Event Planning - A Guide for Beginners
So you want to run your own public engagement event? There’s a lot to consider, so use the following guide to understand the key steps you need to take. You can also download a checklist at the bottom of the page.
In this section
- Topic
- Budget
- Audience
- Event Format
- Date & Time
- Venue
- Catering/Drinks
- Booking Form
- Risk Assessment
- Promoting your event
- Event Delivery
- Further training and support
- Download Checklist
Topic
You’ll probably have an idea of this before you start planning your event. Perhaps there’s a specific piece of research you want to share with a wider audience? Perhaps you want to provide an introduction to your area of study? Will you be the only person presenting, or will colleagues or partners be joining you?
It’s important to get specific, considering what area of your work you want to share, and why your audience should care (see ‘Audience’ below).
Budget
It’s important to consider budget early on in your planning process. The amount of money you have will determine the venue you can use and the resources you can buy. Will you provide catering? Do you want to bring in external speakers? These people will require payment!
Where does funding for public engagement events come from?
- Within a research bid – some funding bids now include a public engagement requirement. As such, the money for your event may come from an existing pot of research money.
- Your department – there might be funds allocated for public engagement within your department. It’s always worth checking!
- WIE Events & Activities Fund – A small pot of up to £200, open throughout the academic year, until funds run out.
Audience
Check out this resource to define the audience you want to reach and consider how to make your event of interest to them.
Event Format
The format of your event will depend on your topic and desired audience. For example, a group of seniors might be happy with an interactive talk, but 5 year olds will require something more hands on! Some possible event formats include:
- A panel discussion
- Talk/s
- Roundtables
- Workshops
- Hands on activities (crafts, experiments)
- Demonstrations
- Online event
Remember, two-way knowledge exchange is always best. Don’t just present to the audience, try to include them in the conversation! Whatever format you choose, try to build in multiple opportunities for questions, interactivity and conversation.
If you’re giving a talk or presentation, check out our resources on Storytelling for Research, Presenting Data and Elevator Pitches.
Creating an activity? Consider how to make accessible activities with these training materials.
If you’re opting for an online event, consider these tips.
Date & Time
You should consider what days of the week, and which times, will work best for your desired audience. An event for toddlers could be held at 11am on a weekday, but you’re unlikely to get many attendees at a talk for adults at this time!
We’ve found that after 5.30pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings seems to work best for most adult audiences.
Venue
Location, location, location! Where you hold your event is really important. If you’re aiming to reach a very specific audience, you may want to choose a venue that you know your desired audience use. Take some time to look into potential options. Try and see what sorts of events are held at various venues, as this could indicate the types of audience they normally attract. Here are the types of spaces you could consider:
- A pub/bar/café (they might have event rooms available for hire!)
- Co-working spaces
- Libraries
- Community Centres
- Galleries & museums
- Religious spaces
If you’re holding your event in the local area, why not consider:
- Coventry
- Warwick
- Leamington Spa
- Kenilworth
- Nuneaton
- Rugby
Other things to consider:
-What’s the capacity of the venue?
-Do you want to hold your event online? You won’t have a ‘venue’ in the traditional sense, but you’ll still need to consider what platform to use, and this could incur cost.
-Do you have the budget for your desired venue?
-Is your topic suitable for your chosen venue? Always be upfront with the topic of your event, particularly when using spaces with religious affiliations. You do not want to upset venue owners!
Catering/Drinks
If you have the budget, offering catering or drinks at your event can help make guests feel comfortable and welcome.
At Resonate Late events, we provide all attendees with a drinks token that be swapped for an alcoholic or non-alcoholic drink, as well as nibbles.
If you are offering catering, you should gather dietary requirements from attendees ahead of time, to ensure you are meeting everyone’s needs.
Booking Form
Getting people to book for your event is a good idea, as you’ll know how many people to expect. This is particularly useful if you’re booking catering, or when considering the venues maximum capacity. However, getting people to book does mean you’re going to be responsible for ensuring their personal data is collected, stored and used appropriately in line with GDPR. You can contact infocompliance@warwick.ac.uk for advice and find out more about it on the university web pages about it.
You could use one of the following systems:
- SiteBuilder has an inbuilt forms option. This is the universities preferred option as the data doesn’t leave our system but it’s clunky and makes it difficult to limit numbers signing up for your events so might not always work for you.
- Microsoft Forms is also available to us – go to forms.office.com and sign in with your university account.
FAQ: Can I keep the list of people who come to my event to email them again?
Not unless they opt in to this. If you want to be able to do this make sure you write a privacy notice informing them how their data will be used and you must make it clear that people are signing up to hear from you again in future.
If you’re keeping data like this you must make sure you’re following the appropriate GDPR guidance.
Risk Assessment
All events, online or in-person, on-campus or elsewhere, need a Risk Assessment. Check out this guide to create yours.
Promoting the Event
It’s important to promote your event in several places, to ensure you get your desired audience in attendance! Check out our top tips and suggestions here.
Event Delivery
There are a few things to consider for on the day:
- Will you have a host? Who? What will they say?
- If there’s tech, will someone be managing this?
- Is there someone to stand near the door, welcome attendees and check bookings?
- Who will manage time keeping?
- Do you want to take photos or video? You will need to tell attendees that photography/videography is taking place – you could produce signage. Who will take the photo/video?
Further Training and Support
Warwick Institute of Engagement runs a wide variety of training throughout the year that could support you with planning your event. You can see our upcoming training here.
If you’re not ready to run your own event just yet, why not take part in the Resonate Festival, our year-round programme of public events? Find out how to get involved hereLink opens in a new window.
Reach out to wie@warwick.ac.uk if you need further support or want to chat about your idea.