3rd January 2017
A new year means a new start, so why not start 2017 as you mean to go on and get organised! Here are our top tips for planning a successful meeting or event.
Fail to plan, plan to fail
You may want to put off planning a meeting or event, as it can be stressful and time consuming, but there’s nothing worse than leaving everything to last minute. Be prepared and give yourself plenty of time to plan your event to minimise stress; get the invites out early and the important things booked, like the venue and catering, to ensure you aren’t running around in a panic trying to pull everything together.
Location, location, location
There are many things to consider when choosing a venue for your event, not only is the capacity important but the location and the facilities too. You must ensure that your venue meets all your needs; is it close to transport links; does it have the proper AV equipment; is the catering of high quality? Make a list of everything you want in a venue before you start looking so that you can refer back to it during your search.
Don’t take the biscuit
Whilst catering may be low priority on your list, that’s not the case for your delegates. You should always be serving quality tea, coffee, water, and biscuits as a minimum and then, depending on the length of your meeting or event, provide a hearty and healthy meal. Good food can help delegates maintain focus during longer meetings and also can shape the overall view of how the meeting or event went; poor food will definitely stick in delegates’ minds.
Give yourself an AV advantage
There’s a variety of technology that can greatly improve your meeting or event, but if you’re not a tech whizz it can be daunting trying to figure it all out. It’s worth checking out if your venue has a dedicated AV technician on site to help you, should any problems arise, or to simply help you set up your meeting and make the most of the technology available. Don’t forget to #getsocial and create a hashtag for your event. Broadcast this freely in the run up and encourage delegates to get involved in the conversation.
Don’t forget the fun
Have some fun and inject a bit of life to your meeting or event; whether this is including a game, a personalised name tag, a social media competition in the run up to the event or taking delegates to the best local pub for an after-event drink; get creative! Adding this personal touch will not only keep delegates engaged and in high spirits, but will ensure your event sticks in their mind for all the right reasons!
The professional and flexible events team at Woburn House Conference Centre, a versatile, central London venue with 8 spaces for 2 to 200 people, can help make sure your event is a success.
To find out more about our rooms and spaces, contact the events team on 020 7419 5489 or email bookings@woburnhouse.co.uk
