Planning a Falls Prevention Screening and Education Fair

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Planning a Falls Prevention Screening and Education Fair

6 months in advance: Identify individuals to work on various committees below. Track all expenses.

Venue / Date Completed
1 year before event
·  Identify space/location for event
·  Determine date, reserve, and make down payment
6 months before event
·  Estimate number of tables/chairs, set up of items within venue
·  Finalize contract and obtain final diagram from venue site.
3 months before event
·  Have large signs printed and determine how/where to hang or place in venue
·  Write up/modify room set up directions for each area of the event, list down supplies needed. Obtain missing supplies. Begin to organize materials.
1 month before event
·  Follow up on any uncompleted items
·  Make any last minute changes on plan/no. of chairs, etc.
1 week or less before event
·  Set up the day before event if possible
Attendee Information / Date Completed
6 months before event
·  Obtain free bags for attendees to carry information or have sponsors provide them
·  Arrange exercise demonstrations or educational presentations
3 months before event
·  Develop or modify program evaluation for attendees
·  Develop conference program
·  Obtain door prizes/gift cards for drawings, and develop procedures to give out door prizes (label who donated them)
·  Determine process for on-site and pre-registration and obtain needed supplies, train volunteers
·  Identify educational materials, prepare, and print/order them. Develop community exercise handouts for event
6 weeks before event
·  Develop, format, and print the conference program
One month prior to event
·  Refine conference program and get printed
Week before event
·  Make reminder phone calls about event (remind to bring medications for review & Operation Medicine Drop)
Falls Risk Screenings / Date Completed
4 months before
·  Estimate needed healthcare volunteers (health professionals and students) for the screening stations: Gait/Balance (PTs, PTAs, students); Vision check (optometrists); Falls History/Falls Self Efficacy (OTs, OTAs, students); Medication Review (pharmacists); Medical history related to falls risk (EMS/Nursing)
·  Identify screening tools to utilize and types of incentives to give participants to encourage participation in falls risk screenings
3 months before
·  Copy forms, obtain, and organize needed supplies (e.g. pens, hand sanitizer)
·  Set up screening folders with fall risk evaluation forms, and recommendation sheet
·  Update program evaluation for screeners
1 month before
·  Train health care volunteers on screening tools
Day before Event
·  Set up screening stations
·  Day of event: Verify screeners have arrived; answer questions they may have
Volunteers / Date Completed
1 year before event
·  Verify participation for the following year’s event with instructors from the OT/PT/Nursing and Gerontology or other college programs.
4 months before event
·  Obtain and maintain contact with volunteers for set up, clean up, registration of people before/at event, help with refreshments, assist exhibitors with set up, guide people to different areas of event, monitor halls, conduct falls risk screenings, monitor lines at screening stations, give announcements, escort attendees, monitor volunteers at event, take pictures, etc.
Two months prior to event
·  Identify locations each volunteer will work. Contact OT/PT/Nursing/Gerontology and other college program instructors to obtain volunteers.
One month prior to event
·  Send the volunteers training/instructions at least a few weeks prior to event
·  Write thank you letters to volunteers to be given to them when they check in
Exhibitors/sponsors / Date Completed
6 months before event
·  Revise list of potential exhibitors and send out ‘save the date’ cards
·  Start tracking exhibitor information/payments that come in
3 months before event
·  E-mail information to potential exhibitors, including sponsor information
·  Determine if exhibitors will offer health screenings (blood pressure check, blood glucose check, fracture risk, posture screenings, hearing check, etc.), door prizes, if they need electricity, or if they need extra space
·  Update program evaluation to collect information at event
2 months before event
·  Call/e-mail exhibitors who did not yet respond; follow up on payments from exhibitors
1 month or less before event
·  Put together exhibitor packets (thank you notes for exhibitors and sponsor information; set up/break down, refreshments, numbered signs for exhibitor tables)
·  Decide and obtain sponsor table decorations
·  Verify placement of exhibitor booths (no. consider # chairs needed; whether electricity is needed;—sponsors should have more visible booth locations)
Marketing / Date Completed
9 months before event
Develop and/or modify flyer/poster for event
·  Identify local celebrity to open event
4 months before event
·  Distribute flyers to senior apartment complexes, senior groups, CCRCs, ALFs, pharmacies, exhibitors, sponsors, committee members, etc.
·  Obtain proclamations for Falls Prevention Week
2 months before event
·  Facilitate press release for newspaper, and ask media cover to cover event
Refreshments / Date Completed
3 months before event
·  Determine type of food for the event and obtain estimates (some convention centers charge if you bring food in)
·  Request exhibitors provide refreshments
1 month before event
·  Start picking up needed refreshment supplies; Identify type and location of exhibitor/volunteer refreshments
Day Before Event
·  Schedule pick up time/date for food and identify who will set it up

After Event: Have a post event meeting to determine what worked and what did not work; review program evaluations; have statistics calculated (# who attended, # screenings done, demographics, etc.)

Other health screenings/events to consider having at event to attract attendees:

·  Blood glucose screening

·  Blood pressure screening

·  Brake reaction testing

·  Carfit

·  Dental screenings

·  Door prizes/incentives

·  Driving simulation

·  Educational presentations

·  Exercise demonstrations

·  Eyeglass cleaning & repair

·  Falls prevention information table

·  Foot screenings

·  Flu shots

·  Fracture risk screenings

·  Hearing screenings

·  Massages (therapeutic massage programs)

·  Motion/strength testing

·  Operation medicine drop

·  Orthostatic blood pressure screening

·  Posture screenings

·  Vial of life

Developed by the Eastern NC Falls Prevention Coalition, Revised June 2014