So I thought I would write a little piece about the ups and downs and pitfalls of organising a Gay pride event.
I doubted writing this piece for a while as I know it will cause an uproar and probably outrage but I feel like I need to write something to get these feelings out.
No one really tells you what goes into putting on an event, like a pride, what ever the scale and size of it.
It’s our towns first event in 20yrs. I look back now over the last 7 months and reflect on all the struggles we have had within the gay community alone.
The local community, local councils and emergency services have been very supportive of the event and want the event to take place but we have come up with more resilience from within our own community it is a very small community here in my town but it is getting bigger as the years have gone on.
So I thought I would put together a checklist of 12 points to organising any type of event so someone in the future who thinks of putting an event on may have an idea of what to expect
- Build a strong team of more than 5 people to share workloads, depending on size of event and have plenty of meetings to cross reference where everyone is. Set up a WhatsApp group. Set up a Facebook Chat.
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Take the time and plan well in advance
3. Seek guidance and advice from other Pride events or the UKPON
- Apply for all licences and permits within timeframes
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Include all emergency services in plans and details, get contact details for all chiefs or commanders of police, fire, ambulance
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Use online networks & websites to get details of local charities & organisations that might like to get involved.
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Get social. Set up online accounts, social medias & websites before launching advent, get dates, times and addresses confirmed before going live. Build a database of contact details for everyone.
8. Artwork! If you have budget get artwork, logos and advertising done well in advance
9. Infrastructure! Secure all bookings of toilet hire, stage hire, stalls, security, music acts, and any other main essentials with online form and deposits.
10. Love the volunteer. Build a strong base of volunteers that will help on the day these are the most important people that will be helping on the day to make your event a success
11. Contact at all times. Keep people informed and keep in contact with everyone whether it’s stall holders, security teams, volunteers, stage crew basically anyone that is going to be involved
12. Don’t be a crazy train wreck by the end. Give your self 4 weeks before the date of event to have everything done signed and in place so the last few weeks aren’t a crazy mess
Lastly, enjoy the event and if anything comes up, deal with it calmly and quickly.
And remember there are plenty of people out their to ask for help and advice and guidance
From my personal experience, I have learned that try not to let people’s opinions and comments reflect on the importance of putting on any type of event as you are going to criticism and hate and negativity especially from the gay community in small towns.
I think in bigger towns and cities that have gay scenes and community it’s not as bad but I wish anyone the best of luck in putting on their event and remember if you need any advice or help just ask.
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Opinions expressed in this article may not reflect those of THEGAYUK, its management or editorial teams. If you'd like to comment or write a comment, opinion or blog piece, please click here.
