Engines, Exhaust & Earthmovers?

I came across a monster truck show as I was flipping through channels the other day. It was oddly one of those situations I just couldn’t look away from. I’m not generally into this type of event; they’re loud and dirty and I’m not sure what they’re trying to accomplish, but at this point in the event, trucks were flying in the air, crushing small cars, and going every which way. All I could think of was the amount of liability the organizer must be taking on and what type of safety measures must need to be in place for an event of this nature. I love studying risk management and this event felt like a hotbed of risk that I couldn’t even fathom the mitigation plan someone had to write. So, naturally, I researched what goes into planning a monster truck show.

I was disappointed to find that actual planning details for a monster truck show were almost impossible to find. I could find multiple sites with information for hosting a watch party or planning the perfect kid’s monster truck birthday party. I could find information on ticket sales, what was being offered at a local monster truck show, and where to park when I arrived, but again, the planning details were very elusive. My guess…it’s not something your average event planner should touch with a ten-foot pole.

The most helpful website I found was MonsterJam.com.1 Even though it didn’t outline the process for planning a monster truck show, having been a Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) for as long as I have been, I used my deductive reasoning skills to glean what might be required to pull off this type of show from the information provided.

There are a lot of different sub-events involved with a monster truck show – so much so that it felt like overkill; there’s a pit party, a VIP pre-pit party, a post-event driver meet and greet, a trackside party (which is different than a pit party), and family-friendly spaces and events which include things like inflatables. Then there are the monster truck activities themselves which include racing, two-wheel skills, and freestyle; and the judging of said races, in which spectators can also participate. The amount of space needed and the ability to move people efficiently is tremendous.

I uncovered an entire glossary for this sport. Literally. A whole page dedicated to helping attendees decipher what is being said on and around the track. This website also did an extraordinary job at preparing an attendee. There were kids coloring pages of monster trucks to download, watch party snack recipes, and reminders on multiple pages to bring ear protection or be prepared to purchase branded ones on-site. The site mentioned exactly how long the event would be (two hours with a 15-minute intermission), and explained that earth movers are there to not only build the track but to recover disabled monster machines during the event.

As a planner, renting or maintaining heavy equipment is not something I’ve had to do on a regular basis. Earth movers, monster machines, trailers, and the like probably require garage-style equipment such as lifts, gasoline, tools, tires, work lights, and more. If a monster truck show is like a car race, then there are trailers for the trucks themselves and campers for the truck owners to stay in while they’re at the race. This means coordinating showers, bathrooms, F&B, electric and water hookups, sewage dumping stations, firewood, and basic supplies like a convenient store.

And as mentioned, a robust risk management plan, emergency action plan, medical and fire standby personnel and equipment, safety officers, safety inspections, insurance plans, participation waivers, weather contingency plans, lots of dirt, tons of space, and I’m sure so much more I’m not even thinking of are required. Then, it becomes like any other event; marketing, ticket sales, F&B, grandstands, parking, porta potties, inflatables, and such.

The monster truck show I ran into was outdoors. The thought of having an indoor monster truck show would be deafening at best. Regardless if you attended or executed a show inside or out, I can only imagine how long you’d need to shower to get the sweat and dirt out of every crevasse of your body.

Have you ever planned a monster truck show? What is one thing a planner needs
to watch for? Share it here or send me an email!

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1.Monster Jam.com

Coffee Talk

In the words of Linda Richmond, “Dial 555-4444, cawll me and we’ll tawlk.” Coffee Talk was a fake talk show done by Mike Myers on Saturday Night Live.TM Every time I make a date to have coffee with someone, Linda’s raspy New York accent rings in my head, it makes me giggle every time. It’s the smallest and most intimate “event” one can schedule. Coffee at a local shop with a dear friend.

I wrote about the price of coffee (among other things) in my blog The New Liquid Gold. It’s still one of my favorite blogs. The $16.40 cup of coffee for the event I was working on at the time seemed preposterous. As I sat sipping my $7.14 caramel latte waiting for my friend to arrive, I wondered if the price of convention center coffee had shifted at all.

