If there are other events going on at the same time, that can affect your event, do you have any suggestions for how to check the schedule of other events that might be happening, so if I'm planning an event in Los Angeles or New York, how do I check to see if there's anything else going on at that time that may compete with my event? That's a very good question and it's a very important one. Yes, there are three sources available. One of the things you can do is actually contact the community affairs directors at the local TV stations because often they have a master list of a lot of events coming up in the community. The chamber of commerce will have event listings.

In the Milwaukee area, we have the World Festival Association, and they have those listings because they're making sure they're not competing. If there's a festival association, you can call them. Local major theaters often will have a schedule of events-major events-not only planned for their theater, but also for competing theaters because they're all looking at that. The Visitors and Convention Bureau is a tremendous resource for that information, so if you have a Visitors and Convention Bureau, contact the director or the PR department for that organization. You generally have to go to multiple sources because nobody will have everything.

For more great information and tips on how to create media buzz for your event, read "How to Create Media Buzz When Promoting Your Special Event."