If you’re new to running arts or community events, the whole process might seem pretty daunting. However, it doesn’t need to be! Here’s some step-by-step resources and guides to get you thinking about how to run your own events successfully – from developing initial ideas, through writing a budget, to promoting your event to make sure people turn up.
#1: Developing ideas for events
You might already have ideas about the types of arts or community events you’d like to run. However, it’s worth doing a little research to make sure that your event responds to local and community needs. First and foremost, this guide will get you thinking about how to develop your ideas to give you the best chances of success.
– Developing ideas for events (slides) – Rachel Dobbs
#2: Planning an event
This resource give you a clear overview of the process involved in planning an event. Firstly, it gets you to think about your aims & goals for the event, and then, how to use these to work out the key qualities your event needs to have.
– Planning an event (slides) – Rachel Dobbs
#3: Writing an event budget & pricing
Sometimes people who are running community events feel a bit intimidated by producing a budget for the first time. Rather than let this stop you, try this step-by-step guide to write a budget – starting with looking at all the activities you’ll need to do to make your event happen, and then working backwards to research & estimate the costs involved.
– Writing an event budget & pricing (slides) – Rachel Dobbs
#4: Promoting your event
Well planned arts & community events aren’t successful unless you get people to actually turn up. Once you have developed a great idea for your event, you’ll need to start telling the world about it! This guide will help you to firstly get your event listed online and then suggest useful ways to get the word out to as many interested people as possible.
– Promoting workshops & events (slides) – Rachel Dobbs
#5: Pre-Event Checklist for arts & community events
Having a pre-event checklist is really important because it will help you avoid problems before they arise. This guide walks you through a simple process for making your own pre-event checklist so that you don’t forget anything vital!
– Pre-Event Checklist (slides) – Rachel Dobbs
If you find these resources useful, let me know via Instagram – @RachelDobbs1. All of the resources I produce are available to download for FREE, but if you’d like to contribute to my future projects, say thank you or just do something nice for a fellow creative practitioner, feel free to donate by clicking the button below…