Special event professionals are by nature a hospitable bunch, so it’s no surprise that their generous natures shine this time of year. But here, four event pros share how they go beyond holidays, spreading cheer all year long.
GOOD SPORTS
Kevin Dennis
Owner
Fantasy Sound Event Services
How do you spread cheer all year long with your clients, vendor partners, or locally to impact your community?
We put a lot of effort into giving back to Livermore, Calif., here where we’re located, and we do so with donations of time, money and sponsorships. We’re passionate about helping out Livermore Little League--the local baseball team--and the Rhonewood Swim Club in Livermore. Any contribution helps, and it feels more personal when it directly impacts our community.
We like having a direct hand in helping out with anything we can, and it’s much more meaningful to us than simply writing a check.
FEED THE NEED
Trip Wheeler
President
SB Value: We Grow Value
We realized early on that our philanthropic partners needed help all year long. And since food is a three-times-a-day, 24/7/365 need, we try and help as much as possible every day of the year.
Being in a position to provide our partners with pricing that is normally reserved for only the biggest companies gives our clients tremendous power by extending that same power to our charity partners. While food is not the only need it is, we feel, a basis for stability. If a family is need of food, it is hard to focus on just about anything else.
So, if we help those in need, directly and through our clients, with food they can then focus on the tasks to getting their lives back on track. We are an old idea, but we are new to this space. Over the coming years we hope to keep growing to help more and more of those in need with the nourishment they need and when they need it though our client and vendor partners.
There are things you want and things you need. During the holidays there are a lot of wants on your list to Santa, but food is a need all year round. We are fortunate to work in the food space where what we do can help people each and every day. I feel blessed to be able to help people every day, not just during the holidays.
EQUAL TIME
Brittny Drye
Founder and Editor-in-Chief
Love Inc.
Giving back is something that we actually do year-round. For wedding pros who sign up for our equality-minded vendor guide, the Love List, we offer a 10 percent discount that they can either choose to keep or to donate to our LGBTQ rights organization partner, Freedom for All Americans--and most choose to donate! We also run specials during the holiday season that donate proceeds to LGBTQ rights organizations, as it obviously ties in closely with our brand’s mission to bring inclusivity to the wedding industry and equality to all.
I chose Freedom for All Americans as an organization partner because I worked closely with their predecessor, Freedom to Marry (which was the main campaign that brought marriage equality to our nation), and I've had in-depth conversations with the team members on strategy and their initiative. Their bipartisan strategy works tirelessly to secure non-discrimination legislation for LGBTQIAP [lesbian gay bisexual transgender queer/questioning intersex asexual pansexual] Americans. I'm also a backer of Freedom to Marry International, a recent resurgence of Freedom to Marry that is bringing the fight for marriage equality to a global scale.
CELEBRATION CONFETTI
Shannon Tarrant
Founder
Wedding Venue Map
It's really important to celebrate successes. When I see that a vendor partner has signed up new clients, added team members, or achieved one of their goals, I send a celebration card with a small bag of confetti.
Sometimes a small touch of emailing a gif of me throwing confetti to celebrate is enough to brighten someone up! A strong community support of celebrating the small things helps to lift us all up.
It's easy to get lost in the mix during someone's birthday or around the holidays. Most people receive a lot of social media messages, cards and gifts during those seasons. Finding a way to stand-out during other times makes you more memorable. Instead of sending Christmas or holiday cards, we have a fun illustrated Thanksgiving card designed to show how thankful we are for our advertisers and send it in November.
Meghan Ely is the owner of wedding PR and wedding marketing firm OFD Consulting. Ely is a sought-after speaker, adjunct professor in the field of public relations, and a self-professed royal wedding enthusiast.
