City Celebrates Successful Events
AS SEEN IN THE RED ROCK NEWS
March 8, 2019
A recent City of Sedona survey finds most residents are happy living in Sedona. I know I am. One of the many reasons I love living here is that we experience great amenities, such as artistic and cultural events which are all out of proportion to our size. Sedona still has its small-town feel, where you know your neighbors and visit with people in the grocery store. Your neighbor may own or work with a local business which may be one of your favorites and is undoubtedly one of the many enterprises contributing to your Sedona way of life.
Events are a key component to our quality of life and visitor attraction and satisfaction – and hits all four pillars of our Sustainable Tourism Plan. It’s because of this, the Sedona Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau (SCC&TB) supports many of Sedona’s great events.
In an effort to further support events, the SCC&TB is thrilled to bring back the Sedona Events Alliance, an affinity group of the Chamber. The purpose of the group is geared towards better event coordination, promotion, access to wayfinding signage, advocacy and facilitation of a comprehensive calendar to try to avoid multiple events occurring on the same weekends.
Event organizers take a lot of items into consideration when timing their events – and sometimes overlap happens, although rarely. This was the case with last weekend’s Sedona International Film Festival (a 9-day event) and the Sedona Mountain Bike Fest. It’s important to realize that there are only 52 weeks of the year – and 25 of them are either in peak season or have national holidays. Event organizers only have a few weekends of the year to consider and many of them have been on the same weekend of the month for years. That’s the case in last week’s calendar conflict. The SIFF originally planned their event around the Oscar’s and the event has gone into March several times, while the MTB Fest has been on the first weekend of March for a few years now. These two dates just happen to overlap this year (and last). If either event moves – they either fall over Presidents Day weekend or push into the already very busy spring break season. Event organizers also look at other similar events taking place around the country and of course, they take weather into consideration.
You can see there are a lot of considerations that go into planning and executing a successful event – and while it’s not ideal that events like this fall on the same weekend, sometimes, it is inevitable.
Congratulations to The Sedona International Film Festival who just celebrated its 25th year. For nine days, independent filmmakers and film lovers converged in Sedona to enjoy 160 films. From thought-provoking feature films to comedy shorts, the Festival enriches the lives of everyone who attends. Their beautiful Mary D. Fisher Theatre not only screens many Festival films, it is also open year-round hosting film premiers, independent movies, live performances and live streaming of opera, ballet, and talks from around the globe.
Congratulations on another wildly successful Sedona MTB Fest, which was March 1-3. The Sedona MTB Fest welcomed thousands of local and visiting bikers of all levels to take our trails responsibly.
March kicks off the busy Spring Season, when we welcome the 7th annual Sedona Yoga Festival March 14-17. World-class presenters will offer more than 200 classes, workshops, and events.
No matter what the season, we can get our creative juices flowing and be inspired by visiting the fantastic art on display in Sedona’s world-class gallery scene, another amenity rare in a city our size. Galleries are open almost every day of the year. The monthly “First Friday in the Galleries” is open to all and is a free showcase highlighting artists, special exhibits, and art events, hosted by the Sedona Gallery Association.
Our charming small-town roots will be showing at the annual Sedona St. Patrick’s Day Parade March 9. When was the last time you heard a marching band? The parade starts at 10:30 a.m. along Jordan Road in Uptown and is so fun! The Chamber will be participating under the ‘biking for balance’ theme, celebrating our sustainable approach to balancing environment, quality of life, the economy and visitor experience.
Just a few weeks later, on March 24, Chamber Music Sedona presents superstar pianist Yuja Wang in a rare appearance. She will be joined by Artistic Director Nicholas Canellakis for a thrilling program of romantic music by Chopin and Rachmaninoff at the Sedona Performing Arts Center.
Spring break will soon be upon us as families travel to Sedona to enjoy the beauty and the sunshine. Traffic will be heavier, as is usual this time of year. Locals know to plan their travel to avoid peak traffic if possible. If you’re caught waiting in traffic, take a deep breath, enjoy the view and be grateful for the amenities and economic vitality our visitors make possible. Sedona truly is a great place to live, work, play and visit.
–Linda Goldenstein, Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors