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A guide for voluntary and community organisations 

Arranging and holding an event for the first time can be a daunting prospect for any voluntary organisation. Thorough preparation and planning are essential. One of the first questions you need to ask yourselves is WHY you want to hold an event as this can have an effect on many of the subsequent arrangements, and this can be broken down into the following questions.

1.  Is it to supply information about your organisation? For example is it to make yourselves known to client groups, potential funders, volunteers or the general public?
2. Is it to promote your organisation? For example is it to launch a new organisation, to get press coverage or to enhance your local profile.
3. Is it to supply information on an issue, which your organisation is closely involved in  For example to campaign on an issue, to publicise an issue or to educate and inform people.
4. To get people’s views on an issue of mutual interest? For example to consult on a particular issue, or to get support for a campaign.
5. As a networking opportunity? For example to meet other people involved in similar work so that you can exchange experience and opinions.

The next stage is you have to decide what type of event you want to hold. This could be an event like:

• A formal event with speakers
• An informal event with workshops
• A mixture of the two
• A full or half day event

Next you would have to decide whom you want to attend, will it be invited representatives from other organisations, the general public, voluntary sector only or a mix of voluntary sector and statutory representatives.

The planning stage should be quite short but intense. Call a meeting of those who can contribute to the planning process and cover the issues detailed below. Try to ensure that you delegate responsibility for particular tasks to other people so that not one person is doing all the work. Once the programme has been decided, speakers, venues etc. you must act quickly to make the relevant arrangements. You will probably need a further planning meeting to review progress and deal with any alterations that you need to make to the programme.

If you wish to ensure that as many people attend as possible then it is important to hold your event at a suitable time. Take into consideration school holidays, other similar events, winter weather, the Christmas period and national sporting events (e.g. football fixtures.)

If the event concerns a particular issue of interest it is important that your event is timed to fit in with the timetable of the ‘larger picture’ e.g. the publication of a consultation, results of relevant research or a launch of an initiative.

When planning the event think carefully about your timetable. (The following is an example of a table of activity.)

The Venue

In deciding the location you will have to consider a number of issues that need to be prioritised, as there will doubtless have to be a degree of compromise.

• Accessibility Can the venue be reached by public transport?
• Parking Is there adequate parking available close to the venue?
• Size Check that the venue is going to be a suitable size, at first you will have to anticipate numbers but this can be confirmed nearer the time. Check that the venue has a couple of rooms of different sizes.
• Location Is it central for the majority of potential attendees?
• Disabled access Is the building, and all rooms you will be using accessible to disabled people and do they have a loop system for the hard of hearing (if needed).
• Cost Is the venue within your budget?
• Catering Is there on-site catering available? Does it have a good reputation? Is it good value?

Visit the venue. Take with you a list of items you need to check, otherwise you will forget a few of them. You may wish to include room size, seating layout, acoustics, plugs, safety, disabled access, parking, equipment (e.g. does the venue provide flip charts, overhead projectors etc. and are those items charged for?)

Speakers

Contact the people you wish to speak. Make sure they know exactly what the aims of the seminar are, and what you are expecting from them. Whether they need equipment for their presentation, whether or not they require payment and/or expenses and confirm all you have discussed in writing. Contact them again nearer the date – they may want details of who is to attend, and check that they know exactly where the venue is, when they should arrive and if they require help with transport. Remember to write and thank them after the event.

If cost is an important element in your planning, as it almost certainly will be, you will have to decide on a ‘cost per head.’

• Do you need to provide coffee/tea on arrival?
• Will you provide a buffet or sit down meal?
• Will the catering be done ‘in house’ or will you get your own caterer?

If the catering is to be provided in house, there will often be a number of differently priced options, e.g. a finger buffet, soup and sandwiches, a salad buffet, hot and cold selection. If the cost appears to high for your budget try to negotiate a better price or discuss how the price may be reduced e.g. by omitting afternoon teas or promising them further business.

Keep in regular contact with the caterer and put your requests in writing. If mistakes occur on the day, you need written evidence to prove that your instructions were not followed e.g. quality of food per person, vegetarian options. This will be particularly useful if you get complaints back from attendees about any aspects of the catering.

It is also necessary to ensure that an outside caterer knows exactly where your event is being held, and the time at which the food is to be delivered. If food is being delivered too early or too late it can badly interfere with your programme. It is advisable to send a copy of the programme to the caterer. Also, you should make sure that the caterer is given adequate notice of the exact number of attendees. Some people prefer to over-cater i.e. tell the caterer to provide for 25 when only 20 people are due to attend.

Publicity

How will you let people know about your event?

• By producing a flyer/programme

You will need a database of contacts to send it to. You can ask for it to be displayed in public places such as libraries, post offices, community centres or doctor’s surgeries. You can publicise it at other similar events.

• By getting details of your event published in relevant newspapers/journals.

You will need to check copy dates if it is important for you to advertise your event in a particular publication.

• Local radio station

If you have a local radio station it is a good idea to get them to do a bulletin every couple of hours, over a period of a couple of days.

• Leaflet drops

If you are covering a particular geographical area and would like local people to attend, it would be a good idea to put leaflets through the doors of all the local residents.

Finance

Do you have a budget for events?

Even if you are hoping to recoup most of your costs through fees, you will require a budget for items, which may need to be paid for in advance such as programmes, postage, stationary for participant’s packs. Work out how many participants you need to break even and decide whether this is a realistic target. You may wish to try for sponsorship, or to sell exhibition space at the event. Remember that this will add considerably to the workload involved in organizing the event.

Cancellation

Sometimes it happens. As the date approaches the number of applications that have returned is low. At some point a decision has to be made to postpone or cancel the event. This is very dispiriting after all the hard work that has been put into organising the event. It may be unwise to go ahead with too small a number. The delegates will not gain as much benefit as they would have done from the interaction with a larger group, and speakers may feel that it is not worthwhile.

If you feel it is worth trying to go ahead, phone a few people whom you have invited and ask them personally to attend – you may attract just enough extra people to make the meeting viable. It may be possible to scale down the event by contacting those who have shown interest and arranging for them to attend a shorter meeting.

If you do have to cancel, make sure that everyone is told in plenty of time, including the caterers.

EDCVS have staff that can help your organisation to prepare a constitution, write an action plan and give advice on applying for charitable status.

• We have Grantfinder in the office. Contact us to make an appointment and you will receive help in using the database.

• We have a number of funding books that you may browse.

• We can give advice on capacity building i.e. strengthening your organisation to make you better placed to apply for funding e.g. procedures, administration and finance.

• We can suggest funders who are most likely to fund your type of organisation.

• We run seminars and training on various topics of interest to voluntary organisations.

• We may be able to help you find statistics to back up your funding application, or advise you where to obtain them.

Activity

8 Weeks before Arrange and hold planning meeting to decide theme, speakers, date, venue and publicity. 

7 Weeks before Visit the venue to check access. Contact speaker and  venue to confirm dates (in writting)

5-6 Weeks before Design and send out programmes and application forms, Start to publicise the event.                            

3 Weeks Before Record the attendees and payment of fees

8 Days before Ask Speakers for biographical details for participant packs

7 Days before Closing Date for Attendees. Confirm Details with speakers

6 Days Before Send out final details and conformation to attendees or decide to cancel due to lack of numbers

2 Days Before Confirm catering arrangements. Make up participent packs