1. Luncheon: Find a unique and beautiful spot to throw this mid-day meal.  Provide time for networking and talking, make sure the program is well planned, the speaker stellar, and the message clear.  The shorter the amount of time you have with your guests, the tighter the planning must be.
2. Golf Tournament: Yes, these are often fundraisers, but what if you used this fun event for a different purpose?  This is a great setting for building relationships and you can use a breakfast or lunch to present a message.
3. Reception: Music plays, hors d’oeuvres circle the room, guests mingle and chat.  You probably can’t have a lengthy speaker at this event, but nothing is stopping you from setting up a few information tables, and recognizing special guests.
4. Meeting: This word doesn’t carry much joy for any of us, but a properly planned meeting can accomplish a good deal.  Offer light snacks or a lunch break and be sure to find a trained facilitator to be in control.
5. Forum: A place where ideas on a certain topic can be discussed and exchanged.  The more recognized your experts- the better.  A widely recognized expert will not only do wonderful things for publicity, it will also draw other high quality experts.  Don’t slack on PR, let the local media know about your event and what you are working to accomplish.
6. Conference (summit or symposium): Yes, people do run one-day conferences.  These are appropriate for a very narrow topic, or a group of people who can’t make it to longer events.  Streamline registration, and “concentrate” everything from speaker talking times to the number of breakout sessions.
7. Seminar: What you are offering to teach is the main appeal to attendees so dedicate lots of thought to the topic and sub-topics.  Pay special attention to your presenters and handouts.

With just one day, you need to be even more careful that your event content is absolutely stellar.  Will people leave feeling like their questions have been answers and their expectations met?  Always define the goal of your event before choosing it’s format.  Have you ever used one of these one-day event formats?  What was your goal and was it accomplished?

I find it to be rewarding and gratifying when something big comes together (especially if it’s a big project I’ve had a hand in), and we, as a company, take that opportunity to celebrate those victories.

Do you take the opportunity to celebrate achievements?

Celebrating these big accomplishments is a great addition to any upcoming retreat or event your company is doing.

How do you do celebrate?  Here are 4 ideas:

1. Concert.  Bring in a band, solo artist or DJ to juice up the celebrating.  If you really want to have some fun, do some karaoke.  That’s one way of getting your employees to get out of their comfort zone.
2. Nice dinner.  Let’s face it, we all like a nice dinner.  Especially if it’s something we wouldn’t personally splurge on like steak or lobster.  You get the general idea.
3. Movie night.  Grab your favorite movie treat and settle in for a nice movie.  If you’re off on a retreat, do it later in the night, and have your attendees wear their PJs (nothing too crazy here.)
4. Bowling.  At your next event, take a field trip to a local bowling alley and knock down some pins.  To really get people mingling, mix up departments.

Remember that whatever you do to celebrate, the key word is “fun”!  Your company (or team) is celebrating.  You can’t watch a movie like The Notebook.  It’s got to be something fun and exciting!!

Have you added a celebration night to your event?  What has worked for your company?

Hire trained/experienced staff: Childcare workers should have background checks and First Aid/CPR training. Keep copies of training certificates and background checks on file.  Need help finding childcare professionals?  See if you can find someone who already manages childcare workers for another company, and hire them do some freelance work.  They already have a trusted group of people to contact.  If you can’t find someone like this, reach out to local gyms, churches and daycare centers. They will have lists of childcare workers, and if they aren’t willing to share the names, you might be allowed to send out an email or put up a poster asking for workers.

Create a secure and safe location.  Are the room(s) where the children will be cared for safe for them?  A space appropriate for adults is not necessarily safe for children.  Power outlets must be covered, doors secured, furniture checked for stability, and small objects removed.  Unfortunately, we must now also make sure that childcare locations are also secure from outside intruders.  Do windows and doors lock?  Is there a manned desk or check-in station where visitors must pass before entering?

Capture names and allergy information on each child.  With any number of unfamiliar children in attendance, childcare workers need a way to identify and keep track of their charges.  At the very least, write each child’s name and known allergies on a stick-on name tag and secure it to their back.  (Children will peel, exchange, shred or even eat a name tag affixed to the front of their clothing.)

