After figuring out what needs to be done to make the conference a reality, as outlined in the previous blog posts, it’s finally time to put that foot forward straight into the actual action of planning. While you won’t be able to anticipate all the twists and turns that the planning process can be, with proper planning and anticipation, you’ll still be able to stay on track even if some unexpected surprises pop up along the way. One thing that I cannot ever emphasize enough in the planning process is teamwork: the people who you are working with can make or break the conference. Do your best to cultivate an effective team environment, and half the battle to put on the best conference ever is already won.

Good luck on your own conference-planning journey!

Cheers,

Denise Chau

denise.chau@now-org.com

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Good teamwork + communication = WIN. (Photo by: Renjith Krishnan from freedigitalphotos.net)

Conference Planning Series: Part 4 of 6

7.  Who will do what?
Effective teamwork starts with each member having a clear idea about his/her responsibilities, and being held accountable to those responsibilities to themselves and the rest of the team.

While the whole conference planning team will work very closely together, it’s important that each member is directly responsible for something — or more importantly, every aspect of your conference will be directly taken care of by someone. You also need strong leadership that can bring the best out of every member, but also to be able to motivate people to do what they need to do. Recognize your team members’ strengths, but do not forget to work to help improve their weaknesses and provide support whenever possible. Always remember to lead by example. Select a chair or two co-chairs for your committee. Create director positions that can address the tasks your team listed in step 6. If a section is very work-intensive (e.g. Programs) you may want to create sub-committees so one person won’t be overloaded with too much to do.

8. Getting advice and help

Feedback and advice will be very important for you in every step of the conference planning process. Establish a formal or informal advisory board consisting of advisors who have experience in the theme(s) of your conference or in conference planning. If you are planning the conference at your school, getting a few teachers’ support will be very important especially in getting the word out to students, other educators, and the school board, as well as speeding up logistics processes such as room and equipment booking. Piggy-backing on community organizations is also a great way to obtain support and credibility for your initiative. People love to help enthusiastic students like you who are interested in making a difference in the community!

PLANNING TIME!

9. Planning Process

One of the greatest challenges during the course of planning the conference is keeping the whole team together, and ensuring that everyone knows enough of what is going with the whole conference-planning team to be able to work towards the same, unified goal. Preventing miscommunication is extremely important to keep the team working smoothly and to tackle problems before they blow up into something much harder to manage. As a leader, be sure to be quick to spot problems that can quickly escalate, including:

• Team members not getting along, either because of personality differences or differences in the attitude displayed to the work.

• Team members being overwhelmed by work (whether related to the conference, or with other extra-curriculars/schoolwork).

• Some people may be unresponsive to deadlines, which can result in the entire team being held back because they can’t proceed until something else is done, but isn’t being done.

The list of warning signs and potential problems can stretch very long, but the ones listed above are the ones that are most common when working with a team. However, there are definitely many ways that you can try your best to avoid having those situations come up (and therefore, help save time/team unity in the process!). Some ways you can try to keep the team working together can include:

Having regular meetings

This not only allows your team members to get to know each other better, but also brings in an element of accountability for team members to get something done and present their progress to the rest of the team.

Keeping open channels of communication

Make sure that all team members know how to contact each other- not only by email, but by phone and whatever else is necessary. Don’t forget to stress that you yourself are open to any concerns and questions that the team members may have. Also, encourage team members to contact the only members directly if they have questions about the others’ portfolios- they don’t have to go through you every time they want to ask something!

Keeping everyone in the loop about what is happening

If everyone is on the same page about what is happening in regards to the progress of conference planning, it keeps them motivated to achieve the ultimate goal: putting on a successful conference. It also keeps all team members engaged and personalizes the journey that you all are part of to put on the conference. Keeping everyone engaged can include having regular meetings, sending out regular news updates, etc.

Make sure the team knows how important deadlines are- if they miss a deadline, they affect the work of the entire team

Everyone needs to understand how they fit into the whole plan of organizing the conference- everybody’s part plays a role that many other parts may depend on. That is why deadlines are important- it helps everyone stay on track with what’s happening, as well as makes sure that one aspect of the conference isn’t being held back from progressing because another portfolio is procrastinating or not getting things done at all. Make sure everyone understands that they are accountable to not only the project, but everyone else contributing to it.

