Find an Upcoming Race Near You

The 2012 Bank of America Chicago Marathon broke records this week.  The registration reached maximum capacity of 45,000 runners in six days — 25 days faster than 2011 and almost 31 weeks faster than 2003.  The enthusiasm with which people have shown toward marathons, 5ks, and charity walks is encouraging both in the sense of fitness awareness and charity support.

Because we at Events.org encourage healthy lifestyles (except for the occasional treats from Mark) and charitable involvement, we would like to share upcoming opportunities at races across the country.  Running in the USAMarathon GuideRunner’s World, and Charity Walks Blog offer great resources from which you can find a race near you.

Don’t feel discouraged about getting involved if you aren’t the running type; be sure to check the event webpage to see if there are volunteer opportunities at a race in your community and register.

Ready, set, go!

Order’s Up! What to Serve and How at Your Next Event

Food has become a major player in today’s events.  Say goodbye to the old chicken or beef entrées and make room for trendier, not to mention yummier, fare.  Try to spice up the way you serve food at your next event with some of these suggestions.

Family Style – Serving up food family style has been a hit at recent events.  Not only does it allow you to have multiple plate options for your guests, it increases guest interaction at the table.

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How to Use Twitter at Your Next Event

Twitter can be used as an interactive tool at your next event!  Step into the newest realm of social media.

First, assign your event a hashtag (#, ie #OurSuperCoolEvent).  Use the hashtag as a way to keep a conversation flowing among your guests.  For example a guest might tweet “On our way to #OurSuperCoolEvent! Can’t wait!” or “The decorations this year are beautiful #OurSuperCoolEvent”.

Keep screens with rolling twitter feed around the rooms of your venue.  Guests will be excited to see their tweets available for everyone to see.  You can also use the screens as an easy way to announce any changes such as seating time, auction closes, etc.

Hold competitions via Twitter to engage your guests.  Hide instructions around the room, i.e. “The first person to tweet #IWin with the hashtag #OurSuperCoolEvent receives 5 free 50/50 tickets” or “RT #OurSuperCoolEventDrawing to be entered to win dinner for 2 at Girl and the Goat”.

Depending on your software system, sync your silent auction results to your guests’ Twitter accounts, alerting them if they won an item.  Post the winner announcements on the screens around the room.

Voila!  You’ve brought your event to the next level by incorporating the power of Twitter.  Happy Tweeting!

Oh Me, Oh My – Our Sunday Surprise

In the vein of “flash mobs”, there have been a rash of funny pranks across America organized by Improv Everywhere.  The pranks have ranged from creating “tourist-only” walking lanes in New York to walking invisible dogs and spontaneous musicals to interesting subway tricks; this past Sunday they held their latest prank…a no-pants subway ride.  Why do they do this, you ask? Continue reading

OnePage Software Suite Updates

Our fully integrated event planning tool, OnePage, channels all of your event details through the OnePage dashboard to streamline your planning process. Suitable for any scale event, the OnePage software suite is now available in three levels of functionality to better suit your technology needs whether you are hosting an event, conference, auction, or fundraiser.

OnePage|Free – for organizations that low-level online forms.

OnePage|Standard– for organizations that are organizing upcoming events.

OnePage|Premium– for organizations that would like to take their events to the next level. Continue reading