FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

First Ever Live Call-In Radio Show for the Event Industry

Online radio show designed to connect the global event industry will reach thousands of event planners each year

NEW YORK, January 9

Liz King Events and Events for Good are teaming up with headline sponsor etouches to innovate the event industry. Bringing business and event experts to professionals around the world, The Event Alley Show is poised to lead the industry to the next level.

The Event Alley Show (http://www.eventalleyshow.com) is a free, call-in internet radio show hosted by event industry experts Liz King and Lindsey Rosenthal. Liz and Lindsey offer business professionals the opportunity to ask for advice on challenges and current event projects, learn about exciting tools for planners, talk to leading authorities interviewed on air and give their opinions on important industry topics.

The Event Alley Show is the brainchild of two passionate event planners who built their businesses in the midst of a depressed economy and found success. As Liz and Lindsey met countless event professionals, they realized there was a need for an outlet for industry professionals to discuss issues, challenges and new ideas.

The first episode of The Event Alley Show will take place on Tuesday, January 22, 2013 at 1:00 PM EST. Hosts Liz King and Lindsey Rosenthal will be addressing recent events and news, and taking calls about listener experiences at The Special Event in Chicago, Illinois, PCMA’s Convening Leaders in Orlando, Florida, and the United States Presidential Inauguration.

About Liz King Events and Events for Good
Liz King Events (http://www.lizkingevents.com) is the leading meeting and event planning firm that implements technology to enhance your events. Using social media, mobile apps, online communities and more allows us to better brand your organization, engage your attendees and increase efficiency.

Events for Good (http://www.eventsforgood.org) combines customized and memorable event experiences and effective and successful fundraising campaigns to yield impressive results for nonprofits based on the practice of fundraising event strategy. Established in 2009 by chief strategist Lindsey Rosenthal, we work with you to plan profitable and powerful events that emphasize your needs and resources and achieve your goals.

Contact:
Lindsey Rosenthal, Liz King
Executive Producers
Event Alley Show
info@eventalleyshow.com

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Check out the new Events For Good article on ensuring fundraising and events work hand-in-hand, featured in Rejuvenate Magazine’s Ideas Issue. Photo courtesy of Enokson and Creative Commons license.

Selling events as a fundraising tactic has become more and more difficult as the time and effort put into each initiative has been scaled back to accommodate lack of funding. The reality is that, if implemented properly, events can be your most valuable fundraising tool. They set the table for new donors and financial transactions in the future. They create a face-to-face environment to build relationships. And they offer opportunities to connect the dots between your needs, goals, and resources.

This month I was fortunate to be featured in Rejuvenate Magazine‘s Ideas Issue with an article built to help professionals tackle year-end fundraising initiatives. In it, I list six steps that are vital in the creation of successful, profitable fundraising events and to ensure that events and fundraising work with strength and in unison.

In the eyes of the development officer or other organization leaders, events are often seen as a necessary evil. In the past, they may have ended in a small return—or even a loss—and the amount of work required for volunteers and staff burned out resources for future opportunities. Despite those concerns, your organization needs events because the community clamors for them and they can be, in and of themselves, key to an organization’s fundraising efforts. Development officers and planners can work hand-in-hand to be satisfied with results. Organizations face particular pressures as years come to a close and fundraising goals come into focus. There are several practices you can implement to overcome fears and create successful, profitable events with targeted fundraising goals.

Continue reading on Rejuvenate’s website.

Named “Frankenstorm” by the National Weather Service, Hurricane Sandy is about to hit the Atlantic coast of the United States and wreak havoc in its path. Its impact is expected to be unprecedented. Photo courtesy of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and Creative Commons license.

As the East Coast of the United States braces for impact by Hurricane Sandy, the question of whether you and your event are prepared for a major storm, inclement weather, power failure or other natural safety issues should be at the forefront of your mind. We often think of the financial repercussions to ourselves and our organizations when making cancellation decisions, but what about the impact on our attendees, and more importantly, determining when the peak impact of that decision may be on any and all of our stakeholders? How can we make sure that the decision strikes that delicate balance between those unhappy that the event wasn’t cancelled soon enough and those unhappy that the event was cancelled at all?

