Every October, for the past 9 years, we’ve had the opportunity to host a Gilmore Girls fan festival. We’ve met in half a dozen locations in attempt to keep the event new and ever evolving with a show that’s been off the air for nearly 20 years. Attendees come from all over the world to celebrate a fandom they adore. It’s an honor to continue this production and every year we learn something new about communication, event planing, marketing and PR. It’s an amazing opportunity to be a part of a live event with so many moving pieces.
This year was a little different than past years in terms of media coverage. We didn’t have as many media badges, but we allowed a documentary film crew to come to the event and capture footage. We don’t know much about the project, but we’re eager to see their perspective. It’s set to showcase fandom, but that’s all we know. I think it’ll be interesting to see the perspective of someone looking in from the outside trying to showcase the event. The process made me think about how we present the festival to others and how it’s viewed from the outside. Do our intentions align with the final product?
If you’re not in the habit of thinking about how people view your organization, it’s definitely a good exercise to work through. My version of the event is certainly different from an attendees, but I hope they grasp the heart of the event. It’s been the same story for nearly a decade and I hope it’s able to continue for years to come.
Here’s a glance at the event, https://www.remindmagazine.com/article/20934/gilmore-girls-firefly-event-weekend-fans-swarm-into-guilford-ct/
And here’s a bit about the origin story, https://www.remindmagazine.com/article/21068/gilmore-girls-fancon-firelight-event-fan-society/.
If anything, I hope this is a reminder to reassess whether your organization looks on the outside, like your team intends it to from the inside. October was a good month, but we’re deep into the holiday planning now and focused on new projects. We hope November is a successful month for you, pushing towards the end of another great year!