Meeting and Special Event Planning

The whole process of meeting and special event planning isn't rocket science... but it's close! Above all, you must be extremely good at organization and details, and be prepared to banish the word "assume" from your vocabulary forever. NEVER ASSUME ANYTHING.

If you've never planned a meeting or event before, here are some tips that should help you. And even if you have, maybe you'll find it helpful anyway.

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Step One: Start a file for your meeting, and keep all information in it.
Believe it or not, being organized is the most basic, and most important, part of planning a meeting, because of all the details you'll need to track. Included here is a meeting planning worksheet that should be helpful to you throughout the planning process. Viewing the file requires the Acrobat Reader.

Step Two: Determine purpose of meeting and communications objectives.
The program is the nucleus of the meeting, and all other functions exist to support it. Therefore, specific meeting objectives must be identified, as well as a strategy for communicating to the audience. Nothing irritates attendees more than to spend time in a meeting wondering "why are we here?"

Step Three: Determine the target audience.
Are there five attendees, or are there 500? And who are they? This must be determined very early in the process, before any logistical planning can begin. Remember that the higher the level of employee, the earlier their schedule gets filled up. Plan ahead.

Step Four: Pick a date for the meeting.
Again, the farther you plan ahead, the better your attendance will be. And use common sense when choosing the date. If you have a corporate calendar of some kind, check it first.

Step Five: Pick a place for the meeting.
Will it be in town? Check with local sales departments of hotels and conference centers. Out of town? Then you have a whole new set of logistics to be concerned with. Better e-mail us so we can give you some guidance. Remember we're experts at this!

Step Six: Determine your team.
Is there money available for outside support or consultation? Take advantage of it, and you won't be sorry. Let someone else handle the headaches. If you're relying on internal resources, round up your team as early as possible. Remember to cover all bases: Whose job is it to oversee all details for the meeting. Who's handling meeting content, and developing communications materials. Who's responsible for rounding up the presenters, and getting presentations ready. Who's handling meeting room set-up. Who's gathering support materials for the meeting. Who's providing support at the meeting. Who's in charge of catering. Who's handling clean-up. Once you have all this figured out, write it down and meet with everyone involved, and give them each a list of responsibilities. Remember: NEVER ASSUME ANYTHING.

Step Seven: Determine your budget.
Do a very detailed breakdown for each separate area; e.g., presentations, development of communications materials, food and beverages, nametags, tent cards, giveaways, room rental. Be realistic and stick to the amounts allocated. Try to think of every single cost that will be incurred, and everyone from whom you'll receive a bill. Surprises are not nice in this category.

Step Eight: Prepare your game plan.
Develop a specific, detailed timeline starting with today, and ending with the post-meeting wrap-up report. There's some great project management software on the market for this, or you can do it manually, with a big calendar. But just do it.