SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – WCNY is a publicly funded television station, so contributions from members of the community are of the utmost importance. The COVID-19 pandemic prevents the station from being able to host an in-person fundraising dinner like in years past. WCNY has dealt with the situation by hosting its annual “Taste of Fame” dinner over Zoom.
People who paid for tickets, which were sold at a starting price of $175, received a meal kit at their home address. They will be walked through preparing a three-course meal with the food from the kit on a Zoom call by celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson.
WCNY’s CEO and President Mitch Gelman said the event typically draws around 400 people in a normal year. This year, over 1,400 people will be able to enjoy the meal through Zoom.
“For the in-person event, one ticket allows one person to have dinner,” Gelman said. “For the virtual event, one ticket allows a family to receive a meal kit that serves four. So we’re going to have four times as many people enjoying the dinner this year than last year.”
One of the benefits of the virtual dinner is the fact that family and friends can enjoy the meal together from anywhere else in the world. Gelman said he plans to share the evening with family scattered throughout the rest of the United States.
“I can enjoy dinner with my sister and my mother in Seattle,” Gelman said. “And my uncles, aunts, and cousins in Texas, Virginia, Florida and Connecticut.”
WCNY has other fundraisers throughout the year and has also hosted multiple virtual events on Zoom since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, there is a travel auction event where vacations are auctioned off to the highest bidder. However, the “Taste of Fame” stands out as one of the year’s highlights.
“From a financial standpoint, the travel auction generates more revenue,” Gelman said. “But the [“Taste of Fame”] dinner offers a way for us to spend an evening with some of our most loyal members and supporters.”
As WCNY looks to the future, its collaboration with Zoom will not end when the COVID-19 pandemic does. After the “Taste of Fame” event ends, the recording of Marcus Samuelsson’s cooking lesson will be available for purchase through Zoom. On top of that, the “Taste of Fame” dinner may adjust from the normal protocol in 2021.
“I could very easily anticipate a hybrid event next year where the people who are in the Central New York area are able to come and enjoy the dinner live in person at the OnCenter,” Gelman said. “And for people who can’t join us, we will be able to broadcast the evening on a virtual channel and enable them to experience it virtually”.
While the 2021 fundraiser is far from the near future, the impact of virtual event planning is apparent. The steps taken to ensure this year’s dinner could safely occur can transform ensuing events hosted by WCNY.
