Study Competition

March 10th, 2014

Coming to you from Champaign:

Sari Bernfield Ashley Fister

Jessica Jacobsen Mia Kavensky

Colin Lateano Sarah Levine

Samantha Oberholtzer Kathy Ruda – Team Leader

Jaclyn Schwartz Lauren Wolf

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Outline Page #(s)

• Brand Idea and Goal 3

• Industry 3-4

• Event Name 4

• Branding 5

• Event Description 6-7

• Official Event Tagline 7

• Target Demographic 8

• Event Dates and Locations 9

• Proposed Course Map 9

• Proposed Festival Map 10

• City Official Planning 11

• Pricing Tiers 12

• The Goods 13

• Web and Social Media Launch 14

• Charity 15

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Working late on a beautiful Friday afternoon in the summer is straight up brutal. All you can think about

throughout the day is the moment you finally get to relax, what bar you want to go to next and what fun

things you can do to forget the work day. There is a reason, after all, that society calls the time right after

work “happy hour.”

"Happy Hour Flight" takes that same goal of forgetting about the workweek by combining physical activity

with one, BIG, block party. Taste some beer from that local brewery you pass on your way to work. Try that

famous hot dog from the small stand you hear everyone talking about. You may have lived in Chicago your

whole life and still not seen all that it has to offer. Rediscover your city in a whole new way.

Grab a cold one, grab a neighbor and come be a part of the biggest 5k-block party this city has ever seen!

Using everything that Chicago does the best, “food, beer, and atmosphere”, this 5k aims to take the party

on the run. Typical 5ks end in a party, but this 5k is a party the whole time. Featuring local brewery

tastings, drinking games and all things you love about a summer party, this 5k is unique because it’s about

celebrating the things we already have during the happiest of hours.

Today, mob runs are more popular than ever before. According to the Active Network, 2012-2013 brought

about a 300% increase in some of the most popular mob runs including The Color Run®, 5K Foam Fest,

Run or Dye, and Color Me Rad 5K. These events are only continuing to grow, and 64% of those surveyed by

Active Network planned on participating in another mob run within the next year.

After further investigating the current market, our group discovered the lack of mob runs focused around

drinking. While races such as the Warrior Dash and the Electric Run provide alcohol during the post-race

party, there are few races that serve alcohol during the run itself. In the Chicago-land area, the only beer

run that exists that tries to capture the mob mentality is a newly starting event called the Green Beer Run,

an event held for St. Patrick’s day. While this run focuses on beer, participants only receive one free beer at

the post-race event. For the past two years there has also been the Burgers and Beer 5K in Chicago,

however participants felt that it was poorly organized during the second year. Participants also complained

that they were only provided hot water and Gatorade, rather than beer during the run. One successful beer

run is held in Austin, Texas by a year-round touring company that does tours through Austin on foot.

Participants learn about the city while running and stopping along the way at local pubs for beer. This event

is widely successful and is appreciated by both locals and tourists. There are other 5Ks across the United

States such as the Annapolis Beer Run, Run Before You Crawl, and Rock and Brew Fest that are devoted to

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beer and drinking, however they are community-based and lack the wide-scale national presence that Red

Frog is capable of achieving.

This is where the “Happy Hour Flight” comes in. Since the bar scene is a huge aspect of living in Chicago,

there are thousands of individuals who incorporate this into their lifestyle. Neighborhoods are constantly

holding block parties and festivals throughout the summer, and there were over 400 of these events in the

Chicago-land area between May 2013-September 2013 alone.

After surveying 342 individuals, we found that 72% of individuals would prefer to run in a mob run for the

experience (entertainment, food, drinks), while 28% chose convenience (price, distance, location) as a more

important factor. The “Happy Hour Flight” would be able to combine both of these aspects by providing a

unique experience in Wrigleyville or Wells Street, which are popular locations among our 25-34 year-old

demographic. In order to expand the “Happy Hour Flight” brand, RFE will need to utilize a variety of

resources including, but not limited to, a block party permit, partnerships with local Chicago pubs,

sponsorships from beer distributors, volunteers, and social media.

“Happy Hour Flight” Why “Happy Hour?”

