On September 3, nearly 300 community leaders, educators, partners, and families gathered at the Randolph Riverfront Center in downtown Alexandria for an afternoon centered around something pretty important: creating more opportunities for children and families in Central Louisiana.
I had the opportunity to work alongside The Rapides Foundation team to help bring the event together, and it was such a rewarding experience.
If you’ve been around here for a while, you know weddings are a big part of what I do at Gatherings by HB. But event coordination in Alexandria, LA, can look a little different from one week to the next, and I really love getting to be part of gatherings like this one, too.
A Pretty Meaningful Afternoon in Downtown Alexandria
Each year, The Rapides Foundation hosts its Symposium to bring people together around topics that matter to our community. This year’s theme was Pathways to Success: Creating Opportunities for Children, Families and Communities to Thrive.
And they couldn’t have picked a more fitting speaker.
Geoffrey Canada, founder of the Harlem Children’s Zone and a nationally recognized education advocate, joined us as the keynote speaker.
His work has focused on helping children and families overcome barriers to opportunity, particularly through education and community support. Getting to hear him speak right here in Alexandria was pretty incredible.
In KALB’s coverage of the event, Canada spoke about the challenges facing schools with limited resources and the importance of finding creative solutions.
“We’ve got to be creative. We’ve got to be ingenious,” Canada told KALB.
I loved that message, especially in a room full of people who are already doing so much to make a difference in our own community.
All the Little Things That Make an Event Come Together
Now, obviously, an event like this doesn’t just happen when everyone shows up on Thursday afternoon.
There’s a whole lot that goes into it beforehand.
The Rapides Foundation team led the planning for the Symposium, and I was grateful to come alongside them to help with coordination and logistics.
There are vendor conversations, schedules to work through, details to confirm, and about a hundred little things that need to happen at just the right time.
And then there are the things you don’t necessarily think about until you’re the one helping coordinate them. Like making sure presentations are ready to go, everyone knows where they need to be, and the transition from one part of the program to the next actually makes sense.
It’s not always the glamorous part of events, but I really do love it.
Because when all those little pieces come together, the people hosting the event can actually enjoy what they’ve worked so hard to put together.
And that’s always the goal.
It Really Does Take a Team
One of my favorite parts of working on events in Central Louisiana is getting to work with so many wonderful people.
The Rapides Foundation team was such a pleasure to work alongside, and I was thankful to collaborate with M&M Sound on audiovisual support and Boxwood Florals on the beautiful floral details.
There’s just something nice about working with people who know what they’re doing, communicate well, and genuinely care about how everything turns out.
It makes a difference. A big one.
Not a Wedding, But Still Very Much My Kind of Thing
I know most people probably think of weddings when they think of Gatherings by HB. And fair enough, because I do love a good wedding day.
But getting to help with an event like The Rapides Foundation’s Symposium is another part of this work that I really enjoy.
Of course, a room full of community leaders listening to a keynote speaker is a little different from a room full of wedding guests waiting for the bride and groom to make their entrance.
But you know what? A lot of the behind-the-scenes work is pretty similar.
People need to know where to go. Vendors need to be on the same page. The schedule needs to make sense. And someone needs to be paying attention to all the little details so the people hosting the event don’t have to spend their afternoon worrying about them.
That’s the part I love.
Whether it’s a wedding, a community gathering, or an organizational event, I really enjoy being the person helping keep things moving behind the scenes.
Just Really Grateful to Have Been Part of It
More than anything, I’m thankful The Rapides Foundation trusted Gatherings by HB to work alongside their team for this year’s Symposium.
It was such a meaningful afternoon, and getting to hear Geoffrey Canada speak was definitely a highlight.
I’m grateful for the people I got to work with, the conversations happening in that room, and the opportunity to play a small part in an event focused on the future of our community.
And if you happen to be planning a wedding, a corporate gathering, or another special event in Alexandria, Pineville, or anywhere around Central Louisiana, I’d love to hear about it.