Just a couple months ago, the American Political Science Association was due to hold their Annual Meeting of 7,000+ attendees in New Orleans just as Hurricane Isaac was threatening the city via the Gulf of Mexico. On Sunday, August 26, after days of coverage following the hurricane’s potential path to New Orleans, the organization postponed the beginning of the conference to Thursday, just two days after the original start date. It wasn’t until that same Tuesday evening that the organization finally made the call to cancel the conference. This was after many participants, exhibitors, staff, and conference vendors had traveled to the conference in hopes to complete their intended schedule. International attendees, many who flew into the United States prior to the postponement, were stuck in a city being ravaged by a terrible storm. In the time between the postponement and cancellation, participants agonized over a potentially empty tradeshow floor, education sessions, and the possibility of one panelist needing to present findings sans the rest of his panel. Deirdre Reid of Reid All About It wrote a detailed account of her experience with the association and the effect the decision had on attendees online. APSA was widely criticized by the media and its own stakeholders for their seemingly haphazard approach to the conference cancellation.

Back to the present, this weekend is the the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, DC, one of the cities’ most recognizable events, which this year will host more than 43,600 participants, and perhaps another 50,000 more volunteers and supporters. The marathon may very well escape the “Frankenstorm” threat, now being forecasted as rain beginning in the early morning on Sunday and its most dangerous impact being felt Sunday evening through Tuesday morning up and down almost the entire Eastern seaboard. Lessons should be learned from APSA’s tragic situation. Runners may be quite unhappy with any cancellation, and postponement may not be possible with the bureaucracy that surrounds city, county and state permits required for closing roads and preventing a maze of traffic concerns. But the most important question for any event during the time period of Sandy’s arrival, just before, and just thereafter, is whether the safety of their attendees will be jeopardized by either participation in the event itself or their travel to and from. As of Friday afternoon publishing time, the Marine Corps Marathon has not been postponed or cancelled. Events over four days are expected to run smoothly. But in the case that Sandy’s path is altered, or that potential damage is more severe than currently being indicated, marathon runners and their friends and families may be in an increasingly dangerous situation.

An argument can be made for several decisions; a cancellation at least a day ago, prior to when many would be traveling to the event, a cancellation tomorrow or early Sunday morning before the race begins, or just hoping for the best and being prepared for the worst as the race goes on. In my opinion, the late cancellation that often seems to be used in the event industry, especially one just a few hours before an event begins, is perhaps the worst possible choice. In that situation, your participants are in for a rocky time no matter what, and the hesitation to make a decision may have a more dramatic effect than you anticipated. Event organizers often see this choice as one that relieves them of the need for a backup plan and covers their own liability, but that is surely not the case.

There is not a clear day and time in many events when a decision about cancellation should be made. But we should be prepared no matter what the case. In the meantime, consider these tips in the event of an unforeseeable situation.

1. Make sure you have event cancellation insurance. Event cancellation insurance is available through many insurance vendors and is always worth the small amount necessary to cover what may be extensive losses for many parties. Don’t hold an event without it.
2. Have a clear protocol for how to communicate effectively. A communication plan should not only be used for event promotion, but also in the case important information needs to be relayed. Crisis management is a vital component of any risk management plan and communication in as many forms as possible should be utilized.
3. Attempt to secure the safety of all of your event stakeholders. You should have emergency contact numbers, travel and lodging information, and plans to deal with many risks, such as fire, power outages, terrorist attacks, and inclement weather, quickly available to you.
4. Have a backup plan. Don’t just have a backup for yourself and your attendees, have a backup for your event. Can’t hold it in person? Host a hybrid event with online components and get creative with participants. See ASAE’s 2010 Technology Conference and how they dealt with a crisis of their own for ideas. Know how you are going to refund ticket sales, deal with sponsors, and solve any other issues before the crisis hits.

Good luck to any and every event planner holding an event over the next week on the East Coast. And just like the boy scouts say, “Be prepared!”

UPDATE: Information on weather conditions for the Marine Corps Marathon is available here.