Happy hour is a marketing term for a time period of bliss related to booze. No great night is absolute

without a happy hour. Chicago just so happens to have countless establishments with incredible deals and

steals; especially in the bar-infested Wrigleyville area we plan to hold this event in. At many bars and

breweries, flavorsome microbrews are poured at PBR prices. Why “Flight?”

A beer flight is similar to a wine tasting, where people are allowed the ability to sample beers and are given

the opportunity to become more familiar with all of the new beers being introduced into the market

everyday. It is usually four to five small glasses of different beers, progressing from light to dark. The

thriving industry offers many different styles that it is hard to try them all! Tasting multiple beers opens your

eyes to the distinctions of each offering, as well as discovering new things about your own preferences. A

flight of beers gives you the power of flight – the ability to cover a lot of ground in a short time. For our

event, the power of flight is propelling our runners to reach the finish line.

Chicago Beer Aspect With Chicago’s array of restaurants, bars and breweries with many delicious beers on tap, flights give you

the ability to choose a selection of sample-sized brews to try. A flight of beer gets you about a pint of beer.

This led us to our decision of providing guests with a pint glass with our brand logo. Chicago’s most thriving

craft beer community is Goose Island Brewery. While its flagship restaurant closed down this year, they still

produce quality beers available from other distributors. Our team reached out to Goose Island to see if they

would sponsor our event and they returned the interest.

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The brand includes a variety of fonts. The “Happy Hour” font is Will Regular with black type font, as well as

an edited skyline and sky. “Flight” is in Thirsty Script Extrabold Demo with black type font. “5K” is Calendar

Note type font. Our tagline, “Drink freely, run responsibly” is in Vincent Regular type font.

Black, white, yellow hues, orange, and air force blue make up the color scheme of our brand. Black

contrasts well with the light and bright colors used in the logo. Combined with orange, black gives a very

captivating color scheme. White has a positive connotation, representing charitable organizations. Yellow is

associated with joy, happiness and energy- all feelings we want our runners to feel during our happy hour!

Air force blue has various tones of the color, azure. The purest tones are identified as being the color of the

sky on a clear day. We chose this color because our run is going to be during the summer, hopefully on a

beautiful clear-sky day. Blue is often used to promote products and services related to cleanliness, such as

water, purification, filters, and vodka. It is also a masculine color.

We felt that the skyline in “Happy Hour” added a nice touch. Chicago is known for its beautiful skyline and

the run takes place in the city. Next, the running man is significant because the 5k focuses on the idea of

grabbing a beer “on-the-go!” Finally, the run allows you to sample a “flight” of beers, which is represented

by the beer pint graphic.

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The “Happy Hour Flight” is a twist on bar crawls, where the route is an outdoor 5k and the best local

breweries bring the beer to you. As you’re dashing through Chicago, at every half-mile you can stop and

smell the roses…and grab a cold brew, too! As you finish the run and your flight of beers, there’ll be a huge

block party celebration with more beer, food, games, and live music making it summer’s biggest hit.”

After every half-mile of “Happy Hour Flight”, participants stop for a taste test of a “flight” of local and

national beer. According to our survey responses, people like to have something to look forward to on their

runs. Of course, there will also be multiple water stations along the route to keep everyone hydrated,

especially when drinking alcohol. After the race, we have a block party in Wrigleyville where there will be

multiple booths of vendors, merchandise tent, food and alcohol.

Booze

The run is only the start to your party. After our flight, Chicago trolleys will bring participants back to the

block party where everyone can celebrate their best happy hour of summer. We've talked to Anheuser

Busch about being a main sponsor and with their impressive collection of premium brands like Goose Island,

Green Line, Shock Top, Rolling Rock and Stella Artois, we are sure there is an option for your favorite brew

at the party. Miller-Coors was contacted, but they did not respond. They would be a great addition as well

because of their premium brands including: Blue Moon, Leinenkugel, Redd's Apple Ale and Third Shift. Pabst

Brewery distributors were unavailable to talk but featuring Chicago staple, Old Style and Pabst Blue Ribbon

would be a great addition as well.

Bars along Clark and Addison street will have special promotions for the event. Some of the Wrigleyville bars

we want to make sure to include are: Casey Moran’s, Vines on Clark, Yak-zies on Clark, Murphy’s Bleachers,

Sports Corner, Cubby Bear, Harry Caray’s Tavern, etc.

