Goal setting

• Who do you want to engage: new customers vs existing?

• Determine your main motivation: relationship and trust building vs revenue boosting

• Consider centering events around holidays, cultural events, & anniversaries

• Understand the businesses’ needs: do businesses need a boost during a specific time of the calendar year or a certain night of the week? Do businesses need visibility with a specific clientele?

Define

• Type of event: shopping, street fair, live music, family forward, draw/celebrity

• Venue: park, street closure, shop/bar crawl, food festival

• Identify potential partners

• Your budget and your program

Plan

• Hold planning mtg and schedule subsequent weekly meetings

• Develop a week-by-week logistics timeline, plot out permitting deadlines, researching and hiring outside vendors, and researching and cultivating partners

• Establish staffing plan, identify roles, delegate tasks and responsibilities

• Establish marketing plan and incorporate into the event timeline

Execute

• Review progress at weekly meetings

• Evaluate and shift responsibilities and deadlines, as needed

• Create ​“day of” contingency plans including changes to weather, staffing, and vendors

• Be flexible and employ best customer services practices at all times with all people

Shout out

• Thank all volunteers, partners, and vendors

• Keep the event momentum going with social media and newsletter shout-outs

• Remember you can never say thank you too many times!