Advocacy Days
Advocacy days and legislative fly-ins are important events for member-based organizations or corporations seeking to raise their visibility on Capitol Hill. By bringing constituents from across the U.S. to the Capitol to advocate on common interests, organizations ranging from trade associations to nonprofits and civic groups to labor unions can deliver their message directly to legislators and attract champions to their cause.
It is important that you create an event that is memorable and effective, leaving a positive impression on both legislators and your community.
Putting it All Together
Preparation is key to a successful advocacy day. JDC’s experienced team can help you plan and execute your complete event, from site selection to post-event follow-up:
- Travel arrangements, including booking flights, arranging shuttle service to and from the airport, and arranging in-town transportation.
- Site selection, contract negotiations, and venue coordination, including hotel accommodations, meeting sites, and accessibility considerations.
- Food and beverage arrangements, including accommodation of dietary needs.
- Appointment scheduling to ensure you’re on legislators’ calendars, and preparation of information packets to prepare them for your visit.
- Pre-event preparation and coaching tips for your advocates, including lists of congressional members’ votes, bill sponsorships, and other commitments, to help you present a clear, unified message.
- Onsite management by experienced event organizers, including staff to serve as directional guides in the Congressional Office Buildings.
- Communications: Onsite coordinators can text, email, and call to help advocates be in the right place at the right time amid changing schedules. For larger groups, our team can help you choose and implement a mobile app to help the logistics of your fly-in go smoothly.
Capitalize on your time in the Capitol
Advocacy days provide opportunities for organizations to update their members and gain more visibility. They’re also an excellent opportunity for in-person networking. Whether you add an organized convention, an annual meeting, or simply a new video or other materials distributed to members, a fly-in is an ideal means of strengthening your organization and its causes.
For more, check out The Tell-All Guide to Advocacy Days on our blog.
An Example
A ride on the President’s Marine One helicopter is made possible through our client Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, a leading U.S. manufacturer of helicopters and other aircraft.
Each year, Sikorsky hosts an Advocacy “Fly-In” conference for its suppliers that includes an opening reception, orientation sessions and meetings with Congressional representatives. The conference regularly attracts approximately 600 participants.
Since 2011, we have handled supplier invitations, registration and development of collateral materials for the conference, plus assisted participants with the process of arranging appointments on Capitol Hill. Because of the dynamic nature of these events, we continually update Sikorsky with registration numbers and demographics as well as expedite the process of revising and reprinting collateral materials.