Lincoln Square Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce: Events Project Summary: Lincoln Square Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce enlisted Big Buzz Idea Group to launch its Square Roots street festival, a unique event it hosts in partnership with the Old Town School of Folk Music. Throughout the year-long process, the Big Buzz team planned and executed the large-scale event, managed relationships, and kept two different organizations on track and moving in the same direction. When the Chamber of Commerce started to see the impact Big Buzz had on its bottom line, the executive director looked to expand their relationship. The organization’s Apple Fest...
NAWBO Chicago : Events Project Summary: To provide a richer experience, NAWBO Chicago wanted to elevate the level of programming offered to members. Events are a crucial part of the organization’s mission, not only in creating connections and offering value to current members, but also in attracting prospective members who attend as guests. NAWBO Chicago leaned on Big Buzz Idea Group to uplevel their events, especially as in-person gatherings had to pivot to a virtual platform in the midst of the pandemic. Project Results: Big Buzz Idea Group has reinvigorated NAWBO Chicago’s events, tapping into a higher caliber of speakers...
Event Manager Full-Time Salary Range: $50,000-$60,000* *Salary Commensurate with Experience A Little About Us: Big Buzz Idea Group powers nonprofit organizations to fuel positive change in the world by providing management, marketing and event services so nonprofits and associations can focus on their mission and organizational growth. We Believe: Everyone should be part of a team that inspires them. Nonprofits make the world a better place. It is an honor to partner with and serve nonprofit organizations. The best relationships are based on honesty, integrity and 100% transparency. We’re seeking a fun, hard-working and enthusiastic leader who is passionate...
By Melissa Lagowski CEO/Founder/Queen Bee Big Buzz Idea Group Events are as common in the nonprofit industry as annual campaigns and executive directors. What comes to mind when you think of events? Most people think of parties, galas and fundraising, but nonprofit events can expand to include festivals, concerts, chef competitions and more. Regardless of the type of event your association hosts, there are inherent risks that savvy leaders should anticipate and mitigate. Financial Risk You know that the most obvious hazard of any project is the financial risk, so it is important to delve deep into any event concept...
By Melissa Lagowski CEO/Founder/Queen Bee Big Buzz Idea Group The times we are in are certainly uncertain. Looking back a year ago, most event planners thought we would be back to in-person events and that virtual events would be a thing of the past. But the reality is that with Covid variants surfacing and the general population having an extremely wide range of what they are or aren’t comfortable with, nonprofits today are being forced to choose which type of event they want to plan for next year. Many of our association clients found that a portion of their members...
By Melissa Lagowski CEO/Founder/Queen Bee Big Buzz Idea Group For decades, events have been the lifeblood of nonprofits and associations. Then suddenly, March 2020 struck, and the event industry was about to begin a revolution unlike anything it had previously seen. We thought it might last for a few weeks or a few months, but now the months have flown by and the new normal is here. It is obvious that there are some important lessons that you will want to hold onto for the foreseeable future when it comes to event planning. Risk Versus Reward Events have always had...
By: Debbie McCann Partner W4Sight A virtual event is a great opportunity to showcase your nonprofit’s resilience and demonstrate your impact amidst the “new normal.” Just like with any in-person event, good planning is critical to virtual event success. Keep these three tips in mind to ensure that people remember the inspiring speaker, the amazing video, or the thought-provoking panel discussion – not the glitches. Tip #1: Set Expectations. Make sure people know what your event is all about, especially if you are doing a virtual event that specifically takes the place of an in-person event. In your email blasts...
By: Melissa Lagowski CEO/Founder/Queen Bee Big Buzz Idea Group We watched the world change, hour by hour, for several days until landing in our current “Shelter in Place” status. Initially, as the country began to respond to the coronavirus, we started to feel the impact on our nonprofit events, but they didn’t appear to be in the direct line of fire. But then on March 15th, the CDC issued new guidelines that stated that all gatherings with more than 50 people should be cancelled until at least May 12, 2020. The initial potential impact was now an impending multi-car...
By: Amanda Wilson Nonprofit Account Manager Big Buzz Idea Group Imagine we’re in the year 2000 and a respiratory virus is spreading throughout the world, causing all events and social gatherings to be canceled and forcing businesses to close. The internet, while gaining traction, is still rudimentary. Google was invented only two years prior and popular websites like Wikipedia, MySpace or Facebook are still years away. With mandates to socially isolate to help stop the spread of this disease, meetings would cease and businesses would have been unable to maintain daily operations. Additional programming like professional development seminars would...
By: Melissa Lagowski CEO/Founder/Queen Bee Big Buzz Idea Group Some events can draw crowds for decades while others fall flat after a year or two. It can be tricky to forecast what makes certain gatherings an instant success, but it shouldn’t be difficult to measure an event’s effectiveness over time. “Events are often passed down for years, from one set of staff or board members to another, and no one actually stops to think about what the event should be achieving,” says founder and president of Big Buzz Idea Group Melissa Lagowski. “To properly evaluate an event, you must first...
