On Feb. 13, 2025, Jennifer will be presenting a new CLA webinar, “Planning Community Events: Public Safety, Public Works, Partners and Risk Management.” We spoke with her to learn more about the course and get some of her top tips for event planning.
Can you tell me a little bit about how this new course came about?
Greg Kuhn was familiar with my work in community event planning, so he approached me to ask about doing this course. Event planning, specifically with a focus on risk management, was a topic CLA participants requested. For many years, I’ve gotten to plan large community events – so many, in fact, that I’ve become one of the go-to people who folks call when they’re beginning to plan an event! Developing this new course seemed like a great fit, and I was thrilled to say yes.
What format will the webinar take?
The webinar will be a panel discussion, which I’ll lead, along with three to four additional panelists. I plan to include several of the community and local government partners I’ve worked with over the years, specifically representatives from public health, law enforcement/public safety, public works and city administration. I’m still finalizing the list of panelists, but participants can expect to hear from knowledgeable, experienced local leaders.
In the discussion, I plan to walk people through the logistics of planning an event. We’ll focus especially on the question of how to take risk management into consideration to plan a safe and successful community event. Participants will also get to ask their questions and get answers from experienced people who have worked on all sides of event planning and implementation.
Can you share a bit about your experience planning community events?
Over the years, I’ve planned community events from multiple sides. I’ve worked as the contractor hired by a local government unit to plan events on their behalf. I’ve also planned nonprofit events and large university events both on campus and out in the community. I’ve worked on community events, business promotions and university events, and these events have been large, small and all sizes in between.
What are some of your favorite events, or events you’ve been most proud of?
Oh gosh – there are so many favorites, it’s hard to choose!
I love homecoming because that’s one amazing example of bringing together an entire community and university. Homecoming is, of course, a very important event for the university, but it’s equally important to the city and its residents. For homecoming, we had a great partner in the City of DeKalb, as well as a huge, multifaceted committee of community and university units. I loved getting to plan an event from inception to implementation in partnership with the local government and community.
Campus Meets Community is another of my all-time favorite events because it brings people from local businesses and nonprofits together with the campus community. It’s a really special chance for local businesses and nonprofits to engage with NIU students in the heart of campus.
I also really love anytime you can take a challenge or setback and turn it into a fun event. For example, a few years ago the railroad was doing construction, and they had to shut down all the crossings in downtown DeKalb, leaving the downtown completely inaccessible to vehicles. So we decided to pivot and plan a series of pedestrian events that we never would be able to do normally, and it ended up being an amazing celebration.
We were able to do something similar with Food Truck Wednesdays on campus. When Normal Road was closed down, it could have been seen mainly as an inconvenience. But by inviting local food vendors and campus musicians to come out at lunch time on Wednesdays, we turned it into a wonderful opportunity for a fun gathering. To be successful, an event doesn’t have to be complicated! Just bring together some food, a little music, and people can have a great time.
What other tips do you have for event planning? In particular, are there common things people tend to overlook?
Weather! You just have to plan for all weather. Even in the summer, you might have 40 mile per hour winds or rain that make an outdoor event impossible. From the get go, you have to have a weather contingency plan, whether that’s an alternative date or an indoor location. If you think through your contingency plan from the beginning, you can make it so the weather is just a fun part of the event.
Another tip is to think through all the people you should invite to the planning table. My recommendation is to cast a really wide net because you need lots and lots of people to make a great event, and the more perspectives and partners you have, the better it will be.
And when you invite these people from the community to take part, you have to start with reciprocity in mind. Any large public event is going to impact others. Maybe access will be limited to some businesses, maybe parking will be limited, so it’s important to plan ahead so both the burdens and the benefits can be shared. You’ll be better able to do that if you involve community and business stakeholders early on in the planning.
Really, my number one tip is to address the hard things first. That means public safety, permits, insurance, and alternative plans in case of an emergency or weather disturbance. These are not the fun parts of event planning, but if you do the hard things first, it’s well worth it.
How can folks register to attend your webinar?
Just go to the CLA course page and click “Register Online Now.” I hope to see you all on February 13!
