Urban Breakfast

Toolkit for Urban Breakfast

Urban Breakfasts, held by the Habitat III Secretariat in collaboration with various esteemed partners, are aimed at creating illuminating and refreshing dialogue to reflect on challenges facing sustainable urban development and key priorities to take into account in implementing the New Urban Agenda.

Concept and Overview

As urbanization often follows different paths and trajectories that are dependent on national and regional contexts, the Urban Breakfasts focus on introducing and discussing regional urban perspectives, with the participation of key speakers from national governments, local authorities, academia, civil society, the private sector, and other stakeholders.

Urban Breakfasts have been one of the most powerful engagement tools in the run-up to Habitat III. They not only connected member states and stakeholders with the UN and the Habitat III process, but also helped to create a “Habitat III community” by connecting urban actors.

The role of Urban Breakfasts beyond Quito is to further engage these communities and help shape the narrative of the New Urban Agenda and its implementation in a manner that resonates strongly with specific local contexts.

Though customarily held in the mornings, Urban Breakfasts may also take place in at other times of the day and be branded accordingly (“Urban Afternoon”, “Urban Lunch”, etc.).

There have been 51 Urban Breakfasts throughout the Habitat III process, with several already scheduled after the conference and early 2017.

Partners’ Timeline and Checklist for Organizing an Urban Breakfast with the Habitat III Secretariat

Within at least one month before event:

  1. Coordinate with the Habitat III Secretariat via email

    Send us a message to habitat3media@un.org to express interest in co-organizing an Urban Breakfast. The email must include the following information:

    1. overview of the topic/theme

    2. prospective speakers (usually 3 to 5)

    3. prospective moderator

    4. prospective venue, date, and time.

  2. Invite prospective speakers and moderator

    Upon agreement of the Secretariat, invite prospective speakers and moderator, copying habitat3media@un.org, to confirm their availability.

  3. Finalize the programme

    Finalize the programme of the Urban Breakfast and send it to the Habitat III Secretariat. The programme should have the following:

    1. Exact address of venue including GPS Coordinates

    2. Date and time range of entire event

    3. Theme/topic

    4. Brief overview of theme/topic (maximum 150 words)

    5. Concept note or fact sheet elaborating the theme/topic (optional)

    6. Name of moderator and of each speaker, official designation, organization/government/company, and their/their organization’s social media handles

    7. Time slots for all event segments

      1. Registration (usually 30 minutes)

      2. Breakfast (usually 30 minutes)

      3. Introduction/opening remarks by moderator (5 to 10 minutes)

      4. Presentations by speakers

      5. Open Q&A: Discussion and questions from the audience

      6. Closing remarks

    See sample programme here.

  4. Send us your logo

    Send Habitat III a high-resolution logo of your organization and your social media accounts/handles.

Three weeks before the event:

  1. You should receive the following from Habitat III:

    1. Habitat III webpage of the programme

    2. Online registration form for Urban Breakfast participants. Sample here.

    3. Digital invitation to the event, which will contain the following:

      1. Partner’s logo/branding

      2. Link to the webpage/programme

      3. Link to the online registration form

    4. Save the Date social media card of the event. See sample here.

    5. Splash screen image file for backdrop of the event if using a projector/video wall

    6. Print-ready file for roll-up banner/s (please indicate specs/dimension)

    See sample here.

  2. Send out digital invitation of the event to your own network

Two weeks before the event:

  1. Arrange for any logistical needs at the venue like catering, audio-visuals, etc.

  2. Have branding collaterals/signage/roll-up banners you need during the event printed

  3. Start an online campaign promoting the event on your website and other digital platforms

    1. Use the hashtag #H3Breakfast, #NUA, or #NewUrbanAgenda

    2. Post the Save the Date social media card provided by the Secretariat

    3. Campaign should always include link to the programme webpage provided by the Secretariat and, where possible, the link to the online registration form

    4. Tag Habitat III in your posts promoting the event (@Habitat3UN for Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram)

    5. Minimum of four promotional posts on each channel throughout the two-week period

    6. Use the social media handles of your speakers or their organizations where appropriate/applicable

      Sample Tweet: Joyati Das of @WorldVision to discuss youth’s place in #urbanplanning at Nairobi #H3Breakfast. Join us! [link to programme webpage] #NUA

  4. Prepare two reminder post about the event to be published 3 days before the event, then 1 day before the event.

  5. Prepare a pre-filled/templated press release whose details and specifics (e.g., speaker quotes/soundbites, questions from audience) can be filled out during or immediately after the event, then published soon after the event. (400 to 600 words)

One week before the event:

  1. Prepare any advocacy materials, publications, etc. you want distributed during the event

  2. If using a video wall or projector, prepare the splash screen file sent by Habitat III and send it to the technician operating audio-visuals at the venue. Sample here.

  3. Collect any presentations (slides, video, etc.) that speakers want shown during the event.

  4. Assign sufficient personnel for each of the following tasks during the event:

    1. Manning registration desk

    2. Live reporting during the event on your digital channels (please guide them accordingly in terms of hashtags, tagging speakers’/organization’s, tagging @Habitat3UN, etc.)

    3. Livestreaming during the event

    4. Filling out the press release template during the event

    5. Photo documentation of the event

  5. Collect speakers’ profiles and send to moderator for her/him to make the proper introductions during the event

Three days before the event:

  1. Publish a reminder post.

  2. The Secretariat will close online registration (if number of registrants is sufficient for you; on average turnout is usually 50% to 70% of registrants).

  3. The Secretariat will send a reminder email about the event to registrants.

  4. Print out name plates for moderator and speakers

One day before the event:

  1. Publish a reminder post.

  2. The Secretariat will send a reminder email about the event to registrants.

  3. Prepare/print out a sign-in sheet with the names of the registrants (registrant list will be sent to you by the Secretariat)

  4. Prepare sheets of paper on which audience can list their questions, with sufficient number of pens

On the day of the event, on location:

  1. Registration desk

  2. Materials for distribution

  3. Audience area ready (tables, chairs, paper for their questions, pens, etc.)

  4. Speakers’ area ready (name plates, mic, podium, panel table, etc.)

  5. Roll-up banners and other signage in place

  6. Sound check

  7. Video wall check

  8. Test out all presentations

  9. Project splash screen onto the video wall

An hour to 30 minutes before the event:

  1. Brief moderator and speakers in terms of order in which they will speak, allocated duration of their presentations/keynote speeches

  2. Publish an “about to start” post on your digital channels

During the event:

  1. Live reporting on your digital channels (quotes, talking points, etc.) — minimum 8 posts on each channel during entire event.

  2. Share/repost content from others about the event if appropriate

  3. Livestreaming during the event

    1. If connection is disrupted and livestreaming is not possible, continue recording the event offline.

  4. Filling out the press release template

  5. Photo documentation of the event

Few hours after the event

  1. Send the following to the Habitat III Secretariat:

    1. Filled out press release

    2. Scan or digital copy of sign-in sheet

    3. Video file of event if video documentation was done offline

    4. Photos from event (captioned with names of key figures where applicable)