How to Organise Events, Workshops & Co.?

Event and workshop organisation is tedious and time-consuming but can be immensely satisfying when the event runs without a hitch and satisfied customers spread the word about how well it was organised.

The key to organising a successful event or workshop is preparation and a structured approach. Each instruction or activity must be checked and double-checked to ensure that it has been carried out as required.

Note 21 Principles for Organising Programmes

6 steps for a successful event

1.    Initial idea:

·    Ensure the date and time of the proposed event does not coincide with another important event or holiday that would affect your target audience and presenters.

·    Confirm the subject of the event and the participation of your presenters/principle participants.

·    Confirm the dates by which any documents, presentations or handouts have to be with the organisers.

·    Confirm the date by which an outline of the presentation and a position statement should be with the organisers so that they can produce a brochure/press release for the event.

Obtain and record quotations for costs (venue, printing, food and refreshments, advertising and travel). Decide if participants' and presenters' travel costs will be subsidised or paid.

Many hotels provide event package arrangements. These can include room, equipment and refreshments only or be linked to the number of participants staying at the hotel. You may find that the meeting room rental itself will be free of charge if there are more than a certain number of participants staying at the hotel.

For events that are being funded by international organisations the local UNDP office may assist with venue arrangements. In many countries UNDP has negotiated special rates with hotels and other venues. At some locations the UNDP office itself has training and meeting rooms that may be used by UN agency project partners.

·    Prepare a budget

Template Programme Budgeting & Pricing Sheet

Sample Event Budget

·    If external funding is being sought, the budget and event outline should be sent to a funding agency. For UN agencies the budget and event outline should be forwarded a minimum of 10 weeks before the date of the event. Internal administration processes required to secure an "Authorisation for Field Expenditure" or AFE can take up to 4 weeks. An AFE is required before the local UNDP office can purchase services or goods or refund expenditure against and invoice. This is especially important to note if the venue reservation will incur a financial liability such as a deposit.

2.    Confirm venue:

§      Next to the presenters and principle participants the most important item to fix is the venue. This should be confirmed as soon as possible. A deposit may be required to secure the reservation. The choice of venue and room will depend on the event to be staged, but generally it must be easy for the participants to reach, have back-up power supplies (if power cuts can occur), be quiet and have good acoustic properties for speech. Space required will depend on the seating arrangements. 25 people sitting around a square for presentations and discussions will require a room of a minimum 10m by 20m. Seated in "cinema" style for a "lecture" you could get down to 8m by 10m.

Other properties you might want to examine are:

·    Curtains/blinds to block out sun light (check that they work)

·    Position of ceiling lights and lighting controls to illuminate the speaker and participants (check that they work)

·    Position and number of power supplies (at least two close to where the speaker will stand or sit), type of sockets and voltage, availability of extension cables with multi-plug/socket terminations

·    Tables and possible seating combinations

·    Tables for display of materials and registration

·    Location of refreshments or meals close to the event room so as not to loose participants during breaks

·    Location of lavatories

·    Parking facilities or public transport arrangements to reach venue

·    Other events taking place at the venue location at the same time as yours

·    Reception facilities and direction panels provided so that participants can find your event when they arrive

·    Walls that you can stick flip-chart paper or posters to or availability of flip charts and stands

·    Availability of screens for projecting transparencies via overhead projector or through a computer-linked projector (LCD projector or "beamer")

·    Availability and cost of audio equipment and "boxes" for translators to sit in, if microphones and simultaneous translation will be required. Microphones and audio systems are useful if there are more than 50 participants. Ensure that there are at least two "portable" microphones for the speakers and one spare for participants to pass around when they wish to ask questions. Hand-held microphones are easier to use than clip-on microphones. Ensure that the audio system will be thoroughly tested at the latest on the day before the event is due to take place. If this is really not possible ensure that the audio system team turn up at least 3 hours before the start of the event.

·    Heating and air-conditioning systems depending on the season. A comfortable temperature for maintaining alertness during an event is 18 to 20 degrees Celsius. Make sure you know how to alter the temperature settings. Especially check the noise level of the air extraction fans when on full setting.

·    Use of a dais or "top table" for presenters. Using a dais for groups of less than 50 people creates an unnecessary barrier between the speaker and audience. Only use a dais if it is necessary to improve visibility of the speaker from the back of the room.

