Winston-Salem Partners Launch Comprehensive Events Calendar

A unique partnership between four leading entities leads to a next-generation shared calendar, providing a central hub for local happenings.

WINSTON-SALEM, NC — Embracing the spirit of collaboration, Visit Winston-Salem spearheaded a joint effort to provide a centralized, citywide events calendar.

Developed by award-winning Cruncho Events, the calendar is the result of a unique partnership between four leading organizations — Visit Winston-Salem, Arts Council of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County, Downtown Winston-Salem Partnership, and Greater Winston-Salem, Inc. — all of whom banded together to benefit the community. According to Visit Winston-Salem President Stephanie Pace Brown, the calendar addresses a longstanding community need to develop a comprehensive repository for local events.

“There are so many great things happening in Winston-Salem, and we wanted to provide a calendar that showcases that vitality,” she said. “Events build community and help attract visitors to our city, which increases the customer base for local businesses, supports jobs, and generates tax revenue — all of which benefit the people who live here.”

The four organizations unveiled the new platform in recent weeks, with Visit Winston-Salem debuting a custom-integrated platform on Monday, September 9. Brown notes that September is an ideal time to launch the new platform as it marks the start of the booming fall festival season. “Previously, you would have had to check countless sites to see everything happening locally,” she says. “Now you’ve got a one-stop shop.”

WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT?

While Winston-Salem has had shared community calendars in the past, the Cruncho-powered calendar takes things to the next level, putting the user experience at the forefront. Cruncho prides itself on being “the most advanced event calendar on the market” and an all-in-one solution for event organizers. The international organization has clients in 11 countries, including the 2024 Olympic Games that were held in Paris. Winston-Salem is their first client in the United States.

“This is truly a next-generation platform that’s intuitive, visually appealing, and easy to navigate,” Brown said. “And, importantly, it makes it easier for event organizers to publicize and market their events, as they can contribute events in one location to populate the calendars of all four partner organizations.”

In addition to an enhanced user experience, Cruncho provides several backend benefits for event organizers, including robust analytics reporting, SEO value, quick-fill content options, and top-notch tech support. After creating an account, community partners can submit their event — whether it’s a large-scale music festival, an intimate book reading, or anything in between. The event will be considered for publication on the four shared calendars. Submissions are approved individually by the four entities based on their focus and mission.

Since the pandemic, the four partner entities have been engaging in conversations to stir growth at local events and benefit the community. Over the past year, they collectively decided a new comprehensive events calendar was needed. While various platforms were vetted, Cruncho was selected because of its unique ability to provide a functional shared calendar to meet the needs of the four partners.

“We are excited to be a founding partner in the launch of this new events calendar and fulfill a longstanding community need,” said Katie Hall, Arts Council’s chief marketing officer and vice president of development. “With thousands of events happening annually in Forsyth County, Cruncho will empower residents and visitors alike to discover and engage with our vibrant local arts scene.”

You can view the calendar by visiting any of the four partner websites and navigating to their Events section, including Visit Winston-Salem’s events section at visitwinstonsalem.com/events

ABOUT THE PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS

Visit Winston-Salem is a quasi-governmental entity and the official sales and marketing agency for tourism for Winston-Salem/Forsyth County. Operating under the Forsyth County Tourism Development Authority (TDA), the organization’s mission is to attract visitors for the economic benefit of Forsyth County and its citizens. They develop and implement sales and marketing initiatives that position the city as an attractive destination for leisure, meetings, conventions, groups, and sporting events.

Arts Council of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County is our region's leading advocate of the arts and seeks to enhance and support the local artistic and cultural landscape. Established in 1949 as the first arts council in the nation, the organization is celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2024. Arts Council owns and operates a campus that includes the Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts. In 2023, it hosted 670 on-campus events with 60,000 attendees and distributed over $1.2 million in grants, benefiting over 800,000 people.

The Downtown Winston-Salem Partnership (DWSP) is an active member and advocacy organization leading efforts to revitalize and strengthen the core of the city through business recruitment and support, economic development, marketing, and special events, such as the Downtown Summer Music Series and City Tree Lighting celebration. The DWSP is also the lead organization in implementing the Downtown Plan, a comprehensive and ambitious roadmap for the future of downtown.

Greater Winston-Salem, Inc. (GWSI) works to develop a thriving community that’s good for business growth and sustainability. With focus areas on talent recruitment and retention, economic development, career readiness, and advocacy, its initiatives are designed to help business and community grow. GWSI was rewarded for its efforts to make Winston-Salem a best-in-class mid-sized city, as it was named the 2024 Chamber of the Year by the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives this week.