Hello,
I am looking for some materials and/or a person who could provide training on how to engage the public at community festivals and similar venues. Clearly, sitting behind a table and greeting people when they approach is not very effective! Any leads or suggestions appreciated.
Allegra Abramo
Seattle, WA
Community Outreach Training
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Another tool that works well is to have an eye-catching game which is not only educational about a subject but also fun! I've used a huge Jeopardy board (plastic sheets with removable papers taped onto a tarp that was taped to a van -HUGE and eye-catching!) to great success in the water quality arena. By asking participants questions about a particular subject with local implications, you may highlight gaps in knowledge, spurring conversation. Backing this up with some pamphlets and of course, prizes, generated a lot of attention and participation at several Earth Day/Stream Clean-ups this Spring.... And if you need media coverage, it makes a great photo!
Best of luck,
Tara
Tara Sieber
Valley Region TMDL Specialist
Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
P.O. Box 3000 Harrisonburg, VA 22801
P: 540.574.7870
F: 540.574.7878
E: [email protected]
Depends on what kind of public. Families with young kids could be attracted by a colorful display of balloons and an offer to give the kids face painting, or some very cheap simple little thing kids could do (how about toss the trash in the recycling bin? You could make up little stryofoam?? (not the best material) objects and label them "soda cans" "soup cans" "bundle of paper" etc and have cardboard boxes painted green and labeled "recycling bins" and kids get to toss the objects into the bins and win a little "I can help save the earth" button, or sticker or whatever is small and cheap and likely to appeal to kids. The kids will want to go to the booth and they will take the parents with them and then you can pitch to the parents. I've no ready ideas for an adult childless crowd.
I've had experiences similar to Marjorie's, but also the exact opposite. It depends on your audience. I would suggest finding someone to provide training on how to identify your audience. Plus at a festival, people are looking for "happenings". Is there a way you could incorporate your message into a skit or other piece of entertainment? Perhaps have a musician/singer be a strolling minstrel directing people to your table. I've done tabling in Tulsa for our voluntary curbside recycling program. It is very effective for people who have already decided to sign-up but keep forgetting to do so. They see me with a green bin and come over right away. Other people who wanted more information also stop by. If you have a university or college nearby with a drama dept. see if someone will come talk to and train your folks about improvisation.
Good luck.
Laureen Gibson Gilroy,
CFM Recycling Coordinator
Field Customer Services
City of Tulsa Public Works
470 West 23rd Street
Tulsa, OK 74107
Tel: (918) 596-2859
Fax: (918) 596-1869
yes
In terms of language to use on such occasions, I humbly recommend by own blog on the subject: http://waterwordsthatwork.com In terms of "hooks" to start that conversation... here's an interesting angle on that. I just returned from a trade show in New York. Booth after booth of software vendors touting products that were hard to distinguish from one another. Blah blah blah. But a professional letter writing service caught my eye with a unique offer: a free handwriting analysis. You scribble some things on a piece of paper, and they tell you what kind of person you are. It was amusing. I gave them 10 minutes, more than just about any other vendor at the event. Thing was: Their pitch was about ME, not THEM. So they caught my attention.
Eric
http://waterwordsthatwork.com
I once did a large exhibit at a county fair and we arranged several presentations for kids, we set a schedule and allowed space in our booth for kids to sit on the ground to watch the presentation. Then at the fair, the hour before the presentation started we sent volunteers to walk around and hand out little business card sized pieces of paper with a colorful image and the name of the program and time, location of the booth. It worked fabulously! Parents brought their kids over to see the presentation, then when it was over they spent time looking over our booth and asking volunteers questions. I enjoyed the opportunity to pull in both the parents and the children with our message.
Michelle
Good Morning Allegra,
I have had some success with the following at different events:
* A 'Who wants to be a millionaire" type game where people come up onto a small stage and are quizzed, game-show style. In one event we ran, the theme was 'waste' and all of the questions were linked to the three R's, local waste facilities and statistics on local household waste. Prizes ranged from pencils made from recycled banknotes up to a reusable shopping bag full of recycled goodies for the 'million dollar' prize. In another event the theme was energy use and another had a general environmental theme. This really engaged the audience, especially when contestants were able to 'phone a friend' and ask the audience. We ran the quiz every half hour. If you have an engaging host, all the better!
* For another event, aimed at teens, we had huge tarps with piles of garbage (cleaned cans & bottles & paper mache food waste, assorted plastics, etc.). The piles represented a typical local household waste output for a month. Teams then had 3 minutes to race from the tarps with articles from the piles and sort them into the correct recycling containers, a compost bin etc. Those who got the most right won a prize.
* On a smaller scale we have run stands using items like milk cartons to build bird houses and other similar crafts for kids. They get to take something home and their parents read displays and chat for sometime while their little ones are engaged. Each event we have held has been supported by displays (interactive if possible), take home materials and a point of contact (usually a web address & a 'phone number) where attendees can find out more & ask questions at their leisure. If possible you can also run a raffle or draw which is drawn at the end of the day but that requires participants to provide an e-mail address. You can ask on the ballot if they would mind e-mails and this can be used to build up a database for follow-up information. I could send you more detail if you'd like it, or feel free to contact me with questions,
Regards
Patricia
Patricia Barnes,
Senior Partner, Barnes and Jeffreys,
Sustainable Business Solutions
6965 Marine Drive, West
Vancouver, BC, V7W 2T4 '
Phone: (604) 922 0163
Cell: 778 288 8731
Web: www.BarnesandJeffreys.com
E-mail:
Dear All -
I really think that an attractive, eye-catching display without a person is more effective. I have watched passers-by stop at my booth when I was not there. If I am standing there, they pass by without making eye-contact. If a person will stop and pick up some literature, they may call with a question at their own convenience. Often they don't want to engage in a discussion about recycling or composting when they are attending a fair or festival.
Marjorie Torelli
Western Finger Lakes
Solid Waste Management Authority
Lyons, NY
315.946.7650