EventCheck Knox will celebrate its one-year anniversary this week with three numbers – 723, 216 and 185. Those are, respectively, the number of events, organizers and venues that have been placed on the calendar to date.
To mark that milestone we checked in with planners to see how the calendar has worked for them and also examined some of the website’s pertinent statistics.
The EventCheck Knox website launched June 14, 2014, with the sponsorship of Moxley Carmichael and Pilot Flying J. It was Knoxville’s first online calendar intended specifically for planners to help prevent overlap of similar events scheduled at the same time and targeted for a similar audience.
Becky Hancock, executive director of the Tennessee Theatre, became an immediate advocate and user of the website.
“EventCheck Knox is a valuable resource for the Tennessee Theatre as we schedule our fundraising events,” Hancock said. “Knoxville now has many high-profile galas and dinners, and this calendar helps ensure we reach our target audience and most ardent supporters.
“It also encourages us to pick event dates well in advance, so we can get on the calendar, and other planners will see what we already have planned and hopefully avoid any conflicts.”
That is the primary purpose of the website and its calendar. Planners pour time, money and resources into events. There is nothing more frustrating – and costly – than creating an event, only to have a similar event on the same day competing for the same pool of attendees and donations.
Mary Bogert, general manager of the Knoxville Convention Center, and her staff regularly consult the calendar and steer clients to it as resource when choosing event dates.
“We host fundraisers, galas, luncheons and dinners for so many worthwhile organizations at the Knoxville Convention Center,” Bogert said. “We have made it a point to check the calendar and also let our clients know about it when selecting dates.
“It is great to have so much information in one place. We also like the blog and have enjoyed contributing to those entries.”
The weekly blog offers tips and insight on topics of interest to planners from how Thursday became the new Friday to why name tags are essential.
Bogert and her staff shared tales of rescuing a toppled wedding cake to securing 233 lemons on short notice.
In terms of numbers, the website has had nearly 43,000 page views. There have been more than 18,000 sessions on the site, and nearly 36 percent of those are returning visitors.
But the number that matters most is the confirmed date. That is all we need to place your event on the calendar. We can add details and revise the information at any time from ticket prices to attire.
The site was developed under the direction of Cynthia Moxley and Natalie Haslam. Both are community advocates who attend dozens of events every year in support of multiple organizations. It was apparent that planners too often were trying to execute events without sufficient knowledge of other similar happenings.
EventCheck Knox saw a huge need in the local planning industry for nonprofits and aimed to meet it.
“There are so many organizations doing tremendous work in our community,” Moxley said. “I would look at my calendar, as would Natalie, and see too many conflicts of events trying to draw the same crowd on the same day. This takes away from ticket sales and visibility – and ultimately hurts the nonprofit relying on the fundraiser to boost services and programs.
“EventCheck Knox was our answer to help planners find the best dates for their events.”
As the site embarks on its second year, we want to hear from planners and associated users of the website, including those who operate venues and offer support services, such as setup, décor and food.
You can email Maria Cornelius at Moxley Carmichael or submit questions or suggestions through the online form.
The calendar is tailored for event planners and is not intended to be a listing of community events. Visit Knoxville, Go Knoxville and other sites do an excellent job of that, and we list those calendars on the site.
Thus, our calendar doesn’t list the majority of festivals, concerts, races, walks and other events open to wide audiences.
Instead, EventCheck Knox focuses on events that build awareness, recognize supporters and/or serve as primary fundraisers for charitable and nonprofit organizations, as well as arts and cultural organizations.
These events often are attended by key target audiences in Knoxville and Knox County, such as major donors, community and business leaders and elected officials. A detailed explanation is available here.
By the end of this year, we should be well over 1,000 listed events. We want to make sure yours is included.
Maria Cornelius, a writer/editor for Moxley Carmichael, populates the EventCheck Knox calendar. Now that it’s hot, look for her at a Smokies game with a cold Miller Lite in one hand and a baseball glove on the other.
A tip of the hat to Moxley Carmichael and crew for including the 4th Annual Women’s Fund event and providing yet another wonderful resource for the Knoxville community.
Thank you, Terry! And thank you for always sending your events!!
Event Check Knox is a valuable resource for event planners. Thanks so much for making it happen.
Gay, thanks for being such a big part of its success!