What Is an Event?
An event is an organised activity that invites members of the public to attend, either for free or for a charge. There are various types of events and many places and venues that events can take place, on either public or private land. Events can range from a small gathering within a local community right up to mega-events like the Olympic Games.
Some examples of events include:
- Community gala event
- Farmers markets, beer and food festivals
- Sporting events such as 5km races, park runs.
- Road-based activity like a march or parade
- Large scale cycling event that requires road closures
- Music festival event over multiple days
Before entering the planning stages, it’s important to understand the requirements of your event.
No matter what scale your event is, it’s essential to establish:
- Who the key stakeholders involved are and the ways you will be able to work with them in a positive and effective manner.
- How you are going to be able to deliver the event – whether that’s from a funding perspective or simply having the time to go through the planning processes and recruit volunteers and advertise your event.
- Where you are going to host the event, in a location that provides the optimal setting for your event needs with the least amount of disruption to members of the public.
- When you are going to host the event, are you looking to schedule during high season to capitalise on the warmer weather or look to find a gap in the event calendar during shoulder season in the winter months. These are all key considerations you must take before committing to your event planning process and gaining an understanding of the requirements involved.
Understand the requirements
Initial Contact
Minimum of 21 weeks for large scale events that have high attendee numbers and require complex planning, various licence applications and permissions.12-8 weeks for smaller scale, community-based events.
Initial contact should be made through events@scotborders.gov.uk
Purple Guide Health and Safety
Before submitting any licences or applications, you should have developed an understanding of the requirements of planning a successful and safe event.
If you are new to events, a comprehensive event planning guide is the:
The events industry in the Scottish Borders should be recognised as a leader in sustainability.Caring for the natural environment should be a priority for organisers and will remain a priority with the UK drive to bring all greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050.
Green guides on How to Plan and Deliver Environmentally Sustainable Events are particularly helpful for events.
Our events team will also be happy to assist you with any questions you might have around your panning journey on events@scotborders.gov.uk