Local Grub

No summer Chicago festival is complete without bringing in local restaurants to serve your favorite party

foods. Vienna Beef hotdogs, Eli's Cheesecake, deep dish pizza, Italian ice and real brats are all perfect

options for this block party and our team has been in contact with famous local joints like Lou Malnati's,

Portillo’s, Eli's Cheesecake, Annette's Italian Ice and even Garrett's Popcorn. This will be similar to the

“Taste of Chicago”, with a majority of food being free “taste test” samples. However, participants can also

purchase a larger meal if they please. Each participant will be given five free food samples and they will be

encouraged to donate money for the given charity. According to our research, most people don’t want to

indulge in a full-course meal after running a large race – they would much rather save room for beers. All

of these places are what makes Chicago, Chicago.

Block Party Fun

But, this wouldn't be Red Frog if there wasn't something going on at the “Happy Hour Flight's” block party.

At each of our suggested venues, we have marked off special areas for live music and summer classic

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drinking games. Play ladders and bags with a cold beer in hand or really test out your skills in our Happy

Hour Beer Pong Tournament. Other booths will include Red Frog Photo booth, GoPro, and Vine 6 second

video stations (+along the race so you can capture your memories along the route) and neighborhood game

favorites like: beer dunk tank, adult bounce house, ring toss using beer bottles, drunken karaoke ‘idol’

stage, washers, bocce ball, etc. The whole event is about making new friends (or even a new rival) so all

our games are team-based fun to get you meeting new people who want to share a drink.

Jam Out

We plan to reach out to local bands that play a variety of genres from the area to perform at our event.

Some examples include: Local H, Tight Phantomz, Wild Belle, Anatomy of Habits, Kryal x Bankd, Zaramella,

etc. We also hope to reach out to some more popular bands that originated in Chicago such as Fall Out Boy

and Ok Go!

When coming up with the perfect tagline we wanted to encompass the culture of our event; we thought

long and hard about something that would work perfectly. We thought of ideas like “Drink for the buzz, Run

for the high” but we did not think it was appropriate and we did not want Red Frog Events associated with

this kind of event. That being said, we wanted to come up with something that had something to do with

drinking but make it more innocent and fun. When we heard the tag line “Drink Freely, Run Responsibly” we

knew it was the right one for us and we began creating merchandise and flyers centered on it.

This tagline works because it’s short, concise and catchy. This will stick in people’s minds and motivate them

to want to go on this run. Usually, people would say Run Freely and Drink Responsibly, but we wanted more

of a ‘play on words’ that was different, because our run is different. You are taste-testing beers freely, which

is a different experience from other runs of its kind. Our event is about having the best happy hour crawl in

all of Chicago, with the best beer, food and atmosphere. This tagline shows people that this is a new way to

see, taste, and experience Chicago as not just a place, but as a culture. “Drink Freely, Run Responsibly”

encompasses the fun and free-spirited event where family and friends can come, run, drink, taste and

experience Chicago in the most unique way possible. This run gives Chicagoans a chance to experience their

city in a new way, while drinking freely and running responsibly with their friends. This event is a new way

to make memories that are unique to our city, and our culture. It is something that you’ll want to do with

your friends year and year again.

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Age Breakdown of people who have done physical activity within the past 12 months

Gender Breakdown

66.2% 59.7%

Educational Level

76% of respondents have graduated college and are in their career field of choice, primarily working in the

city. They are an educated target market and most likely live near their college friends. This creates a large

social circle for the consumer, which would benefit the “Happy Hour Flight" for more registrants.

Household Income

78.5% of respondents make an income of $150,000+. This is great for the “Happy Hour Flight" because

they will be able to afford to participate in the event. They can pay for the registration fee and most likely

purchase additional merchandise, food and drinks. This will increase the revenue of the run and the more

money that can be potentially donated to St. Jude and local charities.

Lifestyle

This target demographic is called the “Up-and-Comers.” These mobile adults are well-educated, interested

in athletic activities, latest technology and nightlife entertainment. They order from websites like

priceline.com, love to travel around the world, watch shows like South Park and drive cars like the Nissan

Altima Hybrid.

