Article

Fete Visitor Checklist

6 August 2015

I was at a fete on the weekend (surprise, surprise!) and was very impressed when we were greeted by student volunteers in brightly coloured team shirts.

They were very friendly and were clearly rostered to meet and greet visitors as they arrived.

As I left the fete, I had a great idea as to something extra these student volunteers could have done. Something that could really help engage your valuable guests. This is an idea that doesn’t cost a lot of money, so strap yourselves in people!!!

Let me first step back a little and describe the fete. It was very well done – I had been to the same fete last year and they had done a great job of freshening it up with a different feel, there was plenty to do for everyone and the signage was better than last year.

Even so, as we were leaving I saw that the school hall, which was tucked a little bit out of the way, had a second-hand stall which I hadn’t seen the previous year and nearly missed on my second visit. (Disclaimer: I had 4 of my 5 children with me so things have to be pretty blippin obvious sometimes to get my attention!) I am not a part of this school community, and so I didn’t automatically know to go and check it out. This time, I did make the detour and wish I had more time to spend there. Seriously – fetes are the BEST for second hand toys and clothes for kids.

I then had the first part of my idea. Wouldn’t it be cool to produce a little ‘personalised’ checklist for fete visitors. You could have (for example) a ‘Kids Must Do’, a ‘Blokes Guide to a Great Fete’, a ‘Shopper’s Delight List’ and a ‘Family Fun Checklist’. There would be maybe 8 or 10 things on each list that you think would appeal just to those visitors.

If I had a list like that, there’s no way I would have had a near-miss on the second-hand stall!

I thought… these delightful kids who are giving up their time could really have some fun handing out these lists. What a thoughtful and personal gesture and a way to encourage movement between areas that might not be geographically close to each other or obvious to the ‘newbie’ visitor.

At first, I thought it would be awesome to have these printed double-sided with a venue map on the back, but then I had that niggling feeling – chewing up perfectly good paper and ink is best avoided where possible. Then came my *new and improved* plan.

Print up your variety of checklists, but print heaps to a single page and then guillotine them so they are pocket-sized.

THEN (get ready for it) Have a large map on a wall near your entry area. The lovely volunteers then encourage everyone to get out their smartphones (!!!!) and take a PHOTO of the map. Genius! The map could have co-ordinates, and the checklists refer to those co-ordinates. Zoom in, zoom out, it won’t get lost – how fantastic is that?!?!?

If you really want to save paper, you can also make your checklists as big posters and encourage visitors to take a picture of that too.

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BONUS TIP!

You can use the checklists as a passport-style competition – ie each stand will have a little stamp, and full passports go into the draw to win a lucky door prize.

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Here’s an example: