Events Management

ModuleThree-CertificationPrograminEventManagement.pdf

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CERTIFICATE PROGRAM IN EVENT MANAGEMENT

MODULE THREE

CORPORATE EVENTS

INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EVENT MANAGEMENT

MODULE THREE: CORPORATE EVENTS ................................................... 4

FUNDRAISERS .................................................................................................................... 1

CONFERENCES ................................................................................................................... 6

TRADESHOWS .................................................................................................................. 16

MEETINGS ....................................................................................................................... 23

TEAM BUILDING EVENTS .................................................................................................. 32

MODULE FOUR: ASSIGNMENTS ......................................................................................... 40

MODULE THREE: CORPORATE EVENTS

EDUCATION IS SIMPLY THE SOUL OF A SOCIETY, AS IT PASSES FROM ONE GENERATION TO ANOTHER - Gilbert K. Chesterton

Corporate events, also known as business or commercial events, have one thing in

common: they are always driven by some business objective. Common objectives are

marketing a new product, attracting new customers, establishing professional

connections, and raising funds. In this section we will cover corporate events in detail.

FUNDRAISERS

A fundraiser is an event with the primary objective of raising money. Event managers

work with organizations to meet this objective. These events require experience and

skill in communication, marketing, and advertising. Fundraisers can be categorized as

charitable, not-for-profit, or religious. The purpose of any fundraising activity must be

clearly defined. Raising money can be a challenge in these tough economic times, and

a fundraiser is more likely to be successful if the cause stirs passion and excitement in

the attendees.

Start by encouraging the donors to believe in the cause and to trust that the funds

collected will ultimately be used for the stated cause. Such trust depends on clear

accountability and transparency in managing and distributing the funds. Conduct

research about your potential donors and their motives for donating. Your fundraiser

must have a compelling and genuine story to tell. A good mix of the right people,

technology, and tools will help maximize your

returns.

Be patient while planning a fundraiser, and put

your interpersonal and communications skills to

good use. These events require a significant

amount of direct interaction with donors, and

long-term personal relationships are especially

helpful. If you do not have all the necessary skills

yourself, you may hire others or enlist volunteers

who can complement your abilities. Your team

should believe in the cause and be proactive in

building relationships. Recruit a skilled writer

who can create compelling ad copy for press

releases, thank-you letters, and grant proposals.

While creating your fundraising plan, consider these suggestions:

 Be crystal clear about the end objective of the event.

 Evaluate your resources. How much help and support do you have to make this

a success?

 Consider gaps in skill sets and plan to hire employees or sign up volunteers in

these areas.

CONSIDER THIS..

Be patient while planning a

fundraiser, and put your

interpersonal and

communications skills to

good use. These events

require a significant amount

of direct interaction with

donors, and long-term

personal relationships are

especially helpful.

 Create a thought-out marketing strategy for reaching and attracting donors.

 Raise awareness about the organization, its mission, and its goals.

 Identify other groups that your organization can approach in attracting donors.

 Invite companies that can make in-kind donations, such as food, technology,

printing services, and communications.

 Investigate donors who can contribute expertise, such as web design, marketing,

outreach, and grant writing.

 Ensure that volunteers can commit their time and are cognizant of deadlines.

Once you have a target for the total funds to be raised, determine how this goal can be

met. Start with marketing strategies that have already been used by the organization in

the past. Donors are moved to give by relationships and organizations they trust. They

sometimes base their decisions on the leadership of the organization as well. It is

important to establish a relationship before asking for support. Even when raising

money for a specific cause, you must also communicate the long-term mission and

objectives of the group. Establish your target audience and identify the individual(s) who

will actually write the checks.

Be realistic in your approach to the target audience, avoiding goals that cannot be

achieved. If you goals are unachievable, your team (especially volunteers) will lose

interest, become unproductive, or even quit. Always be genuinely enthusiastic about

your cause in order to raise the moral of the entire team.

COMMUNITY FUNDRAISERS

A school fundraiser is an example of this category. Like other events, it requires an

overall plan, including a checklist of tasks, each with a due date for its completion.

Define all roles clearly and assign a volunteer with the right skills to each. Marketing is

an important element of school fundraisers, and a website can be used to communicate

with potential donors. You can also design attractive marketing collateral, such as

posters and flyers to be distributed throughout the community. Make sure that the

website address is included on all such collateral material. Study previous events to

learn what strategies have worked in the past. Recruit a volunteer chairperson who can

help attract and sign up volunteers as well as manage them. Clearly communicate roles

and expectations to volunteers, and show your gratitude by offering all of them a token

of appreciation.

School fundraisers can take many forms. You can use inflatable rentals for kids to

enjoy, organize game booths in a carnival style, or ask each school class to organize a

unique game booth. Other possibilities include silent auctions, mini-golf, pizza parties,

bake sales, cookie-dough fund raisers, and catalog sales. Food and beverages play an

important role. You can ask parents to set up food stands or invite local vendors to

participate for a small fee. Vendors usually are receptive to such events, which give

them both marketing opportunities and free publicity.

CORPORATE FUNDRAISERS

Most companies raise money for charitable causes, communities, or not-for-profit

organizations. Guidelines for planning such events are similar to those stated above.

GALA DINNER

A gala dinner is a black-tie, invitation-only event, usually for guests with a large amount

of disposable income. Requiring extensive publicity and organization, such fundraisers

are expensive to plan but can raise significant donations if executed correctly. Sponsors

will be important to the event, and must be recruited by means of a sponsorship

package with different tiers. A company may be interested in sponsoring the venue

costs, a restaurant may donate catering services and food, and other businesses may

be willing to give their products for auctions or raffles. After the event, send a thank-you

note to all donors, sponsors, volunteers, and others who contributed to your success.

CONFERENCES

Conferences are gatherings of individuals with mutual interests, held (among other

purposes) for sharing ideas and inventions, for educational purposes, for professional

development, and for networking. Some conferences are held annually at about the

same time every year. Not-for-profit organizations usually pay for their conference

themselves and charge attendees a registration fee. They also raise money in the form

of sponsorships. For-profit conferences may be run by industry associations and usually

charge significant fees for companies and individuals to attend.

The event manager is responsible for planning all aspects of the conference. These

include managing the smooth operation of various teams, drawing up a list of speakers

or panelists, managing sponsorships, and arranging the catering.

KICK-OFF

Once the objectives are agreed upon, start by creating subcommittees for each of the

major tasks at hand, which typically include

 Marketing

 Website design and management

 Sponsorships

 Content management

 Facilities setup, such as audio-visual management

 Logistics

 Volunteer management

 Catering

 Finance and budgeting

The event manager may end up managing or chairing some of these committees.

VENUE

Choosing a venue for a conference involves most of the tasks mentioned in the sections

on other kinds of events above. It may be necessary to book the venue years in

advance. Before doing so, conduct a walk-through of the facility, checking the

maximum-occupancy limits and available rooms against the number of attendees and

parallel sessions that are planned at the conference. If an outside caterer is bringing in

food, make sure that the facility has an operational kitchen. Check for discounts if your

client is a not-for-profit corporation. Offer to promote the facility at the event in exchange

for a rental discount.

SPEAKERS

Once the theme of the conference is defined,

it is time to start looking for speakers. First

decide if speakers will be paid or will be

asked to volunteer their time. Knowledge and

expertise are not the only qualifications of

suitable speakers; they must also be able to

connect with the audience. Obtain a well-

known keynote speaker whose name will

market your event and attract attendees. The

next step is to determine how many speakers

and panelists you will need. Prepare a list of

potential speakers, selecting them to fit the

various tracks of the conference, such as entrepreneurship or career growth. Before

inviting speakers, review videos of their appearances. If a speaker is a good fit, send a

formal letter of invitation, asking for a picture and brief bio to include in your marketing

collateral and website.

CONSIDER THIS..

Before inviting speakers,

review videos of their

appearances. If a speaker

is a good fit, send a formal

letter of invitation, asking

for a picture and brief bio to

include in your marketing

collateral and website.

For paid speakers, use a speaker contract containing details of the date, venue, topic,

travel arrangements, payments, and cancellation charges. Get speakers to sign a

release form if they have agreed to be videotaped.

Once all the speakers are secured, create a spreadsheet with all the names, sessions,

travel arrangements, payments, and any other information mentioned in the contract.

Reserve a green room for the speakers at the conference center, equipped with water,

coffee, and light snacks. This room will be used by the speakers before and after their

sessions.

Remember to do a Q&A on the topics with the speakers before the event, and it is

always a good idea to ask the speakers to e-mail you their presentations ahead of time

so that they can be set up in the rooms. You may also wish to add a breakout session

for networking during the event.

FOOD

Food service at conferences is much like that at other events, with a few special

considerations. Formulate a breakfast menu with several choices. Offer coffee, decaf,

tea, and juices. A Continental breakfast menu works best at conferences where the

attendees eat breakfast as they arrive for registration. This also allows for some

important networking time.

A full-day conference should be relieved by short coffee breaks. Coffee, tea, ice-cream,

cookies, fruits, juices, and soda can be served at these times.

In case alcohol will be served, observe all applicable laws and regulations. Hire licensed

vendors to serve the alcohol. Self-service is not a good option. Don't forget to include a

good number of nonalcoholic beverages at the bar.

