For the past few years, I have been involved in the full process of planning educational events - everything from the inception of an idea to RSVPs to implementation. I've also attended quite a few museum events - always on the lookout to see something new and interesting. Along the way, I have made these mistakes and I've also seen others make these mistakes. Hopefully, you can learn from our mistakes to ensure that your programs run smoothly and effectively.
Mistake #1
Not providing contact information on marketing materials.
It may be an event free and open to the public, but there are many reasons to provide contact information. The local newspaper may see your flyer and want to write a story on your cool event. Someone might want to bring a large group to the event and want more information on if large groups are even allowed. I would urge you to not just include a website either, unless your website clearly shows a direct email or phone number. It's best to include a direct line to someone who can answer questions about the program.
Mistake #2
Not informing key stakeholders of the event.
Working the reception desk of a museum provides great perspective on visitor interaction. I can't tell you how many times a visitor would ask me about an event I didn't know about. I wish I could tell you it was because I was oblivious. More often than not it was because the event had been marketed to the public, but no one had thought to let the front desk know the event was going on. That can make you wonder who else might have been forgotten - custodial, security, your key market?
Mistake #3
Not providing information for medium to large groups.
As someone who runs a fairly successful Meetup group (over 500 members), I have a tough time determining which events we can attend with a larger group and which ones we need to limit. If your event is space limited and you don't provide that information, you could easily wind up with far more people than your event can accomodate.
Mistake #4
Not having a policy for special circumstances.
As non-profits, many of our programs are cost-effective for participants. However, not everyone can even afford a $5 charge. If a person calls asking for special circumstances, it's important to have a policy in place. Perhaps that particular event doesn't have much wiggle room in terms of cost, but your department might be willing to absorb part of the cost. Or perhaps you have a scholarship fund. Whatever the case may be, let staff know the policy in advance so you can avoid the hassle of calling someone back.
Mistake #5
Not providing confirmation as soon as possible.
At my current position, we're in the process of converting to a new software that allows us to send confirmation emails as soon as someone registers for an event. In the meantime, we deal with a number of emails on a weekly, if not daily basis, of people asking if they've been confirmed for an event or not. This is especially difficult when we have such events that have different prices based on first come first serve policy. It's important that people know they're confirmed for an event so they're not left in confusion.
This is obviously not a comprehensive list of the mistakes in planning an event, but they seem to be fairly common in the non-profit community. Can you think of any other mistakes often made by non-profits in planning events?
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