EVENT OVERVIEW:
On Thursday, November 30, 2023, the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle hosted their 22nd Annual Breakfast: ‘Era of Essential Service’ featuring special guest, Trevor Noah!
The Annual Breakfast is a celebration of the essential programming and services ULMS provides to the community in the focus areas of health, housing, entrepreneurship, advocacy, education, and workforce development. The 2023 event included a special emphasis on honoring Black women in the community who have fearlessly dedicated their lives to uplift and empower others.
HIGHLIGHTS:
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Event Date: 11/30/2023
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Total Guest Count: 1,413 attendees
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Total Event Sponsors: 80
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Total Dollars Raised: $941k
MY ROLE:
For this event, I served as 1/2 of a 2-person event planning team. My direct responsibilities included the following:
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Establish the event aesthetic, including the overall look and feel of the event (color scheme, font selections, backgrounds, and other key design elements).
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Create all accompanying digital assets including the official invitation, sponsorship packet, live presentation slides, post-event survey, social media ads, & the official event landing webpage.
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Create all accompanying print materials including the donation pledge cards, and black business directories.
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Draft and send all event related communication to partners, sponsors, and community members including initial press release, invitations to returning/new potential event sponsors, sponsorship follow-ups, event updates, registration reminders, table captain information, and post-event thank you correspondence.
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Solicit and track event sponsorship commitments, invoices, payments, and guest registrations.
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Organize a seating chart for over 1,400 attendees.
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Oversee the production of video assets created for the event, including storyboarding, filming coordination with honorees, and final review and approval.
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Coordinate with and manage event vendors including 2 photographers, 2 videographers, hotel event support staff, 2 high-level production teams, honorees, & special guests.
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Create and manage the official event run of show and detailed on-stage script.
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Draft questions for special guest interview.
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Establish and delegate team responsibilities for over 100 Urban League employees on the day of the event.
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Create and order red Urban League branded shirts for all staff members to wear the day of event.
RELATED LINKS:
Please click one of the bulleted items below to view more.
Official Invitation
Finalized invitation I created to establish the look and feel of the event.
Official Recap Video
Included below is the official event recap video, which highlights how the creative, production, and communications efforts I led (and outlined on this page) came together to deliver a successful fundraising event.
For this video, I sourced and managed a freelance videographer, oversaw the filming and editing process, and provided final creative direction, edits, and approval prior to release.
Black Business Directory
Each attendee received a printed copy of the Black Business Directory during the event. I took over this project when I joined the Urban League in 2019, revamping and managing it from its initial 15-business format into a robust, sustainable resource.
I transitioned the directory into a digital platform by creating a dedicated webpage and establishing a process for businesses to submit their own information. As of February 2024, the directory features over 100 local Black-owned or operated businesses in King County, Washington, and it remains the most frequently visited page on the Seattle Urban League’s website.
Due to its popularity online, I developed a printed version, initially distributed at the 21st Annual Breakfast. Following overwhelmingly positive feedback from attendees in 2022, the printed directory became a permanent component of the event, helping to promote local Black-owned businesses to sponsors, funders, and event audiences. In 2023, I refreshed the printed design and expanded the content to reflect the directory’s continued growth. The directory was printed and released in 2023 for the 2024 program year.
The finalized iteration is included below.
Sponsorship Packet
This is the document I created to solicit sponsorships for the event.
Donor Pledge Cards
There are the donor pledge cards that I created. Each attendee received one and used them to make donations during the live event.
Presentation Slides
Here are the PowerPoint presentation slides that I created to accompany the run of show.
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Event Programs
Here are the two-sided event programs I created to accompany the Black business directories and donor pledge cards on each table.
Supporting Documents
Here are a few essential documents that I drafted, updated, and managed throughout the planning process and during the live event. These documents included:
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MASTER SCRIPT: Primary reference document that included detailed presenter, video, tech, and stage queues.
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TEAM ASSIGNMENTS: Overview of expectations and delegated responsibilities for each team on the days before and of the event.
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PRESS RELEASE: The initial announcement of the event to press and media.
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RUN OF SHOW: Time stamped overview of the Master Script.
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SEATING CHART: Document I used to help organize the event seating chart.
Email Correspondence
Here are a few of the emails that I wrote, sent and followed up with throughout the planning process and after the conclusion of the live event. These emails included:
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SPECIAL GUEST ANNOUNCEMENT: This was the first email I sent to the general public to both announce the upcoming event and who the special guest speaker would be.
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TICKET ANNOUNCEMENT 1: This is the email I sent after the special guest announcement to let the general public know that tickets for the event were on sale.
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TABLE CAPTAIN INFO: This is an email I sent to each table captain the day before the event to ensure they had all necessary information for the day of and to share with their table guests.
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TABLE GUEST REGISTRATION: This is the email I sent to the table captains once sponsorship commitments had been confirmed. The purpose of this email was to explain the registration process for their intended guests.
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THANK YOU: This was the final email I sent after the event to express our gratitude, share event outcomes, and encourage participation in the post-event survey.
I am also including a snapshot of how the mass emails performed once sent.
Event Photos
Included below are photographs captured during the live event (photography by others), shared to highlight the event-day environment, room design, and key program moments.
Social Media Ads
Here is the ad set I created for the event including the overall results.
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Post-Event Attendee Survey Results
Here are the results of the post-event survey that I shared via email to all attendees. In total, 126 people completed the survey. To present the results, I compiled two versions. One version is a visual summary, while the other version are the individually compiled survey submissions. This survey was anonymous.