PART 3 is by far the longest blog segment yet on the conference-planning series. It gives a comprehensive overview on the many aspects of the conference that you need to consider and assessment before moving forward. Depending on the conference size and scope, not every aspect listed will be needed, and/or some aspects can be rolled into another portfolio to prevent an excessive team size. It’s all relative to projected conference size and complexity though, but nevertheless do give it some thought.

Last  but not least- ENJOY! You also get a virtual cookie if you manage to get to the end of it. =)

Cheers,

Denise Chau
denise.chau@now-org.com

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Conference Planning Series: Part 3 of 6

With proper planning, your conference team can avoid looking like this...

6. Make a Clear Action Plan and Timeline
What is our conference about? What needs to be done?
As a team, repeat steps 1-4 for each member of your team and your team as a whole. Go through this process again to fine tune a concrete and specific outline of your project that answers all the questions in steps 1-4, and ensures that all your team members are in on the vision of the conference as well.

General areas to discuss with your team include:

Marketing: outreaching to get potential delegates excited about your conference- why would they want to attend? What can they get out of it? How are you going to let people know about your conference? Will you be leveraging word-of-mouth, using social media, or visual ads such as posters? You might also want to consider having someone working on the Marketing aspect of the conference with some graphic design skills to help make promotional materials for the conference.

Communications: managing internal (i.e. within the team) and external (i.e. amongst the team and people outside the team) communication. Who will be the public “face” of the conference to potential partners and sponsors? Who will keep the team updated about what’s happening, especially if not all team members can attend regular in-person meetings?

Technology: leverage technology to maximize the potential of your conference- will you be using a website? Are you planning on incorporating social media to enhance delegate participation? Is it realistic, and do you have the resources for it?

Partnerships: collaborating with other groups can ensure the success of your conference. It helps you spread the word about your conference (especially if it’s a new initiative that does not yet have an established following), and drive up interest in attending. Partners can also be a huge resource for advice and help- don’t be afraid to ask if you have any questions or requests!

Sponsorships and Fundraising: getting financial support is important, especially with conferences that have large budgets. How much money can you realistically get from sponsorship and fundraising? What have other conferences gotten in the past?

For Sponsorship

Expect to receive more in-kind sponsorship than financial sponsorship. In-kind sponsorship comes in many forms: gifts, discounts for services such as printing and equipment rental, etc.- basically, it’s all sponsorship not in the form of cash. Also consider who you will be approaching for sponsorship: community organizations? Schools? Corporations? Each potential sponsor works differently, but be sure to present a professional face to any organization you ask for sponsorship. You want to give them the impression that the conference is well-run, will spend the sponsorship money wisely, and will attract a lot of people to attend. If you aspire to get corporate sponsorship, a good idea would be to create a sponsorship package that clearly outlines to the viewer why sponsoring the conference is a good idea.

For Fundraising:

Fundraising can be very time- and effort-intensive, but if planned and marketed well, the returns can be rewarding. Figure out what kind of fundraising events are feasible: do you want to implement an innovative new fundraising campaign that also raises awareness of your conference? Or do you want to partner with another organization? (if so- be careful to have guidelines about how the money will be split!) Then, work out what dates or times the fundraisers can happen on, and how many people you may need to run them. There are many fundraising ideas out there- be as creative and low-budget as you can!

Finance: you need someone to be meticulously taking care of the money matters and technicalities relating to keeping track of how much money is coming in and out of your conference budget. A projected budget needs to be put together, to give everyone on the team a sense of what to expect money-wise. If team members will be buying stuff on behalf of the conference, the Finance person will not only have to keep track of it all, but also figure out an efficient way to reimburse everyone. The budget should be continuously updated throughout the planning process.

