Shake Up Your Next Meeting
TIP #1 Shake It Up, Start Fresh
Many meeting planners create a template for their meetings and rarely stray from that model. Find a new template and shake it up! There’s no need to follow the same path each year—in fact, doing that is a mistake. Start fresh and ask yourself, ‘what’s the best format to follow to create value for ALL of my attendees?’ Boom! You are taking a new path and orchestrating a meeting no one wants to miss.
Power tip: if your meeting uses the exact same template that they used twenty years ago it’s time to think fresh.
TIP #2 Deliver Value Right off the Bat
Eliminate the opening session pomp and circumstance and aim to deliver value, energy and fun from the moment the meeting starts. All too often, I see meetings kicked off with the usual housekeeping—thanking the board, having the president speak and giving out scholarships. While these items are important and necessary, they don’t create immediate value for the audience. (Ok, let’s say it… To most attendees that stuff is boring.)
Think through the opening session to make sure both experienced and rookie attendees think:
• I’m glad I wasn’t late.
• I’m already getting value
• This energy is awesome!
Powertip: It’s probably time to invest in a professional Emcee.