30 Jun 10 Save Time When Planning
Meeting planning can take a long time, but it can also be streamlined with a little bit of practice. Here are a few tips for learning how to streamline meeting and/or event planning:
Mailing/SMS lists – If the participants are notified electronically, create lists. If certain people get left out of Monday meetings but not Tuesday meetings, then make two lists. Lists make sending notices both more reliable and much quicker. Some programs can also be used to track whether e-mails were opened or not.
Anticipate needs – Excellent meeting planners observe carefully what participants ask for at meetings and anticipate those needs recurring. If Mr. Jones from accounts receivable likes a coffee with two sugars and cream today, then chances are he will like it again next week. If Bob from sales likes an extra-soft chair cushion today, he will probably want one next week too.
Backup plans – It pays to remember that there is a heightened chance for things to go wrong when events or meetings are being held off-site. Having a backup plan makes recovering from an unforeseeable problem a lot easier. A few minutes preparing a backup plan can help save hours and save face.
Send reminders – Send reminders to participants, catering, and all other relevant parties just to ensure that everyone is on time and ready to perform their part when they are supposed to.
Use the Internet – book travel arrangements and source group cruise events entirely online to save time and money.
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14 Sep 09 “No-Show!”
No meeting planner likes to hear those words, especially when it comes to a speaker. It means that there is a disaster in the making–unless she has made contingency plans. Here are some ways to make sure that your event has a speaker, and on time.
Contract Clauses
Make it part of your contract with a speaker that he or she will provide a replacement in the event of absence. Make sure you have all the pertinent information about the replacement’s travel plans, contact information, etc., as you would have for the original speaker.
Web Speeches
Make an agreement with your client that if an important speaker gets grounded in another city, he can make himself available by webcast. Set this up in advance so that you don’t have to scramble at the last minute, which almost ensures failure under these circumstances.
Prerecordings
Another possibility may be a pre-recorded speech. Nothing is quite the same as a personal appearance, but if an airport is socked in from weather problems and a webcast gets rubber out for one reason or another, you have one more backup plan.
Last Minute Local
Every town has great speakers, even small towns with no Toastmaster club. There are two ways to approach this possibility: either get the local to deliver the other speaker’s words, or have them deliver their own.
There are no doubt many more ways to approach this problem that exceed the scope and depth of this humble blog. Do some mind-storming and be prepared.
Tags: Absence, Backup Plan, Blog, Circumstances, Contingency Plans, Contract Clauses, Disaster, Failure, Last Minute, Meeting Planner, No Doubt, Personal Appearance, Scope, Speakers, Speeches, Time Contract, Toastmaster Club, Two Ways, Weather Problems
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