Planning an Event from Idea to Evaluation

Stages of Event Planning Events Brainstorm/ Preparation ExecutionEvaluation

Initial Brainstorming Why having event? What will event be? Who do you want to attract to event? Where will event be? When will event be? (time table) How will everything happen?

Why? Reason for having this event? What is the purpose or goal?  Fundraising  Educational  Social and/or recreational  All of the above  None of the above

What? What will the event be?  Rely on group members...  Party and/or meal  Speaker  Picnic  Carwash The decision to the above question will be dependant upon the answer to the “Why are we having this event” question.

Who? Who will this event target?  Group members only  Community at-large  Patients/consumers  Family members and friends  Professionals  Students  All of the above

Where? Where will the event take place?  Same location as where group meets  Different location Key points to keep in mind...  Accommodation of # of people  Handicapped accessibility

When? When will the event be?  Same date as rap group or different night  Day time or evening  Week night or weekend Pointers...  Event date will depend upon space required  Avoid holidays and certain times of year  Maximize opportunities for certain times  If applicable, have snow date

How? How will the event get off the ground?  Rely on group members for assistance Everyone must own the group!  Delegate jobs and share work load  Take it slow... “slow and steady wins the race” i.e. pace self – give plenty of time

Initial Steps in Event Planning 1)Notify group of interest to have event and purpose of having event. 2)Rely on group for ideas – this will help to empower group members. 3)Come up with event idea utilizing resources available (within group and/or community). 4)Decide whether event will be closed to group members or open to the public. 5)Determine location, date & time for event.

Decision Making Time Come up with a “catch phrase” for the event. i.e. “I Survived the Holidays Party”; “How to Look Good and Feel Good While Living with Mental Health Issues” Determinations What needs to be done? How many tasks are there? Who will be in charge and/or do each task? Will there be an admission charge and if so, what that charge will be? Will there be special rates? Will there be extras (vendors, raffles, 50/50, etc.)? What will the budget be?

Publicize Event Bulletins Newspaper Press Releases Invitations to Friends & Others Calls to Group Members Notify Other Group Leaders & Members Announcements Radio & TV Press Releases Flyers Letters to Professionals and/or Churches

2 nd Stage - Execution Prior to the Actual Day 1)Refreshments (who to supply) 2)Decision on set-up of room 3)Alternate arrangements 4)If applicable, order literature 5)Shopping expedition for any needed supplies 6)How are you going to decorate, if applicable?

Execution “Big Day” Make list(s) of what needs to be done and who can do what. Leave self plenty of time to be all set up before people arrive. If possible, have a back-up person handy in case you forget anything. Have a phone handy. AND...

Remember To Try To And Have Fun! Smile Relax

Final Stage - Evaluation To evaluate means to ascertain or fix the value or worth of. To examine and judge carefully; appraise The American Heritage College Dictionary – 3 rd Edition – Copyright 1993 Evaluation is a necessary part of the event process. Evaluation is done in order to learn what was wonderful and what can be improved. Must always work towards improvement as nothing is perfect. From an evaluation, you can also get suggestions regarding future events, speakers, etc or people who are interested in helping with the “runnings” of the group

2 Types of Evaluations Pros & Cons of event evaluated by persons who take part in function/event (i.e. community – attendees) EXTERNAL INTERNAL Pros & Cons of event evaluated by persons who put together event and/or the Board

Evaluation Continued Use the likert scale below for questions Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree ) Sunday is a good day for DBSA Succasunna, Inc. to hold a community educational event. If not, what would be a better day? 3) The time that the event was called for worked for me. If not, what would be a better time? 4) The speakers and information provided were helpful to me. 5) $5.00 admission worked for me. 6) I would consider coming out to future educational programs.

Final Piece - Evaluation Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree ) Please provide us with any other suggestions/concerns. Also, please feel free to provide us with recommendations for future events, either speakers and/or topics. Use back of paper if necessary. If you want to be kept informed about future events, please provide us with your name, address, and address. All information provided is kept strictly confidential and is not used for solicitation purposes.

WHATEVER DIRECTION THE EVENT GOES Or Negative Whether Positive