Identify emergency contact information.  Paging systems have mostly been replaced by caregiver cell phones.  When staff check a child in, be sure they ask for an emergency contact number.  Parents can leave their phone on vibrate and receive a call or text from you if necessary.

Establish a workable pick up protocol.  This is what most people think about when they wrestle with childcare security.  Every childcare professional has nightmares about releasing a child into the custody of the wrong person.  There are lots of options available to you for pick up security.  From simple tag systems, to high tech touch screen check in software, systems differ in situational usefulness.  Since you will most likely be providing care for a group of children for only a few days, any system that takes lots of set up time and training for parents is not a good option.  Do a little research and you will find a system that fits your needs well.

Staff, location, child profiles, emergency contact information and pick up protocol are key to ensuring that the children your attendees leave in your care will be safe.  In addition, your attendees will be able to focus more fully on your event when they are sure their children are not only well cared for, but protected.

Weʼve all been there. A boring topic, a droning speaker, a conference session that feels like it will never end. Donʼt let this happen to your event attendees!  How can you help your event attendees better interact with the material and each other?

1. First – think questions. Ask session leaders to create discussion questions and hand them out at the beginning of their session. Questions focus participant attention, and help them interact with the subject on a deeper level. Include them in a paper handout or project them on a large screen. To be effective questions should be introduced, participants should be given time to consider and record their answers, and then answers should be discusses as a large group, or in smaller groups.
2. Second- think community. Itʼs rare and wonderful to be with a group of like minded people. Itʼs not often that we are with other people who are dealing with the same joys and challenges that we face each day in our professional or personal lives. How can you help your participants take advantage of this brief opportunity to learn from and encourage each other? Have a reception near the beginning of your event for the sole purpose of introductions and fellowship. Mix up seating assignments at meals, or dedicate time at the end or beginning of group sessions for personal interaction. Your job is to nudge people outside of their comfort zone and enable new connections. Also consider how you can encourage group  “think”. At an event for worship leaders you might scatter question boxes around the facility with questions like, “What one piece of technology do you find most helpful in ministry?”, “Whatʼs the biggest challenge you face on a weekly basis?”. Collect the answers and provide them during large sessions. Community can inform, challenge and encourage!
3. Third – think movement. How can you help participants physically interact with the material during your event? Educators help very young children do this with songs and guided play. You could have clients move from one part of a room to another to journal or prayer during a session. Are you training participants to do a specific task? Could you give them an opportunity to try it hands on? A slightly different spin on this is to take your participants to a location that helps them focus on what is being taught. For example, have attendees sit by a stream while you discuss Jesus as the living water.

Donʼt be afraid to try something new and different! These interactive techniques will help participants better grasp and remember the central purpose of your event. Have you employed any of these techniques?

Events can and should utilize these bloggers for their events to help create publicity and excitement.

To get started find bloggers that write for and to your audience.  That can be as simple as a Google search on your events theme and the word blogger.  For example, if you’re hosting a leadership event, Google “leadership and blogger”.  Those results will guide on you on to the next step.

Invite the bloggers you would like to attend to your event.  Now this might cost you money for travel, lodging and meals, but chalk that up to marketing dollars.  As part of this invitation, ask these bloggers to write a post about your event a few weeks out that they will be attending, and have them ask their readers to come as well.  If you really wanted to do something with their readers, give away an admission fee to your event (travel costs, etc will be on the attendee.)

Once these bloggers are onsite for your event, ask that they make several posts to all of their social media networks.  You might also consider asking them to live blog your event.

Set aside a specific place at your event for these bloggers to park themselves.  And don’t forget power for their laptops in this area!  You want them typing and posting regularly.

Bloggers can help create social media buzz about your event that could boost your attendance for your next event.

Have you considered using bloggers for your event?  Have you used them before and how has it helped?

