Community events are a major aspect of community engagement. They bring people together, connecting all age groups at a local level. There are many different types of community events, including marathons, quiz nights, film screenings, street parties and treasure hunts. Whether you want to raise proceeds for a charity, celebrate a community milestone, or simply get to know those around you, community events have numerous benefits.
However, community events can be costly and challenging to organise, and you are probably wondering how to organise a community event. Use these 5 tips to ensure the event runs as smoothly as possible.
1. Venue hire
Venues are a major aspect of a community event. There are many different types of events, and you will have to pick an venue that suits your needs. Many community events spend the majority of their budget on their venue, but it doesn’t have to be this way! If you can cut down on the cost of your venue, you can use that money elsewhere.
Our tip is to identify your event’s wants and needs. Creating a list of essential needs separate to the wants, can narrow down which venues are appropriate and worth the money. For example, if live music is a need, you will need a stage. If the event is in winter, a large indoor space would also be a need, and should have priority over other things.
Be flexible with your wants. The date is a common example of a want, and can change depending on your budget. If the date doesn’t matter to you, you can save money on venue hire by scheduling the event on days in less demand.
2. Organise your ticketing system
Any successful event needs an organised ticketing system, even if it’s free. They ensure safety by meeting venue capacity requirements and help you track important data useful for future events. For example, making attendees fill in their postcodes can help you choose a closer venue for the following year. Picking the right system is important and some popular free options include TryBooking and EventCreate.
3. Use social media to advertise your event
Event organisers know that the most important part of a community event is, well, the community! People need to know about the event in order to come along and support your cause. Advertising can be expensive and ineffective if done on the wrong platform.
Social media is a great free tool for advertising your event. Creating simple designs is more accessible than ever because of free graphics software such as Canva, which looks spectacular and doesn’t require any previous graphics design experience. Another tip is to post your event to Facebook groups, who may find the event of interest, or use hashtags on platforms such as Instagram.
There is also affordable, paid advertising available on social media. Facebook ads, for example, can target your demographic based on interests, behaviours, location and age.
4. Be prepared
The key to organising a great community event is preparation. There is plenty of organising that needs to take place in order for the event to run smoothly. This includes any staff, time frames, tight budget restraints and attendance numbers.
Our tip is to have a right hand man, or maybe a few , who can help you on the day. You never know what can happen, and having a few extra hands is a great way to ensure you are as prepared as possible if something takes the wrong turn. There are many community members who would gladly put their hands up to volunteer setting up or packing down, so take advantage of that community spirit!
Your preparation should also include team meetings, event planning, goals for the event, comparison to other similar community events and the organisation’s overall objectives.
5. Keep the kids entertained
Many community organisers may forget a large community group that can make a big difference: the children! Community events can be as boring as anything for children. One of the largest factors for parents when going to a community event is whether the kids will have entertainment or ask to go home straight away. Keeping the children entertained and busy ensures that the parents can enjoy themselves more, and stick around your event for longer.
There are several ways to keep the kids entertained during your event. They include the classics: including face painting, entertaining characters, and bouncy castles! Bouncy castles are a great solution for a large crowd of kids. They are fun and let the kids bounce their energy out.
Monsterball offers a variety of themed bouncy castles in Perth, including Batman, Cars, Looney Tunes, Spongebob, Tinkerbell and many others. There are even adult-size castles available for the older kids.
Bouncy castle hire in Perth is made easy with Monsterball. Call us today on (08) 6245 8290 or send us an email to enquiries@monsterball.aligneddev.com.au for a free quote or to book inflatable hire.
