Common Mistakes Conference Planners make and How to Avoid

Raise your hand if you have been through at least one of these situations: in a session that eats into your 15 minute coffee break, listening to a guest speaker that seems to be speaking to the wrong audience, and my favorite, sitting next to the attendee that answers their phone during a session only to tell the caller, “I’m in  a conference, I’ll call you back”. Awkward.

These situations can be avoided if planners plan with the attendee and speaker experience in mind. Here are the three most common mistakes I see in conference planning and how to avoid them.

Not setting your speakers up for success

Bringing in guest speakers is always a great idea. Its a draw for your attendees and a boost for your brand. No matter the field or subject matter, attendees enjoy hearing from experts that are not associated with the host organization. But in order for this to work, your guest speakers need to know who they are talking to.  

How to avoid:

Take as much guess work out of prepping for your guest speakers as possible. Provide all of your speakers with an individualized brief. This brief should include background information about the conference (number of years its been held, number of attendees, number of speakers, program agenda, logistics and an attendee profile). This brief should be as detailed as possible so your guest speakers knows exactly who to tailor their message to. It should include the attendees age range, knowledge level, key issues to address and how much time they have to share their remarks. This individualized brief should be written so they have a copy but I also recommend communicating this information over the phone or  in person (if they are local). This additional communicate helps to review the contents and make sure expectations are clear. Yes, this requires a lot of behind the scenes prep work but if your speaker comes across well on stage, you and your organization will come off well too! Its worth setting them up for success!  

2. Not keeping time

I don’t know about you but I am stickler for time. I am guilty of always being the first to arrive at brunch with my girlfriends! Likewise when I attend an event I expect it to start and more importantly end on time. Sure, not everyone will be as strict about their time but you don’t want to give the impression that you don’t value someone’s time.  So while running 10-15 minutes behind schedule is acceptable, running 30 or more minutes behind schedule is a no-no.

How to avoid:

Sometimes  going over schedule is hard to avoid so in the planning phase pad the agenda with additional time for those sessions that you predict will go over. 

As you finalize your run of show,  discuss with your planner or team spots in the agenda where you have leeway to go over and where you absolutely don’t. This way everyone on your team is on the same page.

 While some people will be good about sticking to time, others will get caught up in the content and lost track of time. Make sure you assign the role of time keeper to someone that can signal to the MC, moderator or guest speaker to begin wrapping it up.  

Not giving attendees enough down time

I get it, there is a lot of content to review and the time you have together is short. But here is what happens when you don’t include enough “down time” people leave sessions to check their phones, take calls or just take a mental break.

How to avoid:

Schedule breaks every two to three hours. Give people coffee breaks ranging from 15 to 30 minutes and 30-60 minutes for meals. These breaks give attendees the chance to process information and catch up on life.

In addition to providing content free breaks and meals, consider hosting a networking hour. This is especially important for events that draw attendees from several geographical locations.  It could be an optional breakfast reception or  a post conference cocktail reception. While it may not be possible to offer both, find ways to make “free time” a priority.  When you protect that time, you will find that your attendees will be fully present because they know you value their time.

 If you and your organization can master these challenges you will be in great shape! And if you need help planning your next conference or special event, give us a call! We would be happy to help.

4 Ways to Green your event

The end of the Republican and Democrat party conventions in July were huge events that drew large crowds and party faithfuls. It got me thinking about how organizing committees are thinking about and practicing sustainability. Over the past two decades or more, sustainability has been a trending topic as hosts try to figure out how to be less wasteful and attract attendees that share those values.

Here are four ways event organizers can green events of any size.

Work with vendors that share your values

This is the most important tip. Working with venues, caterers, florists and other vendors that are committed to sustainability will help to ensure that you have a green event. Ask if they are green certified. If they are, it means they follow a set of industry standards to run their internal operations, services and/or products.  By surrounding yourself with vendors that share your values, you can trust that they will not cut corners.

Cut down on waste

I have seen first hand how organizers can cut back on waste with a few tweaks. A main area where conference planners can cut back on is printing! Printing is a huge cost and let’s be honest, most of it ends up in the trash (oh my!) or in recycling bins once the event is over. Technology however can be a great friend and can help minimize waste. If you are holding a conference, make use of tools like email, google drive or dropbox to share documents. Attendees can have access to finalized documents and print them at their leisure. Its also a good idea to invest in evergreen pieces as much as possible. Create items that have the name and logo of your organization only (skip the year) so they can be used again and again. Also make sure to collect lanyards, clip boards, binders and anything else that can be reused.

Recycling and Composting

Some cities require special events to include stations for recycling and composting. San Francisco is one such city.  While cities have sponsored recycling programs to collect plastic, aluminum and paper products few have sponsored composting programs. Composting is the process of collecting leftover food scraps to decompose and be returned to the earth as nutrients for soil instead of ending up in a landfill.  San Francisco, Austin, New York, Portland and Hoboken are examples of cities that provide municipal composting.   If your event isn’t in a city that mandates composting talk to your venue and caterer and make sure this is something they can set up for your event.  

Use Technology

Many event organizers have already embraced technology for marketing and advertising. Gone are the days where posting flyers across town or taking ads out in the local paper are necessary. In today’s marketplace, word of mouth and digital marketing and advertising have greater reach and are much easier to track and evaluate than paper based ads and marketing.

Similarly, e-invitations are becoming the standard for event invitations including weddings (although less popular). They are the route most people take for sharing invitations for birthday and dinner parties to conferences and retreats. They are fast, affordable, green and can be customized.

Another great way to use technology is to skype or video conference speakers, this is especially great if your speakers or presenters aren’t local. It cuts back on guests’ carbon footprints and helps you be a good steward of your resources. Even better, if it can be managed, consider having an online webinar or course instead of a physical conference or meeting.  I have been a part of several online courses and depending on how the teacher sets up the course and engages with the students, these can be very impactful and worthwhile. While not for everyone, (like wedding e-invitations), it is something to consider.

There are so many ways to green your event, these four are excellent ways to get you started.

What other tips would you recommend?