We spoke with Siona about her impressions of the charity event we covered in one of our previous blog articles.
Question 1: Hi Siona, tell us about your event.
Answer: For us, the event was a great success. There were amazing people there, the vibe was fantastic, and we were totally surprised by how many people showed up. We had a great line-up with 14 artists who all performed voluntarily. On top of that, there were dance groups with around 20 more participants. We also organized 20 volunteers from our family and friends to help with selling food, cake, and crafts. We really tried to include as many things as possible that could bring in some money, and in the end, we raised 4,300 Swiss francs. Some of that will go toward fixed costs. We're still waiting for 1–2 transfers from sponsors to help cover some of those expenses. After that, we'll know exactly how much we can donate. All in all, it was a huge success, and it's great to see that the effort paid off.
Question 2: And how are you feeling now?
Answer: We're super happy with how everything turned out and with how much we learned from it. But we definitely needed a break to unwind after the event. Overall, we spent more than three months planning it. Still, we're staying motivated and are already looking forward to organizing the next event as soon as possible. We've now officially set up BAILA FLORECITA as an association and want to hold at least two such events each year—maybe not quite as elaborate as the first one, but definitely with cool performances.
Question 3: What did you learn for next time?
Answer: The timing wasn’t ideal, as many people were on vacation. We also received that feedback while promoting the event around the city. Next time, we’ll definitely plan that differently. In addition, we gained a lot of knowledge that we can apply to future projects — whether it’s technical, financial, or interpersonal, such as how to interact with different people and especially with artists.
Question 4: What will happen with the donations?
Answer: Half of the proceeds will be donated to the Ciudad de Dios Zoe Foundation through your initiative. The other half will go to another foundation in Ecuador. That one was founded by Anna’s grandmother and works with people with disabilities who otherwise wouldn’t have access to physical therapy or psychological support.
Thank you for the conversation.