Agendas with Impact

When hosting a large event in a city, do you serve the community while you’re there? I know there are zillions of details to review, rooms to set, and nametags to print, but as part of the event, do you offer your attendees the chance to participate in a service project? Depending on the goals and objectives of your event, this can be a great addition to your agenda. It could introduce attendees to sustainability practices, raise awareness of social justice issues, or meet real, tangible needs of the people in the city. I have attended events where a selection of projects were available to choose from as I registered. Especially in the faith-based and association markets, attendees love the opportunity to make a difference wherever possible.

It doesn’t have to be one more thing on your task list. Often, a CVB (Convention and Visitors Bureau) can connect you with local groups who can either provide the need, the supplies for the project, or both. Or, they can introduce you to churches or nonprofit organizations in their community who work with the city’s partners to help you find the right service projects for your attendee demographics. A city’s CVB is a huge resource for event planners for all kinds of support.

I have partnered with organizations who provide all of the supplies needed for projects like packing hygiene kits, shelf-stable meals, and rescue backpacks. As the event organizer, I was responsible for coordinating a space, tables as a workspace for the items to be stuffed, and enough people to accomplish a number of kits in a designated amount of time. Some organizations can actually either deliver or ship the items to be packed directly to the event venue, which is a huge time-saver and an incentive as the planner to select their service project. Attendees then pack away while others are restocking supplies on the tables, collecting trash, breaking down boxes, and coordinating delivery of the finished products to where they need to go.

For event planners who have attendees with mobility issues, there are service projects that are easily done sitting down. Some organizations need assistance sorting donations they’ve received like separating clothing into different sizes. This may sound insignificant, but to someone in crisis who needs the services of the organization with donated items, providing them with a shopping experience where they can look through racks of the appropriate-sized clothing without digging through piles of clothes to find an item that fits, offers them a more dignified experience and might remove any embarrassment they may feel.

One great service project I have seen includes building and delivering beds for foster kids. This particular project requires a little more skill, but others without the dexterity to run a power tool can sort wood, clean up, and call the families to arrange delivery. These very simple wood-framed beds look similar to cots and can hold a regular-sized human. When delivering the beds, sheets, a blanket, and pillow generally accompany the gift. When a child from the foster system has their own bed for the first time, the joy in their eyes can take your breath away.

Other opportunities I’ve come across include planting trees or reforesting areas that have been damaged by fire, flood, or other natural disaster. Taking a group of attendees to a neighborhood to rake leaves and pick up sticks or trash as the seasons change can improve any community and be a blessing to the homeowners. I’ve also seen groups of attendees building bikes for kids in underprivileged areas and assembling wheelchairs for those who can’t afford one. Not only that, but I’ve seen groups of handymen (and women) head to some of those same homes to build wheelchair-accessible ramps so the homeowner can now enter and exit their home with ease.

Coordinating a service project can add value to your event, give back to the community your event is in, and allow the attendees to network with each other in a unique way. It could be an add-on activation before the event officially begins, something that happens during check-in, or even coincide with a lunch hour. You could even poll your attendees to see what types of projects they’d be interested in and ask for suggestions. Any time an attendee feels they get to be part of the planning process and provide their feedback when asked gives them some sense of ownership, gets their buy-in, and can be some of the best advertising for a new opportunity that’s coming that you could not have paid for.

Have you included a service project as part of your event agenda? What did you do?
Share it with us or send me an email!

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