Program: the content, or “substantial”, part of your conference. This is what will attract delegates to the conference and get people excited with what the conference is about. The people in charge of Programming will need to figure out what speakers (if any) are needed, come up with ideas for workshops or sessions , and figure out how this will all work out in a conference itinerary. Aside from the usual workshops and speakers, feel free to encourage your Programs team to be creative and try out new and/or fun ideas to incorporate into the conference!

Logistics: all logistics aspects of your conference- most importantly, the venue! When choosing the venue, one needs to keep in mind the following:

• capacity constraints (ie. how many people the place can hold legally within fire and safety regulations)

• Venue layout: does it work with all the workshops and sessions you have going on? Is all the space being used effectively? Can people get around easily?

• Accessibility: is the venue location convenient and easy to get to? Is there transit nearby? If it’s not that easy to find, should there be signs around the neighbourhood to guide people to your chosen venue?

Logistics isn’t all about the venue; it also includes trying to figure out how to move people around as efficiently as possible, and allocating space needs to what the Programs team has planned. It might also involve helping out with the registration procedures, helping arrange for Speakers to come, etc.

Public/Media Relations: media coverage can help raise awareness about your event and your cause, as well as building credibility for what you are doing, especially in the eyes of sponsor teachers that you may be working with. Whoever is in charge of this portfolio would probably be working closely with Marketing to let as many people know about the opportunity to participate in the conference, as well as write press releases for media outlets, and maintain any necessary communications with media who are interested in reporting for the event.

Human resources: involves ensuring effective teamwork and the development of team members, resolving any potential conflicts that may arise, and maybe even planning team social events or work sessions. The HR portfolio of the conference could also involve working with Logistics to determine volunteer needs, as well as recruiting and coordinating a lot of volunteers to ensure the conference runs smoothly the day-of. This may also involve creating and coordinating volunteer information and training sessions.

Depending on your conference, there may be other areas as well- such as someone specifically in charge of an innovative project or idea that you’re implementing for the first time that brings an extra something to your conference.

You may also do step 5 again at this stage to recruit talent. Remember that the dynamics of your team affects the success of your conference significantly!

Then figure out what you have to do to make your conference a reality.  Identify milestones and major tasks that need to be done. Arrange what you have compiled so far into a timeline to determine what needs to be done soon, and what can be done later on in the planning process. There may seem like a billion things that need to be done, so be careful about how you prioritize! After you have arranged things into a timeline, start assigning specific dates where each task or milestone should be completed- this will help everyone keep track of what needs to be done and when.

Realistically, the planning timeline won’t be adhered to 100% of the time, but making one is still extremely important as it gives everyone an idea of their responsibilities to the conference, as well as keep everyone accountable for their work. It’s ok with a few deadlines have to be moved around along the planning route to keep it realistic, but try to keep to the timeline as much as possible!

As always, feel free to give me any feedback or additions you’d think would further improve the process! Either comment in the box below the post, or email me at denise.chau@now-org.com.

Enjoy!

-Denise

PS. The website is currently being revamped- but I hope you enjoy the new look and feel!

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Conference Planning Series: PART 2 of 6

3. Conference Logistics Overview
Imagine that you are the delegate at your conference, and observe how you can help each delegate get the most out of attending the conference.
You have the dedication and determination, a great vision, and some concrete goals to pursue and achieve. It’s time to start laying out the ground work for a successful conference. You know how YOU want the conference to be like- but you can’t forget about the delegates who will be attending your conference. They don’t know every single detail about it like you do. Imagine that you are in their shoes for a few minutes- and think about the following questions to help you compile together a to-do list:

• How many conference delegates do you want- what is a feasible, realistic estimate?

• Set different estimates for delegates- having both a “minimum number of expected delegates” and “maximum number of delegates that can be accommodated” is always a good idea, especially if you have restricted access to space.

• Who can come to the conference?

• What kind of delegates do you want at your conference? Is there is a specific age group or interest group that you want to target?

• Where do you want the conference be held?

• How long will the conference be?

• When is the conference? (Which month(s), which week(s), approximately which day(s)? What time does it start and close?) – also keep in mind, what dates work best with your audience?

• What will the program of the conference be like? (e.g. Will we have a keynote to open the conference? Will there be workshops and if so how many? How can you best engage people?

