Can you hear that? Bells, carols, and twinkles– office parties and gatherings with friends… we’re very much smack dab in the middle of the holiday season, and as the end is approaching (quicker than I’d like to admit, I’ll add), we’re already planning our New Year’s Eve celebrations. I knew I just had to talk to Brent Lyle, Indianapolis Urban League Membership Coordinator and side note– one of the best storytellers in our city, to get all the deets on Exchanging Out the Years– The Exchange at the Indianapolis Urban League’s grand NYE gala!
Ashley Miser: Brent, why don’t we start at the beginning, tell us more about The Exchange.
Brent Lyle: The Exchange is the young professional arm of the Indianapolis Urban League and we are all about hatching ideas. In fact our name, The Exchange, was born from the vision that we would be a group interested in the exchange of ideas to improve our community.
AM: Love that so much, and this is the first time The Exchange is doing an event like this, where did this idea hatch?
BL: Creating our first annual “Exchanging Out the Years” New Year’s Eve Fundraising Celebration hatched from our leadership looking around town at the various NYE parties and seeing a gap we could fill.
Steve Jobs is thought to have said, and I paraphrase here: “Here’s to the ones who see things differently. You can’t ignore them. They change things. They are crazy enough to think they can change the world and are the ones who do.” We saw the opportunity to give back and have a great time, at the same time — so we set it up for everyone.
AM: What kind of food and beverage should we expect?
BL: Ooh, this is where we know our event shines brighter than others! Expect more than one full bar area. Expect multiple complimentary drinks. Expect a variety of food to choose from through the night. Expect Snapchat stories of champagne toasts all around you at midnight! The best part? It’s all included in the ticket price. PLUS a donation to the Urban League, if you so choose.
AM: And entertainment, I hear the live music and dancing will be killer– who’s on the mic?
BL: We’ve thought through a night that takes you up before the ball drops and we keep you there. We’re set to have live music in the lobby with live art while you stow your coat, shake off the cold, mix, mingle, and (of course) eat and have your first tastes of specialty drinks from the full bar. DJ Metrognome literally takes center stage to spin the greatest tracks as he is known to do in the adjacent ballroom. Our special seating arrangements will blow your mind, the champagne display will blow it again, and the whole vibe will keep going until 2am. Expect to go through decades of Hip-Hop, R&B, Rap, Soul, Funk, Trap, Pop, and the GOATS; but we never doubt what magic Metrognome can do; never.
AM: Wait, 2am?! So what happens after midnight?
BL: After midnight, nothing changes but the date. We still plan to continue ringing in the new year beyond the best of our abilities and to the end of our sensibilities. It’s our time to celebrate our amazing community accomplishments from 2017 and jump start an even more dedicated and better fiscally generous 2018.
AM: What kind of attire should we wear? This is always the big question…
BL: This function is bringing us into a new year! We need to begin with the end in mind! We want to end 2018 on top, we need to begin on top. Attire is your freshest, bestest shimmery, glittery, all black everything, velvet, popped collar, fanciest cocktail “impress them” wear you have/can find in the next 2 weeks. :whisper: Amazon Prime can still help you get your groove back if you feel underprepared at this present moment.
AM: This sounds like an incredible night for an amazing cause! So tell me, where can we buy our tickets?
BL: This is the easy part. Everything happens wherever you are. Click this link or open your browser and visit: http://exchangingouttheyears.com to get the full scoop and make your presence known. We’ll see you and all our readers there!
