This week I delivered Seltzertopia Live! to two communities, both remote, to membership-only events for Temple Sisterhoods. I really thought, when the pandemic hit, that was it for my seltzer talks. But people need to be entertained – especially during these tough times – and seltzer often fits the bill (especially when combined with a make-your-own-egg-cream at the end).
The first was in Beth Torah, in North Miami Beach, FL. This event only happened BECAUSE of COVID, since everyone learned to pivot during the pandemic to stay connected to their community through Zoom-based events. They would never have spent the funds required to have me travel down in person, so in that sense I feel fortunate. It was located just blocks from the condo where my grandparents lived in the ’70s-’90s; while they have both passed away, I still feel like they would have been proud of me.
The second was at the Midway Jewish Center, in Plainview, New York, on Long Island, just a few blocks from the first house I ever lived in. This one WAS originally going to be in person, but the Delta variant changed those plans. I was disappointed I couldn’t do this one live – in my old backyard, as it were – but it was still super fun, the material still holds up all these years later, and delivering on Zoom still affords me the opportunity to make it even more interactive and engaging than in person. In addition, my neighbors (back in 1969!), who are like my grandparents, joined in the audience (Al is 99!), which was amazing.
I always ask my hosts to give me feedback afterwards. Grace, from Midway, wrote: “Barry is obviously bright, articulate and funny. His professionalism is apparent yet he comes across as ‘one of us.”’He has created an engaging and interesting program!” Thank you Grace!
My first seltzer talk based on my book was October 2018. Now, three years later, I can’t believe it is still going strong, now into its fourth year. You can see below the first 30 of those presentations.
If you look at the map, I am sure you can see many locations that still need to feel the fizz!
I also thought this might be a good time to look at my stats.
I have spoken to nearly 2,000 people. After each event I ask the event organizations the following four questions, on a rating scale of 1-5. Below are all responses, averaged together. I am proud of my numbers, but also how I have responded to critiques that only helped me to improve in the future.
How satisfied were you with Barry’s participation in your program? 4.95
How satisfied were you with the entertainment component of Barry’s participation in your program? 4.75
How satisfied were you with the educational component of Barry’s participation in your program? 4.85
How how satisfied were you with Barry’s presentation (organized, level of engagement, spoke clearly, etc.) in your program? 4.8
