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How to organise a European Mile event(s)?

The following how-to guide will provide you with simple steps, inspiration and resources to organise your own European Mile event(s). We welcome European Mile events in all shapes and sizes, the most important thing is to get people active! The European Mile is for everyone. You can organise a run, a walk – or maybe even an event for wheelchairs, hand cycles, stair climbing or other modes of movement! The European Mile is about completing, not competing.

If you prefer to read and share the toolkit in a pdf format, you can find it here.

If you would like to find a European Mile national coordinator in your country, click here.

If you are not interested in organising an event, but would like to participate, please have a look at our FAQ section for participants here.

If you prefer to read and share the toolkit in a pdf format, you can find it here.

If you would like to find a European Mile national coordinator in your country, click here.

If you are not interested in organising an event, but would like to participate, please have a look at our FAQ section for participants here.

Decide on the concept and size

Think about what, how and when you’d like to organise something. Is it a single event or a series of weekly/monthly ones?
Do you want to keep it small-scale with your friends/family/colleagues, or you are in a position to organise a larger scale one open to the public?
Could you organise virtual nudges/commitments and challenges together with close friends and family that you can’t meet up with in person?
Determine the size and timing of your event, the distance, number of activities, participants, supporters and partners.
We encourage all European Mile events for citizens to be free or low charge to ensure the widest possible participation.

Location and time

Find a suitable location according to your setting and surroundings - many smaller events can be organised in green spaces, parks, schoolyards, part of the active commute, etc.
European Mile events can take place throughout 2021, but we encourage as many events to be staged on 5 June 2021 as possible in a wide celebration of physical activity, movement and health.
Prepare the schedule and programme plan for the event(s).
When preparing for bigger events, you should check and comply with additional local regulations (permission to use the space, traffic management plans, public gathering permits, etc).
Research the current Covid-19 restrictions in your local setting to organise gatherings and think how you can organise a safe and flexible event that complies with local regulations.

Activities

Determine the list of fun and simple activities that will take place on the day - it could be running, walking or rolling. Remember to keep your activities interactive, fun, accessible and inclusive so that everyone would enjoy taking part!
What kind of resources would you need and already have available?
For more inspiration, check out the already registered events on our website or the updates (more will be added, so make sure to check in regularly)!

Move for a cause

We have set up a centralised donation page where you can contribute your movement miles.
In return for your miles, we will support financially the Daily Mile Foundation, which is working to get school children across Europe to run a mile every day during school hours.
We also encourage you to have a charitable/social cause for your local event. It can involve awareness raising, supporting in-kind or monetarily a local charity and much more.
Why not move for your health and the environment by picking up trash around your neighbourhood? Read more about plogging.

Map your partners, stakeholders and supporters

Who could help you carry out the event? What about like-minded friends, family members, associations or colleagues?
Check out our country pages to see if there is already a European Mile National Coordinator in your country with whom you could join forces.
If you are already an experienced organisation, are there any partners or sponsors who could help you with the European Mile event? Could you get educational institutions or workplaces who care about their students/employees’ health to join the initiative?
Does your local municipality offer any opportunities to for the local residents to activate their surroundings? Like Play Streets in the UK and Belgium, School streets, Car Free Day, Summer streets in Sweden.

Get inspired by our free digital resources

We have created a full set of organisers resources that will help you to promote and implement your event! These include event posters, diplomas, starting numbers, outdoor banners, social media visuals, T-shirt designs etc.
Download and make most of the free European Mile resources that will help you create visibility for your event and connect together under one pan-European brand to get people active.

Register your event on the website

Register your event so we could promote it even further and showcase the growing global movement supporting this cause.
This will also offer other participants the chance to join your public events.
If you have a small private events or challenges that you don’t want to give public access to, you can still share the message on social media using the hashtags #EuropeanMile and #FindYourMile.

Promote and disseminate

Think about the target group and how to reach them best. Who do you want to join in?
Announce the event in advance to your on your website and social media.
Remember to always use the hashtags #EuropeanMile and #FindYourMile so we can see and further amplify your event.
Join the official Facebook event and share your plans to further boost the visibility of your event.
Send invitations or a press-release.
Organise an info session or press conference for the partners and media. Highlight the benefits of local walking and running events.
Share the campaign and invite partners to use the official European Mile resources to organise their own events.

Carry out the event and have fun!

The day has arrived – now it is the time to implement your event!
Carry out your prepared and planned activities! Set up the venue, gather and inform the participants, move together and remember to both clean up and celebrate together!
Ensure that health and safety guidelines are followed!
Don’t worry if everything does not go 100% according to plan, that’s part of the experience of organising an event.

Wrap up and evaluate

Celebrate a successful celebration of getting people physically active and the miles collected! Remember to inform and encourage participants to donate their miles via our Donation page.
Debrief the team/supporters and send out a thank you message.
Share the best photos/videos of the day on social media with hashtags #FindYourMile and #EuropeanMile and with your partners.
Inform the press highlighting the success of your #EuropeanMile to the media.
Start writing down some creative ideas for future activation and check out all the other events that were registered on the website!
Keep donating your movement miles throughout the year!

If you have any other questions, please have a look at our FAQ page, get in touch with your country’s national European Mile coordinator or fill in the contact form.

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