Small Systems for Managing Events

In May I was thrilled to be part of the team that welcomed 100 women to Los Angeles for a one day event hosted by Natalie MacNeil. Most were already members of our year long Conquer Club Incubator and I have never been in a room more full of inspiring, diverse, empowered women in my life.

This was our fourth event together so, in addition to some pictures, I wanted to share some of my small tips for managing events that you won’t find on event planning checklists.

Tip #1 – Bring a Printer

Those who attended will know that I am usually over-prepared and for this event that included bringing my printer for last minute needs. It worked! We discovered the printer in business center at the hotel was out of order and my printer saved us a midnight trip to Staples.

I’ll include a pair of scissors, sharpies, extra pens, water bottles, paper and a clipboard to this list of must haves.

(Photo Credit: Catherine Simms)

Tip #2 – Enroll some helpers

While we didn’t have event volunteers, there were people in the room who I could count on to help out when we were returning from a break, needed to pass around the kleenex or were ready to depart. In large rooms having allies is crucial.

(Photo Credit: Rachel Shillcock)

Tip #3 – Watch the clock

It’s easy to get into the flow and get off schedule so we printed bright pink timer reminders that we could hold up in the back of the room. That said, don’t freak out if it’s not going according to detail, minute by minute. Some things require more time to process and work on and moving on too quickly can be a mistake.

Giving space for people to talk, move and stretch is so important. Don’t lock your participants in a room for 8 hours and expect them to leave feeling energized.

Tip #4 – Clean on breaks

Have your event managers bring in cleaning staff during breaks to tidy up the tables, throw away trash and straighten up chairs so everything looks fresh in the afternoon. And, after breaks make sure the bathrooms get restocked with all the essentials. Also, be sure that if you provide lunch that it’s healthy and fresh food to fuel your participants!

Tip #5 – Bring a small medicine stash

Aside from the constant need for kleenex, I also wish I’d brought more OTC medical things such as cough drops, Advil and even eye drops. We had requests for all these things and didn’t have them handy. A few bandaids wouldn’t hurt either.

(Photo Credit: Rachel Shillcock)

There’s so much more to an event, from your registration process, taking event video and photos, music, handout and follow up but these are the tips that are easy to forget and ignore.

It was a fantastic event and what made all the difference was the people in the room and Natalie MacNeil as host. One of my favorite pictures from the end of the day is this one I took during our mastermind dinner: