Community events and festivals are a great way to bring people together and celebrate everything that makes your community unique. However, planning a successful community event or community festival can be a daunting task. If you follow these simple steps on how to plan an event, you can ensure that your event or festival goes off without a hitch!

1. Develop Your Events Goals and Objectives

The very first step in planning your event for the community is to establish tangible goals and objectives. Before jumping right into the logistics like event venues or event speakers, you should spend time identifying the purpose and reason for planning this event. If you know your organization’s key goals before event planning, you can ensure that every part of your event is optimized for success.

Start by asking yourself: Why are you organizing this event and what do you hope to achieve?

Try not to get stuck in traditional event formats. Take a look at “unconference”, PechaKucha, TED format, thematic brunches, online events, and open-air events. What counts is that your format helps to achieve the goal of the event.

2. Pull a Team Together for your Community Event

Working with an event team of people will make life easier. The size of this team will vary depending on the scale of the event for the community. Don’t make the team too big, as management by a large committee rarely works for this kind of activity. Assigning individual roles to team members for the community event creates a system of accountability, develop responsibility and prevents tasks from falling to the wayside.

It’s really important to be clear about what you are aiming to achieve from a project or event. Are you raising money, do you want to create something lasting in the community, or simply bring together a certain audience for a fun event?

3. Plan a Date and a Venue

When selecting a date for your event or festival, be sure to consider the various holidays and other events that may already be taking place in your community. You don’t want to compete with other major events or have your event overshadowed by them. Try to select a date that is far enough in advance that you can properly advertise your events and market your event, without rushing to get everything done at the last minute.

Once you have chosen the event date, it’s time to select the event venue. Ideally, your event venue should be large enough to accommodate all of the attendees you expect, while still providing an intimate and welcoming atmosphere.

4. Book and Organize your lineup and vendors for your Community Events

Now it’s time for that all-important lineup and vendor planning. These decisions will determine what kind of experience your attendees will have at your event, so it is crucial to get it right. Before you even begin making calls, you need to know your key attendee demographics and what would motivate them to attend your event.

Here is a quick list to help you kick start your lineup booking: 

• Create a special list of desired event performers and event entertainment vendors.
• Start booking event music artists and event entertainment. 
• Build an event schedule and fill gaps with innovative event attractions and event entertainment. 
• Send event artists and event entertainment vendors the event schedule and make edits as required.

5. Sort out your budget

Create an event budget and be clear where you have income generated from variables such as entrance fees, allowing a contingency for unpredicted event expenses. Identify the event breakeven point and be prepared to find savings if things don’t pan out the way you predicted. When making savings, stick to areas that won’t affect the experience of those taking part or, if relevant, the physical outcomes.

6. Marketing and attracting vendors and sponsors

Now that you have an event date and event venue, it’s time to start marketing your event or festival! You need to have an event marketing plan. Make sure to create your event website and event social media pages for your event, and be sure to promote them as often as possible. You can also distribute event flyers and event brochures to local businesses and post them in public places and etc.

• Will you be using social media? You could set up an Event on Facebook and invite people to it. You could also use Twitter to send out reminders about your event in the weeks and days running up to it.
• You could try to get something in the local media, such as your local community newsletter, newspaper or radio station.

It is best to get publicity out early, even if this means that it can’t include all the final details of the event. You might want to do one piece of publicity as early as possible, which includes the date of the event and basic information about it, and another closer to the time, which includes more detailed information.

7. Seek out sponsors to association or business

In order to attract event vendors and sponsors for your event, it is important to clearly communicate what you are offering to the management, association, or business. Consider creating a vendor application form or sponsorship proposal that outlines all of the benefits that vendors and sponsors will receive in exchange for their participation.

The more money you have to put into your event, the more you’re going to be able to pull off. These are the realities of planning an event, which make sponsors so important. Sponsorships pad your resource pool while partnerships with other businesses in the same community or industry help extend your reach.

8. Event planning basics – food, entertainment, logistics, etc.

When planning your event or festival, one of the most important aspects to consider is food. You’ll need to provide enough food for all of your event attendees, and it’s best to set a variety of options so that the public can find something they like. You can also invite food trucks to your event or festival so that there will be food choices for your guests.

Be sure to set a budget for food costs, and make sure you have enough volunteers or staff to help with food preparation and serving.

9. Dealing with emergencies and unexpected problems

First and foremost, it is important to set a solid emergency plan in place. This should include a list of emergency contacts, as well as instructions on how to deal with various situations, such as inclement weather, medical emergencies, and more.

