GFS Events was contracted with the City of Seattle and Seattle Animal Shelter to manage and produce the 18th Annual Furry 5K. Each year, the Furry 5K attracts thousands of two-legged runners accompanied by their four-legged companions. The race was followed by Pet-a-Palooza, with entertainment, festive music, awards and an interactive vendor area. The Furry 5K is one of the few races in the Puget Sound area that encourages participants to run or walk with their dogs. GFS coordinated all aspects of the event including logistics, team captain recruitment, race logistics, sponsorship and vendor management and volunteer and staff coordination. We had over 1,600 runners and 1,000 dogs help us raise money for the Seattle Animal Shelter’s Help the Animals Fund.
Seattle Animal Shelter’s Annual Furry 5K 2017
Fun Fact
"Our annual Furry 5K was a great success this year thanks to Gazala and her dedicated team! I was most impressed with their professionalism, creativity, and ability to solve many challenges we encountered along the way. This was no easy event to put together, with a long history, dozens of very invested stakeholders with different expectations, and a very small marketing budget. Gazala's team, under her great leadership, executed the event successfully and finally helped us break through a long-standing $100K revenue plateau (by nearly $20K!) thanks to their fundraising expertise. Gazala is also fantastic to work with on a personal level - she's very positive, personable, and smart. I hope we have an opportunity to work again in the future!"
Ania Beszterda-Alyson
Community and Volunteer Engagement, Seattle Animal Shelter