Holding a Strategic Event

Introduction

Eventsare a key component of each phase of a policy, systems and environmental (PSE) change campaign.By sponsoring an event, youcan focus the media, decisionmakers and the public on the issues of active living, healthy eating and tobacco control. You also can use events to promote the benefits of PSE changes in your community.An event provides an opportunity to build new relationships; recruit new coalition partners, potential allies and volunteers; and work directly with the public and the news media.Implementingeffective community outreach and community events requires planning, attention to detail and a dedicated focus on recruitment, turnout and follow-up.

Whether your event is large or small,you can build more effective support for your intervention by usingthis detailed, step-by-step approach.

Defining the Purpose

The purpose of holding an event is to do one or more of the following:

  • Communicate with existing coalition partners and interested parties regarding availableresources (for example, staff, training andinfrastructure); provide them with educational materials; prepare themfor the work ahead or to begin a new coalition effort.
  • Identify new contacts and engage them in active living, healthy eating and tobacco control PSE efforts.
  • Showcase the coalition’s work to the public and the media.
  • Relay a broader message to decision makers, educators, health professionals and the public.
  • Practice working with the community and conducting events.
  • Legitimizeyour effort through the media.
  • Educatethe public, community leaders and decision makers on an issue (for example, the health impacts of obesity, physical inactivity, unhealthy eating and secondhand smoke exposure;or the benefits of Safe Routes to School, Complete Streets, smoke-free housing, nutritious school lunch efforts andcommunity gardens).

Planning the Event

First, brainstorm with your partners on the goals for the event. Be sure they are specific, achievable and measurable.Next, havea planning meeting with your coalition partners to define goals, roles and responsibilities, then make a task sheet. See below for examples of each planning step.

Examples of goals

  • Overall goal: Celebrate the passage of the statewide Complete Streets policy and generate buzz aboutthe new law.
  • Have 50 people attend an event.
  • Build a contact list of 350 people and organizations.
  • Send out invitations to 350 contacts, including local officials.
  • Have five coalition partners setup displays.
  • Have the mayor and county commission chair speak.
  • Have a special youth outreach effort resulting in 25 kids attending an event and 100 kids being contacted.
  • Have a table at three community events to recruit contacts.
  • Generate a story in the paper.
  • Place a guest editorial in the newspaper.
  • Hold a meeting with the editor or editorial board of the local paper.
  • Submit two letters to the editor for publication.
  • Complete a pre-event interview on the local radio station.
  • Complete a pre-event interview on the local television station.
  • Promote the event with a table display at two locations.

Samplechecklist

Based on your goals, identify materials you will need for your event.

Fact sheets

Pamphlets

Sign-on letter

Copies of recent newspaper articles about the issue

Posters

Name tags

On-site display

Banners of supporting health organizations

Sign-in sheet

After determining your goals and material needs, lay out a timeline for the event. Review this timeline with your coalition and assign people to each task. It is helpful to develop a task sheet at your planning meetings.

Sample Task Sheet

Task / Who / When / Completed (Y/N)
1. Locateand book the room. / Hannah Helper / August 14
2. Personally invitethe city council to attend. / Vickie Volunteer / September 10
3. Set up a table at the hospital. / Arne Assistant / September 15

Sample Timeline

August 12 – Set a date for an organizing meeting with your core group. Prepare for this meeting by developing a draft agenda and an initial set of goals.

August 14 – Hold the organizing meeting; clarifygoals and identify a location for the event. When choosing the location, remember to:

  • Pick a placethat is wellknown, accessible to people with disabilities, open during the hours you plan to meet, has the necessary audio-visual equipment (for example, projectors, screens and a marker board), and is free or has a minimal charge.
  • Visit the room beforeyou send out the event invitations. (The conference room coordinator may say it holds 75 people, but with chairs and extra equipment, it may hold only 50.)
  • Have a sign-in sheet at the front door, requesting name, address, phone number and e-mail address for future meetings, volunteer opportunities or follow-up.

August 22-24 – Develop a mailing list for invitations, develop displays and send information regarding the event to the newspaper, local TV and radio stations for their community events calendar.

August 24 – Mail invitations.

August 22-September 14– Deliver presentations on your issue to interested groups. Setting up display tables, passing out flyers and calling potential attendees should be ongoing during these weeks.

