Preparation and Planning

• Have aims and objectives so everyone is clear why you’re organising a service open day. What is the most important reason? Open days can be great for raising awareness, educating, promoting something or consulting with people. Ensure the aims are reflected in the programme and publicity.
• Choose which engagement activities will help you meet your aims and objectives.
• Think about accessibility and how to make your event as accessible and inclusive as possible. See our Accessibility and Inclusivity Guide.
• Do not assume that the event needs to be held in a hospital. Other venues may be more suitable and accessible by public transport. You could even consider a virtual event.
• Involve your local IBD Patient Panel. If there is a local Panel, get in touch with them as early as possible, arrange for them to attend to talk to people about getting involved in Patient Panels.
• For your information stand, order plenty of information from Crohn’s & Colitis UK, including for people who are newly diagnosed. To bulk order materials please fill in your details to be issued with an account. Once you have login details, you can order physical booklets.
• Invite influencers/key stakeholders such as your Trust/ Board’s Chief Executive/Director of Nursing and Quality and local politicians.

Publicity

• Can your Trust or Board’ s communications department help with posters, flyers, newsletter articles and official social media channels?
• Use ‘What’s On columns’ in local newspapers and contact local radio stations. Ask if they can write a short piece on the conditions and your service open day.  Signpost them to our website to help them write this. Invite a journalist along.
• Advertise to community groups or places where your audience might be likely to go such as GP surgeries, pharmacies.
• Give personal invites and letters to patients at outpatient clinics including newly diagnosed patients. We have created a sample letter. 
• Don’t forget to include staff in invitations, including teams where referrals are made for IBD patients such as mental health, rheumatology, dermatology, obstetrics and gynaecology.
• Ask your Crohn’s & Colitis UK local network to advertise the day in their newsletter and on social media.

On the day

• Assign people jobs for the day (meet and greet, looking after special guests, collecting feedback etc).
• Have a back-up plan with the agenda/programme and presentations ready in both PowerPoint and hard copy.
• ​Encourage feedback and give people the option to give feedback by phone or email to make it even better next time.