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Eight Steps to
Planning an Event
This guide will walk you through these eight steps, which are
key to a successful FRONTLINE/World partner event.
- Program planning
- Partners
- Supplies
- Speakers
- Publicity and promotion
- Covering expenses
- At the event
- Feedback
1. Program Planning
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Audiences React
to the World
Here's what some of the people who
attended events featuring FRONTLINE/World stories
have to say about the experience.
"I have never known about the
program, but my eyes were opened tonight. I would definitely
check out the Web site to seek out more information on
what is going on in the world in detailed focus."
"I really enjoy your work. It
is always enlightening. I would just like to encourage
PBS to continue funding these projects to help educate
U.S. citizens on issues that go on outside our border.
Great work!"
"Very well organized! As a first-time
attendee, I thoroughly enjoyed this event. The depth of
thought in the dialogue between the guest and moderator
was real and interesting on many levels."
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Goals
First, outline the goals for your program by answering the following
three questions. Use this as your guide to select appropriate
stories and speakers, seek partners, and come up with effective
promotional strategies to appeal to your audience.
Program Goals
- Topic: What issue do you hope to address,
and why is this issue relevant now? Browse our stories
to identify potential stories or topics you can build your
program around.
- Outcomes: What specific outcomes do you
hope to achieve with your program?
- Audience: Who do you hope will attend, and
what will motivate them to attend?
Definition
Once you've identified your goals, think about how you want to
achieve them.
- Format: What kind of event or application of FRONTLINE/World
will help you best achieve your goals? Do you want to focus
on one story or group a few stories under a shared topic,
such as human rights or global trade, or under a specific
region, like the Middle East or South America? How much time
do you want to devote to the screening versus the discussion?
- Discussion: What will the nature of the discussion
be? Will you have expert speakers weigh in? How many? Who?
Where will you find them? Will you use a facilitator? Will
there be an open Q&A, or will you use question cards?
- Timing: What date and time would work best for your
audience? For your organization? For your speakers?
Details
Before you let people know about your event, be sure your organization
has prepared a complete program description. This should include
the following: Program Description
- Date and time
- Location
- Program title
- Participants
- Description
- Telephone or email contact
Let Us Know
Once you have defined your event and gathered the details, please
complete the Pre-Event Organizer Information
form and return it to us.
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2. Partners
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Why Partner?
To maximize the impact and success
of your event, FRONTLINE/World highly recommends
that you seek other partners. Partnering with other
organizations is a great way to share responsibilities,
extend your resources and reach broader audiences. Look
at local college and university academic departments,
student groups and student services organizations, like
study abroad programs. Or consider community groups
with an interest in global affairs or international
journalism. You also may want to contact the Community
Outreach department at your local PBS station. They
may have resources available to organizations interested
in working with FRONTLINE/World.
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Identifying Partners There are a number of
organizations around the country who have expressed interest
in co-hosting FRONTLINE/World events. To explore some
options, send us an email frontlineworld@flworld.org.
Ongoing Partnerships With FRONTLINE/World If
you'd like to expand your partnership with FRONTLINE/World
by planning a series of events featuring FRONTLINE/World
stories or establishing an ongoing cross-promotional partnership
with FRONTLINE/World or if you have other unique ideas
on how to partner with FRONTLINE/World, send us an email
frontlineworld@flworld.org.
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3. Supplies
Videos
In exchange for completing a pre- and post-event
form, we will provide you with a VHS video of FRONTLINE/World
for screening purposes. See "Four
Ways to Get a Tape" for more information.
Handouts
You may want to develop handouts to provide your audience with
some background information. Go to our Web site homepage
for help. There you will find a map, a synopsis, facts, stats,
related links and more for every FRONTLINE/World story.
You might also want to include bios of speakers and panel participants
in your handouts.
Takeaways
FRONTLINE/World will send you postcards to give away
at your event and our popular compass/thermometer keychains
to give to those who fill out the survey. Please let us know
a month before your event approximately how many people will
be attending your event.
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4. Speakers
Experts
Local universities, nonprofit organizations and international
groups are excellent sources for experts on subjects covered
on FRONTLINE/World. On occasion, FRONTLINE/World
reporters have spoken at larger events coordinated by universities
and national organizations for a modest honorarium or travel
expenses. There also may be FRONTLINE/World producers
living in your area who may be willing to participate at minimal
expense. To inquire about the availability of FRONTLINE/World
reporters for large-scale events, send us an email frontlineworld@flworld.org.
