There are many different types of children’s events, but to organise them successfully there are some essential aspects you should always keep in mind.
Follow the tips and ideas in this article to organise a successful children’s event and make children and adults want to repeat the experience.
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1. Getting started with organising your children’s event
Organising an event for children requires detailed planning, just like any other event, but the audience’s specific characteristics must be taken into account in every detail of the event’s organising. Of course, particular attention should be paid to safety, and organising an event for children requires keeping in mind the children’s perspectives (and size).
a) Find a theme or common thread
Some children’s parties will have a theme defined by their own nature, especially if they are directly linked to the date of the event, such as Christmas or Easter. Other children’s events, whether tied to culture, education, leisure or entertainment, can benefit from a theme that acts as a thread. This will motivate the children and, as the organiser, it will help you add coherence to the event without too much effort.
When an event has a theme, the food, decoration and costumes (including those of the attendees) follow a common thread that will allow you to move the event forward, make communication more attractive and encourage greater involvement from the children and accompanying adults.
b) Choose the venue
When choosing the ideal venue for your event, think about the number of attendees expected. Make sure that the children can move and run around the space safely and comfortably. Depending on the time of year, an outdoor event is a great option.
Make sure that accessibility is good, both for getting there by car or public transport and for accessing the venue via pushchair.
c) Choose the date
The most important thing to do when setting the date for your children’s event is to do this well in advance.
Also take into account the school calendar, other events in your area and exam seasons (depending on the age of your audience). You can also take advantage of an important date to organise a themed event around it.
d) Determine the duration
A show isn’t the same as a trip to a holiday resort, but in general it’s better to keep your event short. At the very least, make sure that all the activities on offer are brief. This will be particularly important with young children and will vary according to age. Remember that children’s attention spans are very limited and the activities at your event should not strain them.
2. Managing registrations for your event
You’ll need to know how many people are expected to attend and you’ll also probably need to collect data such as the children’s ages, number of adults attending, dietary requirements, etc. In addition, if you are charging for tickets, you will need to manage the collection of registration fees or the sale of tickets.
An online ticketing and registration solution will make this task much easier, while also simplifying the process for the responsible adults. With Weezevent, you can create an event in just a few clicks, with different sessions if necessary (e.g. for shows that are repeated at different times), collect the data you need thanks to the purchase or registration form, manage payment by card and, on the day of the event, manage access control.
3. Designing the perfect event for children
a) Food
If your event is going to last for several hours, you will likely need to provide food. Consider the children’s tastes, their ages and other practical details such as how easy it is to eat. For example, anything that can be eaten with a stick will work well, e.g. toffee apples, candy floss, ice cream. This means they’ll only need to use one hand, avoids mess and is fun for them to eat.
At a children’s event, visuals play an important role, especially if your event has a specific theme, so play with shapes and colours. Doing so will make the children more likely to be interested in the food you offer.
This is particularly useful for encouraging them to eat healthy food. Cutting fruit into pieces makes eating playful and fun!
You can use this as an opportunity to include the preparation in an activity, so that the children are interested and involved in preparing what they are going to eat.
b) Games and activities
To start with, it’s a good idea to prepare some simple activities to entertain the first children to arrive, while waiting for the others.
One of the keys to the success of your event is ensuring that the games and activities are well thought out according to the age range of the attendees – it’s important that you have this information in advance, either by limiting your event to a particular age range or by asking for this information on the registration form!
For example, activities such as songs, puppet shows and fancy dress work well for 1-4 year olds. Children aged 5 to 8 will enjoy themed events, magic shows, dancing, face painting, and so on. Finally, children aged 9 to 12 will prefer more organised events such as treasure hunts. Arts and crafts are also popular with this age group.
c) Safety
With children, safety is paramount. Make sure there are no dangerous objects within their reach and that the space itself is safe. Follow the safety rules for any event and remember to have a first aid kit available.
To ensure safety at all times, it’s important that all activities are supervised and that enough adults accompany the children during activities.
It’s also recommended that you take out public liability insurance for your event.
d) Goody bags
Children love treats that they can take home after the event. A bag containing various sweets and small gifts will make them very happy and will help to end the event on a positive note for the children. This will increase the chances of them wanting to return for future events!
4. Communicating about your children’s event
You need to communicate to attract attendees to your event. With children’s events, it’s important that you promote them in spaces and communities where children can be found, such as nurseries, schools and children’s after-school centres. You should also think about spaces where parents will be, whether in child-related places like clothes or toy shops, or in non-child-related places such as gyms, supermarkets and, of course, social networks.
Communication should continue in order to inform parents who have already registered their children, as they’ll need to be reassured and provided with the right information. Explain how the event will be run, whether it is necessary (or possible) for parents to be with their children during the event or whether it’s for children only, the timetable, what they should bring, etc. Take the opportunity to introduce yourself and the facilitators who will be at the event. The more the parents know about your event, the more they’ll trust you enough to bring their children and recommend you to other parents.
After the event, keep in touch with the parents. For instance, you can send them the video of the song that was a hit with the children and thank them for attending your event. From there, you can build a relationship and invite them to your future events.
For all this communication, don’t hesitate to use a mailing and CRM solution in order to create segments (e.g. by age group, or by events they’ve already attended) and communicate more effectively.
5. Don’t forget the adults
Would you like the adults accompanying the children to take part in the event with them? Do you want them to be close by, but not participate in the children’s activities? Or would you like them to leave the children for the duration of the event?
Whichever option you choose, it’s essential that you communicate it to parents in advance. While it might be a mere detail for you, it can create unnecessary frustration and friction if it’s misunderstood. Design your event accordingly: if you want the adults to be involved, you can offer an event with no phones so that they can spend quality time with their children. If you’d prefer the adults to stay on the sidelines, think about what you can offer them, such as a quiet adults-only area with some refreshments.
You now have the basics for organising a great event at your fingertips!
With Weezevent’s ticketing and registration solutions, access control, and our mailing and CRM tool, organising a children’s event is … child’s play!
Commencez à organiser votre événement pour enfants dès maintenant et n’hésitez pas à nous contacter si vous avez des questions.
