What You Need to Know to Secure an IF:Local Venue

Every IF:Local is unique! Here is a recent Facebook poll of IF:Local leaders regarding the type of venue they are using in February:

At the end of the day, most women will grab friends and watch it at a home. We have also heard of gatherings meeting at… community centers, local high schools, lots of churches, vacation homes, prisons, pregnancy centers, and other retreat centers. There are lots of ideas out there, but a few elements are necessary to have a great IF:Local experience.

1. Excellent Internet & Screen

Our hope if that all IF:Local participants would have an outstanding livestream experience. In order to do that, you need:

• a computer with an Ethernet port
• Ethernet cord
• Internet connection with a download bandwidth of at least 700Kbps
• Television or projector that everyone can see!

2. Seating that is Comfortable & Facilitates Conversation

A 2-day gathering is no joke! We hope that women are comfortable physically and we pray that that leads to them to feel safe, able to have authentic dialogue with one another. There will be time throughout each session where women will have the opportunity to process out loud with one another. We will provide conversation cards that IF:Local hosts will need to print for those conversation breaks.

3. Food & Drink is Permitted

It is important  that your venue allows food and drink for two reasons. Again, we want women to be in an environment where they can pay attention and food and drink help do exactly that. A hungry stomach can be very distracting, so it is best if they can snack and drink during the livestream. Second, most IF:Locals eat Friday dinner or Saturday lunch at the venue. It saves on time and allows groups to jump back end to the program and not take the full 2 hour break.