CIC Diwali Dhamaka 2016 - Kickoff
From the 2016 CIC Diwali organizing team
With this blog post, we are formally kicking off the CIC Diwali 2016 process. The preparation for Diwali is a journey for everyone to meet new people and learn more about how such an event is together. Over the next few months, we will meet periodically to discuss ideas and make plans for the event.
Diwali event date: Saturday, Nov 12, 2016
Location: Orchard City Banquet Hall, Campbell Community Center, Campbell
Have ideas for the event? Looking to volunteer for the event or choreograph a performance? Reach out to us!
Nothing of that sort interests you? No problem! It is still a great opportunity to kick back on a Sat night and see the community in action! We are waiting to hear from you.
In this post, we talk about how such an event comes together through many months of meticulous planning and execution.
A Community Driven Endeavor
Last year's Diwali celebration was a well-run affair catering to nearly 400 members of the Cambrian Indian Community. But there have been quite a few new additions to the Cambrian family in the recent past and they probably have little to no idea of the "Cambrian Diwali Event". Hopefully this blog post can provide a bird's eye view of what goes on behind the scenes to stage such a community event.
Feb-Mar 2016 : We started by picking a date for the event. We visited multiple possible venues and selected the Orchard City banquet hall at the Campbell Community Center near downtown Campbell.
May-June 2016: This is the time when the Diwali organization team starts looking at what they want to do differently from last year. We started listening to new ideas and themes. We reviewed every bit of Community feedback from last year's event. We started looking at other broad issues such as total event time, parking, child care, finances etc. More importantly we started identifying the core coordinators needed to drive the various components of the event. One of the key goals every year is to have as many new people participate in event organization as possible.
July 2016 <NOW>: Once the coordinators are identified, the organizers and the coordinators meet to design and develop the structure around the performances and prepare to solicit sign ups for choreographers, participants and volunteers. This is an opportunity to get everyone in the Cambrian family involved and we want to offer the best opportunity for as many people as possible. Look out for information regarding signups for volunteers, and choreographers.
Aug 2016: The summer holidays are busy times for families with vacation travel and camps and so the only thing that can be done during this time is some recruitment by the choreographers to staff their performances. Sponsorships will also be finalized during this month.
Sept 2016: The real work starts now. The organizers/coordinators/choreographers will work together to meticulously plan the flow of the events - nailing down performance slots, timing andother specifics. Practice sessions will be scheduled and kick off in right earnest. The planning for the event magazine (Cambrian Khabar) will also be kicked off. The extended teams will have regular meetings to discuss progress. Event ticketing will open for families of performers, coordinators, choreographers and volunteers. Remember, the CIC Diwali event tends to get sold out within a day or two! So watch out for the notifications.
Oct 2016: Very busy month this! Everything comes together. Practices are happening in full swing. Rehearsal gets scheduled (if possible at the event center itself).
More details about will be added as we progress closer to the event.
If you are interested in helping out in any way possible - reach out to the organizers. They will formally open things up soon but you can always let them know that you are interested.
Here's looking forward to another exciting summer of preparation and a fantastic, fun-filled event!
- Ramanan, Anand & Girish aka ‘Team RAG’