Define your colour scheme
Colours are really fun, we know! But, if you want to avoid throwing your guests into what they will experience as something of a house of horror, it is wise if you define your colour scheme before carrying out all the planning and purchasing. Colours in themselves are a form of communication, so think about what you want your event to say.
Red symbolises love, but it is also a “stop” colour. Green can be associated with nature, while at the same time it is an allowing colour that tells us that we have approval. No colour has a single message, but rather you need to set it in relation to the theme of the event.
Examples of props that should fit in with your colour scheme are:
- Tableware
- Curtains
- Carpets
- Dress codes
- Invitation cards
- Brochures/information leaflets
- Speaker cards
- Name tags
- Lights
Related props that fit the purpose of the event
Another way of theming your props is to make them feel consistent with the purpose of the event. If you are holding an event to collect money for cardiac research, it is appropriate to work with the heart and red colours in your theming.
You want to get a message out at the same time as you want to serve the purpose, and the best way to do this is to work with related props. Show a film about heart disease, give the children a stethoscope so that they can listen to their hearts & use visual means to illustrate the problem. In Sweden, 30,000 people suffer an acute heart attack every year. Show this by putting in 30,000 paper clips in a jar and let your guests guess the total.
By working with the props in this way, you can get your guests involved in and committed to your event, and they will feel that they are taking important knowledge away with them when the event is over.
Choose representative speakers/artists
If you intend to invite a lecturer, trainer or artist to your event, you need to do a background check first. You do not want to run the risk of getting hold of a person that represents the opposite of what they are going to tell your guests. We have mobiles, internet and Google today which means two minutes of googling can be what makes your entire event a flop, if it turns out that someone finds a skeleton in your lecturer/artist’s closet.
Returning to the heart research theme, perhaps someone living with cardiac issues can give a lecture? If you are talking about alcohol abstention, get a celebrity who doesn’t drink involved. Have an athlete talk about fitness and an addict about the hard life.
Putting the wrong person in the wrong place makes the whole purpose of the event fail, and then it does not matter how much you have worked on the rest of the props. You will simply lose the confidence of your attendees.
See also 5 ways to promote your event online
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