3.1 Establish an Organizing Committee

Each community must form a Doors Open organizing committee, usually consisting of representatives from local heritage organizations, tourism, arts and culture groups and business associations. Appoint a lead contact to coordinate, manage and act as liaison between the Heritage Community Foundation, the Doors Open Alberta Steering Committee and the participating community cluster.

3.2 Finances and Funding

Doors Open Alberta is a consortium of communities that work in partnership with the Heritage Community Foundation and has no core funding. Seed funding for Doors Open 2003 and 2004 was provided by the Alberta Historical Resources Foundation. The Heritage Community Foundation continues to seek funding grants for this program. This funding supports common activities such as: the website – www.doorsopenalberta.ca, joint marketing and promotional activities and provides seed funding to communities to participate in Doors Open.

It is important for each organizing community to establish a budget that includes all possible expenses and revenues including in-kind funding such as printing, photocopying, launch hosting, media coverage, etc.

3.3 Sponsorship

Participating communities should seek local sponsorship to support their event. Sponsorship can be cash or in-kind contributions and recognition could be given in the event program, in print advertising or at partner sites as determined by the organizing committee. Remember to contact your local tourism department and other local granting organizations to request assistance with funding. Where the opportunity exists for provincial or federal funding, the Heritage Community Foundation will prepare the application and administer the funds.

3.4 Coordination

The organizing committee should prepare a critical path or timeline for the event and assign tasks to committee members. Event coordination will vary depending on the size and scope of the community event. In some communities, an event coordinator may need to be appointed; while in other communities the role may be assumed by a volunteer, committee or staff from one of the participating site partenrs. Most communities opt to coordinate events by committee and specific people are charged with the tasks of identifying and recruiting sites, interpretive/educational programming, marketing/promotion, event management and volunteer recruitment.

3.5 Selecting Dates

The committee will need to determine the date(s) of their community Doors Open event in keeping with the provincial guidelines - between April 15 and October 1. Most events are held for two days over a weekend, with sites open between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. In many cases, Doors Open events are linked with existing festivals, attractions and tours in the region to maximize tourism opportunities. Linking to an existing festival or event also allows organizers to utilize the expertise and skills of the existing volunteer base.

3.6 Selecting Sites

The local organizing committee will identify appropriate sites in their community and region; establish contact with site owners to facilitate participation. The Doors Open committee is responsible for collecting Site Registration Forms from each participating site and compiling the information for their Doors Open promotional materials.

The range of suitable Doors Open Alberta sites may include:

• commercial buildings, industrial sites
• places of worship
• cemeteries
• inns, hotels and other hospitality structures
• schools and other educational facilities
• theatres and cinemas
• museums, historic sites and galleries
• sports complexes
• observation, water and other towers
• civic, provincial and/or federal buildings
• courthouses, jails private homes and gardens
• natural heritage sites
• fire halls, railway stations