Events

If your audience includes or primarily consists of members of your community, in-person events can be a great way to tell stories. Particularly if your goals consist of inspiring action from your community members or raising awareness about issues relevant to them.

Storytelling Events to Consider

Speaker Panels: You can host a few speakers (experts at local institutions, community members, folks on your team) to discuss an issue facing your community.

Advocacy Sessions: You can host an open house/information session on ways people can advocate for your community. Maybe you’re helping community members write scripts for public testimony, or maybe you’re helping community members register to or decide how to vote.

Screenings: A great way to get members of your community together is by hosting a screening of your group’s video work, or if an external collaborator produced a video on your community. You can save time for Q&A after the screening.

Consider tapping into other local events! Find a local calendar and see what festivals and other events that are already occurring that you can join. Maybe there is a fall festival you can table at, etc.

Steps to Putting on a Successful Event

1. Develop a concept.
   • What do you want from this event?
   • Who are the stakeholders?
   • Are you working alone or collaborating?
   • Identify: topics, potential speakers, audience.
2. Bring together anyone involved EARLY. Determine a date and time that works for everyone.
3. Assess your needs.
   • How many people do you need to staff the event?
   • Do you need any audiovisual equipment to record the event?
   • Do you need to provide anything at the event—catering, swag, programs?
4. Find a venue. After conducting your needs assessment, consider what you need from a venue. Do you need seating or standing room? Audiovisual equipment? Before paying for a venue, see if any local institutions—universities or public libraries, especially—are willing to partner with you and open their doors for your event.Also, consider what venues might feel comfortable for your audience. A fancy ballroom at a hotel will attract a different audience (big-ticket donors) than a public library might.
5. Who is your audience?
   1. If you are looking to invite specific people:
      1. Create an invite list.
      2. Track RSVPs and additions to your list with a spreadsheet.
   2. If your event is open to all members of the community:
      1. How are you going to advertise the event? Consider building a social media strategy if you have capacity to do so.
      2. Decide if you want to ask participants to register or encourage drop-in. If you want to track RSVPs, create a registration form.
         1. You can use Google Forms or another similar platform for this.
         2. Consider what data you need for an RSVP.
            1. Names?
            2. Dietary preferences?
            3. Participant emails?
            4. Do you want to know how they hear about you?
            5. Number of guests per RSVP?
      3. Design a flier and post it both digitally—on your website and social media—and physically around your community.
6. Preparation is key.
   1. Prepare for the event by drafting a “run of show” document with timestamps. You can share this document with everyone on your team as well as any collaborators ahead of the event to prevent confusion.
   2. Host a prep call with all stakeholders to ensure everybody is on the same page.
   3. Send out an email the day before your event reminding attendees of logistics. Share:
      1. Date and time
      2. Directors
      3. Accessibility information
   4. Make sure to confirm with your speakers before sending out any information (headshots, bios) about them
   5. Have a plan to record the event – e.g. a photographer, videographer, or staff member to capture the event as appropriate. Remember to obtain informed consent from any featured individuals before sharing.
7. After the event – some work left to do!
   1. Send out a thank you to your attendees! If you collected RSVPs, use that information to share your gratitude with each attendee.
   2. Alongside your thank you notes, consider sending out a survey (created simply on Google Forms or another similar platform) to collect data on what went well about the event and what could have gone better
   3. Share any content you got from the event as a recap for social media.