The reaction at the place of the event was as we expected. An extraordinary event got the attention of the people passing by a shopping mall. A high percentage of them were target group members. People came to look closer, listened to the commentary and some of them took the 'instant water'. The presenter was interacting with them and interviewing them about their water-saving habits in a funny and witty way. A second wave of attention was drawn by a video that was taken during the action. In regard to the fact that two well-known Czech actors played in the video, it drew the desired attention of the target group, mainly in social networks.
The action attracted media and had quite good media coverge. News and photographs from the action appeared in one online newspaper article (www.denik.cz), printed local Prague daily newspapers (METRO, Pražský deník), and one printed nationwide daily newspaper (Mladá fronta DNES).
We found out that it would have been better to address the target group in a closed space or in a venue where the YMPs have exclusive access, i.e., it might be better to have the event directly in the shopping mall, in a gym, by an open-air swimming pool, or in a similar place. As our event was in an open space in front of the mall, elderly and homeless people gathered around. That sort of distracted some members of the target group from staying longer and from interaction. This tool – performance with confusing message – would maybe be better in different cultures.
Check in advance if you need a permit to hold the event in a public space or on private grounds. As our event was in front of the mall, we thought we actually needed the mall’s permission. In fact we needed permission from the city council, and for our kind of event we should have applied a month before the event. However, thanks to the kindness and understanding from the officials, we got a type of permit which is actually designated for different types of events.