Large scale event communications

Use your event to;

• Encourage volunteering
  
• Demonstrate advocacy
  
• Support donations

All communications should;

• Illustrate the Scout brand
  
• Demonstrate key messages
  
• Promote the event and set event expectations

• Align your event brand to the Scouts brand.
  
• Use the guidance on joint branding on the Brand Centre joint Guiding events.
  
• Don’t use other brands or copyrighted material without a mutual agreements.
  
• If working in partnership with other brands, look for good brand matching, clarify the mutual benefit and don’t undersell your event and the Scout brand.

• Develop a plan early and develop opportunities to find numerous times and platforms to share the basic information.
  
• Make use of all Scout and Guide platforms, marketing doesn't mean big budget.
  
• Research your audience and use the most relevant platforms and channels.
  
• Reuse existing event data if they have provided previous agreement.
  
• Brainstorm whether previous marketing approaches are still relevant.
  
• Use free media like Scout social media, newsletters and emails.

• Encourage collaboration with regular/daily face to face meetings.
  
• Create a team of people with specialist skills within a justifiable size.
  
• Encourage cross team working with a shared working space.
  
• Recruit managers (deputies or team leaders) that can lead and inspire.
  
• If you have limited numbers, up skill your team to generate a variety of content.
  
• While recruiting team members, identify those with existing skills and interest in developing new ones. Use the opportunity to development more communication volunteers.
  
• Develop a team shift pattern to ensure you have constant productivity.
  
• Look after your team with easy access to food, comfort and drinks.
  
• Consider an open plan office for joint working but provide spaces for those that need to concentrate.

• Encourage a collaborative working space by providing multiple file storage.
  
• Consider the use of trial, free or open source software and hardware.
  
• Plan for wet weather, technology issues and power shortages that arise from working in a remote location.
  
• Plan for sufficient office furniture, lighting, power, internet bandwidth and that you have enough electric and network sockets.
  
• Consider mobile or tablet based reporting so team members can generate photos, notes, video and audio on one device.
  
• Create a working space that encourages productivity, this could be a marquee or portacabin.

• Put together a team with access to camera kit and computer to edit and share.
  
• Align your photography to the Scout and event brand.
  
• Identify a process for selecting, tagging and agreed naming conventions.
  
• Aim to produce content for multiple uses including marketing, PR or storytelling.
  
• Develop a plan and organise a timetable for team member tasks.
  
• Look into equipment insurance and event security and discuss with the team.
  
• Create a disciplined photo archiving process.
  
• Agree photograph usage, noting that copyright remains with the photographer.
  
• Consider a photo sales provision using a dye sub photo printing to supplement your communications budget. You can buy or hire printers, printing media, bags/envelopes or frames. Investigate post event online sales. Ensure that your budget is not dependent on any income generated.
  
• Consider how you can encourage youth generated photos.

• Put together a team of people with camera and/or editing skills.
  
• Align your videos to the Scout and event brand.
  
• Aim to produce content for multiple use (souvenir DVD, next event marketing, PR, YouTube).
  
• Hire or access professional video camera and video editing kit suited to the task.
  
• Set up the ability to share content and set expectation for event based dependents.
  
• Look into equipment insurance and event security.
  
• Identify a process for selecting, tagging and agreed naming convention.
  
• Create a disciplined video archiving process.
  
• If selling video products apply for the correct PRS and PPL license.
  
• Investigate DVD duplication; this can be achieved on site via a duplication machine or offsite by a duplication service.
  
• Consider how you can encourage youth led video content.
  
• Identify ways of sharing and repurposing content (video interviews can be turned into quotes or used as audio based interviews; web resolution photos can be grabbed from video).

• Choose the most appropriate platform or CMS for your needs.
  
• Use graphical, textual, video and audio content to reflect your event.
  
• Align your website to the Scout and event brand.
  
• Put together a team that includes those with technical, graphical and content knowledge.
  
• Set out how to support pre event marketing, detailed information and encourages event based storytelling.
  
• Implement a process for gathering the event detail from the wider team and create regular updates.
  
• Provide a range of engaging content to ensure it remains relevant and timely.
  
• Provide a consistent amount of content for each topic area.
  
• Set out the websites life cycle and identify life before, during and after the event.
  
• Consider how you can incorporate youth generated content online.

• Identify, and then use the most suitable social media platform for those attending.
  
• Align your social media to the Scout and event brand.
  
• Start engaging questions to build up personal social relationships with those attending by sharing, updating and interacting.
  
• Create a team that can monitor, respond, plan and schedule content.
  
• Consider the use of video, audio, blogs, microblogging and photos.
  
• Create a good customer relationship.
  
• Create opportunities for young people to generate content.
  
• Identify ways of sharing and repurposing content (comments can make good stories, and video or photos make great social media).
  
• Research the needs of your audience.

• Identify your platform of choice based on budget available, be that online, public address, FM/AM or on demand/listen again.
  
• Recruit a team relevant to the size of the event including technical engineers (manages equipment), producers (organise programmes and content), presenters (adult or youth led).
  
• Consider how you can incorporate youth led content into your programme.
  
• Hire or access studio (mixer desk and microphone) and platform broadcast equipment suited to the task.
  
• Apply for the correct music and broadcast licenses.
  
• Plan for programmes that reflect the event and our Scout brand.
  
• Identify ways of sharing and repurposing content (transcripts can be turned into words, print can be turned into audio).
  
• Research the needs of your audience.
  
• Look into opportunities to sell relevant on air advertising space.

• Research your audience to provide a publication that is relevant and timely to readers.
  
• Align your newspaper to the Scout and event brand.
  
• Based on available budget and event size, consider external professional printing, onsite A3/A4 photocopied.
  
• Increase your audience beyond the event itself by exploring digital online delivery methods.
  
• Use graphics, articles and photography to reflect your event.
  
• Provide a range of engaging content to ensure it remains relevant and timely.
  
• Provide a consistent amount of content for each topic area.
  
• Set up a timely and accessible distribution process.
  
• Hire or access computers suited to article editing and design layout.
  
• Consider how you can encourage youth led content and regular contributions.
  
• Understand editorial and production processes and timescales discuss this fully and test the process if you are working with external suppliers.
  
• Consider a model that encourages content producers rather than newspaper reporters to encourage content sharing; they require access to computers, phones or tablets with basic word or text editing.
  
• Understand that you have a short time frame so use at least 2 machines to layout multiple pages. Don’t underestimate the time required for design.
  
• Consider the use of trial, free or open source software. Professional graphic design software have long free trial versions available.
  
• Look into opportunities to sell relevant advertising space in the publication.

• Work in partnership with your County Media Development Manager.
  
• Recruit a team with skills required to develop a story package that includes photos, audio/video and words.
  
• Develop a plan that identifies the right media outlet for each elements of your event.
  
• Work out your external key messages. Events are one of the best vehicles we have to highlight what we do.
  
• Match storylines to types of outlets. Visual stories for TV or detailed for print
  
• Match your event participants to media outlets; you may have a story for their home newspapers or radio.
  
• Get the most out of each story. Think about the “before”, “during and “after”

• Develop a searchable database of event information.
  
• Provide opportunities for event customers to interact with the event. This could be via email, social media, online content as well as a place to ask questions at the event.
  
• Consider an event handbook, print copies for the event, digital copies before the event to increase participants’ knowledge. Use this as a space to sell advertising space to relevant organisations including activity centres, future events and relevant products and services.
  
• Develop and publish a map, and provide good signage to assist with participant knowledge.
  
• In your final communications, use the opportunity to encourage event participants onto their next adventure and empower event based volunteers to try new opportunities.