Case study: Accelerator Regional Event Management Training for Byron Shire Council

15 Byron Shire events and festivals received a six-month grant-funded scholarship to train with rEVENTS Academy.

The Accelerator Regional Event Management Training Program developed and delivered by rEVENTS Academy was intended to benefit events that

  • Build a sense of community by contributing to a vibrant, sustainable, and inclusive community.

  • Meet community needs with activities and services needed by local communities.

  • Increase community participation in activities or services needed by the community.

The program helped participants to develop or grow their events by improving planning systems, succession planning, event evaluation, and tailored support depending on their needs.

 

The 15 participating events were

  • MECA

  • National Circus Festival

  • North Coast Mud Trail

  • Rekindling the Spirit

  • Talk ‘n Play Tours

  • The Butterfly Ball

  • Woodfest

  • Australian Pro Adaptive Surf Championships

  • Byron International Film Festival

  • Byron Music Festival

  • Ecstatic Dance

  • Festival of Voice

  • Grow Fest

  • Japan Fest

  • Kaleido Mullumbimby

 

Inclusions

The program commenced with a one-day face to face event bootcamp in October 2023 facilitated by rEVENTS Academy’s event specialists, Linda Tillman and Cathy Treasure.

In addition to the bootcamp participants received:

  • 10 weeks of guided training, group check ins and intensive one-on-one event management coaching providing tailored support.

  • Lifetime access to an on-demand online event management training program.

  • Lifetime access to over 30 templates and resources to support event planning.

  • Networking opportunities with other events in Byron Shire.

  • Inspiration from best practice examples throughout regional Australia.

  • 12 hours of coaching

The program was completed in March 2024 with in-person wrap up sessions with each participant, and a networking wrap up event facilitated by Byron Shire Council.


Case study: North Coast Mud Trail

Jacqui Sosnowski and Elaine Richter from North Coast Ceramics took part to enhance their event, the North Coast Mud Trail, and garner more organising support by establishing a viable organisational structure, succession planning, and distributing the workload effectively.

The sessions were very productive, with the pair

  • Establishing a strategic plan framework, and holding a session with North Coast Ceramics committee around why, who, vision, measures of success, and future event ideas.

  • Establishing an annual calendar workplan.

  • Setting up a shared filing system.

  • Breaking down tasks into separate roles to determine potential volunteer roles and corresponding time commitments. Jacqui was very innovative in naming the roles to try and attract volunteers: Chief Director of Ooze (Mud Trail Coordinator), Mud Slinger (Workshop Coordinator), Talking Dirty (newsletter writer), Mud Poster (social media), MudSplatter (graphic designer), Mud Wrestler (advertising and sponsorship sales), Mud on a Stick (signage coordinator), Mud Spreader (brochure distribution), Deep Mud (PR, media and advertising) and Muck Duck (grant writer).

  • Developing ideas for the next Mud Trail, including a ticketed dinner, collaboration with other artists to create different experience at each stop (such as an ikebana workshop and orchids sold at a studio that produces vases), and more interactive experiences and displays.

  • Identifying grant and sponsorship targets

  • Auditing and evaluating marketing

  • Improving post-event review and data-gathering processes

For Councils, Case studiesLinda TillmanComment