A guest blog from James Grove, Events Manager, Operational Delivery Profession team
Being an Event Manager in the Civil Service is quite unusual. I’m very lucky that I get to spend my time meeting people from across government and showcasing the wonderful work that happens in the Operational Delivery Profession (ODP). The ODP runs a variety of events every year including our annual awards ceremony where we celebrate and recognise the achievements of our civil servants working in operational delivery, ODP Fest, our three-week virtual learning festival, and our participation in Civil Service Live.
The thing that people often say to me is: “It must be so stressful running an event!” But once you know the basics, it’s really not. Whether it’s an in-person conference for 300 people or an online meeting for 15, there are some basic things which all events have in common. If you can crack these essentials, everything else will fall into place.
- Define Objectives – The first step is to have a clear idea of why you are having an event and what you want to get out of it. Once you have that, it’s a good idea to check everything you do against those key objectives to see if they’re still valuable.
- Timing – Understand that you may need to start planning many months in advance. You need time to book a venue and secure your speakers, and you also need to give your attendees time to plan travel and a day away from the office.
- Invitations and Promotion – Tell people what’s happening well in advance. As soon as you’ve decided what your objectives are and why you’re having the event, pick a date that works for your stakeholders or participants, book your venue, and send out placeholders.
- Venue and Logistics – Find a venue that is within budget that all your stakeholders can easily reach. Once you’ve booked this, work with the venue’s staff to organise your AV, catering and day of logistics. They are there to help you!
- Briefing is Key – Make sure everyone involved, from your speakers to your volunteers are briefed on exactly what they need to be doing, where and when. If everyone knows the plan, then everyone will be working towards the same goal, even if things happen to change on the day.
- Breathe and Don’t Panic – Things won’t always go to plan, but that doesn’t mean they’re going wrong. If something unexpected happens, roll with it, and make the best of it. Plan for the problems you can see, and adapt to the ones you can’t.
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