How to organize a Come From Away
group video screening

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This guide was created by Garret Shields, Pay It Forward 9/11 board member, to aid you in your  mission of hosting your own ‘Come From Away’ screening:

 

As we have learned from hosting several screenings over the years, there are many pieces of the puzzle you will need to make your  event successful.

 

The biggest disclaimer we must emphasize: For copyright reasons from Apple TV:  you CANNOT charge any fee to patrons to view the film. We hope you'll agree the more people who experience this musical and learn the story, the better our world will be.

 

If you are going to have an event such as dinner beforehand, you can charge a fee for that, but the film screening must remain a free event.

 

It is acceptable and appreciated to solicit donations from event attendees for your own school or charity, as well as donations for Pay it Forward 9/11, Inc, a 501c3 nonprofit organization.

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Quick Agenda:

1. Organizer: Welcome, provide event overview, emergency & cell phone instructions

2. Play Come From Away on Apple TV 1 hr 46 minutes, including photos of real characters with their doppelganger actors during credits

3. Invite volunteer representative of Pay it Forward 9/11 to facilitate group conversation on ways to "be like Gander" and participate in "11 Days of Kindness" each September. (10-15 minutes before, or after the video)

4. Optional: invite local first responders or those with a personal connection to the 9/11 tragedy to help us "never forget" the lives lost. (10-15 minutes)

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Good luck in your mission to spread kindness! 

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Your "Come From Away" Screening Checklist

1. Secure Your Venue & Date (3+ Months Out): Choose an indoor location and confirm its maximum seating capacity. Consider partnering with a church or non-profit for donated space.

2. Set Up Ticketing (3+ Months Out): Use a platform like Eventbrite to "sell" free tickets to track attendance. You can charge for add-ons like pre-paid concessions or parking to raise funds.

3. Gather A/V Equipment (2 Months Out): You'll need an Apple TV subscription, a laptop with HDMI, a 1080P or higher projector, a large screen, speakers, and various cables. Optional items include wireless microphones, a sound mixing board, and an HDMI splitter.

4. Advertise Your Event (2 Months Out): Don't rely solely on Eventbrite's tools. Utilize social media (Facebook Ads are recommended), local flyers, and signage at your venue.

5. Staff Your Event (2 Months Out): Plan for at least two parking attendants, two door greeters/ticket scanners, an A/V person, concession stand workers, and at least three ushers.

6. Plan Concessions for Fundraising: This is a primary way to raise funds. Purchase items like bottled water, soda, coffee, hot dogs, pizza, chips, and popcorn from bulk retailers. Don't forget paper plates, napkins, and coffee supplies.

7. Finalize Details, Order Pay it Forward 9/11 promo items & Print Materials (1 Month Out): Confirm all donors and advertisements for your event program (optional, but a good way to secure sponsorships). Order Pay it Forward 9/11 wristbands and Smile cards and printed programs for the screening, if you're using them.

8. Pre-Event Setup & Testing (1 Week - 1 Day Out): If possible, begin setting up your A/V system and chairs. Crucially, test your A/V system and volume levels thoroughly by playing a portion of the film.

9. Day-Of Execution: Get to the venue early for final A/V checks. Have optional room decorations, concessions prepped an hour before doors open, and parking attendants in place 30 minutes prior. Play light music, open doors on time, and remind guests about the 100-minute film runtime and restroom availability before starting.

10. Post-Event Gratitude & Cleanup: Thank your guests and pick raffle winners (if applicable). Begin cleanup after guests leave. Send thank-you notes to all vendors and ensure your bank information is correct for any Eventbrite payouts.

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Items you will need for the film screening: 

1. Subscription to Apple TV (This is where the film lives; search "Come From Away") 

2. Laptop with HDMI output or another device capable of plugging into a projector 

3. Projector – Must be 1080P or higher to work with Apple TV Streaming 

 Large projection screen. If you purchase one from Amazon, it will only support front-facing  projection. Higher-quality screens can accommodate rear projection. 

4. Large speakers and stands – We rented 2 from Guitar Center rentals, they included speaker wires. 

5. Chairs, if your event space does not already have them (or pews if at a church) 

6. HDMI Cables – depending on your needs and set up, we used a 50’ cable between the tech booth  and the projector and 30’ cables between the booth and TV monitors.

7. GFI Extension cords and power strips 

8. Wireless Microphone(s) (Optional if you plan on having an MC or speakers for your event) 

9. 6- or 8-foot tables for name tags, give aways, concessions

10. Eventbrite.com service (we used this to register and assign free tickets as our space had limited capacity) 

 

Optional:

Design and print your own Playbill (Optional – used to sell advertisements) 

Concession stand (optional)

​Sound board and engineer (depending on the venue)​

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2-3 Months before your event 

• Decide on a location to host the screening. We suggest an indoor venue if you are not in an area  where the weather always cooperates. We used the community hall at a fire station where a board  member works. The event space was donated to us. Seek a church or other non-profit to partner  with you on your event. 

• Secure the venue and date, and find out the maximum seating capacity. 

o Depending on your projection setup, determine how many people you can accommodate.  If you use a rear projector, you will lose 10 to 15 feet of space. If the projector is front facing, account for the void space in front of it, unless you have a ceiling-mounted  projector system. 

• Create your event in Eventbrite or another online platform where you can register and assign free tickets.

--Eventbrite can set up a free event for your guests where they do not pay for a ticket, but  rather reserve the space so you can keep track of how many guests you are expecting. Do  not use the “Donation” option when you create through Eventbrite, as this will not accurately count the number of individual people coming. 

--You can have add-ons such as pre-paid concessions, razzle tickets, parking, etc.

