--- title: "Monday Buzz: Lessons From a Cheese Crisis" id: "41734" type: "post" slug: "monday-buzz-lessons-from-a-cheese-crisis" published_at: "2018-03-05T22:33:02+00:00" modified_at: "2026-11-09T16:06:22+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2018/03/05/monday-buzz-lessons-from-a-cheese-crisis/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2018/03/05/monday-buzz-lessons-from-a-cheese-crisis.md" excerpt: "Who moved this festival’s cheese? Why The Big Cheese Festival suffered from a major supply headache over the weekend. Also: A bunch of tips to get volunteers up to speed." taxonomy_category: - "Meetings / Events" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "event planning" - "festivals" - "Meetings" - "vendor management" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "C-Level" - "Executive Team" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Monday Buzz: Lessons From a Cheese Crisis This goes without saying, but your event should live up to its name. So when a British cheese festival failed to supply cheese to its attendees, it created perhaps the biggest viral disaster this side of [the Fyre Festival (opens in a new tab)](https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/06/fyre-festival-billy-mcfarland-millennial-marketing-fiasco) . The Big Cheese Festival, [which took place in Brighton on Saturday (opens in a new tab)](http://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-43285368) , was beset by a variety of issues, including weather problems that prevented multiple suppliers from making it to the festival grounds. The event, which cost £22 to get in (around $30 USD), had just five cheese tents. Lines were massive, and the cheese ran out after just a couple of hours. In a statement, festival organizers apologized, offered refunds to attendees, and promised a discount to future events. “Sadly due to this, a few compromises had to be made, and we are disappointed that a larger variety of cheese wasn’t available,” the group said, [according to The Daily Mail (opens in a new tab)](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5462691/Fury-rip-Big-Cheese-festival.html) . “Despite this, our cheese traders who were able to attend showed amazing dedication throughout the event, and did not fail to deliver, with food available right to the end.” It’s a reminder of the importance of good event planning (including having a Plan B) and healthy vendor relationships, whether or not cheese is involved. ### Keep ‘Em Engaged https://twitter.com/jc46202/status/970689259836461057 **Keeping your volunteers engaged** isn’t always easy, but Jeffrey Cufaude of Idea Architects has a few ideas to help. [In fact, he has a full dozen (opens in a new tab)](http://www.ideaarchitects.org/2018/03/12-volunteer-management-practices-to.html) , ranging from building strategic plans to approaches that allow volunteers to pick up the mantle at any time. “I’ve long held a belief that many association executives consider heresy: I want as many volunteers as possible making as many contributions as possible year-round,” he writes. “Yes, it initially could be a logistical and management challenge until you develop appropriate systems, but here’s the payoff for this approach: It gets people connected.” ### Other Links of Note **Looking to cut down on your phone usage?** Digg founder and entrepreneur Kevin Rose [notes a hidden iPhone setting (opens in a new tab)](https://medium.com/@kevinrose/disconnect-and-take-a-break-from-your-iphone-by-using-this-little-known-feature-c8e6f41660da) that could do the trick. **Get a traffic boost.** At Frank J. Kenny’s blog, Christina Green [highlights a variety of tips (opens in a new tab)](https://frankjkenny.com/double-your-chamber-blog-traffic/) to help boost your chamber blog traffic. **Eric Lanke, president and CEO** **of the National Fluid Power Association,** recently decided to get away from the podium for his last presentation. [Here’s why he found the approach refreshing (opens in a new tab)](http://ericlanke.blogspot.com/2018/03/getting-out-from-behind-podium.html) . (GSPictures/E+/Getty Images Plus) [Ernie Smith](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Tags: [#event planning](https://associationsnow.com/tag/event-planning/) [#festivals](https://associationsnow.com/tag/festivals/) [#Meetings](https://associationsnow.com/tag/meetings/) [#vendor management](https://associationsnow.com/tag/vendor-management/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [TemplateMembers onlySample Magazine RFPJanuary 22, 2020](https://associationsnow.com/2020/01/22/sample-magazine-rfp/) - [PodcastAssociations Now Presents: Beyond the Contract: Building Stronger Destination PartnershipsSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/associations-now-presents-beyond-the-contract-building-stronger-destination-partnerships/) - [VideoMelvin Tennant, CAE, President & CEO of Meet Minneapolis, Welcomes You to Great Ideas 2026September 2, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/02/melvin-tennant-cae-president-ceo-of-meet-minneapolis-welcomes-you-to-great-ideas-2026/) - [VideoASAE TV Daily Recap: Final Day at the 2026 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/08/24/asae-tv-daily-recap-final-day-at-the-2026-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2018%2F03%2F05%2Fmonday-buzz-lessons-from-a-cheese-crisis%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !