How to Involve Your Community in Local Event Planning
- 01 Mar 2023
- Community
- Free Things to Do
Trying to respond to community needs within your next project to make lasting relationships? Engage with the local community and create an exciting buzz around an event by getting them involved in the planning process!
If you want to plan something big for your community, the best people to help you are members of the community itself! While events are a great way to bring people together, nothing generates excitement like the collective sense of effort and determination from multiple local parties to create something amazing!
Here are some exciting ways to get your community involved in the planning and execution of your next local event!
So, you have decided to get the community involved in your next event. Now it is time to rally the troops! Inform people about your intentions and request help from willing volunteers.
Host a public meeting in an easily accessible area such as a community centre or a park to gather input from the locals and get a good idea of how much interest you have received in the event so far.
Take your time promoting your public meeting to get the best turnout. There are a few good ways to spread the word, including posting notices through letter-boxes, writing a detailed post on your community Facebook page, placing posters in shop windows, or putting a notice in the local newspaper.
You won't need everything figured out for this meeting (that is why you have enlisted their help, after all). Instead, simply present your general ideas and get people excited! Keep a note of the ideas you come up with and save them for later.
Those notes you took at your public meeting? You will need them now! If some ideas seem unanimous with the group and generate enthusiasm, start working on how to carry them out logistically.
As the event planner, you must calculate what you need to do to make everyone's ideas come to life in the best way possible. Start prioritizing tasks and evaluating expenses to create a sensible budget for the project. Contact those who have volunteered regularly online to ensure everyone stays on the same page.
Start by meshing out the principal theme of your event and the services you will need for it. For example, perhaps you are hosting a community bike ride, a public film screening, or a market fair. These events will have specific requirements that need to be mapped out well in advance. You can gather your group of volunteers to finalise the details, hear out any concerns, and start planning!
By involving local businesses in your event, you can help sustain businesses in your area and grow the local economy. Local event days are a great opportunity to showcase small businesses that are always there helping your community.
If you are planning a parade, fair, or festival, why not celebrate local talent by centering your event on the local businesses that make your area a great place to be? Invite local restaurants and food trucks to provide food and refreshments for your event. They can display their finest dishes and entice more customers to their store!
We provide stalls for businesses to advertise their work and give them an opportunity to engage with the community in a fun, light-hearted environment.
Business events have an abundance of benefits for your local community, and if you are a business owner yourself, you can stay connected and make new relationships for future business opportunities.
After consulting with your community and ensuring everyone is committed to executing your event ideas, you can start organising the date and venue! Your venue must be a suitable size and capacity for the event you are planning.
Consider the various themes and target audiences you have for your event, and which venue would best suit them. Perhaps you will need a large outside area like a park for events like festivals and fairs. Or, maybe a large indoor venue would be more appropriate for events such as craft markets and quiz nights.
Once you set a date and book the venue, you can start contacting the speakers, sponsors, and entertainment that will be the main selling point of your event.
Partnering with local businesses for your event is a great way to further mutual interests and make your event more sustainable. Partners can offer unique expertise and resources, as well as take some pressure off finances by splitting costs.
In return, sponsorships will provide some extra funds for your event, and in return, your event will be associated with a certain brand. Pitch your event to potential sponsors by aligning your event goals with their brand values and giving them an offer they can’t refuse!
Are you planning any entertainment at your event? Perhaps you want a local band to perform, or for guest speakers to arrive and entertain a crowd. Whatever entertainment you have lined up for your guests, it's time to contact them and check availability.
Research your speakers or local artists beforehand to ensure they are a good fit for the audience at your event. Call them up and book them in!
Certain event requirements surrounding health and safety may need looking into when planning your event. Event organisers must ensure that their event is safe and meets various safety regulations to minimise risk and prevent accidents.
Perform a risk assessment of the event to stay vigilant about health and safety measures. If your event is on a bigger scale than local fairs and parades, it would be wise to inform your local paramedics or first aiders so they can be ready at the scene!
Promoting an event is crucial for event planners to get right! Good promotion will lead to wider exposure, larger ticket sales, and a bigger turnout. There are several ways to promote your local event to the community.
Creating a Facebook event is a great way to inform the community of future events! This feature allows people to say whether they are "going" or "interested," so you can get a better idea of what numbers to expect. You can add details to the post, such as the date, location, and what the event is.
You can locally advertise your event through striking banners and signs around the area, with the date and location easily visible.
Promoting exciting guest speakers or headliners for your event is an excellent way to get people interested in attending. You can also work with any sponsors you may have to create an impactful marketing strategy that targets a local audience!
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