Checklist & Deadlines – Brain Week RI

Duties of the Event Organizer

Adhere to the deadlines for submitting forms and information laid out below.
Secure participants (panelists, performers / artists, presenters, volunteers, etc.).
Handle the logistics and administration of the event.
Raise funds for your event (if necessary).
Advertise for your event.
Coordinate with BWRI team along the way.

Checklist

Please take a look at the checklist below to help you in organizing your BWRI event!

Decide on a date/time

The first thing you should do is set a date and time. Our Event Manager can help you chose a day that is not already "filled up" so that you don't end up competing with similar events in your area. Please get in contact with Amy Gabarra at BrainWeekRI@gmail.com as soon as you can. It is critical that you do this as early as possible.

Secure a venue

Decide what type of space you need for your event. If you get stuck on ideas for venues, feel free to reach out to us for suggestions; we have community partners and collaborators who may be happy to host you. If you find an ideal venue that doesn't fit your budget we can help you by offering the venues a tax exempt space donation.

Important note: Keep in mind that community venues are more accessible to a diverse audience compared to academic venues. Although it may be tempting to utilize a free space available through your university, you'll likely end up with a room exclusively full of well-educated academics, which is not the goal of Brain Week RI. Because diversity and accessibility are important to us, we strongly encourage you to use community venues in an effort to avoid excluding under-served populations (however unintentional it may be).

Come up with a fun name

Once you're set on basic logistics, you should come up with a fun and engaging name for your event that will peak people's interest. Most people will not be motivated by the idea of a science lecture in the middle of March (it's still cold outside), your title needs to send the message that it will be a fun event worth leaving the comfort of their homes for. Also keep in mind that when people look up Brain Week RI they will see a long list of events. You want your title to stand out and grab their attention. Some good examples from the past are "OCD: When too much is not enough" and "Heads Up!: A Panel on Concussions".

Reach out to speakers/presenters

One of the most important and time consuming steps in this whole process will be identifying and securing prospective speakers. Do not underestimate how long this can take!! You may reach out right away to your top choices but then wait two weeks to find out they're not available. In addition, the likelihood that your "top choice" will be available is much greater the sooner you contact them. And of course, you can't contact them unless you have a date/time/place set so make sure you give yourself enough time. We recommend reaching out by October at the latest.

Place your event on social media *Due in December*

We hire a professional marketing company that launches a social media marketing campaign starting in January and ramping up at the end of February. In order for this campaign to be effective we must have social media access to all events. We ask that you do the following by Wednesday, December 11th: Make an Eventbrite page: Eventbrite is a great way to expand your audience. It is ideal because it creates an RSVP list that automatically sends out email reminders to all users. It will be linked to your Facebook event page and we will place it on our website as well. In addition, you end up with a list of emails that can be added to your organization's mailing list. Make a Facebook event page: We will advertise heavily over social media during the weeks leading up to Brain Week so we will need your Facebook event page to be linked to ours. In order to do this, you must add us as a co-host. Important note: you must create your event from a Facebook PAGE, not from a personal account. If you make it from a personal account it will not show up on our Events section.

Send us materials for the BWRI website *Due in December*

In order to post event information to the BWRI website, please submit the "Event Details" form by Wednesday, December 11th. You will need the following: A "blurb" describing your event: It should be inviting and engaging, as if you were speaking directly to your audience. What will they learn/gain? Why should they go? Highlight aspects that are unique about your event and be as creative as you can! If you will provide food at your event, certainly mention this. Typical length is about one paragraph. Pictures: Include 1-3 engaging, high quality pictures. These can be from previous events, from your organization, or simply stock photos that relate to the topic at hand. Logos: You should provide logos for all participating organizations, including your own and the one for your venue (if it is different). Speaker Bios/Headshots: You should ask each of your speakers to provide a short bio and picture. This will make your event page look more professional and it will provide valuable information about the kinds of conversations or topics that might come up at your event. Eventbrite Link: Your event page will need an "action item" in order to retain interested visitors. For this purpose, we ask that you make an Eventbirte page and send us the URL. We will embed this on your page so that that people can RSVP to you directly. The website has the added benefit that it sends out email reminders automatically.

Like and share us on social media

We are on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Please follow/like us and share anything that you find relevant or interesting. When we post about other events, please press like as this will increase visibility for the week as a whole (and therefore for your event). In addition, please tag us whenever you post about your event.

Stay in contact with your speakers

In order for events to run smoothly, it is important to check in with you speakers/presenters well in advance of your event to provide them with relevant information. A courtesy email with the following information is always appreciated:

General event details (date, time, venue, format, etc.)
Suggested arrival time
Necessary points of contact
Required equipment (if applicable)
Parking details

Deadlines

Date	Deadline	Action Item
September 25, 2019	Intent to organize due	Fill in the "Intent to Organize" form (this is a soft deadline)
October 30, 2019	Date and time due	Email Amy Gabarra at BrainWeekRI@gmail.com
November 30, 2019	Speakers and venues due	Email Amy Gabarra at BrainWeekRI@gmail.com
December 11, 2019	Final event details due	Fill in the "Event Details" form
December 11, 2019	Social media event pages due	Instructions above. Email us if you have questions!
Two weeks before event	Final communications due	Contact your speakers/presenters

If you have any questions, please contact Amy Gabarra at BrainWeekRI@gmail.com. If you're a first time organizer, be sure to visit our New Events page as well.