What To Remember The Next Time You Attend An Event

One of my favorite hats that I wear at my job is working with event planners. The convention and visitors bureau of a community is usually the boots on the ground for any group hosting an event there. Not every group has someone in town every day, so we're tasked with coordinating the venue, food, hotels, off-site activities, and transportation. 

And today is the second of two events my work hosts every year - we partner with local organizations for a used book sale in the fall and a wildlife weekend in the winter. Hosting our own events and helping other groups with theirs takes a lot of time and energy, but the results can be seen when people walk in the door and enjoy themselves.

I hope that you attend tons of events every year - especially mine - in both your own community and when you travel. There's something special about connecting with other people through shared interests, and events are the perfect way to build those relationships.

As an event planner myself and someone who supports event planners, here are a few things we'd like you to know:

* That show, concert, sports competition, party, or fundraiser didn't magically happen - it takes planning and hard work.

* There is a group of people, real people, behind this event. 

* More than likely it's been their heart and soul for the better part of a year.

* Planners plan because they love the cause and their community, or they wouldn't be giving of their time in the first place.

* One of the biggest supports you can be is helping spread the word about the event through social media, sharing contact information, or just talking about it with people you know would be interested.

* Regardless of whether they're professional event planners or devoted volunteers, on the day of the event they are more interested in you enjoying your time than anything else.

* I don't know of any organization planning an event that wouldn't love volunteers.

* Planning an event depletes mind, body, and spirit, so we can use all the support and encouragement you have.

* When you notice and appreciate the smallest details, remember that those take a huge amount of time, too.

* We may look like we have it all together, but we're literally juggling 100 things throughout the event.

* Your attendance at an event may seem like a little thing to you, but to someone who's been praying that people show up, you're the answer to their prayers.

* The day of the event probably isn't the best time to tell the organizers, workers, or volunteers any negative comments or suggestions for next year - tomorrow is another day.

* The event planners will need a day or two to breathe after their special day, so be respectful of their need to reboot after giving it their all.

* A simple thank you and a thumbs up will carry an event planner for days!

What events are you attending int he weeks and months to come, and how can you support the tireless efforts of the organizers making them happen?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Holland Creme - That Amazing White Stuff In Donuts

Image
I remember going to the grocery store every Saturday morning when I was growing up, and my favorite place in the entire store was the donut case. All the glazed, powdered and filled baked goods drew me like a magnet. My favorites, far and away, were the ones filled with that beautiful white, fluffy creme. At the time I didn't know it was called Holland Creme - I just knew it was the most amazing concoction ever. Ever. Here is my version of this sweet treat. You can make your own fried donuts and fill them, or like I did here, you can cut a crevice into store-bought donuts with a knife and fill them with creme in a piping bag. Either way, you're going to love it. Ingredients: 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup water 1 cup vegetable oil 1 cup shortening 1 cup butter 1 Tbsp vanilla 7 cups powdered sugar 1. Make a simple syrup by combining sugar and water in a sauce pan over medium heat until boiling, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool complet...
Read more

Recovering An Old Card Table And Making It Usable Again

Image
This card table recover project has been on my to-do list for months. I've been using it as my workspace in the craft room for quite some time, and it sees a lot of abuse. Here it is now, with a neutral cover on it so I can take better pictures for my tutorials. There were dents and dings in the old blue covering from metal tools. And yes, I've used my embossing heat tool on it several times, leaving pretty good scars. The padding underneath the blue cover also made it difficult to keep paper crafts flat when adhering them together, so it was time for something new. That's where a simple vinyl tablecloth comes in handy. The process to recover the table is pretty simple, but I learned a couple of lessons the hard way. I share them with you now. First, don't do this on any surface but a carpet. I tried it on the deck int he sunshine to get better pictures, but all it did was tear up the cover. Second, get a second pair of hands to help you kee...
Read more

Crafts For Teen Girls To Make

Image
In our teen girls Bible study, we're studying our way through the Proverbs 31 woman and it's been such a blessing to me, as I hope it's been to them. Every month we spend an afternoon or an evening together studying Scripture, making something amazing in the kitchen and creating something that corresponds to the verse we're in. Choosing the crafts each time can be a challenge for several reasons. It needs to be something they can completely finish (or do most of) because once they leave they're probably not going to work on it themselves - that's just the nature of teenagers. Remember? It also needs to be a project that keeps they're attention, is age-appropriate and is cool enough that they'll want to keep it or give it to someone special. But hey, no pressure on the Bible study leader, right? Here are just a few of the projects we've done together in the year we've been meeting. * This month's craft will be the adorable cross stit...
Read more