Now forming — interest closes 20 August

Events Team

Turn a contact list into a room full of people — starting with our first group event.

What it’s for

A group that only exists in inboxes is a mailing list. The first proper group event — a room, a speaker, a drink afterwards — is where supporters become a community.

This team plans and runs it: the date, the venue, the program, and the follow-up that turns one good night into the next. The committee is fielding expressions of interest now so planning can start straight away.

Numbers that should make you curious

• The “democracy sausage” is so Australian it was the Australian National Dictionary Centre’s 2016 Word of the Year. Good events and politics have always gone together here.
• Wentworth is one of the smallest electorates in the country by area — nearly every member lives minutes from any venue we pick. Few groups anywhere have it this easy.

Every figure here is from the AEC, the NSW Electoral Commission, or published election analysis.

What the work actually is

• Shortlist a date, venue and format for the first group event and put it to the meeting
• Run the night itself — RSVPs, a welcome at the door, catering, the runsheet
• Line up a speaker or two and shape a program worth leaving the house for
• Note who came and make sure every newcomer hears from us within the week

How much time, honestly?

Quiet between events, busy in the fortnight before one — plan on a few hours a month, and a full evening when the event runs.

Most of these roles take an hour or two a week. When an election is called it becomes all hands on deck — and you will want to have been part of it by then.

Would I be any good at it?

If you have ever fed twenty people or run a fete stall, you have already done the hard version. The first event is deliberately simple — a small thing done well beats a gala done badly.

• You have organised a birthday dinner, a club function or a school event and people had a good time
• You like hosting — you notice the person standing alone and fix it
• Or you are the runsheet type: lists, timings, name tags, nothing forgotten

Not sure? Have a go. Ease in — take a small job, see how it fits, step up or step back as life allows. Registering interest is a conversation, not a contract.