Alex Ellifritz

Professor Martin

Freshman Seminar

November 16, 2016

Comment 5

A special event is a function that aims to generate money for the community group or not-for-profit which stages it. There are many different types of special events, each with their own different level of complexity and suitability for different groups. Some of the more common types of special events are: Functions (raffles, auctions, etc.), Dinners (formal raffles and auctions), Awards nights, Fetes/fairs, Grand openings/launches (raise awareness and attract publicity), General fundraising events or drives (walkathon, readathon, rideathon, or any other type of -thon). Shialek says “a great way to improve a special event is to give people chances to mingle. Provide them with name tags that display their names, titles, and affiliations clearly. Include ice-breaking activities to make it easier for people to get to know each other and exchange information”. (Improve Your Special Skills).  Devney says that “evaluating and critiquing the event after it has happened is very important, because you need to make sure you reached your goals, you need to know how the event went, you need to know if any new strategies worked, and you need to know if the event had a higher or lower attendance rate than the last event”. (The Secret of Special Events: Evaluation).  A special event is a great way for the community to generate money and is also a great way to get the community closer with the social aspects of the events.