Red Light/Green Light Party: Help the hungry

By John McGory

 

The simplest ideas can often be your best.  An idea to have a singles party at my house has turned into $100,000 worth of food for central Ohio hungry families.   Here is where we are today.

Whether you’re in love or in the hunt, join 3 live bands and a party throng of fun seekers and dancers of all ages on March 9, from 6 p.m. to midnight at theBag of Nails in Westerville for the 6^th Annual Red Light/Green Light Party. All proceeds from your donated cover charge will go to Mid-OhioFoodbank.

In the past five years, money from this party generated $100,000 worth of food. The food bank bought 10,451 meals from the 2012 party donations.

The event is about showing your love or trying to find it. People wear red if they are married or in a relationship and green if they are single.  The party’s growth has been exponential.

Red Light/Green Light has both corporate and individual sponsors and collects cash and check donations at the door. This year’s sponsors include Oakland Nursery, Hetter Heating Cooling, MacMurray, Petersen and Shuster, LLP, Jungle Jim’s Lawn Service, Rotolo's Pizza, C.J. Fetchero Insurance Agency, M.K. Adkins & Associates, Dignity-First, The Bag of Nails, Webface and FYF Events.

Now here is how the whole thing got started.  After several great singles parties at my house two things became clear:  I got tired of cleaning up after slobs and everybody had a great time and told their married friends.  Now they wanted to come.

The attraction of knowing who was single made the singles parties much livelier.  I needed to keep that element.  So I asked a couple of friends what to do.  And one told me a red light green light party is the ticket.  Thanks Marten.

So we started small.  Only 75 or so showed up at the first party and we raised $600 in donation.  Little by little the party has grown to a great event.  And the reds love it just as much as the greens.  

The real heroes of this effort have been my friends and family. They jump-started a decent idea by coming and helping, and by opening their wallets and purses.  Now we’ve been able to get some attention and turn the party into a real positive for the community.

A-list party band Conspiracy, which draws large crowds with its soul, R&B and funk sounds, will headline the show for the third year. Donna Mogavero and the McGory Brothers will open.

Mogavero plays from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.; the McGory Brothers from 7:45 p.m. to 8:45 p.m.; and Conspiracy from 9:00 p.m. to midnight. Checks should be payable to Mid-Ohio Food Bank.

A big part of the fun is the reaction of people to the red or green they choose to wear.

I’ve had some pretty funny conversations with guests about what to wear.  We do a lot of relationships good. Making them choose who they are, red or green, can cause moral dilemmas!  I’ve also learned that 90 percent of single women have no green clothes, so we do provide beads.

So come on out to the party.  All are welcome and it is for a great cause.


John McGory is the founder of FYF Events, a central Ohio promotions/event company, that attracts the distracted. We create, partner, organize and manage events for business and pleasure. Contact us at FYFEvents@gmail.com. or at 614-581-3610. Check soon for our website at www.fyfevents.com or on Twitter @FYFEvents

Businesses leave Valentine's Day money on table; new events needed

 by John McGory

Valentine’s Day is big business but companies are leaving money on the table.

This Thursday is Valentine’s Day, one of the big event days of the year.  Restaurants, flower and candy stores, jewelers and travel agents all make out like bandits on February 14.

I am happy for those celebrating their Valentine’s Day love.  But what are the rest of us who are alone that day to do?  Hide in a closet?  Drink heavily and drunk dial ex-partners?  Pretend we don’t care?  Turn into haters?  We don’t want to go there.

Hallmark Cards’ research says about 50 percent of Americans purchase a Valentine’s Day greeting card.  That leaves another 50 percent of the country looking for something to do on February 14.  That spells big opportunity to me.   

What kind of events will work for singles?  Let’s first look at U.S. Census Bureau statistics on who is single.

There are 119 single men who are in their 20s for every 100 single women of the same age. Here is the breakdown for specific race and ethnic groups in their 20s:

Hispanics:  153 men per 100 women

Asian: 132 men per 100 women

Non-Hispanic whites:  120 men per 100 women

Blacks:  92 men per 100 women

A 20-something Valentine Day event for the singles could be a more male-oriented, testosterone-fueled event.  Things such as a rousing game of dodge ball or beer pong would work.  These would be good for getting out any excess energy in this crowd.  Having a bouncer or two available may be a good idea.  There could be some displaced anger. 

