Manufacturing Day
Connect with your community and future workforce
Manufacturing Day is not just for big companies or industry associations. It's a great opportunity for you to connect to your community. Show residents and students how manufacturing offers great jobs, contributes to the economy, and steps up to help with local needs during challenging times.
According to studies conducted by Deloitte and the Manufacturing Institute, after attending MFG day events 84% of participants are more convinced that manufacturing provides careers that are interesting and rewarding.
Manufacturing Day is the first Friday in October, and events continue throughout the month. Whether you've held events in the past or you're new to these activities, it may take a little extra time (or creativity) to plan activities this year. The great news is, hosting virtual events can often be more flexible and have a greater reach!
If you don't know where to start, there are lots of free resources available, with ideas for both safe, in-person events and innovative alternatives to in-person events. We encourage all manufacturers to follow all local, state and national health directives and recommended safety guidelines.
For either virtual or in-person events, the MFGday.com website is an excellent place to start. Just register your MFG Day event and download materials like planning guides (such as the MFG Day Host Toolkit) and pre-made promotional items.
Check out the resources below and elsewhere on our site to help you plan and promote your event.
- Downloadable graphics for multiple social media channels
- Alternatives to in-person events
- Messaging Guide for In-person Events
- Messaging Guide for Virtual Events
- Messaging Guide for Partners
And of course, you can contact MMEC for ideas and help! Contact the Montana Manufacturing Extension Center by email or call (406) 994-3812 for more info and resources.
Resources for:
Resources for Manufacturers
Consider hosting or participating in Manufacturing Day activities, either in-person or virtually in your community. A successful event can help you with brand awareness, product promotion, and workforce recruitment - all beneficial to both your short-term needs and long-term sustainability.
Now's the time to start planning - it may take a little more creativity than in the past, but aren't we all about innovative solutions theses days? Here are some options to consider:
- In-person events. If you have space at your facility, it may still be possible to host a tour, demonstration, or instructional activity on site. If you're interested in this check out the updated MFG Day Host Toolkit, which has been expanded to include safety considerations for in-person events.
- Virtual (or other "distanced") events. Using an online meeting platform, you can create pre-taped presentations or even a live interactive event. (Put your new Zoom skills to work!) Get more ideas in the MFG Day Host Toolkit, see our alternatives to in-person events webpage or check out this NIST article on How to Host a Virtual Manufacturing Day Event.
- Partner and Share. If you don't want to take the lead on an event, you can join or share the events or digital content of others. You could serve as a speaker on a webinar with manufacturers from around the country. Or maybe you could curate a playlist of the best manufacturing videos on a certain topic for your local high school.
Get news out via social media with our downloadable graphics for Pinterest, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram or our graphics with a little humor.
Speaking of schools, it's a good idea to coordinate with your schools early, even if you've worked with them in the past. They need time to coordinate activities with class schedules, arrange transportation, and other planning. Some have changed their schedules and others may be interested in online only events.
And of course, if you want more help getting started, you can contact MMEC for ideas and help! Contact your regional business advisor to find out what's going on right in your area.
Want more? Check out our two messaging Guides for Manufacturers: Messaging Guide for Live Events and the Messaging Guide for Virtual Events.
Resources for Partners
Now is the time to reach out to your local manufacturers, give them some encouragement, and help them get started. Here are some ideas and resources to share with them.
- Show them the www.mfgday.com website. After they register, they’ll be able to download planning guides and pre-made promotional materials. The updated MFG Day Host Toolkit has been expanded to include safety considerations for in-person events and ideas for virtual events.
- Connect them to other manufacturers or planned events in your area in case they might be interested in partnering on a joint event. In fact, with virtual events, partners can be anywhere in the country!
- Encourage them to follow and tag your organization on social media, and share each other’s MFG Day posts and event announcements. This is another good way to engage manufacturers who may not want to initiate their own posts or events. (If possible, try to collect information from them about their accomplishments and employment statistics, so that you can disseminate it even if they can’t.) MFG Day (and month) is a great opportunity to spread the word on how manufacturing impacts our state, your community, and everyone’s life!
- Connect them to your contacts in local schools, tech schools, and colleges who can help them plan activities that appeal to students at all levels. Remind them that it’s important to coordinate with schools early – some have changed their schedules and others may be interested in online-only events. As a partner organization, you may want to help collect and organize information about Manufacturing Day educational activities in your area, which will be a valuable resource to your clients.
We all know this a crucial time to help our manufacturers with brand awareness, promotion, and workforce recruitment. A great Manufacturing Day event can help your area residents see businesses in a new way – as innovators, as community leaders and benefactors, and as employers who offer rewarding career opportunities.
See our Messaging Guide for Partners for more ideas and information.
Resources for Educators
Manufacturers want to show middle school and high school students that manufacturing is not just production work – manufacturing is high tech and diverse. Your students may have the perfect career waiting for them and they don’t even know it.
So, what can educators do to help? Go to www.mfgday.com, click Find Events, and see what is happening in your community as well as “virtually” from all over the country. Then, expose your students:
- Consider a field trip: take your students to a local manufacturer’s live event.
- Watch a virtual event with your class.
- Ask your students what interests them and have them find a virtual event to watch for extra credit.
- Reach out directly to the manufacturer and find out specifics you can pass on to your students and fellow teachers. Work with them to plan activities such as a virtual career day, virtual facility tour, or others which will engage your students.
- Follow MMEC and manufacturers on social media, and share interesting posts with fellow teachers, as well as students.
- Post your Manufacturing Day activities on social media using #MFGDay22 and please tag the manufacturer(s) and MMEC (@mfginmt) so we can cheer you on!
Downloadable Graphics
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Below are five messages, each with layout options for several social media channels. Feel free to download and add to your channels to promote Manufacturing Day.
- Would you like to create your own? Email us and see how you can customize the graphics.
Pinterest Graphics 735 x 1102
Facebook/ LinkedIn Graphics 1200 x 628
Twitter Graphics 1200 x 670
Instagram Graphics
Halloween
