How to conduct a Shopfront Display

Displays and Exhibits

Shopfronts or site offices provide a temporary 'headquarters' where people can come for information or to see and talk to the people who are knowledgeable about or planning about an issue or project.

Shopfronts can produce a better informed community, and allow people to feel greater ownership of a process, organisation, or community.

Method:

1. Select a centralized venue that has a lot of passer-by traffic. Usually owners of vacant shops are very happy to lease over short periods of time.
2. Select staff/volunteers with strong public relations skills and knowledge of the project and participatory processes (i.e.who will encourage people to chat and discuss issues and be aware of offering different feedback options).
3. Provide display materials, printed public information materials, technical reports, maps, photographs etc. that will be provide all sectors of the community with a means to understand the issues or proposals.
4. Advertise the variety of opportunities for public participation throughout the participation program.
5. Provide a variety of opportunities for feedback, including speaking person-to-person, filling in feedback sheets and contacting email/website addresses.
6. Provide adequate seating and consider visitors' comfort (drinks, toilets, childcare, accessibility).
7. Staff should record visits to document participation process and to note issues, concerns and suggestions and report these to the organisation/organisers.

Uses/strengths:

• Can allow for access participants who are not generally interested in formal participation programs
  
• Can improve public relations
  
• Can provide greater convenience for community accessibility
• Can facilitate informal participation
• Can help to identify and locate project stakeholders

Special considerations/weaknesses:

• Community members may not consider this a legitimate avenue to have a say.
  
• The shopfronts can be easily targeted by activists.