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Top Tips For Running an Effective Stall |
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Stalls are a core activity for activists and local groups. They are a simple way to raise awareness, build public pressure and recruit people to CAAT or to your local group. It is well worth putting some time and thought into planning your stall. Below are some tips for preparing and running a great stall.
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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.
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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. Try 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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Is there anywhere nearby that fits with your theme? For example, if you are calling for Clean Investment, a spot outside the Local Council building would work well. Or 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.
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Find a day and time that suits everyone involved and when the spot you've chosen is busiest. It is also worth thinking about any relevant national or international days, such as Human Rights Day in December or a UN peace-related day, that could serve as a hook to attract local media attention.
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Try to involve as many people as possible. 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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CAAT can provide various materials for your stall - posters, campaign leaflets, postcards, petitions, briefings, badges etc. You will also need a fold-away table and tablecloth, paperweights and lots of pens and clipboards. You may also want to create a 'postbox' for people to post their signed postcards into. This can be easily done by cutting a slit in a cardboard box and painting it red. It's also worth taking a camera (digital preferably) so you can take photos of yourselves in action! Please get in touch if you have further ideas for materials that you would like CAAT to provide to help you run a stall.
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Make sure there is always one or two people standing at the stall to keep it looking tidy and talk to people who approach it.
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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?” or “I don't want your money but could I ask you one quick question?” Once you have their attention you can tell them more about the campaign and ask them to take further action.
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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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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. Send any completed petition/sign-up sheets to CAAT, along with any photos or write-ups. Also, don't forget to send a few pictures to your local newspaper along with a short story about how the day went and why you did it.
beccie@caat.org.uk
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