Top Tips For Running an Effective Stall
Speaking to people face-to-face is the most effective way to engage and convince them. Stalls are a simple way to raise awareness, build public pressure and recruit people to CAAT or to your local group. To get the most out of your stall, it is well worth putting some time and thought into planning it. Here's our top tips...
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Decide your aims and message
Ask yourself WHY are you doing the stall? What is the message you hope to convey? Do you want to attract more members to your group? Publicise a campaign? Raise funds? Or get people to take action? It may be all of these, but it's useful to identify the main reason and focus on that. A themed stall will be more attractive and easy to understand.
To find out CAAT's current campaign priorities, read the latest issue of CAATnews or check the "Act Now" section on our website.
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Design a simple and eye-catching display
Be selective in your display – stick to materials that relate to the campaign you are focussing on, along with any leaflets about your local group and a general CAAT leaflet. CAAT can provide a tablecloth and posters, but you might also like to think of an eye-catching idea to add to the impact of your stall, such as props, costumes, display boards or a competition to convey your theme creatively.
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Find a good location
Is there anywhere nearby that fits with your theme? If not, you may want to just pick a busy area, such as your local high street, and check with the council if you can hold a stall there. Choose somewhere with a constant flow of pedestrians, but that isn't so crowded that passers-by won't be able to stop. It is also worth booking stalls at local festivals or fetes – as well as being fun, these can attract a lot of people. If you need help with the cost of booking a stall at an event, contact the CAAT Office
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Choose the right time
Find a day and time that suits everyone involved and when the spot you've chosen is busy. It is also worth thinking about any relevant national or international days, such as Human Rights Day in December or CAAT's Stop Week in June, that could serve as a hook to attract local media attention.
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Recruit and brief volunteers
Helping with a stall is a good way for interested people to get more involved. You might want to pair those who are not confident talking to the public with more experienced people. Draw up a rota to safeguard against anyone overworking. Make sure all volunteers have been briefed beforehand about the main aim of the stall – it helps to send a briefing to volunteers in advance.
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Acquire the necessary resources
CAAT can provide various materials for your stall - posters, Counting the Cost introductory leaflets, postcards or petitions, sign-up sheets, briefings, badges etc. You will also need a fold-away table and tablecloth, paperweights and lots of pens and clipboards. You may want to create a 'postbox' for people to post their signed postcards into. It's also worth taking a camera (digital preferably) so you can take photos of yourselves in action for CAAT's website and your local media!
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Use attention grabbing 'openers'
You only have a few seconds to grab someone's attention so try using simple 'openers' to get them to stop. For example, "Would you like to sign a petition to stop the arms trade?", "I don't want your money but could I ask you one quick question?" or even a simple greeting. Once you have their attention you can tell them more about the campaign and ask them to take further action.
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Make the most of the people you attract to the stall
People are a campaign's number one resource, so make sure you get the details of people who are interested! Point out that CAAT's campaign postcards and 'Counting the Cost' introduction leaflet both have the option to sign up for more info, or you may prefer to use a sign-up sheet so you can ask permission to contact them directly in future as well. Download one here (24k)
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and after the stall keep a copy for your records and send one onto CAAT.
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Be approachable
Smile and try to keep your body language open. But don't rely on people coming to you - give as many people clipboards as possible so they can draw people to the stall by approaching people passing by at a distance.
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Follow up
Contact volunteers after the day – thank them for their help, tell them how successful the day was and ask if they have any ideas for improvement. Keep a list of people who want to stay in touch with your local campaigning. Send any completed petitions or postcards and sign-up sheets to CAAT. Write up a short story about how the day went and why you did it and send it with your photos to your local newspaper or community newsletter, as well as to CAAT for our website.
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