If planners want elected officials to attend their events, they need to know the dates of government meetings and elections – and avoid those conflicts on the front end.
EventCheck Knox has now added all regular meetings in 2018 of Knoxville City Council and Knox County Commission, along with the three primary and general election dates this year in May, August and November.
“Elected officials attend a lot of events,” said Cynthia Moxley, CEO of Moxley Carmichael, which sponsors EventCheck Knox. “Their presence is important, especially for nonprofits who need to show the impact of their efforts in the local community.”
Knowing when elected officials are unavailable is invaluable – and much easier to check if meeting and election dates are located on one website.
“We added these dates to the EventCheck Knox calendar, so planners would have an easy way to look before booking their event,” Moxley said.
Scott Bird, vice president of Moxley Carmichael, suggested the additions to the calendar. Bird assists several clients with government relations and event planning and realized how helpful it would be to planners to have quick access to those dates.
Elected officials and political candidates also are busy on Election Day as they visit polling places, which don’t close until 8 p.m. If a planner wants to hold a breakfast, luncheon or dinner and invite public officials, it likely would be best to avoid Tuesday, May 1; Thursday, Aug. 2; and Tuesday, Nov. 6, in 2018.
Also, if a planner hopes for media exposure at an event, overlapping with an election day is likely to eliminate that option because local media resources are devoted to all-day and evening election coverage.
“The primary purpose of EventCheck Knox is to help planners find the best date for their event,” Moxley said. “We focus on nonprofit galas, luncheons and dinners, along with significant events – such as University of Tennessee football games – that could affect attendance, so that organizations hopefully avoid overlap of similar events and have successful fundraisers.
“As we say every day at EventCheck Knox: Look Before You Book!”
Maria Cornelius, a writer/editor for Moxley Carmichael, populates the EventCheck Knox calendar. The author of “The Final Season: The Perseverance of Pat Summitt,” Maria is enjoying college basketball season and waiting for pitchers and catchers to report.