Get ready for UHC Day 2024! Step 7: Plan your event
To help you prepare for UHC Day 2024, we’re sharing advocacy planning steps and tips. This is the seventh issue in the series. See below for links to the first six issues:
Step 7: Plan your event
UHC Day 2024 is just around the corner! Have you planned your event yet? From local community gathering to global virtual conferences or webinars, holding an event allows you to connect with your audience and your advocacy partners.
As UHC is a very broad issue, focusing your event on a specific theme will help it resonate with your stakeholders. This year is all about financial protection for health, so consider themes such as “UHC protects people from poverty” or “Protect people from impoverishing health costs”.
When deciding on the type of event to hold, think about which format will have the most impact with your audience. Will you choose a more grassroots, local option like a rally, a community day or a community service event? Or are you hoping to engage more high-level leaders with a panel, a round table or a policy briefing? Or perhaps you want to rally your networks around the letter-writing campaign through a virtual or in-person letter-writing workshop.
Events can take any form, and you are best placed to decide which will work best for your audience. Be bold and creative; the more engaging your event, the more likely your audience is to take up your cause.
Once you have decided on your theme, it’s time to work out your guest list. Joining forces with other UHC partners in your country can maximize your impact. Consider inviting them as co-hosts. Choosing dynamic speakers with a range of expertise can make your event more engaging. And choosing a diverse audience will ensure speakers are not preaching to the choir. By engaging everyone from government officials to community members, you can help the conversation spread far and wide after your event. Don’t forget to invite the media too, as reporters from local news outlets can amplify messages from your event and spread awareness about your cause.
Now let’s talk logistics! For in-person events, make sure you find a location that is convenient for your audience, and consider accessibility for persons with disabilities. Depending on the type of event, you might also need to consider materials to help engage your audience, from programmes and speaker information for online panels and webinars, to banners and posters for rallies and community events. For online events, making use of chat functions and interactive polls or feedback channels can also help hold the audience’s attention throughout the event.
Finally, and most importantly, don’t forget to spread the word! Use social media, email, flyers and word of mouth to encourage people to attend. Then, during the event, share photos and quotes with #UHCDay to connect the event to the global campaign. Remember to use the assets on the 2024 UHC Day toolkit to create your materials!
Global heatmap
We love to hear all about the events you are planning for UHC Day each year! Share your 2024 event with us on the Global Campaign page.
Featuring your event on the UHC Day 2024 heatmap is a great way to publicise your event and share your plans. It also helps to show the impact we have on a global scale when it comes to advocating for universal health coverage and financial protection for health.