Wales's biggest celebration of architecture and heritage — free Dathliad pensaernïaeth a threftadaeth fwyaf Cymru — am ddim

A SUCCESSFUL EVENT

Admission issues For some properties, for example small houses, or sites where there will be timed guided tours but visitors will not be allowed to walk around unaccompanied, you may want to organise a pre-booking system. A telephone number for bookings can be given to the Civic Trust for inclusion in the printed and online programme. Make sure it also features in your local publicity. In special circumstances, the Civic Trust may be able to take bookings for you.

Providing visitor information You will need to give some thought to how you are going to interpret your site or event. Visitors should be offered information that helps them understand the place they are visiting. There is a separate advice note on this topic, but at a minimum this can be done orally by someone who knows the site well.

Consider access and insurance issues Please consult our advice on access. Owners/occupiers of sites should notify their insurers that the property is taking part in Open Doors. All sites will be insured under the scheme organised by the Trust, with extensive public liability and employee/volunteer cover. Full details of this cover are available separately.

Guides and stewards Consider designating volunteer helpers as guides and stewards. Stewards concentrate on security and safety. They can help organise a queue; they can be asked to record visitor numbers; they should know how to evacuate the building in the unlikely event of an emergency.

Signage and parking Some visitors will be unfamiliar with your area. You can help them by providing a poster or roadside board to indicate your property (but check with the council's planning department if you are thinking of putting up signs on the public highway!). If you are providing parking please note that our insurance does not cover damage to parked cars. See our information on branding for further guidance.

Fundraising Open Doors events are a great way of raising cash for your organisation. But remember that (except in very special circumstances) entry must be free to visitors. You can place a donations box at an appropriate point and seek voluntary donations to help you with your costs or to help fund a specific cause. You can also sell merchandise such as postcards and publications. Providing refreshments is an excellent means of fundraising, but be careful about your investment in food and drink if you have not run this kind of event before and are unsure about numbers.

Recording visitors It is a good idea to keep a visitors' book so that people can record their impressions of your event. This can be very helpful in planning for future years. We would like to know reactions to your event as well! Please try also to record numbers (at least in round figures). We will send you a feedback form that will help us to assess the event across Wales and also give you the chance to comment on the support we have given you.

Cancelling events Please make every effort to meet your commitment to participate. However, you may at the last moment have to change or cancel your arrangements. If you have previously contacted the media then tell them what has happened. If you have taken pre-bookings, contact those who have booked. If there is time, and you tell us of changed arrangements, we will include this information in our stop press distributions. Be aware that this is a very uncertain way of getting the news over, however! In the event of a cancellation you will ease the disappointment for visitors who turn up by having a representative at the site itself who can tell them of opportunities to visit other sites in the area. A personal touch of this kind will be appreciated.

Health and safety Have a basic medical kit available and keep a phone available in case of emergency. Consider the provision of signs and barriers if any areas of your site could be hazardous. Record accidents in a special book.

Theft Be sensible and make sure valuable items are locked away. You can use stewards for security as well as guides and you are within your rights to ban picture-taking if you think this could be a risk.
• Notify the Civic Trust for Wales in the event of any accidents, damage or thefts .