Creating a welcoming environment Expand Put yourself in the shoes of someone coming along to your group for the first time, someone who might be apprehensive about walking into a room of complete strangers and taking part in a creative activity that they haven’t tried before. Some simple strategies can be put in place to help this person feel at ease- see below for some useful guidance. Signposting - Make sure your event is clearly signposted, as there may be people attending that have never been in the space before. For example – if meeting in a community centre, put some information at the front desk and use arrows to lead people to your event. Meet and greet - Appoint someone in your group to be the ‘Meeter and Greeter‘ who is responsible for welcoming people as they arrive. This could also include showing them where to sit, pointing out where the facilities are and answering any questions about the event. Name labels - This can be as simple as getting people to write their name on a sticky label when they arrive that they can wear during the event. This will help people remember each others names and can also be used to flag up current members and their role within the group. Hand-outs - Holding a public event is a great way to introduce new people to your organisation, why not take this opportunity to hand-out information about your group to new people as they arrive. This could be a leaflet or print-out that includes details of upcoming workshops/meet-ups and how to join. Layout - The set up of the space can dramatically affect how people experience your event. For example, if you are running a workshop, make sure the chairs and tables are set up in a way that encourages people to feel included, check that everyone can see/hear what the workshop tutor is doing/saying and encourage members of the group to spread out and introduce themselves to any newbies. It is also worth remembering that people may have individual accessibility requirements that differ from the layout you choose. In this situation it pays to be flexible and accommodating - see the section on accessibility below for more information and advice. Refreshment break - Don’t underestimate the importance of a tea/coffee break. This can be a good opportunity for some networking and for new people to ask any burning questions they might have. If refreshments or food is available at your event, be sure to advertise this on your publicity as it could tempt a few more people, for example those coming straight from work. When providing refreshments and/or food it is important to cater for different dietary requirements, you can gather this information when people book or if booking isn’t required, be sure to have a few different options available. Cater for mixed abilities - If holding a 'come and try' style workshop, it's worth noting that there may be people with different levels of experience in attendance. If this is the case, it is worth recognising this at the beginning of your event and letting everyone know that this is an open workshop for mixed abilities. Some guidance on when questions can be asked might also be useful i.e. ‘please feel free to ask questions throughout and I will do my best to answer’ or ‘there will be some time at the end for questions’. To cater for different learning styles, it might also be useful to create an instruction sheet that people can refer to during the workshop and take away at the end.
Best practice and keeping safe Expand As an event organiser, you are responsible for ensuring your event is run in as safe and appropriate a manner as possible - this will help protect those organising, supporting and participating in your event, as well as the venue and equipment you plan to use. See below for some simple common sense practices and guidance to help put your mind at rest so you can get on with making your event happen. Risk assessment - The Voluntary Arts Briefing ‘Risk assessment for event organisers – a beginners guide‘ provides a simple explanation of risk assessments and practical guidance to help you organise a safe and well run event. This Briefing is specifically aimed at voluntary or amateur event organisers who do not have access to the range of training and support available to their professional counterparts. Insurance - As a voluntary group engaging with the public, it is important to have the relevant insurance in place. This can provide protection against many of the things that can go wrong when running a public event and can protect you and your members from being personally liable. Depending on what your group does and how it is set up, there are some types of insurance that you must have, and other types that, while not compulsory, are highly recommended. The Voluntary Arts Briefing ‘Insurance for voluntary arts groups‘ guides you through the different types of insurance available to help you find the right balance between low cost and adequate protection. Copyright - If your voluntary arts group uses copyright music, whether performed live or played in recorded form it is important to have an understanding of best practice when it comes to licencing and permissions. The Voluntary Arts Briefing ‘Using copyright music – do we need a licence‘ explains the do’s and don’ts and offers some practical advice. See other Voluntary Arts Briefings on the subject of best practice and keeping safe.
Accessibility Expand Creativity allows people of different backgrounds and abilities, to communicate and collaborate, providing a fantastic opportunity for people to come together and express themselves on all sorts of levels. With this in mind, it is important, when planning your event, to consider what barriers to participation might be in place and to address these where possible, particularly if your event is focused on welcoming new participants and 'open to all'. Disability access means different things to different people, but in the context of the Voluntary Arts Festival, and your event, here we are referring to: Physical accessibility - how people access the venue, move around the space, is there a ramp, wheelchair lift, disabled toilets etc. Event accessibility - is there a hearing loop available, is the activity appropriate for someone who is partially sighted or who uses a wheelchair etc. We understand that factors beyond your control, such as venue options, number of volunteer helpers, the type of activity you are planning etc, may prevent you from offering access to all. Feedback from Euan’s Guide - the disabled access review website - tells us that this is OK! Not every event can be fully accessible, but what is important, is to be clear about the set-up of the venue and what support is available so that people can make an informed choice about whether to attend or not. With this in mind, we have allowed space for you to provide accessibility information when listing your event on the Voluntary Arts Festival website. For guidance and practical advice on how to make your event accessible, please read the Voluntary Arts 'Disability and access' Briefing (coming soon), which includes an event checklist and practical advice on things to consider when planning and publicising your event. Equality and diversity - It is in the best interests of voluntary arts groups to be well-informed on the legislation surrounding equality and diversity, not only to abide by the law, but to go beyond legal requirements to actively attract and retain new members with a range of different of perspectives and experiences. By promoting equality and diversity within your group you can ensure that all those involved feel valued and heard, and able to contribute to its overall success. Download the Voluntary Arts Briefing ‘Equality and diversity update‘ (coming soon) for more information on creating an equal opportunities policy and welcoming people from different back grounds to join your group. The Voluntary Arts Briefing ‘Welcoming speakers of different languages‘ (coming soon) offers practical tips on how to welcome speakers of different languages to your voluntary arts group – as potential participants, volunteers or committee members – this includes guidance to ensure that communication difficulties do not become a barrier preventing non-English speakers from taking an active role in your group.