Build relationships with your speakers, venues & suppliers Make sure you build and maintain good relationships with your stakeholders. It’s a lot easier to do things for nice people than the other way around. Plus, if you’re happy with a particular service provider you’ll probably end up using them again. Once the event is confirmed, send your contact an email to say how much you are looking forward to working with them. This simple task will pay huge dividends when it comes to relying on someone else who is pivotal to your event’s success.
Work with veteran speakers
Veteran speakers who have a proven track record on delivery will take a lot of stress out of ensuring that your event is a success. Work with speakers who are dependable, easy to work with, always on time and show up for briefing meetings. Don’t ignore the warning signs and listen to advice from others in your industry. (Put this tip into action right now by booking a professional Speaker for your next event with South Africa's Best Speakers).
‘Assumption makes an Ass out of U and Me’
Don’t assume that your suppliers will remember to deliver the goods on time, or that your speakers will be on top of the finer details of your event. Triple check everything and go through the programme in your mind, coming up with contingency plans where necessary.
Make sure that all costs are confirmed in advance
There’s nothing that can put a damper on the success of your event quite like fighting over the final bill. Avoid post-event stress by making sure everything is costed out in advance, in writing. Build a buffer amount into your budget for the ‘unknown unknowns’. If you don’t use it great, but if there is a mishap at least you are covered to some degree and hopefully with enough breathing room to still come in on, or under budget. (Check out our post on 'How not to blow your speaker budget')
Plan for power outages and technical glitches
This is especially true in South Africa! Should a power outage or load shedding take place, has the venue got a back-up generator? Should the speaker’s laptop crash, has he/she got their presentation saved on a USB as back up? Does your AV company have a back-up option should their projector crash or the PA system fail? Build extra time into your programme to allow for these common challenges without letting them ruin your event.
Small event, big planning
It is a common misconception that a smaller event takes less time and effort to organise than a large one. This is not always true. At smaller, more intimate events people’s eyes are drawn to detail and there is little room for mistakes. Don’t make the mistake of leaving a small event to the last minute.