Press Release – For Immediate Release – April 6, 2023

Contacts: 

Brenda Leisy, Scotts Bluff Area Visitors Bureau – 308-633-1808

Karla Niedan-Streeks, Gering Visitors Bureau – 308-436-6886

Announcing a new-Comprehensive “Community Calendar”

(GERING, NE) - Welcome to the new Scotts Bluff County Community Calendar.  Announced today; this calendar will contain information on activities and events “open to the public” for residents and visitors to Gering, Scottsbluff, Terrytown, Scotts Bluff County and the Western Nebraska region.  A comprehensive Community Calendar serves to inform and connect residents and visitors with the wide array of events offered in our communities.

The Community Calendar, a powerful form of communication, was built to simplify for local connectors-community organizers of annual events, main street associations, arts and cultural entities, economic development, chamber, sports/recreation and media.  The calendar will exist as an ongoing collaborative project in digital publishing and information sharing.  Everyone can participate in a way that makes their events more accessible for locals and visitors.

“A community calendar has been the topic of multiple meetings in this past year.  We are hopeful that our efforts will inform the community of all events; local and those catering to leisure travelers.  Event planners will now have the additional tool needed to assist with marketing their events”, said Brenda Leisy, Scotts Bluff Area Visitors Bureau.

Housed on the Scotts Bluff Area Visitors Bureau and Gering Visitors Bureau websites; event organizers can submit to add content to the calendar at no cost.  All submissions are subject to review by the website administrators for approval to publish.

“We’re fortunate to live in a community that has lots going on; the more events we have and to promote, the more exposure we get for our destination.  The community calendar will make it easier for organizations to list their events all in one place; a convenient, easy and effective marketing tool to promote all there is to see and do in our area for both residents and visitors”, stated Karla Niedan-Streeks, Gering Visitors Bureau.

Scotts Bluff Community Calendar will be ready to serve residents and visitors at the start of the 2023 tourism and event season.  Event organizers are called to action to submit their 2023 information to one central calendar; published to the Scotts Bluff County and Gering destination marketing organizations websites, recognized as the primary source of information on what there is to see, do and experience.

Please see below complete information on submissions to the Community Calendar of Events.  Questions; contact Brenda Leisy or Karla Niedan-Streeks.

Community Calendar EVENT SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS​

• Events may only be submitted for consideration thru the events submission form (click on any one (1) of the following links to go directly to the submission form):  Events cannot be emailed to Bureaus’ staffs for inclusion to the calendar.

https://visitscottsbluff.com/submit-an-event/

https://visitscottsbluff.com/community-events/

https://visitgering.com/community-calendar

• Events must be “open to the public” free of charge or by listed admission/ticket pricing.
• Provide Complete Event Information - Event listings must include event title, date and time, location, complete and thorough description, sponsor and contact information. A website link for additional information is encouraged. Only event information that is finalized and ready for public viewing will be published to the calendar.
• Be an Appropriate Event - Appropriate events include, but are not limited to, community events and celebrations, art events, performances, cultural events, community service events, social events, and athletic events. Events that aren't appropriate for the calendar include business meetings, student club/group meetings and other similar meetings where event attendance is not open to the general public.
• Meet Calendar Submission Deadlines - Event submissions must be submitted at least five business days before the event to be included in the calendar. However, event organizers are encouraged to submit their events to the calendar as far in advance as possible to allow adequate time for event promotion, ideally a minimum of two-to-three weeks in advance of the event date.

• When you contribute to this calendar of events you agree to abide by the organizers network use policies and to act as a responsible member of our communities.

BEST PRACTICES FOR CALENDAR LISTINGS:

Event Title

The event title should be less than 50 characters long, including spaces.  Principal words should be capitalized.

Single quotation marks should be used around the titles of books, plays, magazines, newspapers, TV shows and movies when used in event titles.  Event titles should not include details like event sponsor. These details should be included in the event description, which appears on the event detail page.  Please proofread titles for proper grammar and spelling.

Event Description

Event descriptions should typically provide a sense of who, what and how. An event title alone generally won't get people to attend. Provide more details and context to generate interest; event description is limited to (100) words (including spaces).   Also note if the event is free and open to the public; if event is ticketed/admission priced, list complete information on pricing and ticketing outlet(s).  Please proofread descriptions for proper grammar, spelling and style.​