Events

Events are usually one-off occasions which can either be directly related to the issue being explored in consultation (for example a men's health awareness day) or used to build community capacity (for example a family fun day).

Advantages

Events can be flexible different venues, different times etc.
They are high profile and can arouse interest in people you would not normally reach.
Provides good ad-hoc feedback suggestions and comments.
An open day can give an opportunity for users to familiarise themselves with your premises and services.
Good opportunity to contact users and potential users.

Disadvantages

People who attend may not be those you want to reach or a representative sample of the users of your service.
Won’t give you statistical information (other than how many people attended).
They can be time-consuming to organise and if this isn't done properly either people might not attend or be disappointed

When to use

When you want to do something high profile in a community, and make a splash.
When you want to reach out to new audiences

Organising an event can be an excellent way of improving engagement with communities. Events can be used to gain information from the community you are consulting or to share good practice with other service providers. Think carefully about the type of event you are planning - is it likely to attract an audience- put yourself in the position of a customer - would you want to attend? Remember that you might be able to use established community events as a vehicle to deliver a part of your consultation exercise, school fairs, festivals, and celebration events (for example International Women's Day) might already be attracting an audience.

Fun Days

Events needn’t always be formal. One of the best ways to attract people to your event is by making it fun. Involving the whole family often helps - attract the children and the parents and grandparents won’t be far behind.

Family Fun Day bouncy castles, games, play, face painting, bug hunts etc. Depending on your budget and time commitment the sky’s the limit for this sort of event. Your consultation exercise should reflect the fun element of the day. Using techniques as described in the Planning for Real section such as models, big maps, drawing or painting can help, making things as visual as possible will certainly attract more attention.

Try this - ask people to take a photo of themselves to place against their views on a big board. This is a fun and inclusive method, which attracts old and young participants alike. You must ensure you have consent to use photographs of children and adults. Remember some people might not like having their picture taken for religious and or cultural reasons - brief your photographer.

Of course you can use any of these fun ideas during other consultation exercises, try giving an incentive to people to complete your questionnaire (a free pen, balloon, raffle ticket) or distract children whilst parents do your survey (a free bouncy castle session, face painting etc).

Be creative, it works!

Open Day or Listening Day

Should be a relatively informal occasion where local people or service users have the chance to meet staff and volunteers.
Set up an exhibition of your project, scheme or ideas in a public place (could be a church hall, community centre, library, or in a shopping area) for a whole day.
Have people at the stall who are there to engage with local people about the subject they are your ‘listeners’. These can be staff, local people, ‘experts’ etc.
Have a system of recording people’s comments, suggestions or complaints so that this can be analysed at the end of the event.
Think about giving an incentive for participation e.g. a free draw for a prize (ask local stores for gifts), free balloon for children etc.
You could run this as a road show in different parts of your area if this was appropriate.

If you are thinking of having an OPEN DAY it is probably best to hold this on your own premises so users and potential users can see your services for themselves. For a LISTENING DAY it will be more appropriate to chose an accessible venue that lots of people already use or close to where people are.

Practicalities

Publicise the event well to get good attendance. Use organised groups in the community, community and voluntary leaders, key workers etc. Posters and flyers can help. If you want to attract a particular group you will need to target them, the personal touch is often best and helps to develop ongoing relationship.
You will probably need to set up stands, equipment etc. beforehand so give yourselves plenty of time.
Think about refreshments (for participants and staff/volunteers).
Make sure health and safety figures in your planning early on - at the very least you need to think about insurance, risk assessment, an evacuation plan.
Make sure you venue is fully accessible and appropriate - are your prospective audience going to feel comfortable and salfe in your chosen venue.
Don’t expect a representative sample of views, those attending will be largely self-selecting or have special interests. Don’t rely on this method of consultation alone.