Event Planning and Production Services for Hayward Amplified 2.0 Program

Hayward Amplified launched in 2026 as a business-led activation program designed to support local businesses while creating new events, activities, and experiences throughout Hayward. Through the program, the City provided grants and technical assistance to help businesses develop public-facing activations that increased foot traffic, encouraged community engagement, and gave residents and visitors new reasons to experience Hayward's commercial areas. The first phase supported a mix of FIFA World Cup watch parties and larger business-led events held throughout the summer and early fall. Programming included live entertainment, local vendors, family-friendly activities, fitness and wellness events, arts and cultural experiences, and community celebrations. Economic Development staff also assisted participating businesses with event planning, marketing, promotion, permitting coordination, and the development of digital content. The initial program demonstrated the value of events as both an economic development tool and a community benefit. Participating businesses gained exposure, connected with new and returning customers, and developed firsthand experience hosting public events. Grant funding also supported investments in equipment such as televisions, projectors, and sound systems that businesses can continue using for future activities. The first phase also identified challenges with the business-led model. Producing successful public events required significant time, coordination, and specialized knowledge from both participating businesses and City staff. Businesses had varying levels of experience and capacity to manage vendors, performers, permits, marketing, logistics, staffing, and event-day operations. These demands sometimes limited the scale of an event or shifted the business owner's attention away from operating and promoting the business itself. Hayward Amplified 2.0 builds on these lessons by transitioning to a more coordinated City- and consultant-led delivery model. Under the proposed approach, local businesses and community organizations will remain central partners in shaping and benefiting from each activation, while the selected consultant will provide the professional planning, marketing, coordination, and production capacity needed to deliver the events. The City anticipates producing a distributed series of approximately six to ten smaller-scale events during spring and summer 2027. This approach is intended to create consistent activity throughout the season, encourage repeat visitation, strengthen collaboration among neighboring businesses and community partners, and extend the benefits of each event beyond a single participating business to the surrounding commercial area.