Organising an Event

Some helpful tips and pointers for organising your own Men's Health Week 2015 event

For event ideas and inspiration, see our What type of event? page.

WHERE?

Getting the location right is crucial for a good event – think about where you will best engage with your target audience. Also consider practical

MHW14 We Can Work It Out

arrangements such as disabled access and catering if needed.

Book your venue in plenty of time, and explain what you’re doing – you may get a charity or public sector discount. Even outdoor activities may need permission from your local council.

WHEN?

When you decide to hold the event during Men’s Health Week may determine the people it attracts – weekends may be more popular, however activities during weekday lunchtimes or the evening commute may be good for targeting those in work. Its always a good idea to check to see that other local events don’t clash to avoid competition.

HOW MUCH?

Budgeting an event is vital – estimating how much you’ll need to spend for venue hire, publicity and equipment. Local companies may be able to reduce prices for a charity event, or offer prizes and incentives.

EVERY EVENTUALITY

What happens if it rains or if a speaker doesn’t turn up? Creating contingency plans can help to minimise stress levels and help cope with the unexpected.

PUBLICITY

In order to raise awareness and spread the word about your event, publicity is vital. In general, keep updates short and regular and make sure you take plenty of photos. Using the #MHW15 hashtag and mentioning @menshealthforum on Twitter means you can also engage with the national conversation about Men's Health Week. For more information, see our tips on dealing with Publicity and the Media.

GOALS & EVALUATION

Setting goals and targets helps you to determine just how successful you’ve been. A post-event evaluation process will help your next event, identifying the strengths, successes and challenges you faced.

The Men’s Health Forum need your support

It’s tough for men to ask for help but if you don’t ask when you need it, things generally only get worse. So we’re asking.

In the UK, one man in five dies before the age of 65. If we had health policies and services that better reflected the needs of the whole population, it might not be like that. But it is. Policies and services and indeed men have been like this for a long time and they don’t change overnight just because we want them to.

It’s true that the UK’s men don’t have it bad compared to some other groups. We’re not asking you to ‘feel sorry’ for men or put them first. We’re talking here about something more complicated, something that falls outside the traditional charity fund-raising model of ‘doing something for those less fortunate than ourselves’. That model raises money but it seldom changes much. We’re talking about changing the way we look at the world. There is nothing inevitable about premature male death. Services accessible to all, a population better informed. These would benefit everyone - rich and poor, young and old, male and female - and that’s what we’re campaigning for.

We’re not asking you to look at images of pity, we’re just asking you to look around at the society you live in, at the men you know and at the families with sons, fathers and grandads missing.

Here’s our fund-raising page - please chip in if you can.

Support us

Support us