Sonia Garza-Monarchi Talks with Susan Christian, Deputy Director, City of Houston Mayor’s Office of Special Events
On January 4, 2010, the Honorable Annise Parker was inaugurated as mayor of Houston. She is the first openly gay person elected mayor of a major U.S. city and as a result her election generated much national and international media interest. The inauguration was coordinated by the Mayor’s Office of Special Events. Planning events whether big or small, requires lots of time, attention to detail and coordination. The skill sets and tools are the same so I thought it would be interesting to talk with Susan Christian, Deputy Director of the Mayor’s Office of Special Events about the inauguration arrangements.
SGM: How many inaugurations have you and your team coordinated?
SC: We have produced eight or nine. We were the sole producer on six of these and we worked with various partners on the others.
SGM: How was this one different?
SC: This was a historic inauguration with much media interest so we knew that pieces of the ceremony would be shown as video clips around the world. Our goal was to bring about an event like we’d never produced before. We took effort to show Houston as the diverse, inclusive city it is and we wanted to highlight the cultural aspects. The Houston Symphony and the Houston Grand Opera’s symphonies were not available so we pulled people together from both orchestras and added a contemporary rhythm section. Ernest Walker, conductor and music director at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music conducted. Every piece of music was painstakingly chosen to reflect Houston. We went through six CDs before selecting the final nine songs. We even re-arranged pieces of music. The music not only set the tone for the event but encouraged people to sit down early.
SGM: When did you start planning?
SC: We started working on different components of the printed invitation 6-8 weeks in advance. However, we couldn’t drop in many of the names including the mayor’s until after the run-off election on Saturday, December 12th. My team was in the office on Sunday morning moving forward with planning the program so we had about 3 weeks to coordinate the actual ceremony but in reality it was just two weeks since we had to send the information to the printer for the printed program a week out.
SGM: How big is your staff and how do you divide responsibilities?
SC: There are 14 of us on the team but at any given moment we’re working on an average of 25 events at a time. We divided the event into major components and assigned a lead person to various aspects so someone handles all print, another person is responsible for all of the technical items, etc.
SGM: How do you keep track of all the details? Who determines the program and order of speakers/presenters?
SC: We break-up responsibilities and set deadlines. We have daily meetings or meet as needed. We also put the key elements on a white board so we can visualize the various elements and work on the timeline. It’s easy to change as we add information. You start with the core components. You know there’s going to be an inaugural address, a blessing, a patriotic moment so you start there. Then build on it, some things are the “producer’s choice.” We write a script and production timeline and use Timecoder to plug in times.
SGM: You have many constituents to consider: the incoming mayor, controller and council members...how much input do they have and how do you meet their expectations?
SC: In addition to the mayor, and the city controller, 14 council members are inaugurated and this is an important day for all of them. Our office has the primary responsibility for the actual inauguration ceremony but we work closely with the mayor’s designated representative and we try to make this a special day for all of the elected officials. The only direction Mayor Parker gave was that she wanted Houston artists to perform so we gave her 200 of them.
Several years ago a former mayor asked that we try to give more prominence to the controller and council members since this is their day too. That’s when we added the “walk” and invited them to have someone of their choosing accompany them on the stage. We now announce each official and the accompanying guest. They then walk across the stage to their designated seat. Guests are seated behind the elected official they escorted.
SGM: There are some key protocol issues involved. Who gets invited? How do you handle stage seating with 5 former mayors, controller, and the council members?
SC: We printed 12,000 invitations. Each elected official gets a certain number of invitations and reserved seats which their staff/volunteers monitor. The event is open to all Houstonians and all elected officials—local, state and federal are invited as well as civic and community leaders, non-profit representatives and others who work to make this city great.
SGM: How do you keep the elected officials and dignitaries on schedule?
SC: We control the movement of the city’s elected officials by having them park at the City Hall Annex, then we transport them and their special guest to the inauguration site then back for the first Council meeting. We also work closely with the former mayors and people participating in the actual ceremony. It’s important to personally speak to each participant. We show them the script, give them the timeline in advance, provide special parking, and have our staff greet them upon arrival and direct them to their place. They understand the significance and importance of the occasion and want to contribute to the event’s success. We write the remarks for the judge and give others a designated amount of time. We also hold meetings with the staff to review every piece so everyone knows what to expect. Everyone wants to look good and put their best foot forward so everyone is very cooperative.
We also have a full rehearsal the day before and most of the participating elected officials come. We do sound checks, stand in the marked spots on the floor, play the music to be performed, etc.
SGM: How do you determine the stage seating with so many former mayors in attendance?
SC: You’re limited by the size of the stage so it can be a problem. This year was a little more challenging since it was the first time in the city’s history that every living former mayor was able to participate. We did the stage seating in two sections flanking the symphony. To the right were two rows with the council members in front and their corresponding guest seated directly behind them. There were also two rows on the left. The former mayors with their spouses, the emcee and a poet were seated in the back row.
SGM: All but one of the former mayors was seated in the back row. Why was that?
SC: Ideally all of the former mayors would have been seated in the front but there wasn’t enough space. Instead we seated the two ministers in the front with the mayor, her partner, the controller and his spouse, and the federal judge who was swearing in the mayor. We decided to ask Mayor Parker who she would like seated to her left. She chose to have her mentor, Mayor Kathy Whitmire which is why she was also seated in the front row. Seating is never easy but as long as you’ve thought your plan through and have a “justification” so you can explain why you did something a certain way most people understand.
SGM: Were any special arrangements made for other elected officials and special guests-department heads?
SC: We had open seating for the general public but each city elected official gets a limited number of reserved seats. We also reserve areas for the consular corps, department heads and other area elected officials.
SGM: Did you have any volunteer support?
SC: I’m so fortunate to have a great team here but we can also tap into others around the city. We had lots of volunteers working with us to facilitate seating and other functions on the day of the inauguration. There are some key special events, historic occasions where people want to participate. They’re eager and willing to help—it’s the beauty of the human spirit.
SGM: I know that your office sometimes reaches out to the community for financial support of civic events. Did corporate sponsorship come into play in defraying cost for the inauguration or free concert?
SC: The City pays for the actual inauguration ceremony. All other activities are paid for by the inauguration committee The inaugural committee raised funds for all other activities including the free public concert.
SGM: How can interested businesses participate in official city events?
SC: Just call our office at (832) 393-0868. We organize many civic celebrations, some are small neighborhood events, others are citywide celebrations like the Mayor’s Annual Holiday Event and our big “Freedom Over Texas” Fourth of July celebration.
SGM: Can you share some lessons learned based on your experience coordinating events-what hasn't worked in the past, what did?
SC: Be inclusive, have objectives and deadlines but reach out and ask people their opinions and what they can do to make event more significant. How can they contribute? I’m not necessarily a proponent of planning by committee which can sometimes bog down the process but it’s always better to get input from others and get their buy-in.
SGM: Are there any best practices you apply to all of your events?
SC: Whether we’re working on an event or working with an outside producer on their even, we try to look at the big picture. While it may be a very special event to us or to the organizers, it’s only one of many others going on in the city.
Keep perspective on how the event impacts neighborhoods and the community at large. You’re not the only game in town. Don’t step on anyone’s toes. We’ve had people tell us “well, just close down that half of the city.” It’s a fine line but an important one.
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