Preview the Luncheon: A Q&A with April 27 Speaker Lee Kallman

Every month, the professional development team will bring you a preview of the upcoming speaker. For April, we talk to Lee Kallman, vice president of marketing & business development with Richmond 2015. Lee and Paul Shanks, director of communications & digital marketing, will talk about communications behind Richmond 2015 at the April 27 luncheon.

Why did you want to bring the UCI Road World Championships to Richmond through Richmond 2015?

I grew up in Richmond, moved away after school and ultimately moved back after about 12 years. I came back because of the genuine sense that things, a lot of things, were changing. So the opportunity to bring Worlds to Richmond for me, was all about introducing my hometown to the world. Looking back, it’s fun to browse #Richmond2015 to see all the adventures and exploration visitors did while they were here.

Richmond 2015 resulted in a ton of media attention. Can you share any highlights from working with journalists during the event?

As you can imagine, the cycling media came because it’s Worlds, they had to come. They came with very little, if any expectation about Richmond. Just like many of the fans, many journalists came and fell for Richmond. So much so that our welcoming hospitality became part of their stories.

Fun one: Best place to bike in Richmond?

Easy. Riding north into Hanover is my all-time favorite. Beautiful, rolling roads and Ashland Coffee for that quick espresso to get me back to town.