Host an Informational Event

Commemorate Fibromyalgia Awareness Day by hosting an informational fibromyalgia or health-related awareness event!. You can:

• Organize a Health Fair 
• Invite a doctor or other healthcare professional to speak and answer questions
• Show the “Living with Fibromyalgia” or “Show Me Where it Hurts” DVDs and hold a Q&A session. 
• Host a Support Group Open House to share with community groups about FM and your group

Ready to start planning? Follow this timeline to host your own event.

Two to Four Months Before Your Event
Fill out the NFA’s External Events Agreement. You’ll find it at www.FMaware.org. 

               
Form a planning committee. Consider general areas that may require individual coordinators, such as exhibitor recruitment; site logistics; sponsors; equipment; publicity.

Establish a budget, if needed.

Develop a timeline. How long will your event last?
Choose the site for your event.

Contact management at your top venue choice, and see if you can book the venue for low or no cost.

Check with local law enforcement and your city to find out if you need any permits to hold your event.

Find out about insurance. Ask the location property owner and the city what their insurance requirements are; then contact your insurance agency to get the policy.

 Contact exhibitors. Be sure to keep your event a manageable size, and try not to duplicate exhibits (having two competing chiropractors, for instance). Keep track of which organizations you have contacted, and the person you spoke with at each. Set a schedule for follow-up phone calls.

Contact potential sponsors to donate financial support, materials, equipment, and services.
Book entertainment. Will you have live music at your event, or some other form of entertainment? What activities for attendees’ children?

Develop a list of local officials or celebrities to invite to your event. If you have requested a proclamation from the mayor, governor, senator, or other official, invite those individuals to present the proclamation at your event.

Two Months Before Your Event
Once you have booked your venue, register your event at www.FMaware.org.

Provide a written confirmation to exhibitors including all pertinent information: the date and location of your event, set-up and tear-down time, general guidelines, and reminders to bring any special equipment they may need, such as extension cords, adapters, etc.

Send press releases to newspapers, radio stations, and television stations. Don’t forget to sound calendar announcements to your local cable and radio stations.

Recruit volunteers to help the day of the event.

Develop easy-to-understand signage so attendees can find the exit, the bathrooms, registration, etc. Make sure each exhibitor table or booth has a sign with the exhibitor name on it.

Design and print fliers.

One Month Before Your Event
Post event fliers around town.

Make a map of the event to distribute to attendees. Be sure you don’t place competing exhibitors near each other.

After Your Event
Send thank-you letters to everyone who participated: your committee members, participating exhibitors, sponsors, media who covered the event, site management, etc. 

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This article was originally published in FMOnline vol. 10, no. 4. To view the other articles in this issue, click on the links below.

In the Spotlight
 Banding Together for Awareness
Proclaim Fibromyalgia Awareness Day
Create Your Own Walk of Fame
Host an Awareness Day Informational Event

In the News
Get Moving
 Problems for Problem Children

NFA News
Awareness Day 2010
Make Fibromyalgia Visible
 Awareness Day the NFA Way
Facebook Fans on the Rise