NGO Fair Järjestötori is a well-established concept of HyTe ry’s Kumppanuushautomo. Järjestötori provides an easy way for our partner NGOs to gain visibility at events and fairs. The NGO Fair is built, scheduled and organised in advance. All the NGO’s representative has to do is to turn up at the agreed time and take care of the actual presentation of his/hers NGO to the public. In this article, we summarise some good practices gathered from previous participants.
The importance of personal encounter
Experienced representatives of Espoon monikulttuuriset lapset ja nuoret ry, tell their view about successful presentations at events and how to approach people. ”You have to go outside your comfort zone. You have to have the courage to step out and meet people, greet them, introduce yourself, talk to them and then tell them about your own activities.”
In this respect, the active involvement of the NGO’s own representative is an important factor in achieving a successful outcome. Building an encounter is a step-by-step process. First, you have to get people to stop for a moment and engage in an inviting atmosphere of discussion. After that there is an opportunity and a good moment to tell them what the NGO has to offer. It is worth thinking in advance about who to send to the event and how to facilitate contacting people. This kind of open contact is not natural for everyone, it can even be difficult.
Participants at NGO Fair often hope to recruit new people to join in. When this is the case, it is a good idea to consider in advance whether the event gathers together proper target groups. For example, an event for young people may not be the best opportunity to showcase senior activities. Having said that it is not advisable to limit the target group too much. After all, the target group depends on the activities the NGO offers and the tasks for which new members are being recruited. Coincidence also plays a role – new encounters can have surprising results. Networking between NGOs can open up entirely new opportunities for cooperation.
When NGO Fair Järjestötori is a part of larger venue
In larger venues, there is a kind of competition between exhibitors going on. The flow of people passes you, but how to get your message across. Experience has shown that it’s worth offering tangible incentives for visitors to stop by. Raffles or games, sweets and colourful brochures invite people to stop by. In the absence of attractions, there is a risk that people will be drawn to neighbouring stands. The importance of fair hype should not be underestimated.
It is worth being proactive here: it can be useful to find out in advance who the other exhibitors at the event are and whether they are targeting the same or at least partially same audience as you. In this case, you can visit these stands and invite them to visit your stand. You can also ask your own brochure or even your own QR code to be left there.
QR-code aims to bring people to your website
It is advisable to use QR codes extensively in events and for PR. They are an easy way to grab information directly to one’s cell phone. It directs you e.g. to the NGO’s own website. QR codes can also be used to keep track of how many people have viewed information through the specific NGO fair. QR codes can also be used to direct visitors to Lähellä.fi-website, where NGOs can advertise all their activities.
One single idea that makes statistics and reporting easier for the NGO itself is to use a clicker counting device to keep track of people contacted or people who have scanned a QR code. This way there is no need to estimate or remember anything for statistical purposes.
Attractions and “fair lures”
Attractions do not have to be complicated. Colourful brochures and candy are easy to implement. However, we have observed that functional lures are particularly popular: throwing games (with pea bags towards the goal), puzzles, spinning the wheel of fortune for prizes, and even much simpler game-based activities bring movement to the stands.
Visibility on social media can also be an objective for a NGO. OmaKamu has used a simple wooden frame painted in its colours and decorated with its hashtags, through which it is fun to take group selfies to share on social media. The presenter might also offer to take a photo, while inviting visitors to tag the photo in a way that benefits the NGO. This way, the visibility gained at the event will continue longer time afterwards.
It is sometimes possible to link fair lures to the NGO’s own agenda. For example, Tunne rintasi presents authentic feeling knitted breasts with the lumps inside, feeling just like what you look for when examining your own breasts. Thyroid Association Uudenmaan Kilpi is raising awareness of thyroid gland issues with a simple self-made game. Visitors could try to place a small thyroid gland paper model in the right place on the human body paper model. Both are just laminated paper, making the idea easy and inexpensive to utilize and modify.
Learning and evolving NGO Fair Järjestötori
As stated at the beginning of this article, the role of the NGO Fair Järjestötori is to help organisations getting their message across. Within Kumppanushautomo, we have been considering whether our role should aim beyond setting up, scheduling and organising the venue. Should we put together a range of loanable and reusable fair lure packs or otherwise arrange some shared attraction at the NGO Fair Järjestötori. In any case, the content of this article is worth making use of.
Summary of fair lures:
General:
- Posters with QR-code
- Brochures, rollups and candy
- Clicker counting device
Game-based activities:
- Illustrations related on NGOs agenda
- Throwing games (e.g. with pea bags towards the goal), puzzles, spinning the wheel of fortune for prizes, and simple board games
- Frame for selfies
Text: Vivi Paljakka
