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The Vegetarian Food Fair Manual Project Hosted by Follow these links to learn more about VUNA and IVU:
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Vegetarian Food Fair Manual Draft Part I Section 2: Creating a marketing plan Once you have a general idea about the kind of fair you want to have, you need to create a marketing plan by taking an inventory of the skills and resources you have within your group and your community. This assessment gives you a starting point for assigning organizational tasks and generating publicity for the fair. Fill in the tables at the end of this section to complete your inventory and consolidate information that may come from a variety of sources. Don't worry about submission deadlines or ad rates just yet-there will be space to consider that in Section 11. Be sure to consider media, organizations, and businesses in surrounding towns as well as in larger towns and cities within driving distance of your fair. Have handy a phone directory that includes yellow pages to help you locate potential resources (use the local directory and any available directories for surrounding towns and cities). Media Local radio and television stations, newspapers, and other publications will be key for generating publicity for your event. You should plan on creating public service announcements, placing advertisements, and arranging interviews not only to provide details about the event but also to generate interest about vegetarianism and the fair (see Section 10). You might also consider contacting and placing ads in larger publications, such as Vegetarian Journal, Animals' Agenda, and Vegetarian Times. Be sure to note the deadlines for submission of public service announcements and advertisements in relation to your fair to ensure that your efforts are timely. TOP Community resources Assess your community for other groups, individuals, or businesses that may be interested in getting involved with the fair. Local colleges, universities, or high schools may have vegetarian, animal rights, or environmental groups that would like to volunteer or set up a booth at the fair. Contact the local hospital or health care center to see whether they would be interested in getting involved to promote the health benefits of a vegetarian diet. Certain church or civic groups may also be interested in volunteering or sponsoring the event. The local library might want to feature vegetarian cookbooks and other books to coincide with the fair. Often they will allow you to create a display at the library. Health food businesses, vegetarian restaurants, cooperatives, or other businesses may want to provide sponsorship or materials in exchange for advertising with the fair. Spending time putting together a list of these potential resources and their contact information may pay dividends in volunteers or financial support. You may also be able to get permission to hold your fair on the campus or conference room of a partner organization. You should create a second list for public offices, businesses, and other establishments that you may need to contact or patronize to get all the necessary supplies for the fair. At the top of the list should be public departments (parks and recreation, health department, and others) that you anticipate contacting to get permission to hold the fair. Your list need not be exhaustive; once your research begins, you will get some direction and assistance from the departments you contact (see Section 5). Your list may also include printers, office supply stores, equipment rental businesses, couriers, flyer-posting services, or lumberyards. Over time, you may develop a working relationship with specific businesses, and having these numbers or contact names handy will save time. Keeping track of the responses, positive or negative, of all businesses you contact during the initial planning period will save time for organizers of future fairs. TOP Skills Early on in the planning of your fair, it is helpful to find out what skills the members of your group or other participants have that can be put to use when organizing the fair. An artistic member might be interested in creating a logo, banners, and signage for the event and determining where to display them. If you publish a newsletter, your editor might be willing to create letterhead for official correspondence and news releases. He or she might also take responsibility for flyers, brochures, news releases, or a special edition of the newsletter to send to members and distribute at libraries and local businesses. Still others may have organizational experience or accounting skills that will help creating schedules or budgeting for the fair. Others may be willing to donate the use of equipment or supplies they have. TOP |
