Event Planners across the state meet in North Charleston, January 19 - 21

South Carolina Festival and Events Association
Admission Success~2013 SCFEA Event Planners Conference and Trade Show

Charleston, SC -- The South Carolina Festival & Event Association (SCFEA) will hold its annual conference and tradeshow at the Embassy Suites Charleston Area Convention Center beginning Saturday, January 19 and continuing through to Monday, January 21.  Conference participation requires registration and is open to tourism promoters, event planners, festival producers, municipal staff as well as park and recreation professionals across the state of South Carolina.

The nonprofit organization serves a wide variety of professionals in  delivering this conference.  The conference agenda provides attendees with opportunities to network with colleagues from across the state and to engage in professional development sessions centered on industry topics: sponsorship, programming, volunteer management, marketing, entertainment, insurance, and operations.  The schedule includes educational breakout sessions as well as less formal learning opportunities with table topic discussions, exhibit hall hours and periodic receptions.

 Highlights from the conference schedule include:

Jobs: Life After College: Young Festival Planner Panel, Sunday, January 20; 3:40p, Meeting Room 10 

Darron Kirkley, Tourism Director, Kershaw County, SC Tourism

Melissa Bernhardt, Festival and Event Coordinator for Charleston County Parks & Recreation Commission

Event planning is a fun, ever-changing, exciting industry.  But what can a young planner expect to find in the job market?  Experience, degree choices, internships are key components to building a professional path in one of the fastest growing career fields in the country.  Young professionals who have forged a career in events provide insight to their success.

Community: How to Bring A Community Together to Succeed, Monday, January 21; 8:30a,Meeting Room 11 

Leah Ross, Executive Director, Birthplace of Country Music; Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion

Christina Blevins; Executive Director, Believe in Bristol TN/VA a Certified Main Street Community Bristol, TN/VA is doing it right and the world noticed.  Find out how this small town built and sustains the momentum to bring great things to their community through events, festivals, economic and community development, and cooperation.

Awards: SCFEA Excellence Awards, Monday, January 21; 12:00 – 1:30 p, Meeting Rooms 6 & 7

The Excellence Awards program is a competitive, peer-reviewed process to recognize events produced in the state of South Carolina. The program recognizes every type of event produced in South Carolina and makes awards in multiple budget categories. The opportunity to be consideration for an award at the 2013 conference is given to current SCFEA members producing events that transpired during the calendar year 2012.  Click here, to preview the 2011 awardees.

Data and Trends: In addition to the learning opportunities and the recognition of excellence through awards the conference serves as the point of an annual release of event data in the Carolinas, both South Carolina and North Carolina.  In 2008, the South Carolina Festivals and Events Association (SCFEA) and the North Carolina Association of Festivals and Events (NCAFE) partnered with the College of Charleston and North Carolina State University to study the types of  festivals and events produced and determine the scope of those festival and events in relationship to economic development and tourism.  The annual survey provides important information and identifies trends for the state’s growing festival industry.  The data to be released on January 21st covers the survey period of 2012. Click here to preview the 2011 NC and SC Festivals and Events Planner Survey information.

Twitter

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 FourSquare Check-In

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SCFEA Conference Mobile App (QwikMobi)

The 2013 SCFEA app is available for free download! The iPhone app and Android version can be found simply by searching for 'SCFEA 2013' in the app store.