Community: Engage Workshop
Planning Overview
Hosting an Engage Workshop for your community is a first step toward raising the value of art and creativity in your town. Engage can help you explore how creativity, innovation, and the arts can build new connections in your community and expand your local economy. We’ve designed a two-hour public event that you can easily host with local partners. Allow 6-8 weeks for planning and advertising.
Community Partners
Identify and connect with community partners. These can be anyone in your community with a stake in the local economy. Think local government, tourism, chamber of commerce, Rotary, arts councils, churches, libraries, hospitals, social service agencies, school districts, active community members. The Air Collaborative believes diversity of people, opinions, and experiences, at decision-making tables, make communities and economies stronger. Make a pledge to include people you don’t know in the planning process to increase diverse participation in the workshop.
Facilitators & Event Volunteers
The Engage Workshop requires CT Air Certified Facilitators to deliver the PowerPoint slide content and lead exercises. Online workshops need a facilitator for every six participants. In person workshops do not need as many. You may also want to include volunteers to help with event logistics for in-person workshops.
Event Space
Secure an event space appropriate for a public meeting. You will need chairs (and tables if possible), projector and screen (or light colored wall), and sound system if room requires. Room should be set up with tables/chairs for up to 10 per table OR lecture style with room to separate into groups of up to 10 (chairs in circles). Be sure to consider ADA accommodations (mobility, hearing, visual, etc.).
Advertise!
We have created marketing materials for you, all you need to do is customize and distribute. Hang flyers in high pedestrian traffic areas, submit a press release to local news papers, create a Facebook event, and send out invitations to everyone on your mailing list as well as your community partners’ mailing lists.
Refreshments
We recommend working with one or more of your local restaurant or food businesses to provide food. This is a great way to give some advertising to your local creative chefs and cooks! If you have the budget to pay them, pay them! If you can work out a reduced price in exchange for sponsorship of the event, try that. If none of that is possible, buy some chips and salsa or bake cookies! Provide water, coffee, and tea. You want people to stay nourished and happy at your event. You can skip the refreshments for online events.
Registration
Use Eventbrite or other free event management service to register people for your event so that you can plan for enough chairs, snacks, and printed materials. This will also allow you to boost your social media presence. ** If you have time and resources, print name tags for the people who registered online. Otherwise make sure you have blank name tags and markers for people when they arrive. For online workshops you should use ZOOM for registration; your workshop will run more smoothly.”