How To Reach Out To All Who Attend Your Women's Conference
Are you the head of the committee that will be planning a women's conference for your congregation of your church? If so, you might be feeling overwhelmed with the knowledge that a large part of the event's success will fall on your shoulders. Here are some ideas that will help you plan something special that will be remembered for many years to come.
Publicity - Of course, you want to get the word out so that your event will be well attended. While emailing the news is a good way to spread the word, and a telephone committee is effective, too, sending invitations through the mail will probably make more of a statement. After all, who doesn't like to get fun things in the mail? Besides including all of the information that tells the date, time and place of the event, it will be helpful to you if you have contact information for RSVPs.
Special Needs - As you and your committee members plan the women's conference, think about those in your congregation who have special needs. Besides those of whom you are already aware, also consider that there might be guests who have special needs.
- If you will have women who will be bringing service dogs, like those who accompany blind guests, perhaps you might have an individual welcome them and lead them to a special seating area.
- Will you need somebody to sign for a guest who is hearing impaired? If so, it's a very good idea to have special seating where the translator and the guest can face each other and yet be able to see the speaker or any visuals that might be shown.
- Also, it's really good to arrange for translation services for people who don't speak English. While you might have somebody in your group who speaks a particular foreign language fluently, that is not always enough to be a good translator. If a speaker talks really fast, the translator can fall behind very easily. Hiring a professional translator (such as one from Liaison Multilingual Services, Inc) is a good idea if you have the funds to cover the cost. The translator will more than likely have his or her own translating equipment and will be able to set it up and take it down, relieving you of that responsibility. Make sure that the translator has a table and a comfortable chair, too.
A few days before the big event, consider following up the written invitation with an email reminder, or have a phone committee to make reminder calls.