There are many important considerations and activities involved in planning and organizing successful training seminars. This section contains issues and tips I have learned in developing and facilitating our events. This is meant to be a general guide that should be altered to fit your individual situation and needs.
The following is a list of questions to review when choosing a site for your workshop(s). Taking these considerations into account when selecting the venue will help to ensure easy access for all of your program guests and facilitate the provision of accommodations.
This rough outline of activities should assist you in organizing the event in a timely manner.
| Time in advance | Activity | |
|---|---|---|
| 5 - 6 Months | Select date Develop preliminary concept (i.e. Who is the target audience? How many guests would you like to attend? Will it be a half day or full day training? Will morning or afternoon refreshments be needed? Will lunch be included?)
Develop a preliminary budget, including: This preliminary budget will determine the cost you will need to charge participants to attend the event. Be sure that you leave enough leeway to include some complimentary admissions for special guests. |
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| 4 Months | ||
| 3 Months | Locate speakers, if necessary Letter to speakers - Confirm and thank them for their participation. Outline what you would like them to speak about. Ask for a short biographical sketch to be used as introductory information. Develop mailer - See samples of some of our mailers at the end of this section. Be sure to put down a deadline to register and a deadline to call and request accommodations. The deadlines can be"soft," allowing people to register as long as possible. However, it helps to get many participants registered in advance. |
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| 2 Months | Print mailer Get labels - Some places where you can purchase labels printed with the names and addresses of local businesses are: Chamber of Commerce; business associations, college career centers; community based agencies that deal with job placement; private industry councils. I use labels from the large database we keep at The Career Center plus my own database. In the past, I have also scanned the addresses into my computer from a local Chamber of Commerce directory and printed my own labels. Send mailer - Try to get the information out to potential participants about one month before the event. If you give too much advance notice, people can forget; if you give less notice, they may not have enough time to rearrange their schedules. Since I mail our invitations out at the bulk rate, I tend to mail them six weeks before the date. |
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| 1 Months |
Present to Chamber of Commerce groups and service clubs -- Every month most of our local chambers organize both a breakfast and an evening mixer. These are excellent opportunities to meet area employers, build relationships, and advertise your event. Service clubs such as Lions and Kwanis also have weekly or bi-monthly meetings and welcome speakers from the community. Letter to speakers - Reconfirm their participation and topic of presentation, remind them of the need for biography information, and include a map and instructions for getting to the event. Letter to participants - Confirm their registration and provide instructions and a map on how to get to the event. Reserve sign language interpreters and send materials to be transcribed into alternate formats, if needed Reconfirm facilities reservations and food arrangements |
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| 1 - 2 Weeks | Organize program materials/handouts - Include an agenda and an evaluation for participants to complete to give feedback on the event. Make signs - For guests to get from the parking area to the event. Signs for around the room with the name and date of the event as well as the sponsoring organization (great for pictures), and better labels for the restrooms and elevators if needed. Phone calls to speakers for any last minute questions concerns, etc. Reconfirm sign language interpreters, if necessary | |
| 1 - 2 Days |
Box all handouts and other materials Box supplies - Such as name tags, pens, tape, string, blank overhead sheets and overhead marking pens, blank paper, scissors, and stapler.
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While all of our events have either been held on campus (we have some great new meeting rooms) or at a local restaurant with banquet facilities, I have checked out most of the meeting rooms in our area. This list was developed from the types of places I explored:
While this curriculum can be used to facilitate effective training in and of itself, guest speakers add variety and an additional element of credibility to the event. Networking is the key to locating knowledgeable guest speakers. The following list is intended to provide possible starting places to finding the speakers you need.
Before you begin, you must be clear about who you are looking for‹ what information would you like this person to be able to impart to your guests? Never accept "no" as the only answer; be sure to ask each resource for suggestions of other places for you to contact.