How to Hold a Billboard Sit Collaborate with a popular radio station in your market to publicize your billboard sit — provide promotional information (dates, events, goals, awareness) for the station to repeat during breaks in the week leading up to the event, and arrange for an all-day live remote from the site. [Image courtesy shutterstock, all rights reserved] Here's one Torch Run program's "Best Practices" on holding a successful billboard site. Not every step is covered in the following list, but most of the primary tasks are covered. 1) Arrange for law enforcement agencies provide sitters and display vehicles. Have sitters wear their uniforms. The more unique the vehicles, the better 2) Meet with the Program Director of the biggest radio station in the market. Arrange live interviews with organizers in the week leading up to the Billboard Sit. Arrange for an all-day live remote from the site. Provide talking points for the live broadcaster. Provide promotional information (dates, events, goals, awareness) for the station to repeat during breaks in the week leading up to the event. 3) Arrange for cellular telephones to be provided by a local cell phone company. We use 10 phones: three for call-in pledges, two for billboard sitters to raise money to get down and five for arrested bosses to make bail. Arrange for one number people can call to pledge and have the calls rollover to the other two phones when the first phone is busy. Have a charger for every phone and two batteries per phone. 4) Obtain free food to give away. Most restaurants have vendors that will donate. Soft drink (e.g., Coca-Cola, Pepsi) plants may provide product and dispensers. 5) Contact a local equipment rental store for in-kind contributions. Lots of tables and chairs, several large awnings, lift to the billboard platform, event spotlights for nighttime draw, commercial coffeemaker, barbeque grill, porta-potties, etc. Other equipment to line-up: extension cords, Torch Run banners, money fishbowl, cleaning products, phone books, laptop computer(s), police tape, barricades, duct tape, garbage cans, rope, sandbags. Prepare for inclement weather! 6) Contact a recreational vehicle dealer for a loaner RV. Overnight security at the site the night before Office/getaway Sleeping place for people who have been up for 24 hours. 7) Procure sponsorships for “½ T-shirt Sale.” Sponsors @ $565 each- buy 100 ½ T-shirts with their logo on sleeve. Sell the T-shirts for half price at the event and the weeks leading up to it. Note: 10 sponsors @ $565 + 1,000 shirts sold @ $5/each = $10,650. Sponsors get promoted on the shirt sleeves, radio interviews, news articles, posters to elementary school students, on electronic marquee outside two local bank branches (3 seconds every 10 minutes, 24 hours a day, for the two weeks leading up to the event), and individual 24” x 30” magnetic logo signs on the food vendor trailer at the events. Send these sponsors a written thank you after the event. Publish a letter to the editor thanking the sponsors. 8) Design poster, organizational sheets and pledge tracking forms. Your local Special Olympics Program can help. To locate the Program near you, use our Program Locator. 9) Provide ongoing information to TV news personnel and newspaper reporters about your event(s), arrange to be interviewed. 10) Line up workers with specific duties and shifts. 11) Line up demonstrations and entertainment. 12) Arrange with Special Olympics Area Director to have athletes present in their uniforms, with medals, to: Sell T-shirts. Distribute food. Mingle and hug! 13) Arrange ahead of time with as many businesses as possible to participate in “Arrest the Boss.” 14) Arrange for poster distribution to elementary school students. 15) Educate and promote awareness among officers in the law enforcement Community. Keep them informed of dates. Provide dispatch with a quick reference sheet. They will get calls. Bring in Global Messenger athletes to address officers. Get administration to buy into the program. Get administration to buy into the program Get administration to buy into the program!!