As you read his post, reflect on how well his descriptions apply to the event(s) you lead, particularly those held on a recurring basis.  Then ask yourself the following questions:

• “If everything is on the line, if in any given moment, someone is going to say or do something that might just change everything.”   Will the freedom of interaction, personalities of faculty and breakout leaders, ideas offered, challenges discussed, surprises planned (or unplanned), and event venue produce the kinds of interactions and exchange of ideas that have to be experienced in person, in real-time, in the moment they occur?  To use an entertainment analogy, are your events “must-see TV” or just additional episodes drawing out the lifespan of a show which once had promise but now just primarily resides on your DVR?
• “If there’s vulnerability and openness and connection…at most events, people are on high alert, clenched and protective.”   Again, how free is the flow and exchange of ideas, both in formal presentation settings as well as informal gatherings?  How generous are your presenters and faculty in terms of listening to your attendees’ ideas, respecting the vulnerability behind their questions, and responding with genuine connection rather than rote, impersonal responses which exterminate rather than germinate ideas?  Your attendees will notice, and your event will earn the reputation it deserves (whether good or bad).
• “If there’s support…at most events, competitiveness born from insecurity trumps mutual support.”  What will it take for each attendee to “win”?  For all attendees to “win”?  For all attendees and presenters/speakers to “win”?
• “If it’s part of a movement…if the attendees are part of a tribe that goes beyond demographics or professional affiliation.”  If you’re familiar with Godin’s ideas, you’re likely aware of the value he places on tribes.  Does your event promote, nourish, and maintain a tribal culture?  If so, it will increase the attendee return rate as well as draw new participants through passionate word of mouth advertising.

Of the events with which we’re involved, an example of one that fits Godin’s criteria quite well is the Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference (check out the event here).  How well does your event meet Godin’s standard?   And, more importantly, what criteria do you use to judge whether a conference works or not?

Signage: Do you have signs leading up to your location at necessary turns and intersections?  On the outside of your building/buildings?  Inside, labeling rooms and indicating restrooms and exits?  Are your signs visible, readable, and consistent in style?

Supplies: Do you have tissues, water bottles, pens, paper, or other supplies your guests will need?  Imagine yourself attending the meetings or events that you will be hosting, and think through things you might need but would not think to pack.

Environment: Is a certain room always cold?  Very hot?  Are you always scrambling to find microphones in a certain location?  Identify known problems within your environment and address them.

Now to put your facility to the test.  Invite someone, or a small group of people to your location, who have never visited.  It could be a friend, or family member or business associate.  Ask them to come at a certain time, and give them the exact directions you will be providing your future guests.  Ask them to complete a list of simple tasks once they have arrived. For example: Park, find room 101, find the women’s restroom, locate the childcare facility, visit the coffee shop, sit in a seat in the main auditorium.  Have them call you when they are finished and take them out to lunch.  Ask them for their observations, and find out what they enjoyed and what they had difficulty with.  It’s amazing what you’ll discover when your building or buildings are presented to you through new eyes.

Making your facility visitor friendly is worth the effort- and should be considered before hosting any event.  If you can, do this several months in advance so that you have time to order additional signage or supplies!

Mealtimes.  Will the children need high chairs, or booster seats?  Advise the people in charge of meal prep that children will be attending.  They’ll know a few kid-friendly items to add to their menu.  If there will be a long wait between seating and eating, consider providing some coloring pages and crayons for younger children.  You’ll eliminate some utensil throwing and screaming.

Bedtimes.  Young children go to bed as early as 7 pm.  Planning a session for early evening may force parents to choose between attending and putting their children to bed.  You can forgo after dinner events, pipe a live feed of the session to the internet or close feed tv station, or provide a very low-key “sleeping bag and a movie” option for little ones.  There isn’t a perfect solution, but its helpful to consider your options.

Free Time.  Every parent appreciates some down time without their children.  But most would like to spend at least some their free time with their kids.  What options does your venue offer that will be possible for adults and children?  Swimming, hiking, paddle boating, board games, movies, and active video games like the Xbox Kinect, are all good options for family time.  Don’t plan an activity like a ropes course that requires participants to be 13, and not provide another option.

