Organising an Event
Meet Kayla
2nd year law student.
Aged 20.
From Edinburgh.
Lives in the Holylands.
Secretary of the Queen's Students Film Society.
Kayla has a challenge...
Kayla's Challenge
The Queen's Students Film Society is losing members of the club. The committee have heard complaints from members that there aren’t enough social activities, outside of organised film nights, and opportunities to 'get to know' other members of the club.
The committee has asked Kayla to organise a regular social event so that members can socialise on days that they’re not at the movies. They've also asked her to make the event attractive to new members who may wish to join the club.
You’ll meet various characters in this scenario. The characters depicted are fictitious.
Kayla Accepts the Challenge
Kayla considers the different types of events she could organise.
She talks to her friend and discovers there's a live band playing in a bar in the city centre every Tuesday night. Everybody's talking about them and apparently they play great songs from movie soundtracks.
Kayla decides to invite the club.
Kayla adds a post on the club's Facebook page:
Immediately, the responses fly in.
But they're not exactly the responses Kayla was hoping for.
This is great, but it's all the usual people. We really need to attract the people that are leaving!
What should Kayla do?
What should Kayla do?
That's not right.
A raffle may attract a few more members but it's unlikely that not having a raffle is the reason why people are not attending the event.
There are more inclusive methods for attracting the people that are leaving.
What should Kayla do?
That's right.
If Kayla wants to attract more members of the club, she needs to organise an event that meets the needs of different people.
There is likely to be people in the club with different backgrounds and interests.
Kayla may not be able to organise an event that meets everyone's needs but she could organise an event that is more inclusive and welcoming to more people.
What should Kayla do?
That's not right.
There are more proactive and inclusive methods for attracting the people that are leaving.
Kayla decides to contact club members individually to find out why they're not coming. She looks at the member list and decides to contact four people from the list randomly who did not reply to her post. She begins with Lea.
I’d love to but with my bad hearing, I'll not hear anyone if there's a band playing! But I don't want to make a fuss and ruin a good night out!
I'd forgotten about Lea's hearing impairment! But I wouldn't have even considered the noise to be an issue anyway!
I really want to meet new people but not if they are drinking alcohol. And I see there's a drinks promotion on that night - everyone is going to be very drunk!
Oh, I never thought about the religious people in the group. I wonder if other people can’t make it because they don't drink?
Well this is embarrassing - I hadn't even considered wheelchair access!
That's another person who can't make it because of alcohol. It seems to be a major reason why people aren't coming.
Kayla's Challenge
Kayla has contacted several members of the club and discovered why they're not attending the event.
What should she do now?
Let's start with Lea.
What should Kayla do?
What should Kayla do?
That's not right.
Kayla needs to respect the fact that Lea doesn’t want to attend the event, whether that is because of her hearing impairment or otherwise.
What should Kayla do?
That's not right.
If Lea actually wears a hearing aid, she is likely to have considered the possibility of wearing one already.
What should Kayla do?
That's right.
If Kayla wants to attract members to the event, she should consider an event that is more suitable to their needs.
There might be other people in the club who are not attending the event because the venue is unsuitable. For example, Megan cannot attend because there is no wheelchair access at the bar.
Who else might not be able to attend because the venue is unsuitable?
What should Kayla do?
What should Kayla do?
That's not right.
Jamilah and Harry will have to leave at some point in the night which is likely to make them feel excluded from the rest of the group.
What should Kayla do?
That's not right.
Jamilah and Harry are likely to be aware that there are soft drinks available at the venue and have still declined Kayla’s invite.
What should Kayla do?
That's right.
There might be other people in the club, like Jamilah and Harry, who are not attending because of the environment. By changing the venue, Kayla might attract people who do not drink alcohol as well.
Think Point – Equality and Diversity
It is important to note that a drinking venue with loud music can exclude a lot of people in a group.
People may not like or want to go to drinking environments for various reasons - they don’t drink alcohol or their religion forbids that they drink.
You should also always consider whether a venue meets the needs of people with disabilities. How would you feel if you couldn’t attend an event because it was inaccessible?
Kayla changes the venue and time and receives a great response!
However, Kayla receives a response she was not expecting! It reveals something about someone she would never have guessed!
The comments upset John.
My girlfriend might read these comments!
When did the comments become inappropriate?
When did the comments become inappropriate?
Well done
The very first comment is inappropriate.
Never publicly discuss someone’s sexual orientation, either online or offline. This could be upsetting and harmful for the person.
All of the other comments are also inappropriate.
When did the comments become inappropriate?
That's not right.
The very first comment is inappropriate.
Never publicly discuss someone’s sexual orientation, either online or offline. This could be upsetting and harmful for the person.
All of the other comments are also inappropriate.
When did the comments become inappropriate?
That's not right.
The very first comment is inappropriate.
Never publicly discuss someone’s sexual orientation, either online or offline. This could be upsetting and harmful for the person.
All of the other comments are also inappropriate.
When did the comments become inappropriate?
That's not right.
The very first comment is inappropriate.
Never publicly discuss someone’s sexual orientation, either online or offline. This could be upsetting and harmful for the person.
All of the other comments are also inappropriate.
When did the comments become inappropriate?
That's not right.
The very first comment is inappropriate.
Never publicly discuss someone’s sexual orientation, either online or offline. This could be upsetting and harmful for the person.
All of the other comments are also inappropriate.
The Evening is a Success
Kayla changes the meeting to a Wednesday evening. 26 out of 40 club members attend the event over the course of the evening. A few new members attend as well! The feedback is overwhelmingly positive. Kayla agrees to organise more events for meeting up.
Key Learning
You may find yourself organising a social event or meeting of some sort.
Or you may simply be a part of a social group or meeting. In either case, you should always aim to be:
- Aware of the diversity of the group. There will likely be people from different backgrounds and interests.
- Considerate to the needs of everyone in the group. For example, be mindful of people with disabilities and preferences for non-drinking environments.
- Respectful in your responses to people who contact you. Consider the impact of your responses, including the language that you use and behaviour you display.
- Vigilant of inappropriate comments posted on social media. Consider the other person and how they might feel before posting comments and speak up when you see other people posting inappropriate comments.
Respect Difference – Activity
You may need a paper and pen to note down your thoughts for this activity.
Think about events or meetings you’ve organised. It could be a night out with friends or a study group with your class-mates.
What were the ages, gender, race, religion, cultural background and sexual orientation of the people in the group? Did anyone have a disability?
Did you organise the meeting or event to meet the different needs of the people in the group?
Might you have excluded people from the group because you didn’t consider their needs?
What would you do next time to make people feel more welcomed and included?