Food fair check list

This task list can be used as a template for organising a food fair.

Task Who Date
Finance
Food fairs tend to be free event so you need to consider how it will be financed, what the expected costs will be, how they will be allocated and what funds are potentially available if costs go above expectations.
Venue
Find a venue    
Book and pay for room    
Publicity
Produce a poster/fliers plus a flier to hand out on the day (design and print)    
Mail out to libraries and colleges    
Put up posters    
Make advertising board and sandwich boards to wear    
Media
Write and send press release and make follow up calls    
Deal with calls from the media (contact number required)    
Write to local papers' letters page    
Food
It is better to prepare as much as the food as possible in advance. Ensure all the donated food is properly labelled, with the packet of the food next to it and hopefully this should be done before the day (and be careful not to clear up these packets). Consider a separate table for the donated food with someone understands the products to supervise it.
Find volunteers to make the food    
Decide what food we are going to make and who will make it    
Contact vegan businesses to ask for donations of food    
Get ingredients and recipes from the people making food    
Make labels for all the food giving details of whether it is wheat free etc    
Take delivery of the food    
Find storage for the food (lots of fridge and freezer space is needed)    
Distribute the food amongst the volunteers    
Make the food    
Arrange for payment of the ingredients    
Buy other ingredients and other food/drink that people are not making and paper plates, forks, napkins etc. Careful planning here is essential as experience shows that several shopping trips are often required including last minute trips    
Transport
Arrange for a vehicle and driver for the day and check parking restrictions at the venue    
Liaise with volunteers about getting their food to the event    
Literature
Contact organisations for literature on the vegan/animal rights issues, local guides etc.    
Create recipe booklet    
Compile a list of volunteers for the day-lots needed    
Make a vegan questionnaire (here is a Vegan Campaigns' example (PDF)    
Organise an incentive for questionnaire    
Make donation buckets/get collecting tins    
On the day
Get there early!
Make salad and sandwiches    
Bring enough cash on the day to pay people expenses for making food    
Bring griddle    
Put up advertising boards    
Put up a table of literature in the room    
Setup bookstall    
Put up posters (not gory) around the room    
Put donation tins/collecting buckets round the room securely    
Heat food (burgers etc.)    
Looking after the food tables making sure food is labelled correctly, there is enough and engage people in conversation about the food    
Serving drinks-hot drinks, cold drinks (perhaps charging for drinks could be used to offset the food costs)    
Ask people to complete the questionnaire    
Ask for donations    
Clear up as and when required    
Wash up as and when required    
Staff info stall    
Hand out information    
Hand out fliers (and possible food) in the street    
Take photos/ video of the event    
Supervise volunteers    

Many thanks for Chrissy of Vegan Campaigns for creating and donating the orginal document this page is created from.

If you can enhance this list please send your suggestions to us or post them on the forum