Ages and Allergies Be sure to ask your adult attendees the ages of each of their children.  It will help you plan for childcare, necessary bedding like cribs and roll aways, and mealtime seating.  Check on allergies and be sure to inform parents if the menu will be able to accommodate their children’s limitations.

Incorporating children into an event can be tricky, but it can also be rewarding.  I once attended a conference where the children were asked questions about the conference theme, and their answers were shown during the main sessions.  It was humorous, and parents loved seeing their little ones on-screen!  Treat children as valuable guests, everyone will benefit if they are safe and comfortable.

Having multiple sites has lead to meetings being conducted virtually.  And the best thing about that is the technology has caught up as well.

Why would you have a virtual meeting?

1. Different locations.  The great part is you don’t have to leave that coffee shop to meet with your co-workers.
2. Stay connected to co-workers.  Meetings can be painful; but, with all these locations, staying connected to the work that needs to be done is necessary.  Virtual meetings can solve that.
3. Get more work done.  The inverse is true of the above point as well.  Virtual meetings make you stay on point which helps you stay focused on getting more work done.

While all of these points are nice, there are a couple of downsides to virtual meetings.

1.  With a virtual meeting, attendees can get distracted.  This holds true with any meeting, but it’s easy to type an email or finish some blog reading during a virtual meeting because on camera it just looks like you’re “taking notes.”
2. Lack of creative energy.  There is just something about a full team being all together in one room that spurs creativity.  The creativity generated in a virtual setting can be different than when you are seeing everybody face-to-face.

We’ve talked about pros and cons with virtual meetings.  Now, let’s talk about the technology that is available for these.  I love Apple, but their FaceTime app on any Mac only allows for a conversation with one person…and the other person has to have an Apple product.  If you have those two variables, I think it’s better than the other apps we’ll discuss.

Skype is great for big meetings.  It’s a trusted technology that is free (unless you’re calling internationally) and works across Mac and Windows platforms.

GoToMeeting.com is a very robust system and is great for larger groups.  The biggest difference between these and the apps listed above is that there is a cost.  But remember that old adage: you get what you pay for.

When your organization does virtual meetings, what do you use?  How has it worked for your team?

• What can event planners learn from the presidential debate? http://www.busyevent.com/blog/?p=723
• 6 tips to prevent event mishaps http://www.busyevent.com/blog/?p=707
• How to create a landing page (on your website) for your event in 5 minutes! http://www.busyevent.com/blog/?p=695
• 9 quick tips on creating name tags for event guests http://www.bonjourevents.com/thefreshtips/2012/5/28/name-tags-made-simple.html
• You can never have too many money saving tips! http://www.bonjourevents.com/thefreshtips/2009/4/17/more-simple-conference-budget-savers.html
• How can you figure out seating arrangements easily? With this seating capacity tool, of course! http://www.bonjourevents.com/thefreshtips/2011/4/18/how-many-people-can-we-squeeze-in-here.html
• How to maximize networking at your next conference http://www.eventmanagerblog.com/conference-networking
• Do you have a mobile event app? If so, read this. http://www.eventmanagerblog.com/event-apps-info
• So many (15 to be exact) free event planning ebooks! http://www.eventmanagerblog.com/15-free-ebooks-about-event-planning
• An awesome ten minute video on youth group event planning http://www.studentministry.org/9-tips-for-planning-youth-group-events-and-trips/
• Do you have these 5 event fears? http://blog.verticalresponse.com/verticalresponse_blog/2012/02/5-biggest-event-planning-fears-and-how-to-face-them.html
• What can a baseball game teach you about event planning? http://www.busyevent.com/blog/?p=755
• 9 reasons mobile needs to be incorporated into your event planning http://www.busyevent.com/blog/?p=692
• What attendees really care about, and what your event is really about http://www.busyevent.com/blog/?paged=2
• Branding is extremely important, so don’t forget to integrate it into your event!  http://www.experientialmarketing20.com/page/3/

I hope you find these helpful and remember we have many more that might interest you  in the Meeting Planner Resources section of the blog.