·    Pre-printed banner or panel. Ensure that your institution's logo is available in sufficient definition (pixel size) to be enlarged and used on a banner or panel. Consider a design in two parts -one part of which can be re-used. Alternatively consider using a second portable computer and LCD projector permanently displaying a welcoming presentation slide.

·    Working backwards from the event date, allow two weeks for mailing and set the date by which brochures and advertisements should be printed and ready for dispatch. Confirm latest date for receipt by the printers of brochures and advertisements and confirm the format these should be in. Often printers will make a draft print for you to review and confirm as correct and free from typographic, factual and spelling errors.

3.    Confirm travel arrangements:

·    Ask all presenters and principle participants to send you their confirmed travel schedules and hotel reservations. Arrange transportation to event venue or inform participants about how to travel to venue from their arrival point. A map will be useful with the destination in both a local language understood by taxi drivers and a language understood by the participants.

·    Ask participants either to confirm their attendance by returning a registration sheet or by sending a small financial deposit / credit card deposit. For those travelling by air ask them to provide their flight details and confirmation codes.

·    For large-scale events special prices may be negotiated with airlines and ground handling agents.

Sample Conference Programme

Event Administrative Instructions

Event Participation Disclaimer

4.    Confirm detailed event agenda and Go / No Go Decision

By the date stated and confirmed by presenters in 1., and printers, in 2. (above) you should receive enough information about the contents of the event to be able to produce a brochure, advertisement and press release. This should be in a local and international language. Check and double-check these documents - errors have a special knack of appearing in the most embarrassing way.

Sample Event Brochure

·    This date is also the time when you should be able to confirm the make a final decision about whether the event goes ahead as planned or not (The Go / No Go decision).

·    It is the time to confirm the budget and that you will be able to cover the costs, and;

·    Also the time to re-confirm with presenters that they will be ready and able to travel, to verify that you have received the minimum number of replies from participants to support the event and that the venue and equipment are still available as planned.

·    Decide whether or not attendance certificates or diplomas will be required for each participant and if they will be printed in name advance or hand-scribed after registration.

5.    Conducting the event

Registration

§      Allow at least 30 minutes at the start of the event to register all participants outside of the event room. Capture details of their contact addresses and business interests. Ask them to tick a box if they do not want to receive more information by mail, fax or e-mail about your institution and events organised by it. Provide each participant with an agenda and a feedback form so that they can comment on the quality of the individual presenters or activities.

Feed-back Form

Starting the event

§      Start on time and with a brief introduction of the event and its objective, your institution as organiser and the timetable for the day (refreshment and meal breaks). Allow sufficient breaks for participants to respond to or make telephone calls linked to their business and ask for mobile telephones to be switched off during the event. Finally introduce the speakers.

§      Announce how the attendance or participation certificates will be awarded. This is another task generally best left until the end of the event unless one or two participants have to leave unavoidably after the first half.

Handouts and displays

§      Generally, it is better to provide copies of presenters' transparencies and notes at the end of the event. Otherwise people tend to create some disturbance during the presentations as they flick back and forth through the handouts. Displaying publications and handouts at the end can also serve to encourage participants to stay until the end.

Closure

§      Closing remarks should include thanks to the presenters, organisers, venue staff, the translators/interpreters and participants. Remind participants that the feedback forms will be collected as they leave and announce any related events that you are organising in the future or follow-up to the current event. Ensure that you have a closing transparency or presentation slide that shows your institutions logo, address (phone number, e-mail and web site) and renew supplies of your institution's general brochures at the registration desk before participants leave.

If time permits arrange a short de-briefing session for the organising team and presenters so that you can capture and note any remarks about the event whilst they are still fresh in everyone's mind.

6.  After the event

·    Enter the participant's registration address and business details into a customer database at your institution together with the name and date of the event attended. If the participant did not tick the "no further information required" box then ensure that the details are captured on the mailing list so that information about other events is sent to them.

·    Write to each presenter thanking them for their contribution - include a participant's list and summary of the feedback received about their session. Ask for their comments.

·    Write a brief report summarising the event with a breakdown of the number and background of the participants and the overall impression received from their feedback forms. Review and record the actual expenditures and fees received and compare it to your budget. Obtain and record explanations for any significant differences.

·    This report should be sent to your funding partner or donor and kept in the official books of the institution so that the details can be included in the annual report to members / donors.

·    Go back to your pre-event checklists and update them with anything that you missed or could have done better.

·    Plan for your next event!