Building Communities With Ethical Events

Communities are about engaged and active members, who care passionately about a like-minded cause together. Organising your own community fashion events can engage people with your brand in a more profoundly integrated and authentic manner, and will propel your business and cause far into other audiences through the power of conversation. Whether you are exploring the potential of simply a talk or panel discussion, the more involved fashion show or pop-up fair, or creative upcycling workshops or mending parties, this Masterclass equips you with the ideas and tools to stage your own community-driven ethical events.

In this Masterclass you will learn:

How to set clear intentions for your event in order to plan and communicate it effectively
The considerations you should make when it comes to logistics e.g. venue, filming, in-house communication
How to successfully market your event, including considerations for keeping this eco
What considerations should be made for the audience type: branding, tone of voice, diversity
How to approach speakers and guests
How to find the right sponsor for your event: what they may be looking for and how to grab their attention
Advice on using social media - how, when and what, and navigating that virtual space to spark conversation
What to look out for when it's event time: preparing for the worst but creating an appropriate atmosphere
The types of event follow-up you can do to ensure your attendees stay engaged
Why low-tech methods may be more appropriate for your cause, including how to build community through craft and skill-sharing

Planning An Ethical Event
with Rachel Kan

Summary

In this video series, Rachel Kan takes you step-by-step through the four main phases of organising a conscious fashion event from the ground up, through planning, organising, promoting, to hosting an event.
Starting with planning, learn why setting clear intentions from the outset is key to your event running without a hitch. Plus all the logistical hurdles you can anticipate well in advance, covering the right questions to ask your venue, communicating clearly with guest speakers, and why it's okay to delegate.

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Organising an Ethical Event
with Rachel Kan

Summary

In this video series, Rachel Kan takes you step-by-step through the four main phases of organising a conscious fashion event from the ground up, through planning, organising, promoting, to hosting an event.
In part two, Rachel goes into the finer details of the logistics to consider when organising your event, namely venues, staffing and sponsorship. Discover how she keeps the operations of her events as sustainable and ethical as possible, even when working with multiple brands and stakeholders.

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Promoting an Ethical Event
with Rachel Kan

Summary

In this video series, Rachel Kan takes you step-by-step through the four main phases of organising a conscious fashion event from the ground up, through planning, organising, promoting, to hosting an event.
In part three, learn these brilliant tips for promoting your event. Ensure your event is targeting the right audiences to get people through the door, discover social media hacks, sustainable printed advertising and signage modes, and how to leverage networking.

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Hosting an Ethical Event
with Rachel Kan

Summary

In this video series, Rachel Kan takes you step-by-step through the four main phases of organising a conscious fashion event from the ground up, through planning, organising, promoting, to hosting an event.
In the fourth and final video, Rachel shares her experiences of hosting an event, how to stay on top of your checklist and preparing for last minute hiccups on the day. Finally, discover ways to maximise the potential impact of an event after it takes place and how to keep the momentum going.

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Nurturing Virtual Communities & Planning Events
with Sian Conway

Summary

Virtual communities hold an astonishing amount of potential for developing your business. You have the power to reach people all around the world, direct from your own computer - and when those people start talking about your brand, that's when you start to build your own community.
Here to tell us all about how to spark those conversations (and keep them going!) is Sian Conway, the Founder and Director of the brilliant #EthicalHour - an online community built from a weekly Twitter conversation and Sian's desire to learn more about sustainability. Her first-hand experience in building the amazing Ethical Hour community meant we just had to get her involved in this month's masterclass all about nurturing online and in-person partnerships.
Sian shares her wealth of knowledge of all things sustainable in her roles as an Ethical Marketing Strategist and Business Mentor for brands that “do good", plus through her blog and podcasts. In this segment she offers her brilliant advice directly to our members on running online and offline events, including tips on reaching new audiences, and advice for finding sponsorship partnerships.

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How Community Businesses Can Save The High Street
with Polly Swann

Summary

Polly Swann, co-author of the Power To Change working report, "Saving The High Street: The Community Takeover" joined us to explain further on what a community business is, how they can help shape a regenerative high street, and how to work with the local authorities and organisations around you to make an impact that will benefit local residents, and those visiting from outside.
As a fashion or creative business, is working on a community model for your local area more in your interests than being an outright social enterprise?

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