Why create an event on Facebook?
On Facebook, creating a public event establishes a central place to share event details, so the event is as accessible as possible.
This avoids events organised via email or private WhatsApp groups, which even in the most well intentioned circumstances creates a feeling of ‘cliqueyness’ or exclusivity. The YesTribe was created so everyone has an opportunity to be part of our events, there should be no discrimination at all. All genders, races and hair colours should be allowed to attend.
Tribe Leaders are within their rights to delete threads / events that are leading to events that exclude individuals unnecessarily.
Remember too that our events are about talking, stories and sharing ideas. While organising a group to attend an existing event - like a festival, gig or sports match - is great, please try to prioritise YesTribe-specific events. Inviting people to join as existing event is ok, but the cover image for these events should be a generic photo and not a YesTribe design.
Why our events are Public (and not private)
All YesTribe groups and events should be set to ‘Public’. Not only does this ensure the event is as visible and accessible as possible to all, but it means we can share it on the central SayYesMore Page Calendar and to the main YesTribe group.
The crucial difference between public and private is that you can only see the information in a private group if you join, but the barriers to entry of any YesTribe group or event are so small that ultimately if someone wants to see the information, then they’d simply join anyway. Keeping the event Public ensures openness, trust and visibility.
(If you feel that you’re unable to run an event because of privacy reasons - we’ll do our best to help you get the details outside of Facebook so your participation remains private.)
Event Names
When organising events ensure the titles follow these guidelines:
YesStories, Location - eg. YesStories, London or YesStories, Birmingham or YesStories, Nottingham
Little Cup of Adventure, Location - eg. Little Cup of Adventure, Poole
YesTribe Hike, Location - eg. YesTribe Hike, Snowdon
YesTribe Wake Up Wild Camp, Location - eg. YesTribe Wake Up Wild Camp, Box Hill
The basics
Create a Public (not private) event on Facebook as a central hub for event details
Set a date early, so people have a chance to attend
Add all possible details so time isn’t wasted with Q&A
Send SayYesMore the event url so we can add to calendar
Enjoy the event!
Take a family photo of all attendees
Afterwards, send photo and a note of how many people came along to us
How to set up a YesTribe event on Facebook
If you haven’t done this before, don’t worry! It’s super simple.
The events thread on the SayYesMore Team Group will be pinned to the top of the group. Be sure to add your events here, and also share pictures and attendance numbers after the fact.
Head to the Events tab on your regional YesTribe group (or the main YesTribe if you don’t have a region). Please ensure you do this, as events created by individuals cannot be added to our main calendar.
Click ‘+ Create Event’
Upload a photo or video for the event cover. Ensure it’s hi-res and represents the event
Event name: See Event Names section Above
Location: For some events like wild camps we don’t specify a location, just a rough area OR meeting place. A location is GREAT for visibility, and Facebook will organically put it on the feeds of people who live nearby.
Description: Be as detailed as possible. Imagine that you’re seeing this for the first time and ensure that you include every bit of information that allows people to understand the event, prepare well (in terms of kit and travel) and meet at the correct time and place. Doing this bit right means you’ll have fewer (if any) questions to answer, too.
Frequency: select occurs once. PLEASE DO NOT choose another option - annoyingly this means the events don’t add to the SayYesMore calendar, and they’re also harder to share to the wider tribe. If your event repeats, just create the first one and then make a duplicate (not forgetting to update any change in details)
Date/ Time: Be as punctual as you can, especially with the start time. PLEASE do not create a multi day event unless absolutely necessary. Make a different FB event for each day (if you’re on a wild camp for example, no need to make one for the second day). We can’t add multi-day events to our Facebook calendar.
Add Schedule: it’s rare that you’d need to fill this in
Posting permissions: Select ‘Anyone can post’
If you have a capacity/ want to sell tickets on your event then you may want to create an Eventbrite (ask the SYM team for a login to the SYM account) and that way you can control the capacity, even if tickets are £0. Just add the Eventbrite url into the description text of your event and also pin a post at the top of your event wall so everyone interested knows they must official sign up via Eventbrite. FB Events only contain a direct ticket link if they’re created by a page, and this is something we can do through the SayYesMore page - just ask :)
Now the event is ready to go. Save all changes!
Now copy/paste the url and post under the ‘Events’ thread on the SayYesMore team page, so we can add it to our calendar and promote on social channels.
Share the event onto the main YesTribe group
Ahead of the event, feel free to promote and share on your regional YesTribe and on the main group. Write a couple of lines about why you're excited about it, that'll add some personality and encourage more interest.
Also keep an eye on any posts or messages on the Event so you can help/ answer questions
Event time! As leader, try your best to make everyone feel welcome. An opening circle where everyone says their name and why they came is a nice ice breaker.
Take photos and film (for sharing afterwards)
At the very least, take a family photo of everyone who turned up!
Also make note of how many people turned up
Afterwards, post photos onto the event and your regional tribe, and also say thanks to everyone for coming
Don’t forget to send us a message including the family photo from the event, the number of people who turned up and also any cool stories/ people who turned up. We love to hear about these!
Next, read this post about sharing your event to make sure it reaches as many people as possible.
If you need help with the nitty gritty non-Facebook side of creating and hosting events please get in touch.
Thanks so much for creating an event for other people to meet up, we really appreciate it!