AUDIOVISUAL SETUP

An AV expert is a must at any event. Ask the venue manager if they provide AV setup

services and if there will be an AV expert on site during the conference. At a large

conference you will need several computers, printers, microphones, flip charts, video

equipment, large-screen TVs, easels, podiums, charts, and cords. You may have to rent

some of this equipment. Consider how many microphones will be needed and how

many of those will be handheld, lapel, and standing microphones. Get references on the

vendor from the venue manager. Walk through all the rooms and discuss in detail the

AV requirements for each room. Create a spreadsheet and make sure the room owners

have a copy of the checklist for their rooms, including the breakout areas and the lunch

hall. If you are bringing any personal items, such as computers, printers, and large-

screen TVs, make sure to get permissions from the venue manager.

Hire a professional videographer to shoot videos of keynote speakers and panelists.

These recordings can be uploaded to your website and will help promote your next

event. Speakers who want candid feedback from attendees can ask for it during

breakout sessions.

LOGISTICS

Assemble a team of volunteers to take care of the printed material, handouts,

brochures, surveys, maps, and badges. You will also need volunteers to purchase

supplies such as notepads, staplers, pencils, pens, tape, paper clips, boxes, and an

assortment of paper. Always have a first-aid kit handy.

Signage will have to be designed and printed. You may hire a professional to design the

conference banner with logo and theme of the conference. Remember to plan for

directional signs with arrows to maintain smooth flow of attendees as they move

between various sessions. Other signage could display logos of sponsors. Discuss with

the facility manager any restrictions on placing the signage and hanging banners.

The next task is to recruit volunteers for the day of the event. If the volunteer committee

has a chairperson, he or she will be in charge of this recruiting. You will need help at the

registration desk to hand out badges as the attendees walk in, as well as on-site

registration. Make sure you have enough laptops and an internet connection to sign up

and charge these attendees. Bring in the volunteers the night before the event and have

them take a tour of the facility. Give each volunteer a master list of the flow of events so

that everyone is aware of the sessions and their duties. Assign a chairperson for each

individual committee. This will help in decision making during an emergency.

WEBSITE

No conference can go without a professional-looking website where the attendees can

learn more about the conference and register online. For many organizations,

conference registration is the primary source of income, and the website is all the more

critical. Update the website with all the key information attendees expect: location,

agenda, keynote speakers’ names and profiles to attract registrants and other panelists.

Some excellent resources for website design and maintenance can be found on

outsourcing websites such as elance.com or 99designs.com. These services offer an

open and competitive marketplace, with the option to choose from a large community of

website designers and developers. In just a few minutes you can create your job posting

and publish it to thousands of contractors orYou can also search our directory and invite

specific contractors to your job. Registration websites such as 123Signup can be used

to host online registration, saving you time by automating the registration process.

http://www.elance.com/

http://99designs.com/

http://www.123signup.com/

Early-bird discounts may be offered at an early stage to increase registration. You can

also create custom discount codes for big companies. For example, employees of a

particular organization or company may be offered a 20% discount if they use a specific

code during registration. The conference can be promoted through various channels.

Send e-mails to last year’s attendees, post flyers outside libraries and restaurants, get

media coverage, set up a Facebook fan page, tweet about the conference, and create a

LinkedIn event page.

EVALUATE THE CONFERENCE

Once the conference is over, take the time to

evaluate the conference while things are still

fresh in your mind. It is always good idea to

create evaluation forms for attendees that can

be completed and returned after the

conference. Another option is to post an online

survey and remind attendees to complete the

survey immediately after the conclusion of

events. Make sure to cover these areas in your

survey:

 Registration process

 Conference materials provided

 Satisfaction with the speakers/presenters

 Conference facilities

 Sessions attended

 Length of conference sessions

 Kinds of sessions they would you like to see at future conferences

 Like most/least about the conference

 Rate the conference compared to other conferences of this type

 In what ways could the conference be improved

CONSIDER THIS..

Hold a debriefing with

everyone involved to

discuss what worked and

what didn't. These

experiences will help in

planning the next

conference.

Hold a debriefing with everyone involved to discuss what worked and what didn't. These

experiences will help in planning the next conference. Prepare a final budget and make

sure all the payments are made. Remember to send thank-you notes to all the

speakers, panelists, and sponsors. Reward the volunteers by giving them a gift

certificate or hosting a volunteer-appreciation party. It is now time to document your

success and define areas that needed more organizing.

After the wrap-up, take some time to relax before you embark on the next event.

