Guide for organizers of a day of the region event What is necessary for a day of the regions? GUIDELINE TO ORGANIZE THE DAY OF THE REGION

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1 Curriculum Guide for organizers of a day of the region event What is necessary for a day of the regions? 0 GUIDELINE TO ORGANIZE THE DAY OF THE REGION Step 1: Step 2: Step 3: Step 4: Step 5: Step 6: Step 7: Step 8: Inform all the partners from the regional development and also from the Leader Action Group and inspire them with the idea of making day of the region define a region, in which you d like to organize day of the region Inform all the political decision-makers of your region about day of the region and motivate them to be part of it. You can do this for instance at a Meeting of all Mayors or you can visit each community and talk about day of the region. Organize a road show to present the idea of day of the region to all interested people, communities, organisations, companies. The best way to inspire the people with something is having someone as a guest who already organized successfully a day of the region. Form a group of maximum 15 people. Ideally the group will have members from all fields (Organisations, companies, communities, associations ) Offer a workshop to develop a concept for your day of the region (what should be the focus of the event?) and think about cornerstones like the period of your event (e.g. one day, a whole month ), priority theme, etc. The day of the region takes place in your region. Meet again with all the partners after your event and talk about improvements and the date for the next day of the region. Seite - 1

2 1 BEFORE THE EVENT a) General Planning Define Objectives Define the Set-up: o On how many days do the events take place? o Are the events at the same time? o Who can take part in the project? o Is there an overall theme/topic that changes every year? Responsibilities create a structure for the organization who is responsible for what? Create a Guidance and Framework paper for participants of the day of the regions which could contain: o A short description of the project o Dates and deadlines, places and contact information o Conditions and criteria for participants o Aims of the event o Financial conditions o Possible Events and Activities o Responsibilities b) Public Relation & Communication Corporate identity /style (colors, logo, layout, ), distribution of flyers, poster, No matter if the promotion tools are professionally designed or self-made they should all have a homogenous design and should contain the logo of the day of the regions event. Arranging a distributor (Representatives of direct marketing, environmental associations, associations and initiatives, entrepreneurships, councils, churches, education, tourism, ) Sending out the material to the actors Program Presentation of the day of action at other events Posters and Flyer o Posters should at least be handed out 4 weeks before the event and placed 3 weeks before. o Posters should contain attractive Highlights and should be clearly designed Seite - 2

3 o o Flyer should be handed out at least 2 weeks before the event. Flyers should also be given to the people involved e.g. exhibitioners, etc. Before printing, the sponsoring should be organized so logos from sponsors can be printed on the posters and flyers Magazine/Brochure o It may be a coproduction by various regions or published by the regions individually. o Included are in any case a map of the area, a list of all participants, their activities, advertisements, a preface, and feature articles about a small number of participants with particular activities as well as their photographs. o The magazine is meant to be a communication tool for the Day of the Region but can also serve as a lasting memory of a visit to the region. o Visitors to the Day of the Region can use the magazine and the web site as a guide for their discovery tour. o The distribution of the magazine can be organized collectively or region by region. Web site o The web site is a very important internal and external communication tool for the Day of the Region. o The site is on line all year round and is regularly updated. o Potential participants, visitors and other interested parties are guided to the web site from different sources. o From the homepage the visitor will be able to select a region. The regions are free in terms of the content of individual pages, but the structure of the web site is similar for all regions: What is the Day? Photo gallery Looking back Friends of the Day How can I take part? What visitors are saying Program Participants Interactive map Contact information Press releases: o In the course of the year, a number of general and more specific press releases will be sent out. o That is to remind the (local) population of the event every now and again. Also to advise new participants where to register their interest. Local newspaper o 2 month before: announce the location of the event o 3 weeks before: report about the community/region Seite - 3

