Plan Your World COPD Day Event

World COPD Day 2011 materials now available!  Additional WCD 2011 materials will be available as November 16 approaches.

On this page, we break down the activity planning process into a few simple steps, and guide you to the resources that you'll find useful along the way.

Step 1: Choose an Activity
Step 2: Recruit Support
Step 3: Tell GOLD
Step 4: Alert the Media
Step 5: Gather Resources
Step 6: Have a Successful World COPD Day!


1: Choose an activity

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2: Recruit support

  • Link up with other World COPD Day activity organizers in your area, and seek advice from organizers of past events, through GOLD’s listings of World COPD Day activities around the world.
  • You can also visit World COPD Day on Facebook to stay up to date and connect with fellow organizers!
  • Talk to others you'd like to participate in your event: local or national government representatives; leaders of your hospital, medical school, or respiratory society; senior centers; anti-smoking groups; prominent people such as athletes and entertainers who either have COPD themselves or have family members with COPD.

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3: Tell GOLD

  • Let us know about the activities you're planning for the public, health care professionals, and the media. We'll post the details on this Website.
    Fill in Web-based activity information form
    Downloadactivity information form (MS Word) to email to GOLD.

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4: Alert the Media

  • Use GOLD’s step-by-step guide to working with the media to help you gain media coverage of your World COPD Day activities. Ideally, you'll begin working on your media strategy 6 weeks before your event.
    View Media Guide in html
    Download Media Guide (MS Word)
  • World COPD Day Media Kit: download, adapt, and translate these materials, and use them to help you gain coverage of your event:
    Letter to Media:To help you introduce yourself and your story to media outlets. Please adapt this letter as necessary depending on the particulars of your event.
    GOLD Backgrounder: To include in your press pack.
    World COPD Day Backgrounder: To include in your press pack.
    Spirometry Backgrounder: To include in your press pack.
    Radio Ad COPD: Script #1 for a radio advertisement/Public Service Announcement.
    Radio Ad Spirometry: Script #2 for a radio advertisement/Public Service Announcement.
  • See Step 5: Gather Resources below for more advice and materials for planning a media event.

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5: Gather Resources

Download, adapt, and translate as necessary the resources that you want to use for your event. English versions of World COPD Day resources are provided here. (All materials copyright GOLD 2011 except external links and where otherwise noted.)

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6: Have a Successful World COPD Day!

  • We hope your event is a great success!
  • After World COPD Day, monitor your local media for coverage of your event
  • Tell us how it went!
  • Remember, it's never too early to start planning for World COPD Day next year!

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