TRADESHOWS

A trade show, also known at times as a trade exhibition or trade expo is an event

organized for companies and organizations in a specific trade. This provides an

opportunity to showcase, demonstrate and even conduct sales of their products and

services. One of the main attractions of trade shows is to provide a unique opportunity

for companies to analyze activities of their competitors and examine future industry

trends and opportunities. Trade shows are different from consumer fairs, in that trade

shows are seldom open to the public, and are only open to company representatives,

members of the trade, industry professionals and members of the media.

Trade shows are classified as either "Public" or "Trade Only" and few tradeshow are

hybrids of the two. For example some trade shows are “Trade-only” for the first few

days and the final day or two are open to the general public. Another distinction of trade

shows is that they are held on a recurring basis, most generally on an annual basis,

such as the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. This show is held in

January every year and attracts thousands of companies from around the globe. It is

estimated that across the United States alone, there are more than 2500 trade shows

held each year. The frequency and ubiquity of tradeshows present an excellent

opportunity to gain experience by taking up part-time opportunities during the

tradeshow, including but not limited to trade show setup activities, managing a company

booth and assisting in demonstration or sales of products.

Exhibitors are constantly in search of new trade show booth ideas that differentiate their

exhibits from the competition to attract large numbers of booth visitors. To identify and

evaluate trade show ideas, begin by attending a variety of trade events.

TRADE SHOW BASICS

Try and volunteer as a team member to participate in organizing the tradeshow. Canvas

the exhibition hall and observe what other companies are doing with their tradeshow

exhibits displays. Identify the marketing methods being used to attract booth visitors,

and take special note of promotional concepts that are generating the most buzz. When

you notice tradeshow booths that are drawing consistent crowds, talk with staff when

you get an opportunity and learn about their techniques to attract prospects and close

sales. If appropriate, also talk with attendees and ask what compels them to stop and

look at one trade show booth versus another. Companies that design and produce

tradeshow booths can also offer a range of creative ideas. Experienced trade show

vendors stay on the cutting edge of booth design, exhibiting strategies and promotional

trends. When evaluating tactics designed to enhance booth traffic, lead generation and

sales, ensure all promotional concepts fully support your client’s brand positioning.

LOGISTICS

Selecting an appropriate time and location for

trade shows is a long and complex process.

You'll need to consider the convenience for both

trade show vendors and attendees. It usually is

a good idea to avoid holding a trade show

during major holidays, or you may risk low

attendance at tradeshow exhibits and less floor

traffic. When reserving the venue, be mindful of

the total number of attendees, as well as the

number of trade show exhibitors and supporting

staff. Plan conservatively to avoid capacity

issues, and try to strike a balance by avoiding

reserving large convention centers or enormous halls if the floor traffic and number of

trade show vendors is less than half of the venue’s capacity. Consider other

CONSIDER THIS..

Selecting an appropriate

time and location for trade

shows is a long and

complex process. You'll

need to consider the

convenience for both trade

show vendors and

attendees.

conventions, conferences, and trade shows being held at or around the same date and

location. A parallel tradeshow can work both ways – providing an opportunity to

leverage other events' traffic, or sometimes it may end up directly competing, resulting

in attendees divided between the two competing trade shows.

MARKETING

Attracting attendees who return year after year is essential to organizing a successful

event. A great tradeshow marketing plan has both, a strategic perspective and a tactical

action plan. Trade show marketing campaigns begin much before the actual event with

the primary objective of attracting the most relevant exhibitors as well as attendees. An

excellent means of attracting a high attendance rate is to provide incentives that the

audience cannot pass up – these included discounts, giveaway items, and

sweepstakes. Consider creating packages that include a number of attractive

incentives. For example, a package might include floor space for their trade show

exhibits, an advertisement in the event directory, and a panel appearance to increase

their exposure. That will make it easier for them to justify attending.

The most effective marketing tool is e-mail based marketing to targeted lists of industry

groups and associations. Additionally, reach out to industry groups through social media

channels such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Linkedin – these are cost effective

and can be highly targeted.

Studies show that that about 80 percent of attendees already know what trade show

booths they want to visit at the convention. If the booth lack great marketing, then

chances are it won’t be included on their list. Two to three weeks prior to the event

should be plenty of time for your audience to plan on attending.

ATTRACTING ATTENDEES

 Fully leverage online and social marketing opportunities such as webinars, blogs,

online videos, Twitter and Facebook to complement traditional marketing

methods before, during and after the trade show.

 Add a touch of personalization by taking photographs of booth visitors and

superimpose the images on unique, appropriate backgrounds such as a news

magazine, Hollywood red carpet, surf board, etc. Since people typically keep

photos of themselves, this memento acts as a powerful marketing tool long after

the tradeshow is over.

 Provide the chance to play virtual sports such as golf or baseball using a

simulation software package, real equipment (i.e. golf clubs or baseball bats) and

a large video display. Game consoles such as the Wii or Xbox can provide an

inexpensive way to attract visitors.

