Creating an Epic Event? What to Consider..
Have you attended an event outside your social circle yet?
I can vividly remember the last live event I attended. It was a collective poetry jam night at the Duncairn Arts Centre in Belfast March 2020. I had no clue at the time that it would be the last event I was to attend in 2020 or even so far in 2021. And even without knowing that it was magical!
Have you ever thought what it is that makes an event special? All the memorable events I have attended in my lifetime have had a mixture of special ingredients:
They have been in a unique setting (Duncairn as an event venue (a converted church) is pretty special!)
The audience have had a collective goal (celebrating/dancing/making something). In this case sitting at tables with 6 strangers sharing wine and nibbles and creating at each table a poem about Belfast.
Have had an element of surprise
They have created a sense of awe
At the event in the Duncairn Arts Centre, Irish poet Stephen James Smith recited his poem ' 'We must create' which he was commissioned to write by Creative Ireland. There is a beautiful refrain in it 'we must create to know who we can be' (you can listen HERE). I have helped dozens of clients create events from Strictly Dancing Competitions to farmers markets and to virtual summits and I think the common element in all is that they have knowledge or expertise or an idea that they want to bring to the world!
I'm delighted that in the next few months I will be helping with real face to face events again! I'll be supporting Joanne from Babble with the organisation and set up of the Hillsborough Farmers Markets in Hillsborough, Co.Down (dates =Saturday 28th August, Saturday 25th September, Saturday 30th October, 10am-3pm). Check out details HERE. Moira Specialty Food Fair is also happening again (now its 6th year) which as a Moira girl I'm particularly excited about (Sat 18th September Moira Demesne 10am-6pm)
Do you want to organise a live face to face event but are unsure where to begin at the moment?
Here are some things to take into consideration:
1. Venue Availability
With the drastic reduction in weddings in 2020 a lot of hotel venues are a) booked out with weddings b) welcoming weddings over other events as they bring in more income c) have reduced staff/capacity for standard business or networking meetings.
2. Venue hire cost
Once upon a time hotels and other venues were crying out for business on Monday/Tuesday evenings and you could get a room at a reduced rate. This is no longer the case. And with the loss of income in 2020/2021 and some of the draconian rules put in place I certainly can’t blame them! In Belfast I have heard that in some cases the price of a cup of tea/coffee with a biscuit for your clients has DOUBLED in price.
3. Venue capacity
With ever changing Covid-19 social distancing measures (generally now relaxing UK wide) you need to keep abreast of social distancing measures for interior and exterior events depending on where you are based. Be mindful where once you could fit 8 people around a table you know may only be able to put 4 which could create a certain loss of atmosphere.
4. Individual's reactions
No matter what your own view of Covid-19 restrictions are (social distancing/mask wearing/track and trace/proof of vaccine upon entry) you must be mindful of each individual attending your event. Whereas one person may not worry about wearing a mask at all (myself), someone else may be terrified to leave the house without it. A happy balance has to be sought to reassure everyone and make sure they get the most of your event.
Personally , I’m very against the idea of people having to show proof of a vaccine ‘covid passports’ to enter a venue or event as I think it creates a very apartheid type atmosphere which punishes a whole swathe of population who for ethical/religious/morale/medical/age reasons don’t want a vaccine but again you have to be mindful of the current risks and do a full risk assessment in advance.
Eventbrite have launched covid playbook with lots of free resources to help you as an organiser think about all the risks and plan your event:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/l/covid19-event-safety/
5. Being Super Flexible!
No shows rates at face-to-face events are always to be expected but with people being pinged all the time with the Covid App and suddenly having to self-isolate (even if not showing symptoms) as an event organiser you have to be more than flexible! If using a ticketing platform choose one where you can easily
refund people if you have to cancel your event entirely
refund audience or swap their ticket type if they can’t come physically to an event but can attend online
have the option of advertising different ticket types with face to face and online attendance
Creating an atmosphere especially if you are having a hybrid event where some people are physically in the room and others are joining online will be challenging but as humans, we are curious by nature and what to see what is going on so think about when setting up your venue.
6. Creating an Atmosphere
The hardest thing any venue or event organiser can do is create a good atmosphere and a space where people feel at ease interacting with each other and you. Just think of all the fake Irish pubs in the world which have tried to re-enact the atmosphere of being in a noisy, banterful Irish pub! I think that with exaggerated distancing between people that will be the biggest challenge for organisers.
In the next months as well as helping out behind the scenes and physically on the day at the Farmer's markers, I’m supporting:
a business owners as virtual support on a series of webinar she is running
a business network run a virtual speed networking event
So, whether you are going virtual, face to face or doing a hybrid let me know what exciting events you have in mind or need any help creating! alison@virtuali.uk
