How To Hold A Plant Tour For Your Legislator
To gain greater exposure for your company and the issues your company faces, you may consider organizing a plant tour expressly for your legislator and local elected officials. Developing a separate event for these officials will allow you to:
- Present information about pending legislation, regulations or other issues that will be of particular interest to government leaders; and
- Spend time with legislators in a one-on-one exchange, offering them greater insight about your operations.
The officials invited to this event may include state representatives and senators, the mayor, city council members, county commissioners and school board members. Note that this audience will be keenly interested in your company’s accomplishments. These officials look for success stories such as yours to reference as they seek to attract new businesses to the city or to promote the economic strength of the county.
Because the attendees at this function will be of VIP-status, it is important that senior official from your organization be actively involved in the event.
The following is a check list for planning your event. The OMA, through its Legislative Dialogue Program, can offer considerable assistance with this type of event. Click here to contact an OMA lobbyist for more information.
Public Officials’ Plant Tour
Checklist
Phase 1: Initial Planning
- Form event planning committee.
- Choose dates and times for event.
- Determine format of program (should president offer the introduction and lead the guided tour, should line-level employees conduct the product demonstration?).
- Assign tasks related to format (i.e., contact the president about his/her role; assign team to conduct demonstration, etc.)
Phase 2: Pre-Event Planning
- Plan event schedule (i.e., what time will officials arrive, how long will welcome reception last, etc.).
- Develop invitation and forward to officials (make sure to include RSVP card or phone number to aid in planning).
- Develop presentation script and support materials, as applicable (slides, overheads, easel signs, etc.).
- Arrange for a photographer to take photos of the officials with representatives of your company during the tour; these photos can then be forwarded with the follow-up letter.
- Designate areas in your facility for greeting attendees, taking photographs, serving refreshments (as applicable) and other program functions.
Phase 3: On-Site Event Coordination
- Staff a sign-in table for attendees (have name tags available).
- Test microphone, overhead projector and other presentation support equipment.
- Coordinate photo shoots.
- Arrange for promotional packets to be handed out to attendees, in addition to any company hats, pins, stickers or other novelty item you may want to provide as a memento.
Phase 4: Post-Event Follow-up
- Hold post-event meeting with event committee to review/critique the event and make suggestions for next year.
- Send out thank-you letters from the president of your company to the officials, along with event photo (as applicable).
- Send out thank-you letters to vendors or organizations that donated food or other materials for the event.
