CakeWalk is a weekly column by Mary Ann Porch dedicated to every baker who has ever struggled to achieve the right consistency with their icing, unsuccessfully searched for the perfect cupcake topper or just wants to learn something new. Because with a few helpful tips, cupcakes are a cakewalk.
For the past few weeks, we have discussed the initial three steps of planning your city's very first CupcakeCamp - laying the groundwork, finding a venue, and lining up a graphic designer. This week, we get to the first round of recruitment. This means getting the bakers on board.
Perhaps it's because cupcakes have the reputation of being pretty awesome, but I found that baker recruitment was quite easy. As long as you followed the steps regarding advertising your event, you'll probably find that a number of people have already e-mailed you asking how they can sign up to bring cupcakes.
I also found that about 65% of all RSVPs for the event were from people wanting to bring cupcakes. I made a point to respond to every single e-mail asking if the sender planned on bringing cupcakes or planned on being an eater. Along with this e-mail response, I would attached a Baker Registration Form I had drawn up. The information I needed to collect was:
- Name and contact info (both phone and e-mail address) for baker
- Number of cupcakes being brought
- Name of cupcake recipe
- Recipe ingredients
Next week, we'll be chatting about how to recruit volunteers and providing tips on organization. At this point, you'll see how Microsoft Office can really be your best friend.
Mary Ann is the founder of the New York City chapter of CupcakeCamp NYC, an ad-hoc gathering born from the desire for people to share and eat cupcakes in an open environment. She is also the founder of Puff and Choux, a blog dedicated to the pastry and dessert arts. You can contact her at mary_ann_porch@hotmail.com with any questions, ideas or just to chit chat. You can also follow her on Twitter at @MaryAPorch.
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