• Will you provide lunch? Will there be a coffee break? Any food in general? (if so- remember to deal with potential allergy concerns!)

• What kind of pre/post-conference events can we do to facilitate action and connection before and after the conference?

4. Talk!
Talk to people about your ideas for steps 1-3
People will help point you to directions you’ve never thought about, lead you to opportunities, and connect you to people who might be able to help you! Get as much feedback as possible. Be open to constructive criticism- it’s called that for a reason!

5. Get a Team Together
Talk to people who you think would be interested about your conference idea and turn it into reality
You can’t plan the conference alone. Sure, it MIGHT be possible, but it’s almost a guarantee that you will have as much energy as a limp cabbage at the end of the process (not to mention large eye bags). Figure out how many people you’d think you need to get this conference going, as well as figure out what positions are needed. Giving names or titles to positions can really help others get a feel of what they are signing up for, as well as provide a clear way to divide up work. Get a bunch of people who are committed and passionate about your cause – your friends would be a great place to start. If you can, advertise these positions extensively- it’s always better to get more applicants than fewer! If there is a lot of interest in joining your team, consider a more formal “selection process” to pick who would be best suited to work with you: this can include interviews, introductory statements, etc. With a larger applicant pool comes a larger talent pool to draw from, and talent, as well as dedication, is always an important factor when putting together a team.

Be sure that whoever you are working with, that you can easily communicate with them in some way or form. This includes in-person meetings, online meetings or conference calls, or even just email. Communication between team members is extremely important, because it can make a huge difference to how well you can work and plan with the rest of the team!

A little bit about myself (and why in the world I’m writing this): I’ve been involved in planning student conferences for the past 5 years. I started out in the conference world of Model United Nations (MUN), and successfully managed to import the experiences I’ve gained from MUN to conferences ranging from leadership development to the 2010 Olympics. I love how conferences bring together people from all over to meet and share ideas- and, most of all, I enjoy the huge logistical challenge that lies in the planning stages of any conference! It’s amazing how much labour can go into even the tiniest detail of any conference- and I hope that, as you read through this blog series, you too can gain a sense of appreciation for the fine art of conference planning.

Good luck! I hope the information in this blog series will be helpful- and if you have anything to add to improve the process, please let me know! You can either leave a comment at the bottom of this post, or reach me by email at denise.chau@now-org.com.

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Conference Planning Series: PART 1 OF 6

How to Get Started?
Conferences are a powerful way to connect people together to learn, share, discover, and make a huge difference. Whatever the theme and scale of your conference is and whether you would like to hold the conference at your high school or in the community, here are a few first steps and questions to think about to help you kick start the planning process:

GETTING STARTED
1. You and the Conference
Your personal connection with your initiative
What does the conference mean to you- why are you doing this? The conference planning process can be quite challenging – you’ve got to fully believe in what you are doing to persevere through the many challenges and obstacles that you encounter in the process. Also, what would you like to get out of this planning process? What skills would you like to develop and hone?

2. Set a Vision and Goal(s)
What do you want this conference to achieve?
Just let your imagination and your heart take you. Assume everything is possible. To determine your vision, start thinking big and a bit on the general side so you won’t be limited by what you can achieve. Some questions to consider for your vision include:

-        Why do you think hosting a conference on this is important?

-        How can other people take part in your vision? Why should they care about this initiative?

-        Is there a “take-home” message that your conference can deliver?

After you have a better idea of the vision for the conference, it’s time to figure out what goals you want to reach with the event. These goals are there to guide you, not to restrict what you can do. However, be pragmatic when you are setting your goals: you want to dream big, but also be realistic and aware of your own limitations. Goals can include:

-        Conference attendance (how many people)?

-        Securing a big-name speaker(s)

-        Number of workshops or mini-events offered during the conference

-        Innovative ideas and projects to integrate into the conference

-        Projected budget

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Stay tuned for Part 2 next week!

