Preparing for Sustainable Energy Days: registering events on the EUSEW portal
This year's European Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW) will take place from June 11 to 13 under the "Net-zero energy solutions for a competitive Europe" motto. EUSEW is a large event that unites efforts to achieve the EU's goals of overcoming the effects of climate change, improving energy efficiency and energy security, and sustainable community development. Ukraine has been joining the European Sustainable Energy Week since 2009.
Although it has become much more difficult for Ukrainian cities to organize such events in their communities due to the full-scale invasion of russia, some have still found opportunities to organize Sustainable Energy Days over the past 2 years while adhering to all safety measures. In addition to mobilizing the population to find ideas and make decisions in the field of clean energy and climate, the Sustainable Energy Days are also a magnet for public activism in times of war.
Registering events for the EUSEW on the European Sustainable Energy Week portal will allow you to draw the attention of the European community to your initiatives. We invite Ukrainian communities to join the Sustainable Energy Days, both in the period from March to June and in any other period convenient for the community during 2024.
To be eligible for the Sustainable Energy Days label as a part of EUSEW:
- events must take place from March 1 to June 30, 2024;
- events must be submitted on the EUSEW platform by May 31, 2024.
You can check out the 2023 EUSEW events here to see how other communities implemented their vision of Sustainable Energy Days last year.
Tips on organizing a SEE from the European Commission:
- Who, what, when
Sustainable Energy Days are for everyone, and anyone can apply, whether they be educational institutions, public bodies, energy agencies, trade or industry organisations, businesses, NGOs, EU project partners, associations or networks, or citizens. These events vary in duration and use different formats to explore a range of topics. They are held locally between March and June 2024 and require no admission fees.
- Have clear goals
Identifying well in advance what you or your organisation wish to achieve during the event will enable you to plan your lecture, workshop, focus group or info session more effectively. Clearly defining specific outcomes, whether it be brainstorming with members of your local community or networking with sustainable energy professionals, will also influence how you tell others about your event and provides a framework for evaluating its success afterwards.
- Identify your audience
Taking an idea and turning it into action requires different types of people with different types of skills – it all depends on the topic. For example, engaging with local residents is crucial for a community clean energy project, but identifying the best technical solutions requires energy sector partners with specialised knowledge.
- Make contact
After identifying your target audience, you should be proactive when reaching out to them. The dedicated interactive map on our website will show the wider EUSEW community where to find you, but you can further your outreach efforts using the Sustainable Energy Day organiser’s toolkit. Ready-to-use templates and social media posts will help you disseminate the message on your audience’s favourite social media channels. Moreover, your event will be featured in the EUSEW newsletter, which is distributed to over 16,000 subscribers, and actively promoted on the EUSEW social media platforms, where we have a combined following of over 20,000 people. This multi-faceted approach to promotion provides an excellent opportunity to increase awareness and engagement for your event, reaching a large and diverse audience interested in sustainable energy and climate goals.
- Collaboration is key
In the run-up to your event, think carefully about the best way to involve your audience. Build team spirit among attendees through ‘icebreaker’ activities when introducing themselves. During online events, use tools like Slido and breakout rooms to encourage debate and make participants the focus of your session. This will give them a sense of ownership, leading to effective results and a successful event.