After a little bit of research and discussions with other planners, I discovered that the language in some contracts has changed. Instead of offering a per gallon price for coffee, they’re now offering a price for “3-gallons of coffee which generally yields 40 cups.” I was surprised how many times I encountered this verbiage verses the standard price per gallon. It’s a nifty way to say, “we’re still going to charge you as much or more but make it feel like you’re getting a bargain.” The going rate for 3-gallons is around $450. Add 8% sales tax and a 28% service fee (of course we have to account for the ++), divide by 40 and these days we’re looking at $15.55 per cup of coffee. Down $0.85 per cup from before. Hmmm. Also as Linda Richmond would say, “I’m verklempt, tawlk amongst yourselves.”

Personally, I still think it’s way too much for what’s required; water, beans, and heat. But I get that everyone needs to be paid. According to Macrotrends, the basic price of coffee beans per pound in January 2016 was $1.17. In January 2026, it was $3.60 per pound. That’s a 208% increase. By comparison, in the same years, the price of sugar has increased 3.5%, the price of corn is up 20%, and the price of chicken has increased by 41.3% (we feel this when talking with caterers, no?). The law of supply and demand is a very real thing. However, according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics Data (and summarized by AI), the average cost of living from 2016 to 2026 has increased between 30.5% to 35%. With coffee up 208% how are we supposed to keep feeding our coffee habit at these ratios?

But I digress.

Since I work primarily with association and nonprofit organizations, watching the budget is paramount. Paying a zillion dollars to feed our attendees’ coffee habits is often just not feasible, however, when we don’t, our survey results suffer. The first year we tried to cut back and remove morning coffee, I thought our poor staff and volunteers were going to be carried off by an uncaffeinated mob thinking we’d betrayed them somehow. Since necessity is the mother of invention (or so the saying goes), we tried to come up with some creative ways to still offer to supply our attendees with their morning boost and not break the bank in the process.

Of course the first idea was to offer it as part of a sponsorship package. However, as our vendors are also almost entirely associations and nonprofits, their budgets cannot sustain the amount of money it costs to serve 2500 people coffee in the morning either. We also tried to break it up by offering different sponsorships for different coffee station locations, for cups, for sleeves, for napkins, and such. This was a bit overcomplicated.

Another idea was to offer a coffee tasting. We asked local coffee shops if they wanted to participate in this morning event, offering small sips of their locally sourced coffee, and perhaps providing coupons or samples for attendees to take home. We also allowed them to sell a limited menu of their signature drinks so attendees could get more of the ones they liked and keep the lines moving. This worked out pretty well but we needed to make room in the schedule to accommodate it. We had more time than money so the trade off was worth it.

One really outrageous idea we had was to find out where the largest coffee manufacturers were located in the US and either ask for donations or sponsorships, or consider moving the conference to their city and work out some type of partnership. Hawaii is the location with the largest number of coffee companies, however, getting there is a bit problematic. We would have just exchanged our cost of coffee for flights, hotels, ground transportation, and pretty much everything else as it’s all imported. Other location options included Burlington, Massachusetts, Frisco, Texas, and parts of California depending on which coffee company we chose. This one is still on the table but I’ll keep you posted.

In the meantime, I’m waiting for my friend to arrive, watching the patrons come and go; fascinated by the length of the lines, sizes of the drinks, and wondering what Linda Richmond would say about this.

Have you had to be creative in offering coffee at your event? Share your story here or
send me an email!

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Dinner as the Destination

Mood lighting. Velvety textured wall coverings. Heavy drapery. Waiters with crisp white shirts and pressed trousers. Smoke hanging in the air. Iconic music in the background like Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis. A delicious prime rib steak done to perfection sitting on the plate in front of you. The feeling like you’ve known everyone here forever. Easy conversation, lots of laughter, and friendships. You’re at…the Supper Club. Or at least my imaginary initial version of one.

My mother periodically talks about going to the supper club with her friends. This concept has been lost on me for years. Why would anyone dine at a dusty, dingy, outdated, old-person-only restaurant anymore? The vision I had when she talked about her evenings out was of a stale smoke-smelling restaurant, VFW-style with carpeted walls like the 1970s, and tables as far as the eye can see with blue-haired patrons. What I didn’t realize until recently is that the supper club is making a revival. To understand the allure I did a little research.

