You must be kidding...
We have a garden room attached to our bakery that we rent out for events. A wedding (ceremony, not just reception) for this Sunday has been on the books for a couple of months.
Two weeks ago I heard rumors that the city had granted a license for a culture festival for the same day. When I called our city administrator to get more information I was assured that the festival had been moved and would not be taking place on Main Avenue. He went on to lecture me about what a great event this would be for downtown Northport. Yes, they would be giving away free food and drinks, but surely many would also buy something from the bakery. (Yeah, right...) He completely ignored my concern about the planned wedding.
Two days ago I found out the Culture Fest was definitely ON, the streets would be closed, and 1,500-2,500 people were expected.
Surely someone has written a book for our government officials that explains how to schedule events. And somewhere in that book is a reference (probably more than one) to the importance of planning and communication.
So when you (Northport, Alabama City Administrator Scott Collins) schedule an event (such as the Culture Fest) for 1,500-2,500 people in a business district and plan to close streets, you should give those businesses more than ten day's notice.
Just a suggestion. BTW, you can buy a used copy of this book on ebay for $.78.
One more thing...When one of the stakeholders (like me) calls you and asks for information about this event, don't lecture and DON'T LIE!
Meeting and event planning for dummies...great book. Great story.
Posted by: banquet manager | October 03, 2009 at 08:05 AM