How-To Festival: What Do You Want to Learn Today?

Santa Monica Public Library

What is it?

• @SMPL:  57 How-To workshops in 5 hours in 5 locations -- WOW!!!
• Discovery learning
• Offer fun, educational, and creative workshops
• http://smpl.org/howtofest/ 

Types of programs (some examples -- there were LOTS!)

• How-To...
• Yoga
• Book Art
• Cooking
• Talk Like a Pirate
• De-clutter
• Wrestling
• Self Defense
• Tai Chi
• Tell a Story

Development

• Target audience:  Young professionals, adults, families
• Inspiration: Louisville Free Library (KY)
• Began planning in Nov. 2014 for May 2015
• 6 months - brainstormed the dream list of workshops
• 5 months - recruited and booked presenters
• 4 months - secured funding; added additional staff
• 3 months - developed media plan including promotion through social media
• 4 weeks - added workshops to Library website; began social media campaign
• The Wellbeing Project (Santa Monica City Grant) partner
• Go beyond basic demographics - wanted more interaction with neighbors, healthier living
• Debriefed Day Of
• Budget
• Most people volunteered time (cut budget in half practically!)
• Cost of supplies
• T-shirts for staff
• Overall cost: ~7500

Benefits for the Library

• Promotion of library programs/services
• Fostering community partnerships - professionals, community members, library board members, medical/health professionals as DIY facilitators
• Encouraging peer to peer engagement

Marketing/Promotion

• City TV Coverage
• Comprehensive Brochures outlining all events throughout the system
• Available online and I also have a hard copy
• Social Media
• FB, Tumblr, Twitter, Periscope
• One post per week
• A lot day before and day of
• Highlight visually interesting activities
• Linked to other publicity outlets
• Tailor post for the platform
• # morphed
• Periscope for day-of event so that they could still feel like they were attending
• Newspapers - Library has a regular column in the local paper
• Mini How-to at Santa Monica Festival w/How to Decorate a Cupcake Booth
• "What Do You Want to Learn Today?"
• Post publicity through social media, etc.
• Created a media kit - press release, FAQs, brochure, contact info.

Logistics

• Always have something to interest the kids while the adults can focus
• Avoid scheduling similar workshops at competing times
• Titles of workshops all start with "How to"
• Workshop proposal process (even for staff)
• allowed for quality assurance, save decision making for later, focus on actively recruiting
• Scheduled communications -- event reminders, updates, etc.
• build in the opportunity for other person to indicate they understand what's happening
• E-mail templates
• Trained help/Delegation so that someone else can help if you're pulled away
• "Stage Managers"
• Greeters
• Floaters
• Relief Staff
• Photographer
• Orientation
• Packets w/instructions & clipboards
• Green Room w/Refreshments, etc. for staff and presenters
• Run Through
• Not with everything actually set-up but to stop and imagine and visualize where everything is, is everything gathered, etc.

Note:  Soft promotion allowed (i.e. business brochures - no selling products, etc.)