PLANNING AN EVENTPLANNING AN EVENT

Tips on planning events that will be remembered Tips on planning events that will be remembered and move things FORWARD!and move things FORWARD!

October 3, 2006

Context Context

• According to NASA chief climate scientist James Hansen, we have less than 10 years to halt and reverse our pollution to prevent catastrophic climate change.

• Global Warming IS the challenge of our generation… but not everyone knows that.

Context (cont’d)Context (cont’d)

• In the US, college campuses only consume about 5-6% of our electricity. So even if every campus in the country went climate-neutral tomorrow, it still wouldn’t be enough to stop global warming!

• That’s why in addition to passing policies, we need to educate everyone we can about this issue and what they can do to help.

• Events are a great way to do this!

Why Plan Events?Why Plan Events?

• Educate your fellow students (and yourself)• Spread the word about your campaign• Recruit more volunteers• Work with other groups and individuals• Media opportunities• Action opportunities• Create a “buzz” on campus• Have a good time!

Different Strokes for Different FolksDifferent Strokes for Different Folks

• Big events vs. small events

• Quick events vs. events that take months of planning

• Education vs. fun (and everything in between)

• Targeting the whole campus or just a small portion

Brainstorm – Types of EventsBrainstorm – Types of Events

PLANNING AN EVENTPLANNING AN EVENT

• A big event requires a lot of advance planning. Some events, like a screening of “An Inconvenient Truth” or a big campaign kick-off, might take weeks or months to plan.

• Other events only take 1 day to plan, like tabling, petitioning, and visibility. It depends.

PLANNING AN EVENTPLANNING AN EVENT• Either way:

– Set concrete goals (# of people there, # signatures collected, # media hits, etc.)

– Work backwards from those goals• if you want 25 people at your event, how many

names do you need? • If you want music at your event, what do you

need to get it there?

– For small events: create a checklist– For big events: create a work plan (we’ll go

over this in a later slide)

7 Steps To Organizing 7 Steps To Organizing an Eventan Event

1. Plan Out the Logistics1. Plan Out the Logistics- Start planning early (especially for big events)- Set the date- Find a location- If necessary, line up food, supplies, etc.- Reserve any necessary equipment (eg. microphone,

and speakers)- Make visuals

Tips: ** Make a logistics checklist**

** Confirm everything**

2. Build a Coalition2. Build a Coalition• The more you can involve other groups in your events,

the better! They bring:– Credibility– Resources– People – Time– Diversity

• How-to:– Create a target list of coalition groups– Contact all targeted groups to ask them to sponsor/sign

them up for some level of involvement (endorsing the event, helping to publicize it, providing volunteers, etc.)

3. Find Speakers3. Find Speakers• Depending on your event, you might want to invite an

on-campus or off-campus person to speak. If you do:– Research and prepare a list of potential speakers. – Invite them.– Some speakers (eg. some legislators) will ask you to send

them a letter requesting their attendance. In that case, send them the letter, then call one week later to follow up.

– Make sure that all presenters are familiar with the topics, the format for the event, how much time they will have to speak, etc. well in advance of the event itself.

Tip: ** Designate a point-person to take care of, inform, and guide your speaker(s)**

4. Visibility4. Visibility

Visibility is helpful for two reasons:1. Advertising your event beforehand

2. Getting the word out afterwards

4. Visibility (cont’d)4. Visibility (cont’d)Tips:- Get the media to cover your event (campus,

local)- Ask them to do an announcement before the event- Ask them to cover the event when it happens.

- Hang posters around campus.- Chalk the campus sidewalks.- Hand out flyers.- Make announcements in related classes (even

better if professors agree to give extra credit to students who attend!)

- Email, Facebook groups, etc.

5. Ensure Turnout5. Ensure Turnout• In addition to visibility, there are other more active

tactics you should use to ensure turnout:

– Go to other groups’ meetings and invite them (campus groups, Greek houses, etc.)

