I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Carole A. Langrall, proprietor of A Garden of Earthly Delights (AGOED) floral design studio in Catonsville, MD., to discuss what makes a truly successful event.
As we in public relations know, putting on special events, press conferences, galas, benefits, etc., is often part of our job, and a detail-laden, hair-pulling, deadline-crazy part at that.
Discussing this past Tuesday, the Baltimore Chapter of the National Association of Catering Executives (NACE) ’s “UNCORKED!” wine, dinner and table design competition held at the American Visionary Art Museum, Ms. Langrall made this comment:
“To see so many people going all out, even in a recession, still creative, upbeat and positive at this event which raises funds for Meals on Wheels – I found it refreshing to see that Baltimore is surviving and having a damned good time,” she said.
Now in its 6th year, “UNCORKED!” has been recognized with the NACE award for “Best Fundraiser” for three consecutive years, benefiting Meals on Wheels of Central Maryland, the Foundation of NACE and the Baltimore Chapter of NACE Education Fund. As the NACE press release states, “NACE recognizes the need to support local food-based charities in these tough economic times, and looks forward to giving back to the community.”
UNCORKED! featured a 3-course gourmet dinner by local wineries, chefs and caterers, as well as the table designs by the best in Baltimore’s floral industry. This year, UNCORKED! had a musical theme as Ms. Langrall’s AGOED created a display inspired by the ‘80s band, DEVO, complete with red, multi-tiered DEVO style hats and whips in homage of DEVO’s hit, “Whip It!” (the cans of whipped cream were a nice touch).
Here is a casebook example of all the elements you want to have in a well-attended benefit event.
First, the event is keying into a topical theme with is emphasis on food-related charities “in these tough economic times.” Right now, news of the recession is everywhere and so to show a sensitivity to that issue is smart. Plus, it makes sense to target charities that are relative to your client. Meals on Wheels, therefore, is a good choice for an organization that represents caterers. You want your causes to “match.”
Second, it doesn’t hurt to offer an event with lots of flair, fun and eye-catching visuals. The days of people-standing-behind-a-podium are over, unless of course your goal is bad attendance and no media coverage. Having a contest among designers that allows a flow of creativity that’s “upbeat and positive,” as Ms. Langrall noted, gives this event energy and certainly tons of good visuals, as the photos I’ve included reveal.
Third, you want an event that is memorable, that people will talk about so that it starts to have a life of its own. The Baltimore Zoo’s ‘s “Zoomerang” is a good example of that; this is an event that isn’t just attractive to people who work for the Zoo – it’s got appeal for everyone and attracts large crowds every year. Now in its 6th year, UNCORKED! has evolved into such an event.
Of course, an event isn’t successful unless it achieves its goals. Did you raise awareness about your target issue? Did your client get the publicity and promotion they sought? Did you raise the dollars you had expected? Did you stay within budget? Did your target audiences appreciate your event....was everybody happy??
Inevitably, someone isn’t, but so long as you met your goals, the media got what it needed, you didn’t go over budget, you raised some money and got your message out, well, what’s to complain about?
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