zigziggityzoo
Campaign Veteran
imported post
Hey guys,
After hosting a few events, I have just got to say that it really isn't that difficult.
Everyone seems very unwilling to take on the responsibility, as if there's a lot of work involved. Really, there isn't a whole lot for you to do. There are three basic things you need to cover:
1. Venue. If it's a public park, you should look into the park rules for things you may care about (ie: are grills allowed? Do they have an unenforceable ordinance banning guns?). There's not much to do here if it's public. If it's a private restaurant, get in contact with them to see if they're ok with a large crowd. I sent an email to Theo & Stacy's in Kalamazoo for an event in January, and the next day, they said we were more than welcome to come! The worst they can say is "No," and if that happens, just move onto the next place.
2. Date and time. Pretty much self-explanatory. check the events thread above for a reasonably available date, then pick it. Give at least two weeks advance notice, so people can reserve time. I've found that we usually have about 5-10 more people come than reserve a spot, so plan for that.
3. Publicize. This is probably the "hardest" part about it. People are shy. I get that. But it's really not so difficult. Just stick to a few main talking points (We're non-confrontational, we're out to educate the public, We welcome all to come join us), and make a short but sweet press release to send via email to local media. They usually have contact info on their website (usually news@example.com but not always).
These three things can be accomplished in about an hour of your time. And once they're done, you don't really have much more to do except show up and enjoy yourself.
Hey guys,
After hosting a few events, I have just got to say that it really isn't that difficult.
Everyone seems very unwilling to take on the responsibility, as if there's a lot of work involved. Really, there isn't a whole lot for you to do. There are three basic things you need to cover:
1. Venue. If it's a public park, you should look into the park rules for things you may care about (ie: are grills allowed? Do they have an unenforceable ordinance banning guns?). There's not much to do here if it's public. If it's a private restaurant, get in contact with them to see if they're ok with a large crowd. I sent an email to Theo & Stacy's in Kalamazoo for an event in January, and the next day, they said we were more than welcome to come! The worst they can say is "No," and if that happens, just move onto the next place.
2. Date and time. Pretty much self-explanatory. check the events thread above for a reasonably available date, then pick it. Give at least two weeks advance notice, so people can reserve time. I've found that we usually have about 5-10 more people come than reserve a spot, so plan for that.
3. Publicize. This is probably the "hardest" part about it. People are shy. I get that. But it's really not so difficult. Just stick to a few main talking points (We're non-confrontational, we're out to educate the public, We welcome all to come join us), and make a short but sweet press release to send via email to local media. They usually have contact info on their website (usually news@example.com but not always).
These three things can be accomplished in about an hour of your time. And once they're done, you don't really have much more to do except show up and enjoy yourself.
