Engagement events bring lots of benefits: 

• Working with people helps you create things for them. This is more effective than making assumptions about what they need 
• Taking part in events gives people the chance to share their nuanced perspectives and experiences 
• If you invite a diverse group of people to your event you will understand your problem from a richer and more inclusive point of view 
• Watching people as well as listening to them can give you an insight into unspoken attitudes and behaviours as well as the things people tell you directly 
• You get a chance to see people disagree with each other and work through their differences, helping you reach consensus and agreement 

Number of attendees

There is no set limit for how many people can attend an event. If you have more than about 8 people, we recommend breaking out into groups of 4 to 8 people for activities. 

Resources you need

You will need at least one facilitator (and maybe more for a big event). 

For an in-person event you might need: 

• tables for group work 
• paper, pens or pencils, sticky notes
• anything else you need for your activities, like glue, scissors, Sellotape, Blu-Tak, magazines, Lego 
• drinks and snacks, if your event is going to last a while

This might look like a list for primary school students. But in fact, activities that use things like glue, scissors and Lego are great for adults too. They can help open up different ways of thinking that don’t just rely on discussion and writing.

This is not a complete list. Use your imagination, and do some research to find activities that get people doing things they don’t usually do. But always make sure all your activities are accessible to all your attendees, and come up with alternative ways for people to take part.

For an online event, you will need to choose and set up:

• video conferencing software, like Zoom, Teams or Google Meet 
• an online whiteboard if you want one, like Mural or Miro

See our guidelines on running accessible sessions in the introduction for tips on making sure nobody is excluded.

Organising your event

You can run events online as well as in person. Some activities are easier to run or more effective when done in person. But if you run an in-person event, don’t exclude people who cannot attend in person. 

Start planning as soon as possible – ideally 6 to 8 weeks in advance

Choose a date: 

• Make sure there isn’t a competing event at the same time 
• Or maybe there is an existing event you can tag yours onto? 
• Consider school holidays, travel logistics, and anything else that could impact people’s availability 

Find a place (for in-person events): 

• Make it as easy as possible for people to get to your event 
• Think about locations your attendees already use, like a local community centre 
• Consider physical accessibility like wheelchair access 
• But don’t forget about other types of accessibility needs, like light, noise and temperature 
• Find out who you need to speak to, to check availability and book your space 

Invite the people: 

• Pull on your own networks and anyone else’s networks you can (for example your client’s networks if you are working for a client) 
• People are busy, so the sooner you establish relationships with people the better 
• Make a list of important organisations in the industry you’re working in, find their talent or HR managers and heads of departments 
• Don’t be afraid to approach people on LinkedIn, by email, and especially by phone 
• Work out what’s in it for them and pitch the benefits of attending. This could be networking, learning, corporate social responsibility or just a chance to be listened to

You may need to go back and tweak the dates, location and other arrangements until you find the sweet spot that works for the most people.