▪ If you use a venue that allows, charge for parking. This is a great way to raise funds and cover the overhead costs of your event. 

o Eventbrite's website has many FAQs and “How To” sections. Pay It Forward 9/11 does not  receive any financial support from them; we have just found their services to be the most  useful for these screening events. 

o Account for people needing space for wheelchairs or people who can transfer to a seat.  You can set this up as a question when you create ticket options in Eventbrite. 

o You can view our Eventbrite page from the 2024 event here. 

• Optional: Start working on an event program. We used Playbill’s Playbuilder to create authentic  programs and posters for the event. This was primarily used to sell advertisement space and  sponsorships to local businesses who donated money, goods, and/or prizes to our charity raffle. If  you go this route, you will need someone tech-savvy with Photoshop to create this. 

• Order Pay it Forward 9/11 wristbands and Smile cards (1-3 for each attendee) and a pop-up banner for a small fee here.

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2 Months Out 

• Secure your A/V rentals or purchase equipment. Not all guitar centers will have rental equipment,  so we suggest calling around before driving to the locations. If you’re ordering things from Amazon,  give yourself extra time to test the equipment and return/exchange if something is broken or  doesn’t work. 

• Advertise your event. Eventbrite has advertising tools, but don’t rely solely on them. Use  Facebook, Instagram, and other social media advertising tools. We ran a $150 advertisement using Facebook Ads, generating a great deal of traZic to the event page.  

o If your venue allows it, put up a marquee or sign advertising the event and a webpage for  people to navigate.

o Print 8.5” x 11” flyers in color, and hand them out to local businesses. Ask local businesses  if they would donate product or money in exchange for advertisement space (if using a  Playbill or other program). We had several local restaurants donate food to our concession  stand. Local golf courses are another great option for seeking out a donation. 

▪ If local businesses engage you, make sure to either get a specific black-and-white  print ad they want printed or an oZicial logo you can print in the event program and  website. 

• Confirm volunteers who will be “working” at your event. You need 

o 1-2 Parking lot attendants  

o 2 Door greeters and ticket scanners (if applicable)

o A/V Person 

o Concession stand workers 

o At least three ushers to help people find seats, distribute name tags, etc.

o RaZle/Merchandise booth workers (if you opt in for this) 

o Separate clean-up/take down volunteers

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1 Month Out 

• Finalize donors and publicity announcements, social media posts and advertisements for printing in your program or other print media.

• Confirm your A/V rentals, if any. 

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• Optional- Design and Print Playbills or have programs printed. Playbuilder has a quick turnaround, but you will pay a  higher price depending on how far away you are shipping from NYC and how fast you need the  programs. Give yourself extra time! 

• Continue to advertise your event in as many ways as possible. Even if you have “sold out,” continue to promote as you will likely have a 25-50% no-show rate if people have not committed  any money to your event (e.g. parking, prepaid concessions, raZle tickets, etc.). 

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1 Week – 1 Day Out 

• If you can access your venue, begin setting up your projector, sound system, tech booth, and  chairs. The larger the venue, the more time you will need. See Page 5 for an example diagram and  photos of one of our events. 

• Test your A/V system and check volume levels. Run through at least the full opening number, stand  in the back of your venue where people can sit, and be sure the volume is loud enough. • Buy all your concessions and confirm with any businesses donating food on delivery/pick-up  times. 

• If using Eventbrite, train your staZ how to use the Eventbrite software to scan and “sell” tickets. 

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Day of Event 

• Get to your venue as early as possible, test your A/V equipment again, play the film, and recheck  the audio levels.

• Have your concessions team prepping food at least 1 hour before opening your doors.

• Have your parking lot attendants in place thirty minutes before your scheduled door opening time.

• Have light music playing in the background just before opening the doors. 

• Open doors at your designated time and scan tickets as people come in. 

• Five minutes before you start the film screening, remind your guests that Come From Away is a  100-minute show with no intermission and encourage them to use the restroom now.

• Before you start, point out emergency exits and who they can seek out if they need help.

• Start your show! 

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• After your event, thank guests for coming. If you are doing a charity raZle, this would be a good  time to pick the winners. 

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Clean Up/Break Down 

• If your venue permits, do some clean up and break down after your guests have left, but don’t try  to do it all in one night, unless you have the willing bodies to help you. 

• Send thank you cards and copies of the Playbill or program to all the vendors who donated to your  event. 

• If you used Eventbrite to sell/collect money, be sure your bank information is entered to receive  the proper payout. 

* Post photos on your social media about the event tagging @payitforward911 and using #comefromaway #payitforward911 and #11daysofkindness

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We used this as a primary way to raise funds during the event. These are the prices we charged. All  concessions were purchased from Costco, Restaurant Depot, and Wegmans. 

 Bottled water 16.9oz - $1.50 

 Canned soda - $2.00 

 Capri-Sun Pouches - $2.00 

 Coffee - $2.00 

 Hot Dogs - $2.00 

 Pizza Slices (Cheese and Pepperoni) - $ 3.00 

 Single serving chip bags - $1.00 

 Popcorn - $1.50 (We had a popcorn maker) 

Other items you need for concessions: 

 Paper plates 

 Napkins 

 Bags for popcorn (Amazon) 

 Coffee cups and lids 

 Coffee stir stix or spoons 

 Sugar (for coffee) 

 Creamer (for coffee) 

 Trash cans/bags

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POST-EVENT

Email info@payitforward911.org with a summary and photos of your event. If you're able to solicit names and email addresses for the Pay it Forward 9/11 newsletter, please share that list. 

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Send thank you notes to sponsors, event venue and speakers.

 

Sample Floor Plan (Not To Scale – We had 15 rows of 14 chairs with rear-projector set up)

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