Planning a Stairway to Health Event

1. Link with Existing Opportunities
Before planning your Stairway to Health event, do some research on what events are currently in place in your workplace or the community so that you can plan something that compliments. Look for opportunities to partner or build on other initiatives such as charity fund raisers, annual events or corporate kick-offs.

2. Establish an Organizing Committee
Once you have determined the opportunities that exist, establish an organizing committee to help develop, plan and implement the event. The committee should be comprised of employees from diverse groups that represent different perspectives. Senior management should be involved in the committee but not necessarily as the committee leader. Participation on the committee is voluntary with meetings happening during office hours- not at lunch or after work. This time away from work should be communicated beforehand and be acceptable to both employers and senior managers.

3. Select a Target Audience
Through feedback from the Organizing Committee determine who you plan to reach with your event and target them directly. You can change your target regularly or even target more than one audience at the same time but you need to be aware that the messaging may be different for each group. Examples here might be- general population, shift workers, inactive employees, active employees, etc.

4. Set Your Objectives
Through the Organizing Committee, determine the objectives for your event. Be sure that your objectives are measurable so that you can evaluate the success of the event afterward (please see the evaluating your stairway to health program for more information on how to develop an evaluation strategy).

5. Select the Event Activities
Once you have decided on your target audience and objectives, work with the Organizing Committee to determine what activities you should do. It is best to create a few scenarios, possibly starting small and then overtime as the event develops, move to larger initiatives. For ideas view the following sections of this website: success stories; the benefits of stair use; ideas to increase stair use; design considerations; and, interactive tools.

6. Develop a Critical Plan and Budget
Once you have determined the activities you would like to have, create a critical path that outlines the specific tasks, person or group responsible, timeframe and budget. A critical path will ensure that everyone is organized and on budget.

7. Recruit Volunteers
The secret to a successful workplace event is to recruit and train plenty of volunteers (fellow employees). Volunteers can assist with data collection and entry; develop promotional materials; participate in events; and most importantly, promote participation.
To recruit volunteers, try sending out emails, posting opportunities or discuss opportunities during meetings. Once you have recruited your team of volunteers it is important that you have a meeting to discuss roles and responsibilities, the schedule of events and volunteer opportunities. During the meeting it may be helpful to have volunteers sign-up for certain activities so that you can identify any gaps early on. You should also plan to recognize your volunteers afterward with awards, a party or some other kind of appreciation.

8. Market and Communicate Your Event
To encourage participation and support for your event, marketing and communications are an essential component. When developing communications or marketing materials refer to the benefits fact sheet for ideas.
Marketing and communications can include:

• Posters (see poster pdf's at theDownloads section): Posters are a great way to raise awareness about an event. High traffic areas are ideal locations for displaying posters. Post them outside your office so that everyone will know that you are involved, in the cafeteria, at entrance or exit ways, washrooms, lunch rooms, bulletin boards, etc.
• Email: Email is a great way to relay messages to a wide group of people on a regular basis. To ensure your email is read, include words such as 'Stairway to Health Event' or 'Win great prizes' in the subject area.
• Newsletters, Memos, Staff Communications: If your company produces a newsletter or has another regular communications vehicle, plan to prepare a short article. There is also an electronic newsletter feature offered to workplace coordinators through this website, for more information please register as a Stairway to Health organization Coordinator.
• All Staff Meetings, Presentations: If you have regular staff meetings, ask that your event be placed on the agenda. A short presentation will go a long way to raising awareness and getting everyone, including senior management, on-side.
• Word of Mouth: Get the buzz going about the event by talking it up. Informally let people know information about the event, how to participate, prizes they can win and anything else you think might tweak their interest.

10. Involve the Media
Publicizing your event through the media is a great way to acknowledge your participants and provide positive advertising for your employer.

11. Evaluate Your Event
Evaluating your activity during the planning stages as well as after the event is a great way to determine if you have achieved your objectives and improve the process. Have a look at the Evaluating Your Stairway to Health fact sheet for more information on how to structure your evaluation process.