Something I Didn’t Think Possible

04 Sep Something I Didn’t Think Possible

I am so happy to be sharing this news with you. Yet I must be honest. This time last year I never thought it would have been possible. The live event industry had been quiet, especially when it came to nonprofit and corporate events. I was beginning to sharpen my best wedding planning skills (just kidding…). And then slowly, we all began to transition. Like the characters in Wizard of Oz we began to awaken after a long sleep in the poppies.

We picked up the pace with our hybrid and virtual events. My team at Zynger Events learned how to produce beautiful, exciting broadcast-quality events online. Clients got creative and open to the possibility of what we can do online. I am thrilled to have done some great work in recent months – even some full live and in-person events! Woot woot! Our work has not gone unnoticed, and we are excited to see those calendar boxes in 2021 and 2022 filling in.

All of this has allowed me to say what I set out at the beginning of this letter – Zynger Events is growing! Keep reading to congratulate Austen on her promotion. She’s been with me through it all. And say hello to Allison who will be stepping in to complete our team. In October, we’ll be producing a 1,000-person event among many others events we are working on for important causes.

From A – Z-ynger! Meet Austen and Allison…

Austen Harmon

As I said above, Austen has been with Zynger Events since 2019. She is now a full-fledged Event Manager, working directly with clients, assisting me in the logistics, planning and execution of our events and interfacing with your myriad creative partners.

Austen made her way to Los Angeles from Michigan via Chicago. She has a unique eye for design –both live and digital — thanks to her formal education at Columbia College Chicago and her professional education at the Lookingglass Theatre Buzzfeed. On the weekends, when she’s not producing events, she hikes and spend time relaxing at home with roommates and a house cat.

Allison Larned

Allison joins us as Junior Event Manager, filling in Austen’s shoes. Like Austen she has a background in theater, a graduate of the New School for Drama in her hometown of Denver. A background in casting, producing and retail design led her to a passion for events.

While working with Precious Metals Summit and The Wellth Collective, she obtained her Cvent Management Certification. When not creating endless to-do lists, Allison might be thrifting, going to the beach or playing with her calico kitten, Zulu.

THE CHANGEMAKER CHALLENGE

In a recent newsletter, I shared about the Aspen Challenge we produced. It was very similar to the Changemaker Challenge — Students Rebuild. Students Rebuild, a program of the Bezos Family Foundation, began in 2010 to enlist young people to help their peers after a devastating earthquake in Haiti. According to Changemaker’s website, “Seeing the outpouring of compassion from students and watching them connect with each other, we knew we’d unlocked something special.” The organization began to bring students and teachers from around the world together for a collective action every year since.

This year, there were two events. One for high school students and one for elementary students. The event we produced was hosted on a custom virtual platform so we could air the events “live.” They were produced as pre-recorded sessions with Natty, the same charismatic emcee who was featured in The Aspen Challenge. This time, her son was part of the elementary action.

Each year the challenge focuses on a different action such as hunger or the ocean. This year the challenge was around art. Art from the participating students was featured throughout the year and awards were created for the Changemakers in their lives. At the high school level, there were even cash awards given to selected Changemakers.

And of course, there was swag. We sent custom printed boxes filled with books, candy, and school materials to 40 partnered schools of Students Rebuild.

Our team at Zynger Events is honored to help shine light on this wonderful organization that is shaping future hearts and minds to be open and charitable. You can see the awards and learn more here … changemakerchallengeawards.org

What are your challenges as we go into the final half of 2021? How do you want to connect with your community now and 2022? It looks like we might be continuing to embrace virtual and hybrid for a bit longer. I know you want to stay in touch with your community and keep your donations flowing in for all your causes. How can we help?