Hardee County launches community events calendar; TDC to craft application process for event promotion grants

Hardee County tourism and marketing manager Lacey Webb demonstrated a new community events calendar now available on the county’s website and described how the page will let community partners submit events for a centralized listing.

Webb said the calendar includes an “upcoming events” feed, the ability to feature events and links to event websites or social pages; she said staff hopes the calendar will reduce scheduling conflicts between community events and serve as a single destination for residents and visitors. Submissions will undergo a review process and nothing will post without internal approval, Webb said.

Council members urged staff to adopt clear written criteria and a removal/appeals policy for the calendar so that staff can explain decisions to event organizers. Several members asked staff to formalize criteria for what qualifies as a “featured event.” Webb said staff will include these standards in the application packet and SOP for promotional awards.

Daniel (last name not provided), a local administrator of a Facebook group called “What’s Open, Whatchula,” described the group’s role in promoting local businesses and said administrators vet posts to limit scams. He said the group is not a paid promotional platform and that its administrators share posts to help local businesses.

Why it matters: A centralized calendar supports tourism marketing and helps the TDC and county coordinate event promotion. Staff told the council the calendar will launch publicly the week of the presentation and that they will push the calendar via social media to drive traffic to a “one-stop shop” for events.

Next steps: Staff will finalize the posting criteria, SOP and an application for promotional awards and present those materials at the TDC’s next quarterly meeting.