Head Huggers Guide

The online guide to becoming a Head Hugger

So you want to set up your own Random Huggers event? Wonderful! Come and join us in spreading some really great hugs and loads of smiles - even if people don’t want a hug, just asking them brings a smile to their face!

Take time to read our philosophy Random Huggers Ethos and understand what we are all about. If you’re still keen then there follows a step-by-step guide to setting up your very own day and get hugging.

The Random Huggers mission: to get the world hugging; to spread the love, warmth and healing energy that is in a great hug.

Remember - random hugs are free - there is no exchange of money.

What next?

Setting up your own Random Huggers day is now only 9 steps away.

Step 1: Put the word out and find yourself a team of like minded people (people who love to hug, or at least love the challenge that, offering to hug a stranger, brings) who can help you set up the event. We recommend a few people to start out with and then it can grow as your team of Huggers does.

Step 2: Put the next Random Huggers Day in your diary (check the Home Page).

Step 3: Decide on a central location for your Random Huggers event. Choose one that has lots of people passing by and is highly visible from a distance. It could be a shopping mall, high street, civic centre, theatre or arts district. There needs to be room for people to pass by.

Step 4: Once you have decided on your location you will need to have a chat with your local council and police. They’ll want to know how many people you are expecting and how long it is going to last. You may need the council’s permission in writing and we suggest you begin asking at least 4-6 weeks ahead of time.

Step 5: Contact us to get your t-shirts, banner and stickers. We hold 4 sizes - S, M, L and XL in stock and they cost 10GBP each.
If you intend to grow your team of Huggers and have a large event, you may want to consider finding a sponsor so you can have your own t-shirts, banners and stickers. You will need to find the assistance of a wealthy individual or interested companies that are going to help out with producing the items you require. Remember Random Huggers is a not-for-profit organisation so whatever money you raise needs to be spent on the event itself. We have produced a guide of quantities and prices for the UK to get you started. . We have also written a letter that you can mail out to people you think might be interested in giving you some money. Don’t forget you can also ask printers directly for help in exchange for their logo on the items you produce. All the artwork is available from Mayella.

Step 6: Now you need to form your group of huggers for your day. The best way to do this is to involve your team in asking everyone they know and ask them to speak to everyone they know and so on. Send an email or call and invite them along. We think that between 10-20 huggers per location is a good number to aim for, all they need to do to join your team is buy a t-shirt for £10 on the day.

Step 7: A good way to generate interest in your Random Huggers event is to have a magazine or newspaper article written about your day. Radio interviews are also good. Journalists are always looking for a good story so let them know what you are planning. Make a list of all the people that you know that work in the media. Start scanning all the magazines and newspapers that you can, local papers are also very good. Look for places that you think your Random Huggers story might fit and make a note of the journalist or editor that has written that section. Call up the publications and find out the best person to speak to, their email address and direct phone number if possible.

Copy the press release, update it with your local information and then send it out to everyone on your list. Cut and paste the release into the body of your email, never send it as an attachment. Journalists are extremely busy so don’t expect a call. You call them to follow up, engage them in the idea and ask them if there is anything else you can tell them that will convince them to cover the day for you. Never leave voicemail.

Step 8: Either take your camera with you on the day or invite someone to come and take photos of your event on the day. We will publish the best ones on the website, they may also be used for press articles.

Step 9: Meet up at about 10am on the day at your designated location. Find a space that you can use as your base and a place to leave everyones’ bags is helpful, ensure the Huggers keep their valuables with them. Set up your banner and collect the money for the t-shirts you give to the huggers. Huggers should wear a t-shirt and have a bundle of stickers at the ready.

Make sure everyone knows how to hug!!

Huggers work in twos/threes, so ask everyone to team up.

Thank everyone for coming along, remind them about the Random Hugger ethos and why you are all there and then take them through the following HUG procedure:

RANDOM HUGGING PROCEDURE

Make sure you're wearing your Random Huggers t-shirt and you have paired up.

Smile! Make eye contact with a possible HUG target (a huggee!).

Ask them: "Did you know it’s Random Huggers day today?"
"and what we do on Random Huggers day is give away free hugs
Would you like a free hug?"

If they say yes, step forward and give them a hug.
The hug lasts as long as the Huggee wants.
When you have finished give them a sticker and ask them to spread the hugs.

If someone makes an unwanted gesture be firm and send them on their way. Don’t get into a drama about it, let it go and move on, there are plenty of other people in the world that want a hug.

Enjoy your day of hugs.

And don’t forget to Celebrate!

When you’re done we would love some feedback on what happened. Stories, quotes, responses from the public, how many people you hugged (count the stickers you gave away) the media coverage you got and if you are keen to do the same again next year.

We have based the following quantities on a team of 30 huggers working for 3 hours in a busy location.

Quantity	Item	Cost
50	t-shirts	approx. £300
3,000	stickers	approx. £50
2	banners	approx. £80

You can ask each of your huggers to purchase their t-shirt for £2 - £3 above cost price, which will help you towards costs of printing, banners and stickers.

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