New Places Odd Spaces

One of my favorite things about planning and/or attending events is to visit new places. BUT one of my least favorite parts is not being able to find restrooms, meeting rooms, or classes.

It is VERY important for guests to feel welcomed in your location. One of the best ways to do that is to have signs everywhere. Do not assume that the little plaque on the wall (that someone who knew where everything is) placed on a wall. MANY guests do not notice these.

My suggestion is, if you will be holding an event where you will have people who are not familiar with your facility, place signs everywhere!

Yes, I mean everywhere. They can be handwritten on pieces of paper or printed from a computer but make them obvious! I would rather see “too many signs” than no signs at all. You do not need to leave the signs up for more than the event … unless you have an odd space like….

I was recently at a Christmas concert in a church where I had never been before. They had small signs for restrooms; however, the restroom on the main floor was not obviously marked. The door was to a classroom – “restroom”?? I didn’t find it without asking about it. It would have been nicer to have a sign on the room door “Restroom inside to left”. Then I (and several others) would not have been looking around so much for it.

That is a simple example. Labeling locations for those who have never been in the building makes guests feel like they are important – at least important enough for someone to make an effort to assist BEFORE they had to ask.

Most Churches that I work with have considered signage at least a little, but since we are there all the time, we forget what it was like when we first arrived.

Consider having someone from outside your church “visit” your church. They do not necessarily have to attend a service – have them think about what a parent with a small child might look for, or someone who uses a walker or wheelchair, or even just someone new. (They can give their first impressions: “did you know that ledge is full of dirt?” “How do I get inside – if that door is locked during services?” Etc.) When we see our church every visit, we tend to overlook things that a first-time visitor will see – the first impression – we have already had our first impression & it may have been decades ago!

There are other questions which may come to mind when dealing with special event guests! If children are welcome at the event - where can a parent change an infant’s diaper? Is there a Parents’ room? Where is the Nursery – is it staffed or just available? Where are the restrooms? IF there are going to be refreshments after an event, where is the room located? PLEASE: Do not assume that they will follow the crowd. The crowd may be leaving instead of going to refreshments!

I hope this has given you some things to think about! Let me know what you discover you need for your next event…it may be included in one of my articles!

Thanks for reading! If you want anymore information on planning events for Churches – please consider my easy to use book! First Class Events: a Guide for Christian Hospitality OR contact me through seedspreadersministry.org