Once again- if you think that another piece of advice can be added to the categories/steps mentioned above to improve and build on the overall conference-planning outlined so far, please let me know! Conference-planning is as experimental as it challenging: many of the best lessons learned in conference-planning are best learned while participating in the process, seeing what works,  making a few mistakes along the way yourself, and ultimately, learning from your own experiences and that of others. I’ve had my fair share of experience but I certainly can’t say that I’ve experienced it all- that’s probably not even possible. But collectively, we may be getting close.

cheers,

-Denise

Thank you again for your support of the NOW! creative education programs. Here’s an update from us!

1) NOW! play performances (February 2010)

NOW! partnered with Katimavik (www.katimavik.org) Vancouver to bring creative sustainability education to elementary schools and Katimavik program volunteers. Under the mentorship of Shawn MacDonald, a playwright and director at the Vancouver Arts Club, the Katimavik Vancouver troupe brought engaging performances of the 2008-2009 Act NOW! National Playwriting Competition junior category winning play “The Essay” to ~400 kids in Richmond, BC: Errington Elementary, W.D. Ferris Elementary, and McKinley Elementary. Thank you Beau Llewellyn and Marco Adamovic from Katimavik for an amazing opportunity to connect with dedicated youth volunteers from across Canada. We look forward to further collaboration with Katimavik!

2) Upcoming NOW What? conferences (May 2010):

• NOW What? Conference – Cochrane Edition

• Resourceful Thinking

3) 2nd annual Act NOW! Playwriting Competition (September 2009 – March 2010)

Entry submission was closed on March 31st, 2010. Decision from our judging panel will be announced on Earth Day, 22 April 2010. Outstanding entries will be posted on our website.  Here are the stats:

23 participants
Average age: 19
Average number of pages: 14

12 communities
Toronto, ON (3)
Markham, ON (1)
Mississauga, ON (1)
Anmore, BC (1)
Richmond, BC (1)
Surrey, BC (2)
Coquitlam, BC (1)
Burnaby, BC (2)
Vancouver, BC (8)
Lanley, BC (1)
Odejaye, Nigeria (1)
Hampstead, QC (1)

19 entries
Senior entries (age 19-26): 8
Junior entries (age 14-18): 11

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Next Steps:

- putting together the 2010-2011 NOW! team (Join our team)
- exciting collaboration opportunities with educators, students, community leaders, organizations, and institutions to take the impact of NOW! creative sustainability programs to the next level

Thank you again for your time, and happy holidays! :]

Sincerely,

The NOW! Team

We forget that homelessness in such a gorgeous, vibrant city is morally unacceptable.

How about let’s address the root cause of poverty – let’s empower homeless people through entrepreneurship?

THE EXPERIMENT

We will link a couple top entrepreneurs in Vancouver to mentor a couple homeless youth interested in starting their own ventures, and document the process from idea, product/service, revenue, to continuity to analyze the project’s impact and effectiveness. We would like as much community involvement as possible – planning, execution, etc. We hope that this small experiment could add to the social change movement of the business and entrepreneurship community mentoring the poorest people to help them full-fill their potential and their dreams.

OUR ACTION PLAN

We would like to make this project as grassroots as possible by turning to you for ideas and suggestions. We admit ignorance in homelessness and we would like to learn as much as possible. This grassroots project will be planned and carried out by the community. We invite you to share your experience, insights, and expertise on the community-powered project plan here.

SHARING THE STORY

We invite you to join us in our experiment through three possible components:

1. Our blog
We will reflect and document the process of this project from start to finish to facilitate a platform for discussion and support. Everyone involved in this project could be an author of the blog. We look forward for your comments, support, ideas, and suggestions!

2. A documentary
Again suggestions would be awesome.

3. Multimedia
Pictures, videos, dance, stories, theatre… whatever you can think of!

I strongly believe in the power of creativity, commitment, and community support to empower homeless people to achieve their dreams and potential. Hope to hear from you :]

[afterword:

This project is now led by May Zou (may.zou@now-org.com) and Heather Sarsons (heather.sarsons@now-org.com), Vancouver. We are currently in the process of learning more about the issue by volunteering in the community and talking to those who have been dedicated in these issues.]

Cheers,

Janny
janny.ke@now-org.com