Groundbreaking program ceremony

And how do you plan and host one? In the past, this ritual represented making a sacred deposit to the earth, in exchange for a strong and lasting foundation.

Groundbreaking ceremonies are a great opportunity to bring everyone together to celebrate, give thanks, and share news about the project. But where do you start with planning one? Set a time for your event that makes sense for your guests.

This gives the general public a better chance to attend and hear more about your plans. It makes sense to host your groundbreaking ceremony at your new building location. Pick a spot on the property that works well for the structure of the event. Think about accessibility and how you can help your guests reach the ceremony site safely.

You might need to request a temporary pathway to be created, or arrange for golf buggies to be available to transport guests around. Before you start sending out invitations to guests, create a list of the speakers you want and get in touch with them for their availability.

Speakers will often be people with responsibility at your organization. In addition to your speakers, create a list of guests of honor.

These are people who were impactful in getting your project to where it is now. These might be funders, your board of directors, or a construction partner. If the building will benefit a particular nonprofit or branch of the community, invite a handful of these people along as guests of honor.

Match your guest list size to the space at your ceremony site and the intensity of your project. Split your guest list into a few groups of people. First, invite company executives at partner organizations and companies that contributed to the project. These might be building consultants, construction managers, architects, and financial contributors. Groundbreakings are flexible in style. They can be intimate and simple or elaborate and energetic.

If you are planning to have a groundbreaking ceremony, let your construction manager know as soon as possible so they are able to help choose a date to ensure the ceremony does not interfere with any work that may be in progress on the jobsite and choose an appropriate time within the construction schedule.

There are countless directions you could go in for your groundbreaking ceremony. These decisions depend on your vision and goals for your event and are could even be influenced by the type of building you are celebrating. It is also common practice to simply have the groundbreaking ceremony without any extra entertainment or activity.

Most ceremonies however incorporate at least speakers, sometimes more, who discuss the project, a bit about how the company got to this point and where the company is going in the future.

For example, a speaker from the organization itself, the developer, construction firm, and a local official. Typically, this portion of the ceremony is less than 30 minutes, so it is important to keep speakers on schedule. Make a list of all the individuals to be invited. It may include city, county and even state and federal officials; the local chamber of commerce and economic development groups; executives of the company or organization for which groundbreaking is occurring; and the local press.

Develop a contingency plan for bad weather. This could include a short ceremony outside for officials to dig the first shovel of dirt with the remainder of the ceremony held at a nearby inside location or in a tented area.

If weather prohibits any outside ceremony, decide whether to move the ceremony to a rain date alternative or eliminate the ceremonial dig and hold everything at an inside location.

Determine the best way to extend the event invitation. If the event is closed to the public, invite participants by mail, telephone or direct email.

If it is open to the public, then invitations can also be posted in the local newspaper and publicized in public service announcements on radio and television. Call to confirm that the date and time for the ceremony is on the schedule of every person who is on the program. Be sure everyone who is going to be asked to speak or do something for the event understands their roles within the program and the amount of time they have to speak.

Keep track of all RSVPs for logistics purposes. If a program speaker should drop out at the last moment, have an alternative speaker in mind to take her place and make the necessary arrangements as soon as possible. Call the local chamber of commerce or economic development group to ascertain if they have a groundbreaking kit.

Most organizations of this type will have rope or ribbons to mark off the site as well as a golden or other colored shovel and hardhats for the ceremony. They will typically provide those gratis for members of their group. If those things are not readily available, then determine how to obtain what you want or need on your own.

Establish a budget for the event. If no budget is available, determine ways to get the donations needed to make the ceremony happen as planned. Fort Dodge Community School District This new structure will enhance our students, benefit our community, and represent the committed values of Fort Dodge. Grades Middle School Project We would like to personally thank the Board of Education for making this vision a reality. We are grateful for the gen- September 23, 10 a.

For updates on the progress of the new middle school, visit www. Our Schools. Our Community. Our Pride. The new school building will be able to accommodate 1, students in grades 5 — 8. The building will be composed of Directed by Sarah Holder and Mike Richardson two wings, each being two stories tall. The east wing will serve as the academic wing and the west as the activity wing. The school is scheduled to open its doors for the start of the school year. Tina Mclaurin Dec. Total views. You just clipped your first slide!