64.40% 67.30% 66.10% 67.10%62.70%

48.80%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

Aged

18‐24

Aged

25‐34

Aged

35‐44

Aged

45‐54

Aged

55‐64

Aged65+

PercentofTotalParticipants(%)

The target market for

Happy Hour Flight is

people aged 25-34 years

old with a disposable

income. They are the age

group who stay the most

active, and would be

inclined to want to

participate in a mob run

with a group of their

friends in the city. They

also want a personal and

exclusive experience.

The target market for

Happy Hour Flight is going

to mainly attract males

25-34 years old, which is

the larger percentage of

this active demographic.

This will bring a larger

crowd to the 5K event.

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Chicago is known as the “Windy City” with many attractions such as North Avenue Beach, Millennium Park,

etc., the list is endless. Our beer run will give participants an opportunity to enjoy craft beers while enjoying

the scenery and atmosphere of the city of Chicago.

After researching different parts of the city, our group decided that the “Happy Hour Flight" block party

would be most successful on Addison and Clark in Wrigleyville. The Wrigleyville area would be a good

location to have a block party because it is a safe, convenient location near many public transportation sites,

which would be easy for participants in the Chicagoland area. Wrigleyville demographics include ethnically

diverse, progressive mix of young singles, couples, and families mainly ages 21-34. Wrigleyville also attracts

early adopters who are tech-savvy and live in fashionable neighborhoods on the urban fringe. They are

affluent, highly educated, and ethnically mixed. Wrigleyville has sports atmosphere surrounded by famous

bars, restaurants and music venues whereas Wells street appeals to our target audience because it is a

community with trendy apartments and condos, fitness clubs and clothing boutiques, casual restaurants and

bars. Another possible route would be run only on the Lake Shore Trail starting near Chase Pavilion and

running to Jane Addams Memorial Park and running back to Chase Pavilion. he event would take place on

a Friday because the run is

“Happy Hour” theme, which

occurs at 5 pm on

Fridays. The run can take

place on a variety of dates

that do not have home Cubs

games for traffic and

overcrowding. The dates of

Friday Cubs away games are

May 9, May 23, May 30, June

13, July 4, July 18, August 1,

August 15, and August

29. Our team thinks that

May 30th would be best,

since it falls right after

Chicago’s Craft Beer Week

and it gives families

something to do if they are

visiting for Memorial Day

weekend.

The Wrigleyville route is

scenic because it is around a

golf course, the lake, a harbor

and a bird sanctuary. It starts

near Lakeshore Drive and

goes north until you hit near

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Montrose Drive. Then the route continues and turns east and then south. The course then continues

south, turning east and looping around to go back north up Belmont Drive. This street then turns into

Lakeshore Drive, and the runners will continue up around the golf course until the finish line, which is a

complete loop. The start and finish lines are the same. This route would be about a block away from where

we want our block party to take place. The block party will take place near Clark and Addison. Wrigleyville

is very prevalent in the beer culture of Chicago, and would be a feasible place to start and end the race.

The area is a nice location for the ending block party and the entire atmosphere would bring out a lot of

prospective runners and partygoers. Our mission is to make this happy hour, the happiest of happy hours by

pairing up exercise with pleasure.

Clark and Addison

The block party is going

to be near Clark and

Addison Street in

Wrigleyville going down

Clark Street because

there are pubs and a lot

of bars to choose from

during this Happy Hour

Flight. There will be

booths set up because

the street is wider,

therefore can

accommodate to hold

many individuals. The

block party will be

between Addison Street

and Cornelia Ave. The

block party is .1 miles

long.

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City Permits

• For the event, we have to complete an outdoor activity and an outdoor festival permit. Those two

permits give us access to both the lakefront and the blocks we want to have a party on. These

permits must be filled out 45 days prior to the event, if not more.

• The Clark street festival will need to notify the CTA about the party and get approval because of the

Clark street bus.

• Before the event is approved, the police district needs to assess the risks. We will need to submit a

site plan and a security plan to be reviewed.

• On our site plan a “command post” must be established for all city services to be regulated from

(see festival mapping for white “Services” stations).

• Every vendor and food truck needs to be submitted for a Chicago vendor permit. The different

permit applies to what they are selling and there are certain rules to apply for food, merchandise and

liquor.

