Here’s a little peek behind the curtain at what really goes into running an event!
We hosted our annual event and awards where over 350 like-minded people came together in London to listen to expert panels, meet with exhibitors and stroke puppies (yes, really) all in the name of professional development. Much like Cathi and Jo profess to still being paraplanners at heart, that’s also true of me as an event manager – my first role when I set out in my creative career, some 20 years ago. First off, it was private sector events (swanky parties and charity balls for local entrepreneurs and big banks like UBS), then into the public sector (national leadership events for the likes of the NHS and the Ministry of Justice). It was event management that led me to marketing and design. It was marketing and design that led me to brand and comms. And it was brand and comms that led me to culture change and employee engagement. Not a typical journey but one I’ve loved every minute of and thankfully, is the blend of skills and expertise that I still get to use (and enjoy!) today.
I remember the first event / exhibition display I did when I first joined Verve (or rather, Para-Sols as it was back then) and Cathi, Jo and Kim were astounded that I suggested we book a courier to transport our banner and collateral rather than shoving them (and some cheap pre-mix cocktails and an Ikea table!) into a suitcase and take it down with us on the train/tube! Ever since then, every ounce of all our events has been created, managed and delivered by yours truly and/or our marketing and ops team (no external event agencies over here) and Evolution is no exception – the talents of the Verve team really know no bounds, huh?
For an event like Evolution, which pretty much takes all year to plan, the feeling of it all being over is much like those weird in-between days from Christmas to New Year. We’re a few weeks on but my heart is still bursting with pride. So, as the adrenalin continues to leave my body, I thought I’d throw myself into a bit of reflection and put pen to paper (/hand to keyboard) and share with you my top five tips for creating and delivering a top-drawer event!
Sounds simple, but it is fundamental. Be clear on your objectives and write it down, that’s the important bit. These days I keep it simple and document everything in a shared planning summary document (but in the past for complex events, I’d use the RACI model). What do you want to achieve? Who is the event for? What numbers do you want? What’s the budget? Also, think about the ‘bricks and mortar’ – what location works for your type of audience? What are the venue’s facilities like? Have you attended an event there before? Believe me, bad food, terrible parking, and rooms that are too hot/cold will be the first thing people complain about and the last thing you want is venue nuances to be a reflection on your event and investment.
Placing yourself in the shoes of your delegates is an incredibly powerful way of understanding the delegate experience. Enter the building as they would, meet the staff they’ll see on their way, and sit on the chairs you expect them to be seated on all day. The most impactful experience is one that plays to the senses – what will they first see on arrival (clock it, then brand it!); what will they hear (do you need background music to drown out any clattering in the kitchen); will the room smell of freshly brewed coffee (and not musty old furniture). So physically, not just hypothetically, walk in their shoes, and record it. I’ve lost count of how many times I referred back to the video I took on my first site visit to 155 Bishopsgate for Evolution.
This can sometimes be easier said than done, depending on what you’re like as a person. If you don’t think of yourself as overly creative, then work with those who are. Time is precious these days and it’s more important than ever to make sure your event offers something that other events don’t. Those of you who know Verve, know that we like to try new things that have never been seen in finance before – that was the puppy therapy for us this year. In previous years it was tablecloths to write on (the World Café method is a fun and effective one!) plus interesting, never-heard-before keynotes. As great as it is to introduce some ‘fun’ into the day, make sure it’s not just a marketing gimmick but that you also have the technical content to back it up. The balance needs to be right to make it a day worth leaving the office for.
There’s nothing sexier than an operational schedule, said the event manager. Having managed as many events as I have, I know there’s a great deal of it that’s now muscle memory however for anyone who’s either new to it, or this is only part of their role, my advice is to focus on the detail. Sweat the small stuff. The aim of an ops schedule is to detail every task and responsibility, against every minute of the day. A successful ops schedule is one where someone new could pick up my clipboard and successfully direct the event without me.
How many mics do you need so no one has to swap mid-session? What skin tone covers do you need for headset mics? Do the female speakers know to (ideally) wear a waistband to clip their mic pack to? What view will the audience have from the furniture you choose on the stage? And then for award events, things like tape on the stage to mark where you stand for the photographer and making sure your hosts have enough hands to confidently present a trophy without dropping it.
Every event I’ve ever directed has been a team effort – events aren’t for lone rangers – so don’t underestimate the team you need with you. Your ops schedule will help make sure that you’re clear on responsibilities for each person on the day but a pre-event briefing session helps set those expectations from the outset. As well as setting the expectations, you must ensure your team has the attributes you need to succeed together. Calm under pressure but working fast and urgently, proactive as well as friendly, and positive and pleasant to deal with are just some of the traits that I personally look for. But of course, it’s like any team sport in that you work best with those who you trust (and who trust you), can communicate well with (both ways) and have mutual respect for each other’s roles (and leadership). Lucky for me, that’s the easiest part of all.
If there are any marketing/ops/practice managers out there who want to talk anything through or simply want the reassurance they’re on the right path, my inbox is always open. I love being able to share my experience and help others at the same time! There’s very little that I haven’t seen, and I’ll happily share my own event nightmares.
Fun fact time, I actually fell into event management (yep, it’s not just finance people fall into) straight from uni – securing an event coordinator role where feeling at a loss with my career direction, I went for an interview and boasted my extensive past experience was planning my sister’s hen do a few months earlier (and that was it) and evidenced my organisational skills by brandishing my pink leather Filofax. The rest they say, is history…