September 1 - 14 – Call all people on the invitation list to remind them of the event and make sure they received the invitation. Resend it if necessary.

September 18– Fax or deliver all news advisories or releases. Followup with a phone call to the television station, radio station and newspaper.

September 25 – Review list of materials needed for the event and identify the person responsible. Create a checklist withsuch details as:

Who will create and bring a sign-up sheet with spaces for name, address, zip code, phone number and e-mail?

Who is going to make sure everyone signs in?

Do you have enough copies of any fact sheets, pamphlets or fliers you need?

Who will bring the laptop computer, LCD projector or TV-VCR/DVD player and video/DVD?

Who will bring the posters and hang them up? Do you have supplies?

If a microphone is needed, who will check ahead of time to make sure it is working?

Who will be the spokesperson watching for the press?

September 29 – THE EVENT!

  • Make sure you have someone assigned to greet and escort invited speakers or decision makers so they know where to go.
  • Make sure the spokesperson is watching for media representatives.
  • Make sure you have people available for reporters to talk to.
  • Identify who will troubleshoot any issues that come up during the event.

September 30 – Debrief with your leadership team or other partners.How did it go?What was done well and what could be improved for future events?

First week of October – Send thank you letters to partners and include the date for the next coalition meeting; send thank you letters to speakers.

Getting the Word Out

Begin your recruitment by setting a goal for the number of people you would like to attend the event — then recruit twice that number.For best effect, use active recruitment techniques such as one-on-one meetings via coalition building and grassroots efforts, andreinforce themthroughpassive recruitment efforts such as promoting the event via community events calendars and mailings.

Choosing Recruitment Strategies

The following tactics can help build attendance at your event.Remember, the more personal the communication, the better. If resources are limited, personal contact is the most effective wayto get community members to your event.

  • Phone calls – This personal touch is highly recommended.It produces a better turnout every time. Before you pick up the phone, brainstorm a list of all the organizations, community leaders and decision makers you want to invite. Send a postcard, then follow it with a friendly reminder call. Remember to ask, “Can you make it?” If the answer is yes, then at the end of the call remind your guest again by saying, “I’ll see you on Wednesday at Founder’s Park.”
  • Invitations – Postcards are themost economical way to invite people by mail. You can buy them pre-stamped at the post office or print them out yourself.From 5 to 10 percent of your attendance will result from a postcard invitation. Following the postcard with an e-mail invitation will increase turnout.E-mail alone is a passive recruitment method.Until you have used it several times and know what you can expect from it as a technique, do not rely on it to generate large numbers of attendees.
  • Presentations – Other organizations in your community have meetings on a regular basis. Use these meetings as an opportunity to do some education about the health impacts of obesity, physical inactivity, unhealthy eating and secondhand smoke exposure as well asthe benefits of PSE changes on these health issues.
  • Tabling – Set up a table in a high-traffic area. University student centers are great places, as are hospitals, post offices, libraries and the like. You will make face-to-face contact with individuals, and your chances of getting them to attend the event will increasedramatically.
  • Newspaper – Free press is the best! Letters to the editor, community events calendars and interviews with the health writer of the local newspaper are all great ways to ensure that everyone interested in obesity, physical activity, healthy eating and tobacco control hears about the event.
  • Flyers – Produce flyers to be posted all over town and passed out by teachers, health professionals, coaches, seniors and other supporters.
  • Educational displays – Posters in display windows, with a flyer beneath them, can be a very effective way to deliver your message and raise awareness.

Following Up

Follow-up is just as important as the event. Done well, it will increase the likelihood that your event attendees will assist with your future activities.

  • Contacts: Make sure you get attendees’ names, addresses, phone numbers and e-mails at the event, then followup with those people after the meeting. If a person agreed to help with a specific task, be sure to mention it again.
  • Media: If the media did not come to the event, don’t be discouraged; there may have been a competing news story that day. Gather all the information from the event, a copy of the news release and the date for the next event or meeting, and drop them by the newspaper or television station’s office. If possible, brief one of the reporters or an editor on what occurred and the success of the event.Familiarizing news personnel with you and your cause will be beneficial for future events.

For more information or assistance on how to engage your leadership team and subcommittee members in your event planning, contact Sarah Senseman at (651) 662-7102 or at .

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