A male-oriented, Hispanic-themed event could bring in a good crowd considering the overwhelming number of young, single Hispanic males compared to females.  On the other hand, an event attracting black females could work as well since young black women outnumber black males.

The numbers flip heavily as we age.  There are only 34 single males for every 100 single females aged 65 or older.  The ethnic/race numbers are all in the 28-to-34-males for every 100 women range.  Ethnically-speaking it is the same when it comes to aging, men die off and women survive.  I think God realized one of us had to go.

Women-oriented events such as art or literature-themed events or wine tasting for singles have the ability to attract a good, female-dominated crowd.

Valentine’s Day is the biggest holiday offender of forgetting about “the rest of us.”  Too often businesses chase the same dollars and forget about the people who aren’t celebrating that special day.  There is more money to be made.

Maybe a Chinese New Year’s celebration would work.   The Chinese new year kicked off on February 4^th and lasts for 15 days.  And it is the Year of the Snake so that could work well with people who aren’t celebrating Valentine’s Day.

There are plenty of opportunities to give us losers in love a few options.  We don’t want to be haters.  We just want something to do.  We deserve a life too.

John McGory is the founder of FYF Events, a central Ohio promotions/event company that attracts the distracted. We create, partner, organize and manage events for business and pleasure. Contact us at FYFEvents@gmail.com. or at 614-581-3610. Check soon for our website at www.fyfevents.com or on Twitter @FYFEvents

Super event tips from the big game

By John McGory

 

The biggest sporting/entertainment event of the year came and went this weekend.  You have to admit that the National Football League knows how to throw a party. 

Football is America’s number one sport. It always is a plus when your event involves something people cherish.  But this alone doesn’t guarantee an extravaganza. 

Here are five super reasons why the NFL Championship Game sets itself apart from other championship games.

1.    The cyclical nature of the event.  It happens every year at the same time for three or  four hours.  It is not a seven-game series.  It is always on Sunday.  It is a party waiting to happen.

2.    The timing for the game is fabulous.  The beginning of February is the low point of the year for fun and excitement.  Christmas is long gone and cabin fever is setting in for a large portion of the country.  The 6:30 pm eastern standard time kick-off allows all of the time zones to enjoy the game during prime eating and drinking hours.

3.     The entertainment value for those who don’t know who is playing in the game is very high. High profile pre-game and halftime entertainers draw the non-football crowd to the television screens.  The brilliance of making the commercials the highlight of every year keeps people glued to their seats during timeouts.  It is the only time advertisements rule.

4.     It spins off money to all that get a piece of the action.  Food, alcohol, travel, bars/restaurant and television sales all soar.   They keep everyone focused on what we will be doing that day.  The NFL soaks up plenty of free advertising.

5.     It is fun.  The combination of the big game, funny commercials, a boring February weekend and food and alcohol are the ingredients for a country-wide party.  The NFL’s only goal is don’t screw it up.

What can you learn from the big game for your next big event?  Here a few super event ideas from the big game.

1.     People do enjoy things that they can count on for entertainment.  We are cyclical creatures.  Create events that people know that they’ll have fun at each year and you’ve got a winner.

2.     Timing is key.  Don’t compete with other activities or events.  Try and pick a time for an event that is yours alone.

3.     Keep others in mind who aren’t a fan of your theme.  Spouses, relatives and friends get dragged along to events.  Think of creative ways to entertain them if they could care less.

4.     If others can benefit from your successful event then they are sure to be a supporter next year.  Try and spread the love and money and it will return to you many times over.

5.     Keep it fun. 

When throwing an event, learn from the best.  The big game is a great place to start.   

John McGory is the founder of FYF Events, a central Ohio promotions/event company that attracts the distracted. We create, partner, organize and manage events for business and pleasure. Contact us at FYFEvents@gmail.com. or at 614-581-3610. Check soon for our website at www.fyfevents.com or on Twitter @FYFEvents