• All vendors have to have a city-approved tent or canopy over their shop. Luckily these booths are

small enough to not require architectural approval but we do have to submit the numbers of tents

are being used for the whole event.

• Our stage will need architectural approval from the city,

• A $1,000,000 insurance plan for the block party must be issued for the event naming with the city of

Chicago as an additional insured member.

City Services

• With police district approval, we can request their presence at events. They will work with a private

security group if we decide to hire one as well.

• The city can provide us with waste containers and recycling bins, along with pick up of these

containers after the event.

• The city can also post “no parking” and “towing” signs to make sure the block party is clear along

with offering a street sweeping service before and after the event.

• Fire department services are by the digression of the police district. We are encouraged to discuss

with the police district captain, as well as local rescue departments for an event security plan.

City Fees

• To have city approval for a merchant the license fee is $25 per merchant

• Each liquor vendor license is $150

• Food vendors have to attend a class on event food safety and pay a $40 fee

• Food vendors will also have to have a license for $125

Contingency Plan

• The contingency plan for the “Happy Hour Flight" is to have the event in rain or shine. However if

there is lightening or other severe weather, we will postpone or cancel the event. If the race is

canceled, no refunds will be allowed. All payments are considered donations and will go to the St.

Jude's Foundation and costs for the event. The race will not be rescheduled if it is canceled.

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• The 19th police district did not respond to our phone call, but their approval and proposed risk

management plan would determine the amount of street regulation that would happen in the area

for the trolleys and foot traffic.

• St. Joseph hospital is the nearest center for medical help if an accident occurs on the racetrack or at

the block party. EMT's will be ready at both locations to respond because of the physical activity and

potential risk of participants over-consuming.

Financial Information All prices are based on 10-15,000 participants. Event will be predominantly volunteer-staffed.

• Average 5k race price of our competitors: $30-$50

• Event/ticket transfer fees: $5

• Processing fees: $2

• Early Bird Price: $35, Late Registration: $55 Materials Needed

• 5k Supplies: Tents - $125 per tent x 10 $1250 • Tables (8x30) $9.25 per table x 25 $231.25 • Misting Fans $55 per fan x 4 $220 • Chairs $1.45 per unit x 100 $145 • Water/Sample Clear Cups (3oz) $75 for 2500 cups - $2100 for 70,000

Estimated cost to supply run – $3946.25

Participation Gift Bag • Happy Hour Flight Shirt $3.80 per shirt • Beer Opener Keychain with Laser Engraving $0.55 per unit • Pint Logo Glass with graphic $0.70 per unit • Straw Beer Can Hat with graphic $1 per unit • Associated shipping estimates: $2,300

Total cost for 15,000 thank you bags $93,050 Block Party Setup

• Stage and Speakers Rental - $2,300 • Red Frog Information Tents (10' x 10') $125 each x 7 $875 • Games and inflatables rental $3105 • Tables (8' x 30”) $9.25 each x 100 $925 • Chairs $1.45 each x 150 $217.50 • Port-A-Potty and Temporary Gate Rental $1700 • Garbage pickup service $55 an hour per person x 6 + $55 driver fees per hour x 6 $660 • Power Washing service $2200 • Trolley service $1,000 per trolley (each holds 50 people) x 10 - $10,000

o Extra $1 per person per ticket Total cost of event set up and breakdown $21,982.50 (Not including band hiring) Total cost of Happy Hour Flight $118,978.50

Advertising Price Estimate • Mobile app development $2,000-$5,000

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Included with registration:

T-Shirt + Custom Screen Printing

Bottle Opener Key Chain + Logo

Other Merchandise sold:

Pint Glass + Graphic Logo

Straw Beer Hat + Logo

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Race Prizes

• The Chicago Brew Bus for 4 (59.00 per ticket, including beer flights)

• Goose Island Tour ($7 includes tasting and souvenir glass) *agreed to sponsor, can work to get

more prizes from them!