Panels
FRONTLINE/World has found that the most effective discussions
offer a range of perspectives on an issue. For example, you
may feature an academic expert, a student from the country being
examined, a community member with experience working in that
country and a journalist who has covered news from that part
of the world. Be conscious of providing a platform for balanced
discussion by representing multiple viewpoints on the topic.
Facilitators
Choose your host or facilitator carefully. While they need not
be experts on the topic, it helps to have someone who
- understands your goals.
- is willing to research background information on the topic.
- will work with the speakers beforehand to discuss questions
and issues that may arise in conversation.
- can be unbiased and fair.
- can keep the dialogue focused, flowing and evenly distributed,
both among the panelists and between the audience and the
panelists.
Visit the National
Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation Web site for more
information on facilitating conversation that has an impact.
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5. Publicity and promotion
Promoting Your Event
Once you've identified your intended audience, your partners
and the event details, it's time to focus on filling the room!
Before you send out press releases, flyers or other publicity
materials, however, please email frontlineworld@flworld.org
them to us for clearance. FRONTLINE/World can also help
you brainstorm other ways to promote your event -- just include
a note in your email. And after FRONTLINE/World has approved
your materials, do one more thing before you send them out:
Call your local public television station's publicity department
to let them know you're involved with FRONTLINE/World.
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Promotional
Checklist
- Invite your own and your partners' constituents through
email, mailers, flyers and Web postings.
- Post the event in local newspaper, radio and Web site
event calendars.
- Look into on-air community PSAs on your local NPR
and PBS stations.
- Contact local colleges or community groups that may
have particular interest in the topic.
- Post flyers around town at libraries, cafés,
bookstores, other local businesses and on campus.
- Send press releases to local reporters.
- Email us frontlineworld@flworld.org
particulars of the event to have it posted on the FRONTLINE/World
Web site.
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Publicity
Before you send your FRONTLINE/World-approved materials
to the press, you should place a courtesy call to the publicity
department of your local public television station and tell
them what you're up to. Many of them also encourage local media
to cover the series, and you'll both want to avoid duplication
of effort and make sure that your message focuses on your community
event, not on a FRONTLINE/World broadcast. The station
will appreciate knowing that you're involved with FRONTLINE/World
and may support you in your press efforts. But if a reporter
wants to focus on FRONTLINE/World and not your event,
please direct him or her to the FRONTLINE Communications
department of WGBH at (617) 300-3500.
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Get the Inside
Track to Free Publicity
- Contact the metro editor of your paper about the fact
that residents of your town are taking steps to become
"global citizens."
- Work with campus newspapers and radio, which might
want to feature your panelists or speakers in advance
of the event.
- Contact the ethnic media, particularly when you can
draw links between their audience and the event theme.
For example, an event focusing on Latin America might
particularly interest your local Spanish language media,
and your local Asian Week bureau may be interested to
hear you're focusing on Cambodia.
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Interviews and Media Relations
Getting media attention requires effort and persistence. Follow
these seven steps to help get attention for your event.
- Define who would want to cover your event and why. What
reporter covers educational events or civic gatherings for
your local paper? What newsletters, university newspapers
and cable television programs can you think of that focus
on international affairs or community events?
- Develop an angle. Make your event enticing by offering an
expert speaker for an interview or by connecting it with a
topical news story. If you are using the episode about Nigeria,
for example, mention recent news items involving Nigeria in
your conversation with reporters and in your press release.
- Write a short press release with an angle that will make
your event newsworthy. Use a clear, attention-grabbing headline
and include a contact name, a telephone number and an email
address at the top of the page.
- With your press release, include materials that the reporter
might need in order to write the story. These might include
photos of participants, a description of your organization
and the event, background on expert speakers, and a summary
of the FRONTLINE/World episode.
- Follow up with reporters and editors via email then telephone,
but be considerate of their deadlines -- ask if it is a good
time to talk about your event.
- If you think any reporters are going to attend, be sure
you have someone assigned to meet them at the event with a
full press kit, including the items on your promotional checklist.
- If they'd like access to someone at FRONTLINE/World,
let us know frontlineworld@flworld.org.
