Live Blogging “An Evening at Morton’s”

On Tuesday, April 21, Floricane will be joining Josh Dare of The Hodges Partnership and AnnMarie Grohs of Morton's the Steakhouse in presenting the first of what we hope will be a continuing series of discussions about Richmond. The premiere "An Evening at Morton's" is a casual dinner discussion between four Richmonders -- live blogged and audio recorded to share with a broader audience, and facilitated by Josh Dare. Floricane's role in the event is two-fold. I worked closely with The Hodges Partnership, specifically Josh, Julia Webster and Steve Cummings, to brainstorm ways to turn a no budg et idea into a game-changing conversation. And I'll be lending my blogging expertise to blog and "tweet" the event live as it happens Tuesday evening. Beginning at 6:00 Tuesday evening, online participants can submit questions and follow the conversation as it happens at The Hodges Partnership website. I'll also attempt to "tweet" the event simultaneously on Twitter at @sarvay. An audio recording of the event will be made available at The Hodges Partnership website after the event. So, what's the event? Answers to a simple question -- Is Richmond a good sports town?The first "An Evening at Morton's" event will bring together Times-Dispatch sports columnist Paul Woody; ESPN 950 talk show host Greg Burton; Scott Schricker of Richmond Sports Backers; and Robert Dortch, president of U-Turn Sports Performance Academy. What fascinates me most about this initiative is its evolution. It began more than a year ago when the Richmond Morton's location co-hosted an emerging leaders discussion on the James River. The discussion was an effort by Morton's to be more engaged in civic issues. It was also, quite honestly, an attempt by Morton's to market itself to a younger generation that might be inclined to bring business clients or out-of-town guests to Morton's. Josh and Julia and I had talked intermittently about how that old program, which lost its community sponsor, might be resurrected on a shoestring budget. Our original idea included a slightly larger group being videotaped -- I was thinking a good producer and editor could turn the over-dinner conversation into an ideal local series for WCVE. Then I discovered that the budget wasn't $13,000 per dinner, but somewhere closer to $500. Which took us back to the Internet as the primary vehicle. For now. In my mind, this could turn "An Evening at Morton's" into a model way to bring small groups of subject matter experts together for a spirited conversation that is then broadcast to a broader community audience -- on the Internet, and by radio and television. Two more events like Tuesdays are planned. Sessions in July and October will focus on the arts and the nonprofit community in Richmond. Don't forget to "listen in" this Tuesday, beginning at The Hodges Partnership website or on Twitter at @sarvay. An audio recording of the event will be made available at The Hodges Partnership website after the event.