• Bucktown & Wicker Park Beer Tasting and Bar Tour ($59.00)

Our target market is tech-crazy and constantly connected. Social media is a huge tool to making this mob

run a success. With the demographic being 25–34 year olds, popular social platforms such as Facebook,

Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat are valuable marketing tools that we will utilize. The “Happy Hour Flight”,

taking place in May, is a perfect time for this demographic to get hyped about something via social media

because they are all tired from working throughout the year and is ready for summer to come. According to

Charles Miller, Director of the Digital Care and Social Media strategy of DIRECTV, people are more likely to

use their mobile phones during the summer months, therefore they tweet, Instagram and Snapchat away

with more free time! This is why our 5k will utilize these outlets to their fullest potential.

The purpose of using social media platforms is to create buzz about the event and sell more tickets. We

want to build a relationship with the audience in order for them to spread news to generate hype. The

marketing process via social media is to interact with our demographic. Our survey showed that 64%

ranked connecting with friends as the number one use of social media, 46% ranked posting photos and

videos the second main use of social media, with sharing news and articles about 30% voted it third. That’s

exactly how our marketing strategies will work.

Red Frog Events culture is limitless and so are our social media strategies. According to Insight Consulting,

gaming apps are the most popular millennial app download. In response to that, we want to create an app

and/or pair up with an app on the iPhone/Android to create publicity. This app could consist of a simple beer

game with a friend, where you play and rack up points. The highest scoring player will receive a

complimentary pint, which allows them free drinks at the block party. Some current beer game apps that we

could form alliances with include: Beer Hunt game, Let’s Get Wasted! Drinking game, and Party Pong

Extreme. Another strategy we would implement takes place over Integra. To create hype, people will be

able to Instagram their recycled outfit over social media… the crazier the better. With the hashtag

#RFEBeerForAYear, the person who has the most likes on their post will win free beer for a year from one

of the happy flight sponsors.

Another way to use social media to generate hype at the event is we are going to have Chicago (or

whatever town the event is) to have local athletes (such as the Chicago Blackhawks) be at different beer

tents drinking at the block party with the participants. After surveying 342 individuals, 71% said they would

be more inclined to attend an event if a celebrity was present, therefore we figured having local athletes

would motivate more people to come to the event, and create positive publicity for the athletes. Participants

will than tweet, Instagram or Facebook pictures with these local celebrities creating hype about the event.

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All of these fun contests and games should create a playful tone for the event. The event is supposed to

allow runners to blow off steam and enjoy themselves. We want the social media and web launch to reflect

that.

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is the main charity of the “Happy Hour Flight". As participants register

for the event online, they will also be required to create a fundraising page before they can finish the

registration process. Individually or as a team, the runners will set a goal and submit the amount of money

they would like to raise by the day of the 5k. In order to seek funds, the participants can utilize social media

by sharing the link to their personal fundraising pages. With this link, family and friends can make donations

quickly and efficiently, and all donations are tax deductible!

Individuals who raise at least $200 will be entered in a raffle to win a gift certificate to each of the bars

involved in the 5k. They will also receive a free piece of merchandise from our logo store. The top three

fundraisers will earn recognition on stage immediately following the 5k. Their names and pictures will also

appear on the website. In addition, they are guaranteed VIP access to all events at the block party. As a

VIP, the top fundraisers will win “skip the line” wristbands, as well as back stage passes to all provided

entertainment. The top fundraiser will have a special opportunity to tour the St. Jude Children’s Hospital,

allowing them to see how their donations are improving the lives of others.

Donating during the 5k is also an option. From games and face painting, to photo booths and drinking

contests, there will be a small fee to take part in these fun activities. All proceeds will go toward St. Jude.

People also have the option to write a check, pay with a credit or debit card, or donate cash while signing in

before the 5k!

During the "Happy Hour Flight", we will work with the Ronald McDonald House by collecting all pop tabs

from the event, which will benefit this charity. Pop tabs are the most valuable recyclable product. By

dropping off pop tabs, Ronald McDonald House can receive a significant amount of money in return. Last

year, they raised more than $40,000 from this initiative. Throughout "Happy Hour Flight", we will be

providing many pop cans for sale as well as beer cans. This is the most direct way we can make a difference

in the Chicagoland community, as well as implement environmentally friendly solutions throughout the

event. For each pop tab a participant collects, they can receive a voucher that offers a 15% discount on

merchandise or a free drink. This gives people more of an incentive to collect the tops instead of just

throwing them away or recycling the entire can.