4 o 1-2 weeks before: detailed press reports about shops, community groups etc. that are involved connection to regional business o 8-14 days before: press conference with all the actors from the region: possibility to present everyone s activity! Press conference in a nice surrounding, with posters and leaflets o 3 5 days before: locations with program and schedule o 1 2 days before: release the complete program and schedule of the event Radio and Television local channels o at least 1 month before: inform the station(s) about the day of the regions o 1 2 weeks before: send them the program of the event o 1 week before: give them a call as a reminder again and again! c) Internal Communication Newsletter o For internal communication the regional organizations mail out a newsletter to all their participants 4 or 5 times a year. carries the logo of the Day of the Region and the regional contact address. o The newsletter is one of the most direct forms of contact with the participants. o The newsletter gives information relevant to all participants. That is the reason why this communication tool is chosen to inform the participants of any important matters. o The newsletter is also an excellent way of keeping the Day of the Region in people s memory; it reminds participants of the event and keeps their mind occupied. o All participants with a known address will receive a digital copy of the newsletter. Others will receive the newsletter in the mail. Meetings of participants o Preparatory meeting: All local groups, associations and entrepreneurs should be invited and explained to them what the goals and objectives of the Day of the Regions are and why it is necessary to support it o One or more meetings especially for the participants are held during the year. These meetings are aimed to inform the participants and to give them the opportunity of having their say on the concept of the Day of the Region. o After the Day of the Region the event is evaluated and the results as well as future events are discussed. o Optional extra meetings can also be held. Such meetings can be used e.g. for a speech by an interesting speaker, a participant can talk about his successful activity or a foreign guest can share his experiences. The best time for such an extra meeting would be in the spring (April). At that time, preparations are in full Seite - 4

5 swing but nothing has been set in concrete as yet. So there will be plenty of space for new developments. d) Organization of the location The positions of stands should be known at least 2 weeks before the event, so the location of the exhibitors can be printed in a brochure or on a flyer that gives information about the schedule, locations, participating groups and topics. Organization of water, electricity, microphone, stage, meeting point, various signs (Toilette, Café, exhibition, ) Posters with the program should be placed on every entrance Guiding of the people involved: Guest speakers, music groups and so Emergency regulations (firefighters, ambulance, ) have to be considered Organization of parking space moderation, welcoming of the guests /speakers, coordination of the sequences e) Ideas for events and activities for the day of the regions The idea is for the participants to organize special, possibly original activities, related to the region or to the own organization. An exhibition by regional artists, a menu of regional dishes, a performance by a regional orchestra, etc. experience such activities attract most visitors. The topics should focus on innovations and not be too traditional Some possible topics are: o Nature protection and tourism o Renewable energy o Traditional food and handicraft manufacturing o Social services o Agriculture Seite - 5

6 2 AFTER THE EVENT: Evaluation: o The results will be used to fine-tune the concept and to improve the event even further. o Visitors: The questions visitors are asked should give an insight into their profile (age, address, etc.), the effect of communication, the structure of the Day of the Region and the program. The results are analysed to generate a picture of (the opinion of) the visitors. The data can then be used to even better meet the expectations of the visitors at future Days of the Region. o Participants: All participants are given a questionnaire. The questions are about the objectives of the Day of the Region, the communication, the set-up and the organization. The participants are subsequently invited to attend a regional meeting of participants. At the meeting, as mentioned before, the Day of the Region and the results of the survey will be discussed. o Steering committee o Evaluation report Seite - 6

7 Example for a planning year for a day of the region at the beginning of October January February - Design flyers and posters March - Newsletter 1 - Print flyers and posters April - Meeting of participants - Print posters for triangular signs and arrange for putting them up May - Phone participants to be informed of their activities June July August September October November December - Distribution flyers and A3 posters - Newsletter 2 - Last opportunity to register activity - Consult editorial staff Day of the Region magazine - Editorial staff Day of the Region magazine - From 15 August: final editing Day of the Region magazine - come up with suggestions for opening - Week 1: deadline Day of the Region magazine - Week 3: distribution magazine - Week 3: put up triangular signs - Newsletter 3 - Press release (nationwide) - Prepare opening - Draw up and print visitor survey forms - First weekend: Day of the Region - First week: telephone evaluation participants - First week: press release (nationwide) - Evaluation meeting Steering committee - Meeting of participants - Draft annual evaluation report - Print and distribute evaluation report - Newsletter 4 Seite - 7