It starts with a smile and an invitation.

By Editor | April 26, 2023 |

By Valerie Belusko
University of Illinois Extension
How many times have you visited a community carnival, event, or activity that is not in your hometown? With two very active children, I can tell you my family visits lots of area community events! I’ve noticed a few things. When I walk around with my wide-eyed, smiling children looking to buy all the food, trinkets, and tickets for rides, I get lots of positive feedback from strangers making me feel welcome to the event and community. Positive reactions make everyone feel welcome, so my kids and I feel welcome in the community. When this happens, 99% of the time, we return to the community because we enjoy the atmosphere! (That means we are spending money and putting pictures of the community and event up on social media to share with our friends, which is a great return on the investment for the community hosting the event!)
Sometimes my friends and I like to visit events, in other towns, sans children. We usually attend these events in pairs or small groups. We are all in our forty’s now…so this means we are tired, overworked mama’s just looking for some rest, relaxation, and fun. We might have some dark circles under our eyes, highlighted by a few soft wrinkles, but that does not mean we are grumpy monsters who do not deserve a friendly reception. It is amazing how interaction with venders and community members changes when no children are around. It is not as easy to make small talk with a stranger if you cannot compliment a child’s behavior or cute hair or comment about their “bussin” shoes. (I just learned that pop culture word, and I feel pretty good about placing it in that sentence. For those who don’t know, my understanding is that “bussin” means great or awesome.) Why is it so hard to make friendly conversations with adults? It comes naturally for some people, but for many, small talk is hard.
Unfortunately, when people do not feel welcome, they are not likely to revisit that town or attend other events. I’ll give you an example. Years ago, my friends and I were at a community festival, and a local club was doing a fundraiser by having a washer tournament. An area was roped off with a sign that said, “Washer Tournament, teams of 4, $25 to enter, 18 and older.” No additional information was given. No time was listed, no signup sheet and no person was sitting out front by the sign who could answer questions. Worst of all was the unwelcoming behavior of the four teams playing washers. We asked if any of them were in charge. They just gave us annoyed looks and shrugged their shoulders. That was it. There was no other interaction. (By the way, two of these individuals were wearing t-shirts that had the logo of the organization hosting the washer tournament.) It was weird and we felt very unwelcome.
By the way, I have not returned to another event in that town. In fact, when talking to others, it became apparent that my friends and I were not the only people who felt unwelcome. This town marketed this event within a 30-mile radius, but, as it turns out, the community members thought of this event as one for only “community members” and not “outsiders.” While this is perfectly fine, I think community leaders should have saved their money and not marketed the event outside of the community.
It is so bizarre that such a small interaction (or lack thereof) can put such a lasting impression in someone’s mind about that community. This “bad taste” left in our mouths could have easily been avoided if the community had ensured enough volunteers to run the booths and events. Having someone in front of the entrance of this washer tournament would have allowed visitors an opportunity to have someone to ask questions to or even receive a friendly smile from. This simple solution could have made all the difference in our perception of the event and community.
While this is a rather minor issue to bring up for my first community and economic development submission in the paper, it is highly relevant. We are now in the season of farmers markets, craft fairs, carnivals, music festivals, sidewalk sales, drawing competitions with sidewalk chalk, and food festivals. Now is the time to ensure your community is properly prepared to welcome visitors. Do you have enough volunteers to run your event properly? Have you ever thought about having a mini meeting before the event where you talk about ways to make visitors feel welcome? Have you talked to your volunteers about communication skills they might not naturally think about, such as tone, body language, eye contact, or facial expressions? If not, consider having some of these conversations or bringing in a facilitator (such as myself) to guide the conversation and stress the importance of these issues.
You only get one chance to make a first impression so make it a good one!
Community and Economic Development programming helps community leaders, residents, and businesses build capacity for renewal and growth by collaborating with local communities to build effective teams to address their community’s challenges. For more information about services and programs Valerie can offer to your organization or business within Christian, Jersey, Macoupin, and Montgomery counties, please contact her at [email protected] or call 217-532-3941.
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