Plumas Arts sponsors event planner meeting/countywide calendar
“April is the cruelest month,” wrote the poet T.S. Eliot. He may have been referring to the number of events that happen in Plumas County in the spring. Or Saturday, Sept. 29, which had five major events on one day across the county. It’s as if the county needs a calendar.
Groups planning events in Plumas County as well as event attendees often vent frustration when events happen at the exact same time.
Enter Plumas Arts. For the last year or so, Roxanne Valladao at Plumas Arts has attempted to gather event planners together quarterly to facilitate working together and cooperating so that everyone’s events are successful.
Plumas Arts is now hosting a cultural-based events calendar on its website plumasarts.org for everyone to use — regardless of whether or not they are Plumas Arts members.
“Plumas Arts hosts and maintains an online events calendar that can help events producers as well as the public. It’s free and visited by hundreds of people each month who are looking to attend local events as well as to plan them,” said Valladao.
What does “cultural-based events” mean? It comprises most fundraising events, workshops, performances, music, theater, literary events, visual arts and monthly meetings by non-arts groups, too. Valladao invites residents to both submit their free listings and to check out the calendar to see what else is happening on that date to make sure there are no major conflicts.
On the evening of Tuesday, Feb. 25, a dozen event planners from various organizations and businesses got together to talk about what their business or organization was planning and why and how best to work together so that no one is disappointed in ticket sales or turnout.
“A sense of camaraderie has been developing. People are sharing ideas and working together. It has been inspiring and it is helping,” said Valladao.
Though it was voiced that all those dozen present wished more organizations that plan events were there, much was accomplished in just finding out what others were doing and why.
“Over that last several years, our region has become so rich in cultural events, that finding a date that does not conflict is no easy task. An expanding group of events planners have been meeting several times in the last year to have face-to-face contact with other event producers who are trying to place event dates on the calendar to provide the best possible success for each other,” said Valladao.
The group also throws out ideas and shares experiences about what’s working and not working at their events, to learn from each other. At the last meeting some of the attendees included Quincy Chamber of Commerce, Feather River Land Trust, Sierra Institute, The Drunk Brush, Pachuca Productions, dramaworks and other groups.
The coordination goes a long way in providing strong communication and that way no one is stepping on anyone’s toes. The group hopes planners in Chester, Greenville and Portola areas take advantage of the planners’ meetings and the calendar.
The event planners meeting was originally inspired by comments to Plumas Arts from concerned events producers about too many conflicting event dates as well as public concern over events taking place on the same week or weekend making it difficult for people to attend them.
“We began calling people together. It is an open group and interested persons are welcome to attend meetings. Just contact Plumas Arts to be notified about the next one at 283-3402.”
Event planners can submit a form through the events portal by using this link: www.plumasarts.org/submit-an-event.html. Events are posted within a few days of getting the form.
Residents and event attendees wanting to plan what they want to attend can go to plumasarts.org/calendar and pull down the calendar tab. It first shows the next three days, but you can continue clicking to get months and a year out.
“We would love it if you could make getting your events on the Plumas Arts Cultural Calendar a regular part of your ongoing promotional efforts. Please help us in our mission to get the word out about the rich and robust cultural life that is such a vital resource and asset to our Plumas County way of life,” said Valladao.
