How to: Run a Star Stable Event!

 

Hey! 

A frequent question I get is, How do you run a successful event on an online game? There's no specific answer as events are made up of a lot of key parts, and it's important you have thought and planned each of them. Events can be hit or miss, and sometimes things won't work out the way you planned but hopefully you learn something which you can apply to your next event. 

Originality

When creating your own event, hashtag or challenge, it's important to be original! Try to think outside of the box, don't just go for the simple holidays - put a twist on it. It's okay to be inspired by other people but copying someone's idea and changing a small aspect of it could cause arguments but also be damaging to your event. If you create something that is already there then people won't see it as something new. Sometimes just taking a good week to just look at all the ideas you have can create the best project. Events take lots of time and planning. 

Content

The next thing you want to do is look at what your event is going to entail. What is the event for? For example, when April and I started to plan SSO CON we had the idea of bringing creators together but we needed to plan out what we could do? The most frequent ones are Parades, Q&As, Hashtags etc. It is important to try to be as unique as possible as then people will want to come as they have never been to something like this before. Think and plan out what it is you are going to do and be realistic - remember things will take longer than you think! 

Then you need to look at your ideas and see if you have the means to do it, when we planned SSO CON we thought about the servers and how you can only see so many people. This is why we had streams going on from the creators perspective. Research and ask about, see what others think - Is it something they would go to? Never be afraid to ask a question! It's really good to have a friend to bounce ideas around with, sometimes you need a second opinion.

SSO CON - Q&A Session! 

Plan

Start writing out times and dates that you want (if applicable) and if your event involves other people then its important to ask their preference as well. Use a google forms and ask people to fill it in! Google sheets is great for schedules as you can share it with everything. Another great app is Trello which you can create boards to help organise an event or business.  You also need to think about what could go wrong, as things won't always go to plan. Write out everything that could possibly go wrong (within reason) and see if you can think of things that you can do in case it happens. What's your plan B?

                                                  

Communication

This is so important, people need to know whats happening with the event. You might choose to do this through a Discord Server, Instagram account, or by some other means. This also helps when you are working with other people, make sure you are outlining and detailing everything that is happening in the event. What are you asking of them? Open up questions! 

If you choose to create a discord server open to the public, then make sure you don't ping everyone multiple times. Often people find pings 'annoying' so you might lose players interest, Ping for the most important information or wait till you have multiple things to say and do it in one announcement. Keep it organised and make sure to have some helpers who can help sign people in.

Meaning

Think about why you are creating the event, is it because you want to raise money for a cause or raise awareness? or is it just because you want to have some fun? This doesn't always have to be super meaningful, sometimes it can just be because you feel like there isn't many events going on! 

Get the word out!

Start creating some cool graphics, you don't need fancy photoshop or procreate - there are lots of apps and software out there for free which you can create just as good graphics with. One I mainly use is GIMP, this is a great free software which is similar to photoshop. A app I use a lot is Bazaart which has lots of templates, stickers, icons and more. You can get the free version or pay each month like £2 to get the full version.  

With your cool new posters and graphics, you can post them out and spread the word! If you chose to do a hashtag, then reach out to friends and creators to see if they will join your project. No shame in asking!

    

Don't be disheartened if an event you create doesn't work out, it can take a few attempts to get an event to work or be seen. Don't give up on it and don't be shy of asking for help. My DMs on Instagram are always open and I will be happy to answer any questions or advice. 

Happy event planning! 

Signing off, 

Sylvie Stormlight