 Plan a webcast to engage customers and prospects who are unable to attend the

trade show, and stream live videos to your website directly from your exhibit

display. The webcast can take the form of a live "news program" featuring staff

members who share the latest news about the industry and your products.

 Construct a private, mini-conference area or room in the back of your booth area

to talk one-on-one with highly interested prospects. Make sure the meeting area

is well-lit and equipped with sales materials, paper , writing instruments and

some refreshments.

 Offer aromatic food, candy or coffee in your display area, preferably available at

the back of your booth so attendees will have to walk into your display area. This

will give them an opportunity to meet booth staff and review your offerings.

 To make your display area stand out in the exhibition hall, use compelling

visuals, graphics and visible signage. Consider using tall hanging display signs

that extends over the booth area to help people locate and identify your booth.

 Hire a professional service to shine shoes for prospects visiting your booth. This

will allow staff to talk with prospects about your company and collect lead

information while their shoes are being shined.

 Feature live product demonstrations that engage booth visitors and create

awareness for your product and its distinctive advantages.

 Have booth staff wear the same company-branded clothing that includes the

organization’s name, logo and website. This sends a message that your team is

professional and cohesive. Have a drawing to give away the same or similar

company shirt with your logo each hour or day-part. This is an excellent way to

collect lead information from high-opportunity prospects.

 Use attractive rugs that have extra padding to enhance the allure of your booth

space and provide comfort for those working for hours in the trade show booth.

PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

The right trade show giveaway can be instrumental in an exhibitor's efforts to draw

traffic to their display area and attract prospective customers. While promotional items

are common trade show ideas to implement, they key is to make sure items

have relevancy to your company and are useful to attendees. Effective trade show

ideas and giveaways must also be unique from what other exhibitors typically use.

Place promotional items out of the way rather than at a front table for any passerby to

take. Give them out sparingly after booth staff have talked with attendees and

determined they are potential prospects.

MEETINGS

The primary purpose of a meeting is to achieve specific organizational goals, and are a

vital tool for all well managed organizations. Properly run meetings save time, increase

motivation, productivity, solve problems, create new ideas and initiatives. Meetings can

also be organized to achieve buy-in from stakeholders and prevent the 'not invented

here' syndrome. At times, meetings diffuse conflict in a way that emails and memos

cannot. It is interesting to note that meetings are effective because the written word only

carries 7% of the true meaning and feeling. Meetings are better than telephone

conferences because only 38% of the meaning and feeling is carried in the way that

things are said. The other 55% of the meaning and feeling is carried in facial expression

and non-verbal signals.

Before planning any meeting, consider and decided the objective and outcome of the

meeting by consulting with those planning and attending. Meeting objectives usually

include some or more of the following:

 Provide information

 Provide training or workshops

 Generating ideas or planning

 Consulting and getting feedback

 Find solutions to specific problems

 Crisis management

 Performance reporting or status assessment

 Setting targets, goals and objectives

 Making decisions

 Conveying and clarifying policy issues

 Team building

 Process improvement

PLANNING A MEETING

The first question you must ask before any meeting is planned - What is the purpose of

the meeting? This is one basic question that can determine the success or failure of the

meeting, but it is surprisingly common to find plenty of meetings organized without a

clear purpose or alignment within the attendees. Always have a clear purpose and

alignment; otherwise don't have a meeting for it

is sure to be a waste of time and resources.

Decide the issues for inclusion in the meeting

and their relative priority, importance and

urgency. Important matters do not necessarily

need to be resolved quickly. Urgent matters

generally require a quick discussion. Matters that

are both urgent and important are clearly serious

priorities that need careful planning and

management.

 Start by circulating a draft agenda in

advance of the meeting, and ask for any

other items for consideration and use the agenda as a planning tool.

 Once the agenda is agreed upon, circulate the meeting agenda and the desired

outcome.

 Make sure to inform attendees if they need to prepare or bring specific

information to the meeting that will help make a decision or discuss a plan.

 At the start of the meeting, reiterate the objectives. Decide the type of outcome

(i.e., what is the purpose) for each issue, and put this on the agenda alongside

the item heading. This is important as people need to know what is expected of

them, and each item will be more productive with a clear aim at the outset.

 Allow time for attendees to provide a formal introduction, in case most attendees

are meeting for the first time.

CONSIDER THIS..

The first question you must

ask before any meeting is

planned - What is the

purpose of the meeting?

This is one basic question

that can determine the

success or failure of the

meeting,

 Once the meeting starts, keep control of the agenda and schedule. If the

discussion wanders off the objective, be firm but polite to cut short such

discussions and focus on the main objective.

