An often overlooked need in event creation and administration is publicity. Just how do you get people to come to your event? Do you advertise? Post flyers? Do an email blast? Make a Facebook page? Create a Youtube video? A website?

The real question is, who are you trying to attract to your event?

If all you want is local people, then posting community calendar announcements with your local radio stations and newspapers, getting flyers out all over town, supplemented by some advertising is probably enough.

If you are seeking out of town people, (and you should be!) you need to do more!

'Out-of-towners' will often visit interesting local events but it's rarely spontaneous. Kids, work, commitments and more predispose an hour's drive or overnight stay to be preplanned, usually contemplated 3-8 weeks in advance. If you want to be on their radar here's a few suggestions.

As Soon As A Date Is Selected

Create a unique, complete web site for your special event (think nhpumpkinfestival.com) or post a unique page for this event on your group's website. Don't simply 'lump it in' with everything else on a 'calendar' page. Posting a unique web site or page will make it easier for search engines to see, understand and catalog the event, consumers to find the event, and give online calendars and media outlets a referral spot for more information. Do create a Facebook page and be certain to mention at page top that this is the official page. Insure that you mention the date's calendar year on every page that dates are mentioned. Use the same page or site every year (or if you make a change, take care to give the new web address on the old page). Note that search engines might not catalog the page for as many as 8 weeks.

As soon as the site is created ask everyone in your group and everyone you know to link to the site from thier Facebook, personal or business web site.

12 Weeks Before Your Event

Finalize 90% of your plans and be sure to update the event's page on your web site.

Send a small blurb in an email blast, asking people to hold the date and to pass the information along to their friends, etc.

Ask board members and volunteers to mention it at any business meetings they hold/attend.

Submit your event details to:

Your local Chamber of Commerce

Your local newspaper & radio station community calendars

Your local town hall

Your regional development authority

nh365.org

NHGrand.com (Coös County only)

The NHPR calendar

NH.com

VisitNH.gov

NHMagazine.com

UpStateNH.com

visit-newhampshire.com

10 Weeks Before Your Event

Confirm that all your submissions are up and running. If any are missing, contact the missing media and ask for help. Offer to tailor the information to a format most suitable to them. Also, send press releases to any relevant magazine.

7-10 Weeks Before Your Event

Post an entire printable event schedule on your web page in .pdf format.

3-4 Weeks Before Your Event

Circulate press releases to all the media outlets that cover your community both by snail mail and email, together with past event pictures. Wait three days then call them, offering to answer any questions.

2 Weeks Before Your Event

Insure that the event page on your web site contains the latest, current information, including the address and directions to the event venue(s), and phone contact information.

Email blast your list with a complete announcement of this year's event, together with pictures. Make sure it's 200 words or less, but do link it to the complete information online.

A Tip for Insuring This Year's Success

Have a brief (2-5 minutes) opening ceremony, inviting the highest caliber celebrity your group can find to speak. Include the celebrity's name in your press releases.

Insuring Next Year's Success

1)   Select next year's date in advance of this year's event, and announce it 2-3 times during this year's festivities and mention next year's date(s) in this year's program guide. At the conclusion of this event immediately add next year's date to your web site and suggest that readers take a moment to add it to their calendar now.
2)   Energetically collect email addresses from your web site and event attendees.
3)   Enlist volunteers to take photos all day long, and add the best ones on next year's page and press releases. Immediately use them on your web site, social media, and pinterest.com. Do the same with video if possible.
4)   At this year's event, have a place where couples/families will feel comfortable getting photos with the event name/logo and year. Situate it so that it will be facing the sun during the highest attendance hours (or light it at night!). Ask an extrovert to volunteer to staff the 'photo station' and encourage people to have their photos taken. The volunteer should offer to take photos with the couples'/families' own phone/camera. Praise the shot and suggest to them that they send it to their friends and families and post it on social media.
5)   Send an email blast 2-3 days after the event to everyone whose email addresses you collected. Thank them for coming and ask them to post photos or their favorite event memories on their social media pages.
6)   Next year, with your 'Save the Date' email blast, suggest that participants not only save the date and come with their family, but also invite/bring their BFF, etc. and have some special recognition moment/mini-event/gift for those doing so.
7)   Find someone who enjoys creating videos and make a 2.5 to 3.5 minute video capturing the 'essence' and 'high points' of the event.

And two final thoughts.

If your group/event doesn't have a web site, you will never live up to your whole potential.

Publicity for your event is just as important as ANY other task. Pick someone reliable, and make them accountable, ask them to take good notes and get a copy of the notes to the event chairman, then watch the results over -3- years. (The notes can/will be used by next year's publicity person if it's someone new!)