Ten Tools for Building Your Event: Your Program Planning Toolkit

1. Ten Tools for Building Your Event:Your Program Planning Toolkit Office of Student Life

2. #1 Lay the Groundwork • Research your event! Consider things like: • Date • Time • Location • Cost • Establish your timeline, i.e. contracts take 10-12 weeks • Consult the Campus Calendar & ask around to avoid competing events!

3. #2 Reserve Your Space • What space would be ideal for your event? • Olmsted/Levitt Hall • Contact Mark Dylo • Bell/Knapp Center/Fieldhouse • Contact Michael Ball • Helmick Commons • Outdoor Reservation Form – See SLC • Academic Building Spaces • Contact Kevin Moenkhaus • Consider the number of people in your target audience and set up needs (technology, tables, chairs, etc)

4. #3 Book Your Performer! • Our only advice: WORK WITH STUDENT LIFE STAFF. • Never unilaterally book a performer who must be paid. Not a good idea :)

5. #4 Using your Funding • Sales-tax exempt purchasing available at: Hy-Vee, OfficeMax, Michaels, Nobbies, Target, Wal-Mart • Know the rules about buying and awarding prizes • What about buying food? • How do I pay for items? • Do you need a cashbox?

6. #5 Reserve a Cashbox • Will you be selling anything? Will you need change? Examples include: • T-shirt Sales • Ticket Sales • Anything else sales :) • Cashboxes are reserved in SLC and must be reserved well in advance (they don’t keep cash in SLC as a rule)

7. #6 Create A Publicity Plan • Use a multitude of medias: • The Community page • The Campus Calendar • Email Student.life@drake.edu • Posters (of course) • Table Tents • Sandwich Boards • Reserve in SLC • Breezeway Banner • Reserve and create in SLC! • Breezeway LCD Screen • Always try to include something new and creative

8. #7 Order Your Food • Remember, this is always done through Sodexo! Two contacts are: • Karen Diltz • Brett Lindman • The Sodexo offices are in lower Olmsted • If you have any special needs or wants (international food?), work with Sodexo to secure it!

9. #8 Reserve Any “Technology” • Think about what you have and need in advance: • Computer • LCD Projector (and the proper cords and ADAPTERS) • Portable Sound System • Camera • All these items (except a computer) are available to be reserved in the Student Life Center

10. #9 Execute Your Publicity Plan • Remember, even the best event can be foiled by poor publicity • Your event won’t be attended unless people know about it • Follow your plan… you made it for a reason • Never underestimate the power of advertisement by word-of-mouth

11. #10 Execute Your Program! • Arrive at your event early • Double check EVERYTHING during the day! • Ask if you need help • HAVE FUN! • Write down what you did to pass it along to your organization’s future leadership!

12. Program planning scenarios: Scenario 2: Your student organization plans to sell tickets to a Drake Talent Show in Sheslow Auditorium. It is now October and the event is scheduled for December. Determine the steps to take in planning this event and create a timeline for those tasks. Scenario 1: Your group wants to reserve the Black Cultural Center for a member recognition event. You are planning to provide food and some prizes. What are five issues you need to address in planning this event? Scenario 3: Your student organization would like to bring a speaker to campus for Banned Books Week. How would you go about planning this event?

13. Program Planning Scenarios Continued Scenario 4: Your organization would like a student band to perform on the Agora in March. It is a ten-piece band and you would like the event to run from 8-11 pm. Using the planning checklist, describe the steps you would take to plan this event. Scenario 5: Your student organization would like to put a slip n’ slide on Helmick Commons to celebrate the first day of Spring. No one on campus owns and slip n’ slide. What issues do you need to address in planning this event and how would you address them?