The event
Empowerment in Action Roadshow
May 2009, Various venues across the East Midlands

The brief
The East Midlands Empowerment Forum (EMEP) seeks to increase the number of people, particularly in disadvantaged areas, who participate in public issues, contribute to the improvement of public services, and help to shape the future of their local communities. It is important for local people and community groups because it’s aimed at getting more people in the East Midlands involved and influencing the decisions that affect their lives.  Also the project is important for local councils because it will support and inform the government in implementing its vision of a truly participative society.

Our client wanted to raise local awareness of this new initiative within these two groups. Importantly, they wanted to get them to come together, discuss common issues, share information and learn from each other.

The challenges

• Format – We designed a series of 6 half-day workshops to be delivered within one month. The sessions were spread geographically throughout the east midlands ensuring that often overlooked towns and rural areas had an opportunity to participate. Also the days were grouped into the most appropriate themed topics for that area. These events had to be highly participative. So there was only one short introductory presentation at the start with the rest of the time spent in interactive sessions including a knowledge café, facilitated SWOT workshops and market stalls.   
• Venue – The venues we chose were all welcoming community buildings right in the heart of local life. We deliberately steered clear of the usual conference centres and government buildings as these places can feel formal and threatening to the people we wanted to attract. It was important to conduct thorough site visits and work in partnership with the building owners for whom this was a high profile occasion. It was important that we used local suppliers for services like catering and printing.
• Marketing – We needed to reach a broad mix of delegates. From residents and voluntary groups on the one hand through to councillors and local authority officers. We had to target potential attendees geographically by postcode and by local authority area. Also, we had to ensure that we covered the main empowerment issue groups (e.g. young people, those in rural areas, those with disabilities etc ). As a new venture we also had to create the EMEP brand from scratch including logo, web site and explanatory collateral

The highlights 

• Promotion – There was a relatively short lead time to deliver the project therefore we promoted the event with continuous email shots. We identified existing channels and networks and partnered with organisations to send out invitations to their contact lists.  We also created a range of posters and flyers which we distributed throughout public buildings in the local area. Two separate brochures were produced covering different topic areas. The branding was fresh and deliberately non corporate. Positive images of growth, flowering potential etc were used.
• Web site – Using our Eventware system we created a suite of micro sites for each workshop with online booking facilities. Delegates were able to review agenda details, workshop content and register online. The client could see in real time the registration status of each event. After the event we loaded all the presentations and workshop discussion points along with photos of the day. The web site also contained a newsletter system through which we were able to manage emailing campaigns.
• Event delivery – We sourced a creative range of materials to make the day more interactive and fun. For example (using Top Gear’s Cool Wall as inspiration) we supplied workshops with write-on magnetic strips which were used to capture ideas and then were attached to a magnetic white board. The idea being that the groups could move to the strips in order to prioritise their points. Delegates loved this tactile approach. Using fake greengrocers grass, bunting and other similar decorations we decked out communal areas to resemble market stalls. Delegates were encouraged to trade their ideas, brochures, press cuttings and empowerment success stories. We also created ‘offer and need’ display panels on which delegates could trade services. We acted as ‘matchmakers’ to help people with complementary skill sets find each other.