New Program and Events Committee wants you!

BATW’s programs and events have always been a collaboration between BATW members, the Board and the Executive Director.

At the January 2023 Board Meeting, a new BATW Program Committee was established, proposed by President Matthew Eley and approved by the Board of Directors, to encourage these collaborations and leverage the skills and resources of all BATW members.

The purpose of the BATW Program & Events Committee is to develop a robust schedule of monthly meetings and events that serve the needs and interests of BATW membership:

• Networking
• Gather story information
• Professional development

The Program Committee is comprised of five people, including at least one Board member and the Executive Director.  The current Program Committee is:

Chair: Laurie Armstrong Gossy (Board member)

• Molly Blaisdell (Board Vice President)
• Erin Deinzer (Board member) (Past Programs Chair)
• Ruth Carlson (Board Member)
• BATW Executive Director: Ginny Prior

YOU’RE INVITED – TO CREATE A MEETING

It is not intended that the Programs Committee members act as Event Producers for all of the events.

All BATW members – including Corporate Members – are encouraged to suggest and develop programs and events, leveraging their contacts and access. Though not a requirement, each Board member is encouraged to develop at least one program per year.

In fact, according to BATW bylaws, each member is to provide three hours of volunteer service to BATW each year.    Producing a BATW meeting will fulfill that expectation, while strengthening your networks with BATW members and regional contacts.

Each year should have more in-person events than virtual programs.  Ideally, events will alternate between in-person and virtual (Zoom).  Most meetings should focus on gathering story material, but professional development programs are important too.

All program and event ideas should be submitted to the Programs Committee Chair who will vett them with the committee and the BATW President.

Proposals should be received no less than 60 days before the proposed event is to take place.

Program suggestions will be evaluated for story potential (especially in travel media outlets) and logistics.

Examples of recent BATW programs can be found here: https://batw.org/batw-events/.

EVENT PRODUCTION – WHO DOES WHAT

Once approved, one member will be designated the Event Producer for that event or program.   The Event Producer will act as the liaison between the hosts and BATW.

For example, our thanks go to Judith Horstman for producing the recent event on Treasure Island and Rosie Cohan for producing the meeting at Silver Penny Ranch in November.

The Event Producer can be any member of BATW and will most likely be the person with the strongest connection to the topic, hosts, or venue.  If the person who proposes the program is not able to be the Event Producer, another BATW member will take on the role.

After the concept has been approved, the Event Producer will be responsible for:

• Arranging speakers and activities and related logistics
• Securing event venue (preferably provided by the host)
• Arranging food and beverage (preferably provided by the host)
• On-site setup and event management, such as introducing the program to attendees

BATW’s Executive Director (Ginny Prior) will be responsible for:

• Getting event information from the Event Producer
• Developing the invitation email and distributing it to BATW members
• Gathering RSVPs and, when applicable, fees for non-member guests
• Managing lists of attendees, revenue, and any special circumstances
• Coordinate with the BATW President to provide a message of thanks and a small gift to the host

HOW TO PITCH A HOST

A template for pitching hosts is here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1U-hD2rhFRu7lJHfQw7YsOmr-2DVUUlja5Jar-wK_ROI/edit?usp=sharing

GET INVOLVED

To volunteer and/or submit a program idea, please contact Laurie Armstrong Gossy, larmstronggossy@gmail.com, 415-290-6830.