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).

The Big Cheese Festival, which took place in Brighton on Saturday  (opens in a new tab), 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). “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), 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) 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) 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).

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