We can arrange for a telephone interview with a producer.
Be sure you get extra copies of any story or listing that comes
out about your event. And please send one to us!
FRONTLINE/World Cross-Promotion
If you email the particulars of your event a month in advance
of the event date, your event listing will be posted on the
FRONTLINE/World Web site and possibly included in our
newsletter.
Signage
Before creating any materials that use the FRONTLINE/World
brand or if you would like logos, images or other assets, please
send us an email frontlineworld@flworld.org.
There are guidelines you must agree to adhere to before we can
grant you permission to use the FRONTLINE/World brand.
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6. Covering expenses
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Suggested Donations
Although cover charges are not allowed for FRONTLINE/World
partner events, your organization can request an optional
"suggested donation" at the door.
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Cover Charge Policy
If you are screening any part of a FRONTLINE/World broadcast,
the screening portion of the program must be free of charge.
Please respect FRONTLINE/World producers, who have graciously
consented to let their work be shown at community and campus
events, on this condition. If this policy would prevent you
from holding a FRONTLINE/World event, please send an
email to frontlineworld@flworld.org
to discuss possible alternatives.
Grants
FRONTLINE/World makes modest grants available to PBS
stations that implement FRONTLINE/World programs in their
community. For details, please send us an email: frontlineworld@flworld.org.
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7. At the event
To provide the audience with context around FRONTLINE/World
and the story they are about to screen, please ask the host
or moderator to introduce and close the event with a few words
about FRONTLINE/World. Here are options.
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FRONTLINE/World
Event Introductions
- "This event features the PBS series FRONTLINE/World,
a co-production of WGBH Boston and KQED San Francisco."
(Note: FRONTLINE/World should not be designated
as a "host" or "sponsor" of the event.)
- "FRONTLINE/World is an international news
magazine spin-off of the acclaimed PBS investigative
documentary show FRONTLINE."
- "In each episode, FRONTLINE/World highlights
rarely covered stories from every corner of the globe,
from Bhutan to Venezuela."
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In Closing...
- "FRONTLINE/World airs on occasional Thursdays
at 9 p.m. on PBS, and episodes also can be viewed on
their Web site. For specific airdates, further information
on past and future shows, reporter diaries, discussion
forums, and streaming video of FRONTLINE/World's
stories, visit their Web site at pbs.org/frontlineworld."
- "Please help us improve these events in the future
by completing the survey left on your seat. This is
your chance to tell us and FRONTLINE/World what
you thought of this event and how we can better serve
your community. Please provide your email address if
you would like to subscribe to the FRONTLINE/World
newsletter."
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Email Newsletter Sign-up
In this Participation Guide, you will find an Email
Newsletter Sign-up Sheet. The FRONTLINE/World email
newsletter
is the best way for interested viewers to receive broadcast updates.
Please circulate this at your event and return it to us.
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8. Feedback
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Note Those Numbers
Audience feedback is crucial to your organization as
well as to FRONTLINE/World, to help both our organizations
ensure the event has the intended positive impact and
to gauge community interest in similar future events.
FRONTLINE/World will share survey results with
you to help your organization demonstrate its value to
the community and to funders.
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Share Your Thoughts
In an effort to understand and track the various uses of FRONTLINE/World,
we ask that you take a moment to describe your FRONTLINE/World
event. Please complete and return the Post-Event
Organizer Feedback form enclosed in this Participation Guide.
Your feedback is invaluable in understanding the impact FRONTLINE/World
is having on your community.
Post-Event Surveys
Prior to the event, make photocopies of the
audience survey. At the event, distribute one to each attendee.
Please be sure that your moderator asks the audience to complete
these surveys.
Photos
If possible, please assign someone to take digital photos of
the event, then email them to us frontlineworld@flworld.org.
We may include photos of your event on FRONTLINE/World's
Web site or in print material with your permission.
Stay in Touch
Please be sure to remind audience members to sign up for FRONTLINE/World's
email newsletter on a sign-up sheet
before they leave, and in any follow-up emails after the event.
FRONTLINE/World will notify you by email of upcoming
episode topics and airdates. We hope that you will forward these
emails to other members of your community and campus who might
be interested in our programs.
Send us an email frontlineworld@flworld.org
for questions, comments or information on anything in this Participation
Guide.
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