I visited several websites only to discover that the supper club is a very midwestern thing. More specifically, the supper club was birthed in Wisconsin, or at least by a Wisconsinite, but all of the sites harken their roots to the state of Wisconsin. Supper clubs were more than just a restaurant, they were an experience. When prohibition was a thing, speakeasies popped up as underground bars and restaurants where patrons could still gather and enjoy a nightcap. After prohibition was reversed, many of these same establishments became supper clubs. Initially, they were private social clubs where members could gather for dinner, drinks, and conversation, but they quickly became available to the general public so anyone who wanted could experience their unique charm.1

I also didn’t realize there’s intentionality behind the decor and menu of these restaurants. They’re designed with warm, cozy lighting, dark furniture, rustic elements, and vintage photos so guests feel a sense of familiarity and comfort; like they have been coming as long as they can remember, and could stay as long as they liked. People can find community here and the waitstaff remember the names of guests for years to come. The menu is also designed to set them apart from traditional restaurants. Meals are multi-course, intended to slow the guest down for a dining experience. Steak, seafood, and cocktails are classic items at a supper club, and unique locally-sourced or focused menu items are also a staple so each club has the “flavor” of the town it’s in.

Because of the time it takes to complete a meal at a supper club, guests tend to mingle across the aisles. This is actually part of the reason people return to these clubs. It’s a social activity. New guests find themselves drawn to the ambience and friendliness. Returning guests consider it the go-to spot to celebrate the milestones of their lives like anniversaries and birthdays, making it a tradition to be among their community to share their memories.

Those of us who are old enough to remember the restaurants of yore, going out to dinner was a special treat, and one that took all night. Dinner WAS the thing to do – it was the destination, not a stop on the way to what was next. Dates morphed into dinner and a movie which was the staple in the 1980s. 2020 killed any social skills people had, and now we’re placing orders via an app and either picking it up or having it dropped off at the speed of light without interacting with another human being. Personally, I think it’s time to relearn how to look people in the eye while sitting across a table and having a conversation. Care to join me?

Have you visited a supper club lately? What did you like about it? Share it here or
send me an email!

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1.Hotel Seymore Supper Club. Club Ambiance: More Than Just a Meal. 2025. https://hotelseymour.com/2025/05/the-supper-club-ambiance-more-than-just-a-meal/

A Multitasker’s Dream

Multitasking is something that few people do well. However, for those of us who are proficient at combining the right types of activities together to simultaneously provide mental space to one and rote movements to the other, we can get a lot done in a short period of time. This particular type of event is one I have been planning more of lately, and for multitaskers, it’s perfect. They’re Lunch & Learn events. What’s better than eating lunch and attending an event at the same time?

The purpose of a lunch & learn event is efficient use of time. Those lunching might be learning a new skill or hearing about a new product while noshing on their meal. Most people are supposed to have a lunch hour, so rather than squeeze another meeting into what is likely an already busy schedule, adding some education while offering a free meal seems like occasional, well-used time. If budget is an issue, employees can always be asked to brown-bag it, however, if you want to encourage high percentage attendance, free food usually does the trick.

These events could also be used as fact-finding from a specific demographic of people. If you’re the CEO of an organization, you may schedule these events with different departments. If you oversee a large group of people you might break them down into subgroups; twenty-somethings, men, women, left-handed people, Capricorns…. you name it. The idea is to get information from a specific group of people to help reach a goal. You could be looking to improve your processes, reorganize your organization, or simply stay connected to what is going on in your business. Whatever your desired outcome, be sure to craft good, thought-provoking questions for the attendees. Then, listen. They lunch…you learn.

It’s helpful to set some expectations for these events. If attendees are learning something such as a new skill, be sure to inform them if they should bring their computers, and if the meeting is mandatory or optional. And, schedule the beginning and end time and stick to it. If information-gathering is the goal, the atmosphere needs to be completely judgement free for honest participation to happen. Asking clarifying questions is ok if they are truly to clarify something you are confused about, but not to probe or defend. To affect real change or meet your goal, you want people to speak frankly. If you create a culture where people feel free to participate without retribution, you could be amazed at the gems you will walk away with.

