Chapters New Jersey and Hudson Valley collaborate to host a magician, and Greater Heartland plays ‘Name That Tune’ for virtual social events

The two HFMA chapters recently shared details of how they worked together to set up a virtual social event for their members, featuring magician Garrett Thomas.

Sixty HFMA chapter members were able to network and socialize during the collaborative event, which the New Jersey and Hudson Valley Chapters hosted on Aug. 26.

Magician Grrett Thomas performs a magic trick for the New Jersey and Hudson Valley Chapters during their joint event. 

Executing the event

There were multiple calls, meetings and conferences to set up this event, said Nicole Rosen, HFMA New Jersey board member and chair of the Chapter’s communications and networking committee. Once both of the Chapters’ Boards approved the event, they locked in the date, sent out a save-the-date flyer to get members excited and put together an agenda, said Rosen, a business development leader at Acadia in Morristown, New Jersey. 

The magic behind the entertainment

The idea for a magician came from Hudson Valley Chapter’s Sarah Brainard, whose uncle knows Garrett Thomas and suggested him. Splitting the cost of hiring Thomas helped make the event more cost-effective.

Greater Heartland plays Name that Tune with its members

Finding something different and fun to draw members in helps bring a sense of community to this Chapter. After a virtual trivia night, one member suggested a Name That Tune event to keep the momentum going.

“And the rest [is] history,” said Connie Stimpson, vice president of partner engagement for Senex in Indianapolis, and HFMA Greater Heartland Chapter president for 2020-21. “We utilized a DJ with professional equipment for Name That Tune,” said Stimpson. “This helped to circumvent some sound issues that can occur with Zoom.”

How to leave them wanting more

For other chapters interested in hosting a similar event, Stimpson suggested the following:

• Have a sponsor pick up the expense for entertainment.
• Practice ahead of time with games like trivia for any glitches that might occur.
• Use networking dollars normally used for live events to pay for mailing prizes to winners of virtual events.