 Ensure that every attendee has a chance to provide their perspective and avoid

multiple discussion between the attendees as it may fragment the entire

conversation.

 Capture notes of the main points that are being discussed, items that are closed

or not resolved, and follow-up action items with owners and the timeline to

complete the actions.

 Circulate the meeting notes after the meeting.

MEETING TIPS

 Put the less important issues at the top of the agenda, not the bottom. If you put

them on the bottom you may never get to them because you'll tend to spend all

the time on the big issues. Schedule a particularly controversial issue later in the

agenda, which gives people a chance to settle down and relax.

 Ensure any urgent issues are placed up the agenda. Non-urgent items place

down the agenda - if you are going to miss any you can more easily afford to

miss these.

 Try to mix things up - avoid controversial items being discussed together to

create changes in pace and intensity.

 Be aware of the tendency for people to be at their most sensitive at the beginning

of meetings.

 Try to avoid scheduling mundane item of the agenda after lunch as the energy

level is usually low after meals; instead plan a brief activity that involves

attendee participation such as speaking, presenting, debating or doing other

active things.

 Allow for plenty of breaks during long meetings. Unless people are participating

and fully involved, their concentration begins to drop after just 45 minutes.

 Keep short breaks, of between 5 to 15 minutes, every 45 to 90 minutes for a

quick breath of fresh air to break the monotony.

 Working lunches are a great time saver, but make sure you give people 10-15

minutes to get some fresh air and move about outside the meeting room.

MEETING LOGISTICS

PARTICIPANTS

It's often obvious who should attend; but sometimes it isn't. Consider inviting

representatives from other departments to your

own department meetings - if relationships are

not great they will often appreciate being asked,

and it will help their understanding of your

issues, and your understanding of theirs. Having

outside guests from internal and external

suppliers helps build relationships and

strengthen the chain of supply, and they can

often also shed new light on difficult issues. Use

your discretion though - certain sensitive issues

should obviously not be aired with 'outsiders'.

Avoid and resist senior managers and directors

attending your meetings unless you can be sure

that their presence will be positive, and certainly

not intimidating. Senior people are often quick to

criticize and pressurize without knowing the

CONSIDER THIS..

Avoid and resist senior

managers and directors

attending your meetings

unless you can be sure that

their presence will be

positive, and certainly not

intimidating. Senior people

are often quick to criticize

and pressurize without

knowing the facts, which

can damage team

relationships, morale,

motivation and trust.

facts, which can damage team relationships, morale, motivation and trust. If you must

have the boss at your meeting, try to limit their involvement to lunch only, or presenting

the awards at the end of the meeting. In any event, tell your boss what you are trying to

achieve at the meeting and how - this gives you more chance in controlling possible

interference.

TIMING

Ensure the date you choose causes minimum disruption for all concerned. It's

increasingly difficult to gather people for meetings, particularly from different

departments or organizations. Pay special attention to finding the right date – it is a very

important part of the process, particularly if senior people are involved. For meetings

that repeat on a regular basis the easiest way to finalize dates is to set them in advance

at the first meeting when everyone is present and can commit right then. Try to

schedule a year's worth of meetings if possible, then you can circulate and publish the

dates, which helps greatly to ensure people keep to them and that no other priorities

encroach.

Pre-planning meeting dates is one of the keys to achieving control and well-organized

meetings. Conversely, leaving it late to agree dates for meetings will almost certainly

inconvenience people, which is a major source of upset. Generally try to consult to get

agreement of best meeting dates for everyone, but ultimately you will need to be firm.

Suggest a date and invite alternative suggestions, rather than initially asking for

suggestions, which rarely achieves a quick agreement.

Meeting start and finish times will depend on the type and duration of the meeting and

the attendees' availability. Try to start early, or finish at the end of the working day. Two-

hour meetings in the middle of the day waste a lot of time in travel. Breakfast meetings

are a good idea in certain cultures, but can be too demanding in more relaxed

environments. If attendees have long distances to travel consider overnight

accommodation on the night before as this allows for a much earlier start.

VENUE

Venue choice is critical for certain sensitive meetings, but far less so for routine, in-

house meetings. Ensure the room size is right and that it is big enough with all relevant

equipment and services. Prepare a list of equipment that is needed and arrive early to

check on the room arrangement and the opportunity to replace faulty equipment. Your

pre-meeting check should cover some or all of the following aspects:

 Table and seating layout

 Top-table position

 Tables for demonstration items, paperwork, hand-outs, etc

 Electricity power points and extensions

 Heating and lighting controls

 Projection and flip chart equipment positioning and correct operation

 Locations of restrooms and emergency exits

 Catering arrangements

MEETING LAYOUT

For formal presentations to large groups, theatre-style works the best with the audience

in rows, preferably with tables, facing the chairman. In medium-sized and more

interactive meetings, the horse-shoe also known as “U” table layout with the open part

of the U facing the primary speaker or organizer. Meetings between small teams that

require debate and discussion, are best arranged in a boardroom style layout, with one

rectangular table with attendees seating around it.

