Implementing your project
Challenges: running an event
This section sets out some practical tips for ensuring that your consultation event runs as smoothly as possible.
The venue
The type of venue selected needs to be suitable for the participants rather than suitable for you. It should be a place where participants feel comfortable. Community venues are often much more appropriate than organisational venues. It should also be a venue that the community is likely to be familiar with. Whatever venue you choose, you should always provide participants with clear, simple directions (including public transport links) and a map.
The venue itself should have a quiet main room with plenty of room for participants. It should also have seating and tables for people to sit at. If you are planning on holding a large event, it may be wise to split people into small groups at times so that everyone is comfortable and able to participate. If you decide to do this, the venue will need to have suitable breakout space, either within the main room, or in smaller rooms very close to the main room.
The timing of the event should also be at a time suitable for the participants, rather than you. Frequently, this means events should be held in the evening, or if they are more than a couple of hours long, at the weekend.
Meeting your objectives
To ensure that the event achieves its aims, it needs to be carefully structured. It is important to develop a timetable for the day. This serves two main purposes:
- It sets out the stages of the process that need to be achieved to meet the event's objectives
- It acts as a reminder for you (and other facilitators) about what you need to be doing when
If you are likely to have more than 20 or so participants, it advisable to build in some small group work into the event. This is because the larger the group, the harder it is to ensure that everybody is able to have their views heard. Some people may try to dominate the group and others may not feel confident about speaking up in a larger group setting.
Also, when groups reach 20 or more participants, it makes sense to use more than one facilitator, particularly for small group work. If you do decide to this, you will need to either:
- Identify facilitators within your organisation
- Identify facilitators from partner organisations, or
- Use external facilitators
Additional facilitators should be well briefed prior to the day of the event.
If you need to present information to participants, this should also be prepared in advance of the event. The language used for any information provided, and during the day itself, should be accessible and succinct, avoiding jargon. If information is to be presented to the whole group you need to think about how this should be done, for example, with a power point presentation or overhead projector. Copies of any information you use should also be provided as handouts.
If you need to provide incentives and/or expenses for participants these should be organised when you get near to the day of the event, so that you have the money ready when you need it.
On the day
There are a few basic things that you need to cover or do on the day itself:
- You should look to arrive at the venue well before the participants are due
- You should ensure that the lay out of the room(s) is suitable, and that if you are using any IT equipment it is working correctly
- Refreshments, if required, should also be ready before the event rather than arrive halfway through
- Participants should be greeted as they arrive and should be registered
- Make sure the event is interesting and enjoyable for the participants
- Participants often take their cue from the people running the event - so enjoy yourself as well!
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