My last visit to my local charity event left me slightly out of pocket. I found myself buying tombola tickets and winning no prizes, second hand toys and ornaments that I knew had no use to me and many homemade fairy cakes baked by young children. This was all in the name of charity; it felt good to give what I could and know that somehow I will be contributing to a good cause. Publicising a small event like this is much easier than organising a larger charity event, usually the budget is smaller and requires no fancy pop-up stands.

The same can be said for larger charity exhibitions; however, these are usually presented more formally and take a longer period to organise. Depending upon the size of the exhibition, often the guests vary from charity managers, celebrities and larger well-known companies. These exhibitions cater for a large audience and are fully equipped with the best pop-up stands, displays, banner stands and plenty of lighting.

Marketing such an event also takes time, as the charity is trying to build its profile on their cause and aims of the event itself. Other events include an auction, ball and the revelation of the total amount of money raised from previous fundraising efforts. In some events, there are plenty of products sold at exhibition stands. Larger companies are also known to place their name with the charity on pop-up stands as a means to show their support.

When organising a charity event, the name of the charity and registered number need advertising. The idea of the event is also clearly stated, such as the overall goal of the event - are you planning to raise money during the event or will there be fundraising events prior to this event? There are plenty of opportunities to use your creative skills when putting on an event such as this, as you can have people involved with fun activities as a way to interact with the guests.

Approaching other larger organisations to participate is always a good way to make contact and work alongside them for future events. Very often, these organisations are more than willing to contribute and often donate their products or their time to help the charity to achieve their main objective. Having the media involved will attract public attention, allowing people to attend an event and possibly volunteer. Also hire a decent venue, once you have a good idea of the amount of people you would like to attend then book the venue as soon as possible. This may not be available later.

In terms of organising equipments, this is something that needs researching, as there is no use in hiring large pop-up stands and banners if you have not completed the graphics display. Often you will need to know how to set the equipment, however, many exhibition equipments come easy to assemble, lightweight and portable. These usually require one person to set up and do not usually require any tools.

When preparing for a smaller event, contact your local churches, youth centres, local press and local shops for good publicity. Some organisations offer to help and may even suggest ideas and venues. Approach people with confidence and provide as much information as you can, remember these people will try to help as much as they can.