Our resident meetings 'guru' Tony Carey supplies
regular tips and ideas for more successful meetings management.
TONY CAREY'S TOP TIPS FOR CONFERENCE PLANNERS
PART A. -Preliminary Planning
No.1. The Initial Brief. When presented with the task of organising a
conference or meeting, establish (or demand) a clear and comprehensive
brief about the parameters you will be operating within. You need to
know the limits of your responsibility, whether any decisions are already
made, and what financial obligations you have. Obtain clear guidance
on the aims and objectives of the event and ascertain to whom you report
(and how often). I advise that, as project manager, you assume as much
decision-making responsibility as possible, from the outset.
PART A. -Preliminary Planning
No. 2. The Planning process. All great projects from the D-Day landings
to putting man on the moon started with an idea leading to a vision
leading to a concept leading to an outline plan leading to a blueprint.
Planning for meetings and events should follow the same process. The
blueprint is then broken down into small manageable component tasks
for members of the planning team to organise. These are then woven
together by the event director or organiser to create the finished
product. It is a procedure that cannot be completed without excellent
communication skills.
PART A. -Preliminary Planning
No.3. Reflection and Research. When you are presented with the task of
organising a conference or meeting, resist the temptation to immediately
reserve rooms in your (or the chairman's) favourite hotel or to book
that fabulous band for the conference dinner. Pause, take a few hours
(or days if you can) to ponder on the project and put some thoughts
on paper. Talk to colleagues and friends to get ideas before picking
up the phone to arrange anything. Plan your research.
PART A. -Preliminary Planning
No. 4. Building Blocks. The Great Wall of China, the Pyramids and York
Minster are examples of great structures where every stone has been
selected, shaped for its purpose and fits uniquely in its place. So
it should be with a conference or major event. Every component part
should be carefully chosen and honed to support the whole. This means
choosing the most suitable suppliers, facilities and systems to best
accomplish the desired outcome. They should also work together, seamlessly.
It is the organiser’s task to ensure this.
PART A. -Preliminary Planning
No.5. Seek History. If the event or a similar one has been held in the
past, obtain the files and gather as much information about it as you
can. Better to learn from the mistakes of history than by trial and
error. Talk to colleagues in the organisation, to past attendees and
to previous venues to gain an insight into the event. If the conference
or meeting is a new concept, research other organisations that may
have held similar events. Reports are often available in trade journals
and on line.
PART A. -Preliminary Planning
No.6. Aims and objectives. At an early stage of pre-planning, commit
to paper the aim of the event (its purpose) and any outcomes that are
expected. These may be translated into a few (maximum six) ‘SMART’ objectives
with which you and others can measure success. The aim and objectives
must underpin all decision-making from now on, so that everything contributes
to the fulfilment of the aim and achieving the objectives. To this
end, all those involved in the planning must be familiar with them.
PART A. -Preliminary Planning
No. 7. Return on Investment. You, or the initiating authority, will expect
the event to show a good return on investment (ROI). This will have
to be measured and systems for doing this need to be considered early
on, and put in place at the start of planning. It will be necessary,
therefore, to question all the stakeholders (eg. potential attendees,
sponsors, etc.) as to their desired outcomes and objectives. The needs
of stakeholders may influence the ‘who, what, where, why, when,
and how’ of the event.
PART A. -Preliminary Planning
No. 8. The Event Profile. Your thinking and the contributions of others,
will be facilitated if you prepare a one page outline of the event
for reference and distribution. This Profile should include the aim
and objectives, details of the initiating organisation, who and how
many delegates may attend, provisional dates and the likely region
or city. As it will be circulated widely (to ensure that all those
involved ‘sing from the same song sheet’), it should, of
course, include your contact details.
PART A. -Preliminary Planning
No. 9. The Participant Profile. To enable everyone who will be involved
with the preparation and organisation to completely understand the
event, prepare and circulate information about the expected attendees.
This Profile should include general details of age, gender, management
level, industry or profession, nationality/culture and any other relevant
information that will help suppliers and others provide suitable services.
It may be amended as the planning progresses and registrations patterns
are discernable.
PART A. -Preliminary Planning
No. 10. Forming a Team. Unless your event is very small, you should assemble
(even if only virtually) a team of people who are going to support
and assist you. They will rarely be exclusively devoted to your project
but should identify with your aim and objectives. Initially, your team
might include, a financial advisor, an IT person, and a travel expert.
Later, a contact in the CVB of the chosen destination, a representative
of the selected venue, a DMC and others, will become part of your organising
team.
PART A. -Preliminary Planning
No. 11. Leadership. This goes with the territory. Conference organising
is more than management, it demands leadership – which may not
be easy across cultures, time zones, and involving people who may never
meet. If you are unaccustomed to exercising leadership, then some training
in the relevant skills will be helpful and should make the task more
enjoyable and less daunting. Leadership becomes especially important
in handling the ‘risk and crisis’ aspects of the job.
PART A. -Preliminary Planning
No. 12. Time Lines and Flow Charts. I suggest creating an Action Plan
early in the pre-planning. Obtain a template and start entering the
fixed serials. This will help to establish a structure and identify
important decision dates and deadlines. It may prove helpful to divide
the organisational process into sectors or lines of activity, eg. Travel,
Accommodation, Social and recreational activities, Business programme,
Marketing and promotion, etc.
PART A. -Preliminary Planning
No. 13. A Unique Brand. Your task will be made easier if, at an early
stage, you establish a clear identity for the conference or meeting.
This may mean a logo, a strap line and elaborate themeing or just a
crisp, memorable, title. Once you have created the event’s unique ‘brand’,
it can be reflected in the marketing, décor, business and social
activities to give the project coherence. It also helps to concentrate
the minds of speakers and other contributors.
PART A. -Preliminary Planning
No. 14. Sources of Reference. In the early stages of pre-planning, you
should assemble as much relevant information as possible. There are
thousands of sources. Read the trade magazines and the venue directories,
contact the industry associations because they produce handbooks and
lists of suppliers and have useful websites. Browse the internet and
talk to colleagues in the business. Whatever you will need for your
event there are suppliers eager to provide it.
PART A. -Preliminary Planning
No.15. Flexibility. Before making any final decisions about your event,
consider your outline plan in relation to financial factors (a change
of dates may offer huge savings, for example,) and in terms of convenience
for the attendees, (Eg. Is your chosen location easy to reach at that
time of year?). Retain as much flexibility as possible for as long
as possible as unforeseen factors may force you to alter your plans.
PART A. -Preliminary Planning
No.16. Consult Stakeholders. Make no irrevocable decisions without consulting
everyone with an interest in the outcome of the project. Stakeholders
such as sponsors must be kept in the decision-making loop throughout
so that they remain committed. Obviously the crucial suppliers such
as the local CVB and the venue should be consulted before any major
decisions are made as they have local knowledge and specialist experience.
Read Part B (Jan '06) - Top
Tips 17-26
Visit this site regularly for updates on Tony's 'Top Tips for Conference
Planners'.
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