How to Plan a Meaningful Community Event

What I love so much about hosting & attending intentional events is getting to connect with this badass community IRL. Social media allows us the opportunity to build relationships with people we may otherwise never have known, and it’s even cooler when you can bring everyone together in one space. It wasn't until I started Om & The City when I found a community online that loved all of the same things as me - and I'm happy to say many of them are now my very close IRL soul sisters! Connecting with cool chicks who have the same interests is a lot of fun, and being able to be a new friend to someone who just moved to the city is a GREAT feeling! 

As much as I consider myself more of an introvert, I realize the immense benefit of connecting with people who inspire us creatively and challenge us to think outside of our own respective bubbles. Collaboration and human connectivity is vital to our growth and development as human beings! I’ve both attended and hosted loooots of events over the years, and this continues to be one of my favorite ways to meet like-minded humans, make new friends, and build a meaningful sense of community. 

I want to encourage y’all to go out there and host your own gatherings. If you’ve ever wanted to, but felt nervous or unsure of how to go about it, then I hope this blog post gives you some clarity! Here are 5 of my top tips for planning n’ pulling off a fun and meaningful event for your community:

1. Define the purpose

First, get clear on what you’re hoping to achieve with this event. Answer the below questions to find clarity and focus when planning your event:

• What’s the why?

• What value are you hoping to bring / what is the ideal takeaway?

• What sort of audience is the event meant for?

If you can answer these, then you’ll be able to better tailor the topics and activities to your unique audience. This will ensure you provide strong purpose and meaning to all of the lovely humans who attend.

2. Work out the logistics

Before you can dive into the fun stuff, you gotta get technical.

Decide on the following:

• Time + Date - Consider your ideal attendees when nailing down the time and date. Are they entrepreneurs? Then, perhaps it’s a weekday morning before work or evening after work. Is it a wellness event? Then, maybe it should be a Saturday or Sunday morning. Avoid holiday weekends when people may be out of town.

• Location - Do you have a budget to rent a space? If not, can you host it at a local cafe, a park, a co-working space, or even a church? If you get the space free of charge, then make sure to encourage your event attendees to check out the offerings of that business as a thank you for lending the space. Be sure to tag them on social, email, and any other outlet you’re sharing the event through!

• Cost - The cost of the ticket goes back to your why. Are you hoping to profit from the value you are bringing your audience? If so, no shame in that. Just get clear on it. If you’re simply hoping to cover your upfront costs and pay for your time, then that’s fine too! When it comes to free events, keep in mind the amount of “no-shows” is much higher. So, if you’re planning a free event and the maximum capacity is 30 people, consider allowing 50 people to sign up with the expectation that 40-50% might not show up. It’s just the name of the game.

3. Map out the content

In order to plan a meaningful event, you need to organize your content. This again all funnels back to your why… what are you hoping to share with your community? Is it more of an intimate workshop that you’ll lead solo or would you like to collaborate with others to bring more diverse value? Could you form a panel, have guest speakers, or perhaps create an ice breaker to get the audience interacting? *My favorite ice breaker is to have people go around and share their first AIM screen name (mine was XxLoVeDoGs91xX hehe). My best advice is to keep it simple - don’t overthink it!

From there, you’ll need to create a run of show. Map out the time of events from the set up, guest arrivals, and a loose play-by-play for what you’ll discuss or what activity you’ll do and when. I recommend giving yourself more time than you think you’ll need! If you’re co-hosting this event with another person, then create a shared Google Doc where you can drop ideas, plan out all the deets, and collaborate on a written description of what the event entails.

4. Partner with like-minded brands

You don’t have to be a blogger to work with brands. If you’re creating a community event, then chances are, businesses in your community might be willing to work with you. Reach out to your favorite local brands and see who might provide in-kind food, beverage, or product to serve at the event or to include in a gift bag.

Most recently, I hosted a plant swap with Athleta in NYC, and it was such a fun event. I love working with Athleta, specifically, because each of their stores are very big on uplifting their local communities. They provide the space, and I bring in the people, sponsors, and run the show.

5. Promote it

It’s time to get the word out, chica. I recommend sharing the event at least 7-10 days prior. Is it open to the public or is it private? Consider this when deciding where and how to promote it. If it’s invite-only, you can create a fun little graphic on Canva + send the deets via DM on Instagram. You can also grab all of their email addresses and create a digital invite on a site like Paperless Post. If you want to keep it reeeeal simple, you can upload your event to Eventbrite. Keep in mind, if you’re charging a ticket fee, then Eventbrite will take a cut of it. Share it loud and proud on your social media pages, email list, and ask your partners/collaborators to do the same.

Worried no one will come? Don’t let that stop you. You have to start somewhere. Even if only 5 people turn out, then make it super intimate - sit on the floor, relax, and keep it personal. Now on the flip side, if you end up having wayyy more people RSVP, then cool! Just make sure you’re equipped to handle that many people. I recommend simplifying your programming, and don’t over-pack the schedule. The more people you have, the more time activities will take.

Enjoy every minute!

It’s easy to get wrapped up in our digital footprint, especially for those of us who run digital businesses. While I’m in love with the beautiful communities and connections we can build online, it’s even more incredible when you get to meet these people in real life. I know this year I want to put together even more events and in-person experiences, ones that are less about the job you have and more about common interests and hobbies that bring people together. If there's one thing I know for sure, it's that you can never have too many beautiful, inspiring, and kind women in your life.