New Faces, Familiar Places: Event Communications That Grow Your Crowd

Networking: 11:30 Lunch program: noon - 1:00 pm. Horace Mann headquarters, Springfield IL Lunch will be included, please share any dietary restrictions on the sign up form.

New Faces, Familiar Places: Event Communications That Grow Your Crowd

With Jay Shanle, Executive Director, Downtown Springfield, Inc. Jay's Bio

Every communicator who promotes events eventually runs into two problems. Longtime events can get stuck with the same crowd every year, because people who haven't come assume they already know what it is. New events have the opposite problem: no one knows what they are yet, so it's easy to skip them.

Jay Shanle deals with both of these challenges. As executive director of Downtown Springfield, Inc. (DSI), he works to bring residents and visitors back to Springfield's historic core through arts programming, placemaking projects and partnerships with local businesses and organizations. He also serves as program director of the Levitt AMP Springfield Music Series, which brings free, family-friendly concerts downtown.

Join us as Jay shares practical strategies for reaching people who haven't shown up before, and for introducing new events to audiences who already have their favorites. He'll talk about what worked, what didn't and what he'd do again.

Jay’s background in public-facing communications, civic planning and cultural programming provides an experienced perspective for anyone interested in more effective events promotion. Under his leadership, DSI has grown its role as a convener for downtown stakeholders, advanced action items in the Midland Medical District & Downtown Master Plan and expanded cultural offerings for the community.

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