The Knoxville EVA Chapter is “going where the people are.”

By Susan Goodwin, Event Coordinator,
Knoxville Electric Vehicle Association (KEVA)

As we know, electric vehicles are gaining popularity in the U.S. In the first three months of 2023, there have been 257,507 electric vehicle registrations in the U.S., which is 63 percent more than a year ago,” according to Experian (via AutoNews).

The Knoxville Electric Vehicle Association (EVA) Chapter is seizing on this momentum by locating some of our electric vehicle showcases with already-established, local events. We documented this strategy in a recent article, “Knoxville EVA Casts A Wide Net for Drive Electric Events.”

Knoxville EVA Chapter Event Strategy

KEVA focuses yearly on putting together one huge event during National Drive Electric Week. We strive to make it the premier fall EV event in the southeast. During the rest of the year, we go smaller with participation in events others organize, like the Knoxville Auto Show, the Knoxville Home and Garden Show, and Cars & Coffee (Spring, Summer, and Fall). We also hold a few of our events, especially during Drive Electric Earth Day (aka April) and EVs in the Smokies in the summer. This year, we chose a strategy that combined some events of our own and joining or supporting events that others created.

The EV Event strategy relies on four simple principles:

1. Go where the people are.

2. Leverage the efforts of others.

3. Use people’s time and energy wisely.

4. Have fun.

This spring, KEVA took part in seven events with support from the Electric Vehicle Association (EVA) and Drive Electric Tennessee (DET). See list below:

• 2023 Lakeway Area EV Ride and Drive hosted by the Appalachian Electric Cooperative in Jefferson City, TN.

• 2023 Blount County Drive Electric Earth Day Celebration on the Maryville College campus in Maryville, TN.

• Oak Ridge National Laboratory Earth Day (Private) held by ORNL in Oak Ridge, TN.

• East Tennessee FARM Earth Day at the Oak Ridge Farmers Market in Oak Ridge, TN.

• BEVs & Beverages at the Orange Hat held at the Orange Hat Brewing Company in Knoxville, TN.

• Spring Cars & Coffee organized by Harper’s Auto Square and held at West Town Mall in Knoxville, TN.

• Dogwood Arts Festival held by Dogwood Arts at World’s Fair Park in Knoxville, TN.

Where the People Were

Event attendance in April started small and built through the month, with Spring Cars & Coffee and the Dogwood Arts Festival each having a total attendance of over 10,000. Event promotion was done by the organizers and supplemented by posts to KEVA’s website and Facebook group.

Leverage Established Events

For perspective, here’s the comparison between the 2022 Knoxville Drive Electric Festival (NDEW) results and 2023 DEED. The DEED strategy clearly gave us more encounters for less volunteer time. However, the 2022 Knoxville Drive Electric Festival was one of the largest NDEW events and produced a huge amount of exposure beyond the number of direct encounters. It also enabled us to offer an outstanding Ride & Drive experience leveraging dealer and owner support.

We were also able to leverage financial resources. For NDEW 2022, KEVA received a $3,000 grant from Electrify America that covered 85% of our out-of-pocket costs.

For the 2023 Knoxville Auto Show in February, we partnered with DET. DET covered the participation fee, and KEVA provided staffing and vehicles. That saved KEVA thousands of dollars for that event alone.

For DEED, we focused on events that didn’t require fees and locations that were free. This approach, like that for the Auto Show, lowered our potential costs by thousands of dollars so that we could achieve these results for hundreds of dollars instead. EVA provided event funding for the few hundred dollars in actual expenses.

Time and Energy + Fun

These two principles go hand in hand. A large part of volunteer time is spent bringing their vehicles and talking to people. And when they talk to each other, they also build community. Our involvement in larger events are planned in ways that make check-in and interactions easy. We prepare for plenty of opportunities for participants to enjoy the larger events while there. That’s not to say that there aren’t a lot of volunteer hours involved in planning and execution. We’ve gained efficiency by maintaining and using an extensive Lessons Learned list.

EV Event Strategy Lessons Learned

Attaching EV events to shows and festivals organized by others means adjusting to their dates, times, and specifications. Understand their expectations and how they might impact your effectiveness.

Some other events were considered for 2023, but KEVA chose to avoid taking on the required fees. In planning for 2024, sponsorships or grants will be needed if we choose to be part of those events. KEVA is now working on just such a sponsorship program.

Five of our seven events had limitations on the number of vehicles. The event coordinator identified the most desirable models for each event and asked the owners directly if they could participate. That worked better than issuing a general request and hoping for useful responses. However, it does leave out owners who would like to show their cars at the event. It also can be challenging to recruit needed volunteers when they know that their vehicles won’t be on exhibit.

Each event has an entirely different audience, both demographically and by interest. Factoring that into the planning can increase success.

KEVA was approached with short notice to be part of one significant Earth Day event at exactly the same time as one of our events. Had we been contacted earlier, we could have adjusted the date of our event. As it happened, we split our resources to cover both. Know when to say “yes,” and when to say “no, we’re sorry.” The earlier you start working with organizations/businesses, the easier to avoid double booking.

In addition, KEVA ambassadors also attended three other DEED events:

DriveElectricTN Appalachian Highlands Earth Day hosted by Drive Electric Appalachian Highlands and Asheville Drive Electric Earth Day 2023 hosted by the Blue Ridge EV Club.

We continue to grow our EV family! Here’s a link to their blog about partaking in six DEED events in twelve days: The DEED Is Done.

Electric Vehicles and the Smokies

Come join us for EVs in the Smokies, July 8, 2023, 10:00 am - 4:00 pm, at the Peaceful Side Social Brewery and Craft Kitchen in Townsend, TN. Townsend is just outside one entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park - a great place to enjoy your EV. More information is on the KEVA homepage along with a link to sign up.

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