The Customer
Located in Southern California’s Inland Empire, Beaumont has approximately 58,460 residents. Its diverse population includes young families and an aging demographic, creating varied communication needs. Beaumont is known for its charm and active community life, with many events hosted by city departments and external agencies. However, overlapping jurisdictions and fragmented event information pose significant communication and coordination challenges.
Beaumont 
State: California
Population: 58,460
The Challenges
Fragmented Event Coordination
Beaumont’s Parks and Recreation Department and a separate Parks District frequently hosted large-scale events, often leading to confusion among residents. Citizens relied on the city for event information, but the absence of a centralized resource left staff manually cross-referencing multiple calendars.
Interagency Collaboration and Regional Events
With many residents attending events in the nearby City of Banning, regional collaboration was essential. Despite the invisible borders between the two cities, they lacked a seamless way to share event information, leaving residents unaware of programs happening just next door.
Council’s Push for Better Communication
The city council and city manager identified communication as a key challenge, citing the need to engage residents more effectively and ensure clear information flow. This was part of Beaumont’s broader strategic plan to improve transparency and access.
“We saw a need from our community to centralize and have one kind of one-stop shop calendar system, which made it so much easier for residents to find anything happening within the area.”
The Solution
To solve their communication challenges, Beaumont found ‘with’, the centralized community event calendar, as a solution that brought all city events into one easy-to-use calendar, making it simpler to keep residents informed.
Centralized Community Event Calendar
The calendar provided a single, reliable source for all events in Beaumont, from public meetings to large-scale celebrations hosted by external agencies like the Parks District. This eliminated confusion and made it easier for residents to stay informed.
Regional Collaboration with Banning
A key benefit was how easily Beaumont could now share events with neighboring Banning, expanding community awareness. With a simple checkbox, Beaumont staff could share events with Banning’s event community calendar and vice versa, ensuring broader event visibility for residents of both cities.
“This feature is amazing. Although we serve the City of Beaumont, the City of Banning is right next door. Now we can seamlessly share events with our neighboring city. It’s easy for staff and helps reach a broader audience.”
Enhanced Tools for Event Management
The platform made event planning easier by letting staff track attendance and collect participant information. For example, during a fire station open house, the RSVP tool allowed staff to gauge attendance, plan food resources, and collect attendee information for future outreach.
“The RSVP tool was easy for residents to use and helped us plan effectively,” said Van Hook. “Also, attendee information allowed us to share similar events in the future.”
Improved Internal Planning
City staff now have a single view of all city events, making planning smoother and reducing administrative work. “We saw an internal benefit from using ‘with’: it gave us everything on one calendar and allowed for better planning while serving the community more effectively,”, added Van Hook.
Aligning with the Council’s Goals
The adoption of ‘with’ in Beaumont demonstrates how technology can directly support a city council’s strategic priorities. When Beaumont’s city manager Elizabeth Gibbs discovered the platform at a League of Cities presentation, she immediately recognized its potential to address the council’s communication objectives.
The city council had identified improved public engagement and information dissemination as key goals in their strategic plan. ‘with’ offered a solution that aligned perfectly with these priorities, prompting the city manager to present it to the council. The council’s positive reaction underscored the platform’s value as a strategic tool for achieving its communication goals.
“‘with’ is a cutting-edge tool and a great product for government agencies to have. I think there’s actually a lot of useful tools in the product and I’m looking forward to using it to its full extent”.
Conclusion
For Beaumont, implementing ‘with’ has been transformative. The event community calendar streamlined event coordination, improved internal processes, and strengthened communication with residents and neighboring cities. Its user-friendly interface allowed for seamless integration into the city’s website without requiring a redesign, making it accessible to staff and residents alike.
Julie’s advice to other municipalities considering a similar solution is refreshingly straightforward: “It will make your life easier.” This simple statement encapsulates the platform’s core value – reducing complexity and saving time for government staff.
Beaumont has set a new standard for government communication technology by adopting ‘with’, demonstrating how innovative solutions can transform community engagement and enhance public trust.
Is your city struggling with fragmented communication? See how ‘with’ can help you streamline events, boost engagement, and simplify coordination. Book a demo today and experience the difference.
