Ron Simpson has built a career helping to entertain thousands of people in any way, at any time. Now his efforts have been recognized with his recent induction into the International Festival and Event Association (IFEA) Hall of Fame.

Simpson, a resident of Fayetteville, Ga., founded RCS Productions in 1982 and to this day serves as its president. RCS Productions evolved out of Simpson’s hobby as a disc jockey. At the time, he owned and operated Atlanta Rubber Company. By day he was marketing industrial rubber products such as conveyor belting and specialty gaskets in the Atlanta-metro area and on weekends, spinning records for weddings, corporate and special events.

In the early ‘80s, Simpson assisted with concert events at Stone Mountain Park. When the opportunity arose to give him a leadership role providing concert entertainment there, Stone Mountain Park became RCS Productions’ first major client.

Simpson was also instrumental in shaping the entertainment portion of many events at Stone Mountain Park including Taste of the South, Spring Fest, Stone Mountain’s Memorial Day, July 4th Celebration and the Yellow Daisy Festival, among others.

In the early days, RCS booked regional and national talent, but eventually made the foray into providing production services, making the entertainment and technical portion of an event seamless for their clients. This vision and growth helped transform RCS Productions into one of the largest festival and special event entertainment companies in the South, today.

In the late 1990s, when communities around Atlanta were in the midst of downtown redevelopment, a number of them were interested in performing art spaces. Simpson consulted with these communities on their vision and goals for these spaces, and made sure that they incorporated best practices and industry standards in the development of these facilities. Today, Town Center Park in Suwanee, Ga., the Duluth Festival Center complex and the Villages Amphitheater in Fayetteville all stand as testament to Simpson’s guidance and are enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of people each year.

Today RCS Productions produces over 125 concerts a year, working with national talent in all genres, producing for festivals, radio shows and special events throughout the country. From the Atlanta Olympic Games in 1996 to the Kingsland Catfish Festival, Habersham Bank Homecoming to include KICKS Radio Country Fair and the Marietta Square Summer Concert Series, Simpson continues to bring the very best in professionally produced shows to interesting venues, small towns, large arenas, parks and intimate spaces.

His dedication and big heart for the special events is seen with his support on the event side with his professional participation in The Alzheimer’s Association’s Memory Walk, United Cerebral Palsy’s Fund Raiser event and the annual March of Dimes Achievement in Radio awards show among others.

His biggest gift to the festivals and events industry, however, is his ability to work with new clients…helping them dream big, despite often limited budgets. He assists in mapping out a path for them to grow their event with entertainment and programming.

“The result is very rewarding when you have worked with a community or event that has little or no access to national entertainment, and are able to deliver a national recording artist to the event,” said Simpson. “The amount of community pride, the community response and the economic impact of those events are priceless.”

Stone Mountain Park was Simpson’s introduction into the festival market, and IFEA was introduced to him shortly after. RCS was involved in the early planning of the Georgia Festivals & Events Association (GFEA) and he served on the board in the ‘90s and was recently invited back for another board term with GFEA. Always a supporter of the festivals and events industry, Simpson has attended the IFEA Convention & Expo since the late 1980s, obtained his CFEE certification in 1999 and has been a giving supporter of the IFEA Foundation.

Simpson and RCS Productions were nominated for and won the GFEA Vendor of the Year three times. He continues to play a big part in their Southeastern Regional Conference, doing everything from providing educational panels and programming for the conference, to sponsoring and hosting the Kaleidoscope awards banquet.

Simpson recently spoke to the newly formed music business class at the University of Georgia. Simpson said, “Teaching our young adults the ins and outs of the music business is a way of giving back and assuring for a positive future.”

In addition to the IFEA, Simpson is involved in the Country Music Association, International Entertainment Buyers Association and the International Association of Fairs & Expositions.

In the revolving door of the event industry, Simpson takes the time to council and consult with the new point of contact for each event, explains what had been done in the past and works with them on their vision and direction.

With his easy-going mannerism, country-boy charm and disarming personality, Simpson brings smiles to clients, staff and entertainers while on site producing events. In an industry known for its backstage drama and tense situations, Simpson goes out of his way to make sure this tension is not part of his client’s experience. Many events that are still in existence today are due to his ability to dream the big dream, and get it done.

For more information on RCS Productions, visit www.rcsproductions.com.

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