Because I’m a professional safety speaker with over 25 years of experience, I’ve spoken at many “Safety Days.” (I’ve also helped clients design fun and memorable Safety Days.) Even though I believe every one of them I spoke at was a good idea and were worth doing, some Safety Days were better than others. 
It wasn’t the size of the company that mattered as much as the creativity and openness to new ideas of the planners—many of whom didn’t have much experience at planning events.
Here are a few common elements that help make a safety and health day a fun and memorable success:
Create and Market a Theme
Don’t just call your event Acme’s Annual Safety & Health Day. Put some pizzazz in the title and go with a theme. If there is a sport or hobby that is common in your area then use that. I’ve seen company’s successfully use a carnival theme, a horse racing theme and a football theme. (When I’m hired to help companies with any of the safety & health campaigns including safety days, creating a catchy theme is one of the first things we tackle. I’m holding a summer sale right now. If you book me before July 1 I’ll take 40% of my regular speaking and consulting fees!)
If You Have a “Family” Safety Day
These are my favorites. Because, now you can do so many cool things if children will be attending. Have plenty of games and entertainment, (i.e. puppet shows, story telling, face painting). If you have a theme, then you can give out a toy or prize related to the topic that children can take home. Even if you don’t have a large budget, there are still things you can do that will add excitement to the day without costing a lot of money like getting some parents to dress up in different costumes (not just safety equipment).
Pictures
Take plenty of pictures and video that you can post later on bulletin boards, intranet, FaceBook, video monitors, etc.
Unusual Prizes
Give out yodeling pickles, or finger puppets (yes, they are my favorites) or some other fun and unusual prize. Key chains, coffee cups, and T-shirts are fine but they are overused. (I don’t want any more key chains!) If the prize is something a child would like, so will the parents and grandparents that attend because they will want one to take home. That’s an excellent way to make the event more memorable. (Check out www.accoutrements.com , it’s one of my favorite sites for unique gifts and prizes.)
Competitions
One safety day I spoke at included a bean bag competition (similar to horse shoes) that was a big hit. Physical games that aren’t strenuous are the best. You can easily set up a rotation of teams and have the winning team members win a cool prize.
Health and Fitness
Don’t just have “safety booths.” In fact, most of them are not that much fun to visit. Yes, you can have blood pressure booths and other medical stops, but people like learning about how to better their lives more than they do how to prevent problems. Include topics that are more positive like fun ways to include more vegetables in your meals or how to make water taste better. The possibilities are huge.
Kids Stuff
You can’t go wrong with a kid’s booth—even if there are no kids around. Get a backdrop and post several resources about kid’s health, safety, fun stuff, etc. and guaranteed some of the parents will be interested in what you’re displaying.
Music
Have music playing. This may sound like a minor issue but it makes a big difference. Why do you think restaurants and grocery stores play music consistently. It creates a mood and makes the experience more enjoyable. So, if you can, have some upbeat popular music playing throughout the day.
If You Hire a Professional Safety Speaker(s)
Hire me. Well, sure I want that but no matter who you hire get someone who is upbeat and gives a positive message. There are times when a “serious safety speaker” is a good choice but I’ve found that during safety and health days the best one’s were more of a celebration than a serious training and warning day.
Here are four other important tips to give you the best results if you hire a speaker:
1) If you do have food, don’t put the speaker on during the meal. You’re wasting your money. Unless you hire an entertainer, such as a magician who will be going around to the tables you are splitting everyone’s attention. Best: have the speaker on right before lunch.
2) Have just enough seats. If there are a lot of empty seats it cuts down on the energy in the crowd. It’s a common problem that makes a huge difference.
3) Move compressors, and other noisy equipment as far away from the area where people will be sitting to listen to any talks. A few times I’ve had to compete with a running engine that made it difficult for the folks sitting next to it to hear anything I said.
4) If you rent a sound system get a good one. Ask any professional speaker and they’ll tell you that this matters as much (sometimes more) than who you hire as a speaker.
Especially for those of you who haven’t planned a Safety & Health Day before, I hope these tips help and I wish you grand success on your next event!
‘till next time.
Richard