Ensure everyone can see projection screens, flip charts or the demonstration material

properly, and a good way to determine this is to actually sit in the chairs to check. Set

up of projectors and screens is important as an out of focus or irregular shaped

projection will cause distractions. Try for a perfect rectangular image, as it is the most

visible and at the same time gives a professional impression.

Position screens and flip chart where they can be used comfortably without obscuring

the view. Ensure the speaker's position is to the side of the screen, not in front of it

obscuring the view. Take care to see that extension leads and wiring is taped to the

floor and safely covered and protected. Supply additional flip chart easels and paper, or

write-on acetates and pens, for syndicate work if applicable. Ask attendees to bring

laptops for exercises and presentation to the group assuming a compatible LCD

projector is available.

TEAM BUILDING EVENTS

The term "team building" has become a buzzword in recent years, and has many

connotations. In terms of corporate development, team building events have gained

popularity as they provide an innovative platform for companies to engage employees in

a manner that fosters better communication and bonding within employees. Taking

employees out of the usual office routine helps groups break down political and

personal barriers, eliminate distractions, and have fun. The benefits of team-building

programs are so significant that many corporations have incorporated team building

strategies into their standard training curriculum.

TEAM BUILDING BASICS

The old acronym for TEAM - Together Everyone Accomplishes More is more applicable

today than ever before. Almost every organization needs their employees to works as a

team regardless of the size or location of the organization. Being a good team player is

one of the most sought after qualification, and with every company executive exploring

ways to improve business results and profitability, team building events provide a very

effective tool. The key objective of team building events is to integrate team activities

with actual work goals and to foster a better working relationship and camaraderie

within the team.

Specific examples of objectives and benefits for a team building event include:

 Raise morale and build leadership skills

 Find and break down the barriers that thwart creativity

 Improve processes and procedures

 Enhance organizational productivity

 Identify an organization’s strengths and weaknesses

 Improve the ability to solve problems creatively

 Tap into and take advantage of the organization’s hidden potential

Just as with any other type of event, have a clear understanding of the purpose of

the team building event. The first step is to make sure that every employee that

participates in the event clearly understands why the event is being organized and

the desired outcome. Many companies organize team building events at offsite

locations to allow employees to interact with each other in a more informal

environment, different than their normal work place. Location is a key factor in

helping employees interact differently and build deeper relationships, resulting in a

more productive and enjoyable work environment.

SUCCESS FACTORS

The success of a team building or of a strategic planning activity begins well before the

start of the event. Take advantage of the opportunity to work with team members and

leverage their understanding of the organization culture to plan the event – this is a

great advantage if you want to model the behavior you seek from the team building

sessions. The likely long-term effectiveness of a team building event or corporate

retreat is enhanced when you incorporate annual team building events into an overall

company philosophy and culture. This cultural framework of philosophies, values and

practices is designed to build the concept of “team” on a regular basis. In this

environment, team building sessions can yield supportive results.

However, if planned poorly and without well-

defined objectives, corporate team building

events are at best short term boost to employee

enthusiasm and at worst wasted time and

expense. If planned and executed well, people

feel good about themselves and about each

other and the impact can last months and even

years. Well-structured events result in

employees getting to know each other better,

and have a common experience to talk about

when back again at work. Team building

exercises should be fun, and a great way to accomplish this is to get ideas from the

employees themselves for suggestions on some of the activities they would like to do.

This is an easy and extremely effective approach to quickly get started on any team

building event and have a high chance of achieving the organization’s objectives.

Team building events do not necessarily have to be elaborate. If the event budget is a

constraint, team building activities can be managed within the office itself with some

good planning. As an example, getting each team member to bring a picture, video or

presentation of themself doing something they love (not work related). Ask them a little

about why they enjoy the activity they are doing to spark a team discussion about it. At

the end of this session you will have people talking to each other thus improving

communication between employees.

CONSIDER THIS..

The likely long-term

effectiveness of a team

building event or corporate

retreat is enhanced when

you incorporate annual

team building events into

an overall company

philosophy and culture.

CONSIDERATIONS FOR ACTIVITIES

 Make sure that every activity is designed to include all team members.

 Keep activities interactive and get team members talking, debating and

strategizing to foster a better understanding of each other.

 Begin with ice breaker games to warm-up team members and break out of their

day-to-day work environment.

 Establish clear goals and rewards for each activity, before beginning the activity

or team building session.