If you want the attendees to come prepared, you might want to send them information to review or ask them to come with their questions or concerns on a specific topic ahead of time. Some people are great at in-the-moment thinking but others need to noodle on a subject for a couple of days before their true genius comes out. And, know your audience. Don’t serve pizza unless you know the demographic you’ve invited to lunch are the pizza-eating kind. Food for a group of young attendees who are entering the workforce for the first time will have a different appetite than those who are looking forward to retirement.

Lunch & learn events don’t have to be complicated or expensive but they can yield great results when done well. Multitaskers in the room will feel a sense of accomplishment as they can check another meeting off their list while they dined. Trainers can rest assured their job was done and attendees now have information on the new product your company just released. And, a manager might be blown away by what the brown-eyed attendees from her department shared and she has some solid facts to take to her CEO to recommend some changes.

Have you planned a lunch & learn event? What is one thing that worked really well?
Share it here or send me an email! Let’s learn from each other.

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License and Registration Please

In my blog Beware of the Copyright, I talked about my experience as a volunteer producer having our live-stream feed shut down by a social media platform within seconds of airing a 2-minute video clip to introduce our guest speaker. It blew my mind how quickly this happened and how disruptive it was for all of those watching via the live feed. We had an accidental copyright infringement issue. With groups wanting to have walk-in and walk-out music for their events, including music as part of their events, and hosting sporting event watch parties, music licenses, commercial cable subscriptions, and satellite licenses need to be considered.

Walk-in and walk-out music using a streaming service such as SpotifyTM is fine for your daughter’s backyard birthday party. However, if you are hosting a large 3-day conference in a convention center for 2000 people, your organization would need to subscribe to a business account due to copyright laws.

Likewise, if you are having a band play music at your event, you also need to consider copyright laws. Organizations like ASCAP and BMI can provide access to different licenses based on your need. They can also advise whether or not you will need an additional streaming license if you are sending your feed to another location or online. If you are working with a church or nonprofit group to include worship music at your event, CCLI is the organization for you. All of these organizations safeguard the songwriters rights and ensure they get the proper royalties owed to them.

Given that it’s football season right now, groups are also planning sporting event watch parties. The Superbowl is coming soon and I know of several events that are in the planning phases. Again, if you’re planning a party for a few of your closest friends in your man cave, you don’t have to worry about what size screen you’re using, or the equipment you’re watching on, you just can’t charge your friends a fee to enter your home.

Churches can host watch parties but need to follow a few guidelines: 1) equipment used to watch the game must be church-owned and used for regular ministry purposes, 2) the screen cannot be larger than 55″, 3) the game must be shown on church-owned property, 4) no admission can be charged (but a free-will offering may be collected), and 5) churches cannot use trademarked logos or phrases in any of their advertising. Just call it something like “The Big Game.”1

Commercial properties such as restaurants and bars with multiple and large screens must purchase a license. Why? Follow the money. These establishments are making money either on admission or F&B sales, but they don’t own the content they’re showing. Again, it’s a copyright infringement issue. The NFL wants their piece of the action for using their game to draw people into a public event.2

So unless you want a cease-and-desist letter to show up in your mailbox after your event, be sure to review Section 110 of the Copyright Law. It is WAY cheaper to get the appropriate music, sports, or streaming license on the front end than it is to pay the penalty fees on the back end. The organizations providing these licenses are also very helpful and will talk you through what type of event you are planning and the recommended license to meet your needs. But, you have to pick up the phone.

Have you encountered an accidental copyright issue? Share what you learned here or
send me an email. I’d love to hear your story!

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1.Asiatico Law. Blog. Planning a Superbowl Party? Ryan Peak. January 2026. https://www.baalegal.com/planning-a-super-bowl-party/
2.SolidSignalBlog. What’s the Difference Between Having a Watch Party at Home and a Watch Party in a Bar? Stewart Sweet. April 9 2024. https://blog.solidsignal.com/tutorials/whats-the-difference-between-having-a-watch-party-at-home-and-having-a-watch-party-in-a-bar/#:~:text=You%20can%20watch%20anything%20you,real%20core%20of%20the%20answer.