Plan a psychiatry event

What are you planning to achieve by hosting this event? Is your event meant to be educational or social? If educational, what resources and support can you receive from your university, sponsors, and speakers to facilitate an informative event?

Your sponsorship officers will be a great source of information and advice – don’t be afraid to use their experience when planning your events for the year.

Be realistic with your goals – don’t try to do too much and aim to do it well.

Allow enough time to prepare for your event and consider that you may need more time than you think to complete all the preparation – aim to host your event 2-3 months after you begin planning, at a minimum.

You will need time to advertise your event as well otherwise you could have low attendance numbers. Allocate due dates for tasks and note who will be responsible for each of them. Problem solve together as a team if you run into challenges.

Consider any expenditure for your event – including potential venue fees, catering costs, and thank you cards/gifts for participating speakers.

Reach out to potential sponsors with a complete proposal about your event to assist with accessing funding. Will these sponsors need to attend your event? Make sure to keep them informed about the timing of your event and any other necessary information.

Confirm your speaker’s availability first and then plan your event with that date. 

• Hints for finding a speaker: ask your university lecturers, reach out to psychiatrists in your local area, use Google and LinkedIn – and don’t forget to allow plenty of time.
• Psychiatrists are incredibly busy people, so please be respectful by giving them as much lead time as you can to consider and decide to take part in your event.

We recommend a lead time of eight to six weeks at a minimum. Once confirmed, keep them updated about any relevant preparation and/or changes and ensure you answer all of their questions they might have in a timely manner.

It is helpful to seek out potential venues early in the year as well as their availability to offer to your speaker to take part in. Check with previous committee members about which venues they used. Consider the size of your venue and the limit of attendees that can fit into that space.

Be conscious of the weather and season if considering outdoor venues or spaces.

Notify your caterers of anticipated attendee numbers in the early stage of booking their services.

Remember to allow for additional dietary requirements (vegetarian, vegan, gluten or dairy free, etc.) and keep your budget in mind.

Once attendee numbers are finalised, confirm this with the caterer.

Will you be using social media, email marketing, posters at university and/or word of mouth?

The more methods you use to promote your event, the higher likelihood of a good turnout. Remember to allow at least a few weeks’ notice to advertise your event to maximise the change of getting a great turnout for your event.