 Make sure team consist of a diverse set of individuals who may not necessarily

work with each other on a daily basis.

 Nominate team leaders, with a focus on getting individual contributors to lead

and represent their team .

 Make sure that all participants are physically capable of performing the activities

and pay special attention to any participant who has a medical condition that may

be aggravated by stress.

 Attain a general consensus from the company on the kind of food to be served

keeping in mind any dietary restrictions. It is a good idea to avoid serving alcohol

at such events, however if you have to, then keep it at a minimal as these

activities involve physical and mental engagement.

 Keep the teams well fed and hydrated throughout the event and be aware of

members showing sign of exhaustion or fatigue.

 Define rules clearly, but allow teams the flexibility to perform independently.

 While planning an outdoor team building activity make sure there is plenty of

space available to conduct such an activity.

 Be sure to observe the proceedings and give your input at the end of each

activity.

 Allocate some time at the end of any activity to discuss the activity itself and how

it helps the team members work together more effectively.

EXAMPLE OF ACTIVITIES

MINGLE

Designate an area for the game to take place in and ask everyone to stand within this

area. When the leader says “go” everyone walks around in the area (in no particular

direction) saying “mingle, mingle, mingle…” until the leader yells a number. For

instance, the number five is called out, then everyone tries to get into a group, cluster or

clump of exactly 5 people. After a few seconds anyone not in a group is “out”. Any

group having more or less than the given number is also “out”. Those who are “out”

should stand outside the play area so they can still watch and enjoy the rest of the

game. Keep playing until there are only two people left. After playing one round by the

above rules, play another round with added characteristics that people must group by.

Mix up the grouping criteria, such as:

 Group of 5 people

 Group of 4 people with the same age group

 Group of 4 people with the same shoe size

 Group of 4 people with the same eye color

I'd Like to Someday

For this exercise, the entire group should form a circle and each participant should be

given three popsicle sticks. The first person begins by saying "I've Never (insert words),

but I'd like to someday." Each person in the group who HAS done that activity should

through a stick into the middle. This continues around the circle as many times as

necessary. The goal is for each person to run out of sticks.

Examples:

I've never ___________, but I'd like to someday."

 Bungee jumped

 Make straight A's on a report card

 Rode a roller coaster

 Been to Disneyland

 Traveled outside the U.S.

 See the ocean

END OF MODULE THREE

MODULE THREE: ASSIGNMENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

 The objective of these Assignments is to demonstrate a good understanding of

concepts presented in this Module.

 Complete these assignments by preparing your responses to the tasks

described below.

 A maximum of 100 points can be earned by completing all Assignments

 The minimum passing score is 70 points. If you are graded with less than 70

points, the Assignments must be revised and re-submitted.

 Email your Assignments to faculty@ii-em.org

 Include your Full Name, contact email address and attach the completed

assignment documents (MS word format ).

ASSIGNMENT 1 – 40 POINTS

Prepare a written plan for a corporate event of about approximately 1500 words. The

plan should be comprehensive and detailed including at a minimum the following

information:

 Title of the event, venue and proposed date of event (5 points)

 Objectives of the event and the target audience (5 points)

mailto:faculty@ii-em.org

 Key requirements, such as food and beverage, entertainment, décor etc. (5

points)

 Basic budget for the event including expenses and sources of revenue (5 points)

 Plans for marketing and advertising the event (5 points)

 Potential list of sponsors for the event (5 points)

 Event agenda, outline of sessions or brief overview of the speakers (5 points)

 Organizational and staffing arrangements (5 points)

ASSIGNMENT 2 – 30 POINTS

A large Telecom company is inviting proposals to plan and manage their International

Symposium in Orlando, Florida USA. The one day conference program would include

participation from the company's top executives and industry speakers. Prepare a

proposal of approximately of 1000 words using the following guidelines:

• Recommend a venue (5 points)

• Create an outline for the conference agenda (5 points)

• Suggest ideas on developing the website and online registration (5 points)

• List hotels available near the conference venue (5 points)

• Describe AV needs associated with the conference (5 points)

• Ideas on how to evaluate the conference after completion (5 points)

ASSIGNMENT 3 – 30 POINTS

Sign-up to volunteer or attend a local meeting or event. This event can be a meeting,

tradeshow, conference, fundraiser, convention or a non-profit event. Prepare a written

report of about approximately 1000 words based on your observations of the event.

Your report should include:

 A brief overview of the event including date, time and location, purpose of the

event, description of the audience, organizational and any other details you

observed (10 points)

 Details about the event such as event type, number of attendees, venue, décor,

food and volunteer assignments. (10 points)

 Things you believe could have been improved and state how you would improve

upon them (10 points)