FirstShow Presence for local businesses

Meet Calgary customers in person. We run the whole activation.

Calgary's summer festivals draw big crowds. We pick the right festival for your brand, design the experience, build it, staff it, and send you a report of what it earned. One team, one price, nothing for you to organize.

Get my 2027 festival plan — free See what it costs

The problem

Buying a festival sponsorship is the easy part.

A sponsor package gets your logo on a banner and a spot in the program. Turning it into something people remember, photograph and talk about is a separate job, and most brands have nobody to do it, especially a brand based outside Calgary.

You are not here, and the festival is not your market.
Local suppliers, permits, power, insurance and load-in all have to be arranged on the ground, months ahead.
A logo tier is not an experience.
The organizer sells space and recognition. Designing a moment that fits that crowd is up to you.
Nobody is on site when it matters.
Staffing, setup, sampling, lead capture and tear-down need a person who owns the day.
The report is an afterthought.
Without counts, photos and notes, the next budget meeting has nothing to look at.

What we handle

From "we should be there" to a report you can show your team.

  1. Festival match. Which Calgary festival, which weekend and which tier fit your buyers and your budget.
  2. The sponsorship deal. We work with the organizer on category, footprint and terms. You sign the sponsorship with them directly.
  3. Design and build. A booth or moment designed for that crowd, built and delivered by local suppliers.
  4. Staff and operate. Trained people on site, running your sampling, giveaway or demo, with a lead or sign-up capture.
  5. Permits, insurance, logistics. Handled and filed before the deadline.
  6. Report. Conversations, photos, content, and what to change next time.

What it costs

Two parts, both quoted in writing.

Festival plan

Free

Tell us your brand and who you want to reach. Within two business days you get the festivals worth considering in 2027, with dates, sponsorship tiers and a plain recommendation. If none fit, we say so.

Sponsorship

Set by the festival

Paid to the organizer under their own agreement. We tell you what each tier includes, and we do not mark it up.

Activation

Quoted per festival

Our fee to design, build, staff and report on the activation. It covers the work in the list above; materials and permits are billed at cost, on the quote, before you commit.

Prices in CAD. One person owns your account from first call to the final report.

Where we work

Calgary festivals, summer 2027.

  • Lilac FestivalStreet festival June 6
  • Inglewood SunfestNeighbourhood music festival July 24
  • Taste of CalgaryFood festival July 29 – Aug 2
  • Carifest CalgaryCaribbean cultural festival Aug 12–15

Dates are as announced by the organizers and may change. Availability and category exclusivity are confirmed with each festival before we recommend anything. We are based in Calgary and starting here.

Start here

Get your 2027 festival plan.

Tell us about your brand and who you want to reach. A person, not a mailing list, replies within two business days with the festivals worth considering and what an activation would involve. Free, and you keep the plan either way.

Enter your company name — the plan is written for your brand, not a template.

That email won't work — check for a typo. The plan goes here.

Tell us your city so we plan the logistics.

One sentence is enough.

Your company

Received. Your festival plan is being put together. It will be in your inbox within two business days from a person you can reply to.

FIRSTSHOW · FESTIVAL PLAN · NO CHARGE

We use these details only to research and deliver your plan. They are emailed to Ahmed and are not added to a mailing list. See the privacy notice. To request deletion, email ahmed@zalastack.com.