– Ask coalition groups to recruit their own members– Hold tabling events for sign-ups and visibility– Phone-bank everyone who expressed interest AND

everyone on your volunteer list– Remind all volunteers who said they’d help with a phone

call the night before

6. Actually Hold the Event6. Actually Hold the Event

- Be early! Get there in advance to set up chairs, equipment, hang banners and signs, clean, etc.

- Greet presenters as they arrive – have volunteers assigned to take care of them

-Set an agenda with times for the event and stick to it

-Have a volunteer coordinator who can plug in volunteers as they arrive

-Make sure that EVERYONE (including you) puts down their information (phone, email) on a sign-up sheet

-Have a great time!

7. Follow Up Afterwards7. Follow Up Afterwards

• Follow up with the media to confirm coverage.

• Send thank you letters to presenter(s).

• Debrief with leaders.

• Check in with coalition partners.

• Celebrate!

Sample Event – Save the Ales WeekSample Event – Save the Ales Week

• Background - Major climatic shifts and dry summers will hinder the harvest of hops and barley (key ingredients for beer brewing) in the US.

• Idea – Host a party and speaker as part of “Save the Ales” week on campus to highlight this great injustice, draw in a new constituency, and have a great time.

• Example at http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3469/is_47_52/ai_80757908

Save the Ales Party - GoalsSave the Ales Party - Goals

• Primary Goals - Present global warming as a problem everyone should be concerned about.

• Secondary goals– Recruit 200 new people to your list (50 at talk, 150 at

party)– Build 5 new coalition partners (fraternities, sororities,

etc.)– Engage – 25 people into planning– 4 media hits– Use the “ales” draw to bring 50 people to a keynote

address on global warming impacts (and solutions) and use to recruit

Here's a sample week-by-week plan for “Save the Ales” Week: 10/2-10/8 10/9-10/15 10/16-

10/22 10/23-10/29

10/30-11/5 The event!

Goals

Logistics Find location, reserve space

Find DJ, identify and contact local/organic brewers

Finalize budget and beer/food details, secure DJ

Confirm space and DJs, work out details with beer and food

Set up before event, sign in at door, pick up kegs, party

Location, DJ, beer and food

Visibility/ Media

Hang 100 posters

Hang 100 posters, submit 4 LTEs

Chalking, call to confirm LTEs

Advisory sent to all media targets

Media calls, confirm media

200 posters, chalking, 4 media hits, 2 LTEs printed

Volunteers Identify 10 initial volunteers& divide into teams (visibility, coalition, logistics

Coordinate projects, identify key roles for “new recruits”

Engage 5 members from new coalition partners

Present at group meeting, engage 5 new volunteers

Confirm Volunteers

25 active volunteers

Coalitions Make target list of 20 groups, call group leaders

Attend meetings of 10 groups

Sign on 5 groups as co-sponsors, have them set goals for turnout

Confirm groups

5 co-sponsor groups

Priority for Week

Logistics Coalitions Volunteers visibility Confirm vols, media

What Events Have You Done? What Events Have You Done? How did they go?How did they go?

(What was the goal, who was invited, how many people came, how did you get (What was the goal, who was invited, how many people came, how did you get them there, etc.)them there, etc.)

• If you haven’t yet, we suggest you plan 1 big event and 1 small event for the month of October

What Events Are You Planning to What Events Are You Planning to Do?Do?

Thank you for coming! Have fun at your events! Thank you for coming! Have fun at your events! We can’t wait to hear about them!We can’t wait to hear about them!

• Please send all feedback – the good, the bad, the interesting – to eliza@ssc.org

• Feel free to contact the rest of us, too!– Eliza Simon, SSC National Campaign Organizer, eliza@ssc.org– Kim Teplitzky, SSC PA, OH, MI, WV Organizer, kim@ssc.org– Maura Cowley, SSC Northeast Organizer, maura@ssc.org– Josh Tulkin, CCAN Organizing Director, josh@chesapeakclimate.org– Matt Stern, CCAN Maryland/DC Campus Organizer,

matt@chesapeakeclimate.org– Tom Owens, CCAN Virginia Campus Organizer, tom@chesapeakeclimate.org

Stay in Touch!Stay in Touch!