Briefing:Tips for running a great street stall From: James Butler For attention of: All Party Members, All Party Officers Published: 8th August 2018 Last updated: 8th August 2018 Printed: 4th October 2024 Other formats: Print Many branches are vastly experienced at running a street stall and need no advice. For newer officers, here are a few tips which will help make a good stall into a great one. Why run a steet stall? Running a street stall may not be terribly fashionable but they are the backbone of most campaigns. Well-placed, they are an effective way of raising the profile of any campaign in the eyes of your community. Making it happen We’ve broken down the organisation into simple bite sized steps. ContentsWhy run a steet stall?Making it happen Step 1 Set a date and choose a location Date Choose a sensible 1-2 hour slot when you know it will be busy. Set the date a good couple of weeks ahead so you can promote it and people can put it in their diaries. Location Location is important. You want to choose somewhere with a large footfall, but which doesn’t block shop entrances or the pavement. In most places it’s OK to set up a street stall for a couple of hours but you may wish to check with the council if it’s a busy market or high street. Step 2 Promote it Ideally, you want 4 or 5 people to help out on a street stall. Create an event on Facebook and share it with your networks. Don’t be afraid to ask family and friends to help – often they’ll come for 30 mins just to help out even if they are not members of the Co-operative Party. Make sure your local Co-operative Party branch (and if appropriate Labour Party branch) are emailed well in advance so that they can promote it and ask people to sign up to help. Step 3 Sort out what you'll need You don’t need a trestle table for a street stall – but if often helps. You’ll also want: a banner or ‘feather flag’ – so that you’re visible leaflets – something to hand out pens or balloons – something for people to take GDPR compliant petition – something for people to sign (we recommend using our template petitions) membership forms – so that people can join a camera or smartphone – something that take pictures and a briefing note for people who will be on the stall so they know what they’re doing there. All this can seem quite daunting if you are starting from scratch– but party staff can generally provide you with most of what you will need. Drop us a line. Email the Campaigns Officer Step 4 A few days before Check the weather – you might want to remind people to bring an umbrella, where a fleece, or wear sun cream. Remind people to come who have promised and get their mobile numbers so you can chase them on the day if they don’t turn up & perhaps draw up a rota if you need to. Step 5 Smile Smile and be polite – and remember, if it’s not fun you’re doing it wrong! Don’t all hide behind the trestle table – make sure at least one person is handing out leaflets and drawing people into the street stall. Take photos on your smartphone or camera (see our tips on taking great photos). And don’t overdo it – two hours is plenty for a street stall. Step 6 The day after Don’t let the hard work go to waste Congratulations, you’ve run a good street stall, talked to dozens of people, collected signatures and taken some great photos. Now don’t let all the hard work go to waste. Thank everyone who came to help – they’re more likely to come back again if you thank them. Send the petition forms to the Co-operative Party. Share the photos on social media and copy the Co-operative Party in so that we can amplify your success. Write a letter to the local people telling them about the issue and how interested people were. Action Points Set date, time, location Get people to commit List of what you need Have fun Follow up For more information Need advice? Get in touch with our Campaigns Officer. James Butler Campaigns Officer