Fortunately, there are steps you can take to help minimize the chances of any emergencies or unexpected problems occurring.

• Need to organize a plan B. If something goes wrong with your original event plan, be prepared to fall back on your backup plans.
• Stay calm. When faced with an emergency or unexpected problem, it can be easy to get stressed out and overwhelmed. Try to keep a level head and focus on solving the problem at hand.
• Ask for help if you need it. If things are getting too difficult to handle on your own, don’t be afraid to reach out for help if you need help from your friends, family, or other event organizers.

By following these simple steps, you can ensure that your community event or festival is a success!

Public liability insurance

It’s important to be insured in case anything goes wrong despite your best efforts.

Please note that public liability insurance isn’t a legal requirement. But if anything happens, a claim might be filed against you. And it’ll get expensive very fast.

10. Wrapping up the event – debriefing, thank yous, and feedback

Now that the event or festival is over, it’s time to wrap things up! This includes debriefing with your team, sending out thank you notes to all of the vendors and attendees, and collecting feedback from everyone who participated.

Hire an Amusement Attraction for your Community Event or Festival

Rent from the Largest Game Rental Company in Texas

No matter what you call your big event, incorporating the event latest trends into your community event is a sure way to boost event profits, increase event turnout, and deliver more fun for everyone! If you’re in charge of planning the carnival, organizing the volunteers, soliciting auction basket donations, or participating on a community event planning committee consider renting from Texas Sumo.

The Texas Star Express – Trackless Train for Rent

Our newest custom-made trackless train holds 16 riders in total comfort with its padded seats and covered cars.

Best Trackless Train Rental in the DFW Area

The Engine can play your own personal CD with its onboard 4 speaker sound system. Your conductor will ring the old tine bell at every stop and blow the authentic horn when he is ready to depart.

We are proud to offer the best Trackless train in the D/FW area for your community event. ALL Aboard!

Tubs of Fun – Spinning Carnival Ride Rental

One of the most popular event rides at school carnivals or events. You can spin fast, slow, or not at all, and still have a blast, while the whole ride rotates. This ride is a classic carnival ride, great for your next party or event.

Shooting Stars – Inflatable Basketball Rental

The fast-paced competitive Shooting Stars, an inflatable game rental, is a dueling basketball game for parties or events. Each player engages in a crossover shooting action as they try to make baskets. The ball returns from each made shot into the opponent’s lane. The first player to get rid of all their basketballs rules the court.

This spirited inflatable game features full basketball court imaging, along with three-dimensional players and basketballs, sure to attract plenty of future NBA stars to your event!

Ferris Wheel Combo Bounce House

This bounce house combo Towers over 17′ in the air, The Ferris wheel will be the centerpiece of your next event. It has a large jump area with a climb and slide.

Mini Carousel Ride Rental – Children’s Fair Ride for Rent

If you’re looking for a children’s fair ride for your community event, church, school event, or backyard party – this small carousel ride is a perfect size. The bright colors and flashing lights will put a smile on everyone’s faces.

Intermediate Swing Ride With Lights

This fair-quality ride is great for community events, spring/fall church carnivals, company picnics, or school events. Available in Red & Yellow.

The Grand Carnival Booth Rental

Rent the Grand Carnival Booth With or Without Assorted Carnival Games. The Grand Carnival booth is a multi-purpose unit perfect for any events like ticket sales, registration, fun foods, table-top carnival games, and more. Rent this unit as a stand-alone or with assorted carnival games of your choice for your event.

Carnival Tents for Rent

Create your own event Midway! Select your own carnival games to customize your midway for any events. Each game is placed under a high peaked red and white carnival tent. We have over 50 games to choose from. Great for:

• Company picnics
• School carnivals
• Church events
• Corporate parties
• Community Event

Tents can be rented with a large assortment of carnival games.

To reserve for your next party or event, call (214) 357-7077.

Event Planning for the Community: How to Plan a Community Event

Planning a community event is not an easy job. You have to make sure that everything is in place when you plan a community event. Whether you’re opening your doors for the first time or you simply want to raise the profile of what you are currently doing within your local community, the bottom line is community events don’t need to break the bank to be effective. Your event planning needs to be engaging and connect people to their local city, cause, or each other.

When planning your event strategy, consider not just what you want to achieve with your event, but also set what you want people to feel when they leave. This will help guide you to create moments where your attendees can connect with your mission and one another. Whether you’re hosting a fete event or fundraiser event, forum event, or workshop event, make sure to plan to make your event successful.

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