6 Point Checklist: Planning A Successful Fun Day

Let's be honest...nothing beats a good, old fashioned family fun day!

Here at The Fun Experts, we offer a wide selection of fun and exciting equipment to help make your event a huge success as after all, they don’t call us the Fun Experts® for no reason!

Whether it’s a small corporate fun day for 50 guests or a large scale event for up to 3,000 people, we can provide entertainment for all ages to keep everyone entertained all day long....well a good four hours is usually a proven hit duration, but we can cater to longer or shorter events.

There are key aspects you need to take into account when planning such an event. From safety and insurance to risk assessments, it’s imperative to have all the necessary legislation in place.

To ensure your Corporate or Family Fun Day is a giant triumph and goes ahead without any hiccups, here are 6 key things to think about when planning a fun day…

1. Risk Assessment

Whatever equipment you’re hiring be it the side stalls and deck chairs or inflatables, each piece of equipment will have it’s own comprehensive risk assessment to ensure it is safe and secure to protect all those on the premises.

It is compulsory to carry out a risk assessment in order to comply with current UK safety regulations and laws. If you have never done this before, rest assured it isn’t as scary as it sounds.

Besides, once all the paperwork is out of the way, you can concentrate on organising a successful event!

Now there is the general risk assessment of the site plan, such as the routes in and out for cars and attendees, and you’ll obviously need a safety plan for any marquees etc you have, but here’s the complete list of all our products’ risk assessment and method statements.

2. Choose the date wisely

If you don’t want your fun day to be a washout, choose the date carefully. Summertime is better for outdoor fun but as we all know with the great British weather, a contingency plan is always needed in case it rains!

Try to do your homework too and find out if any other big community events are taking place around the same time. If the date clashes, it will affect how many people turn up.

3. Venue & Time

Where is the fun day going to take place and at what time?

You need to decide where the event will be held and book it well in advance. In terms of location, make sure there is plenty of room for large outdoor equipment set up.

What time will the event kick off? If it’s a family fun day, it needs to be early enough for children to attend but bear in mind you need to give yourself plenty of time to get everything up and running on the day.

Likewise, time should be taken into consideration for the cleanup.

4. Read (Shout) all about it!

How will people know about your fun day? Promote the event through local businesses, press, radio, newsletters, emails, digital PR and posters.

Marketing is key, so shout about it through all possible platforms including online blog posts and the monster that is social media - Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn. All forms of social media have proven over the last ten years just how vital and massive an influence they are on the public.

What’s more, shout about it DURING the event. Get a hashtag going on Twitter, encourage spectators to share pictures on Facebook and Instagram and get lots of photos to give the press.

5. Legalities

Equipment

The main legal requirements that the equipment and equipment provider must adhere to are the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (HASAWA) and the provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER).

In practice, this is interpreted through ETIS 7 which is currently the HSE advice for best practice and is almost identical to BS EN 14960:2006.

Food and Drink

If you are selling food and drink at your fun day, make sure you look at the Food Standards Agency to follow their guidelines.

Raffles and Tombolas

There are strict and complex laws relating to larger raffles and lotteries which you’d need to check the Gambling Commission website for more details. We recommend selling raffle tickets on the day and drawing at the event to avoid needing a license.

Council licences

You’ll need to apply to your local council if you plan on providing any of the below:

- selling alcohol

- live entertainment

- holding a collection in a public place

Speak to the venue beforehand though as they’ll probably already hold a licence for you.

6. What happens after the event?

Too many people don't think about what will happen after the event, as they’re so caught up with planning it.

The follow up is just as important as the event itself.

Make sure you send a thank you email to all suppliers and providers that helped to make the event the great fun day that it was! Also, send out a press release to local media for print and online.

We all love a great success story and it can have a big impact on brand awareness! Who knows, you may be asked to organise the event again next year.