The 3 People You Need Working with your Event Planner

Corporate training meeting, customer appreciation, fundraiser, awards ceremony, golf outing, employee picnic. Whatever you call it, it’s an event. Time to form the committee.

Member #1. Senior level staff member. Not their secretary. This member might not do most of the work, but that’s okay, you have an event planner. You need this person at the meetings because they offer the big picture vision for the purpose of the event. They provide credibility that the event is important so when you ask for help it will be given.

Member #2. Junior level employee. They work hard, they are climbing to the top! They are quick to prioritize the fun. They are full of ideas that will make the event memorable for the guests..

Member #3 Executive assistant. This person is well connected to all aspects of what is important to the company. They also have access to decision makers and decision makers' assistants so things get done. If an important detail is hanging on a decision from a VP this is the person who will get the answer.

That’s it. It can be tempting to include more, but the saying about too many cooks in the kitchen is true. With a small, fine-tuned committee working with the event planner, your event will come together looking polished and well-run.

Photo from the Automotive Women's Alliance Foundation December 2012 Holiday Event, Photo credit: Suzanne Yurenka

Recruiting a Great Board Member

The leadership of a board of directors is crucial to any organization or association. If they are not strong or make uninformed decisions they can have a profound affect. So, when recruiting volunteers to the board it is important to take the time and effort so they understand their fiduciary responsibility to the organization. A Board of Directors is responsible for the management of the organization and a lack of leadership will lead to a lack of progress towards the mission. Working with so many nonprofit organizations and
associations, these are the four qualities I have observed that make effective board members:

1. Have a passion for the mission of the organization. Board members are the organization’s biggest advocates. They are not paid to do their job. As volunteers, if they don’t believe in why you exist and think it is extremely important they won’t be effective. They won’t recruit new members or ask people to donate to the organization.
2. They take their fiduciary responsibilities seriously by attending board meetings regularly, reviewing the financial and  general reports of the organization. The job of the board of directors, according to state law, is management of the Association.
3. They are willing to donate financially to the organization. If you are a 501(c)3 and you ask donations of foundations or corporations, often they'll question if 100 percent of your board gives to the organization. If they don’t, they will wonder why they should give to your mission or cause if your board doesn't believe enough in it to do so. And, stating that they give their time doesn't cut it.
4. They have a special skill or professional experience that is needed. Often it is good to have someone who has a legal background, someone who has a financial background and someone who has a marketing background on the board. In addition, you will want people who are leaders in your industry.

These are the four qualities I feel are most important when assembling a highly productive board. What qualities do you and your organization seek most?

When Weather is a Factor

What is your back up plan when unforeseen issues force your event to be canceled or changed?

When the Marshmallow Drop that was supposed to take place last month was changed due to weather, Oakland County Parks & Recreation had a back up plan in place. Recent snow and rain made the fields muddy which would be a safety hazard for the 100s of children who show up. The expectation of rain that morning would also make it difficult for the helicopter to drop the marshmallows.

They quickly changed the event by cancelling the marshmallow drop but still giving Oakland County residents a chance to collect treat bags for their children in a one hour period if they drive up to the park.

As an event planner, you always need a back up plan. It might sound pessimistic but you really need to think worst case scenarios in every instance and how would you handle it, especially those instances that are out of your control like weather or illness. This goes for all events – not just outdoor ones where weather can wreck havoc. What if your speaker doesn’t show or becomes sick? Who could you call on to speak in their place at the last minute? Who would know the topic but wouldn’t be offended that they were asked at the last minute?

As the event planner you should develop a list of worst case scenarios. If it is an outdoor event know at what level of bad weather means just modifying the event and what type/degree of weather means cancelling the event. In case of key personnel or key entertainment being unexpectedly sick, who would be the ideal back up?

Second, you should know who the key decision-makers would be in the organization that would have final approval of the changes or cancellations. Usually it is a small team of people making of the event planner, president or executive director of the organization, public relations manager and in the case of an event where volunteers are involved in the planning the chair of the event.

With your key decision-makers and taking into consideration likelihood of cancellation due to weather and impact it has on budget, you and the decision-makers need to decide at the beginning of the planning stages of the event if you should purchase event cancellation insurance.

Have a communication plan in place on how you will address the changes or cancellation. Decide the ways in which you would communicate to your audience these changes. Will you use email and a phone call? Should it be posted on the website and other social media outlets you use? Is it a large community event where the media should be informed?  Establish who would be the person responsible for each type of communication and to which audiences. Out of courtesy, senior management, vendors and speakers need to be called first and then followed with a written notice. Then staff should also receive a communication from top leadership, it should inform them of the changes and who is to handle questions concerning the cancellation.

How you handle cancellations is extremely crucial. Handling them poorly and not communicating in a timely manner or by as many avenues as possible can reflect poorly on the organization and create ill will. So if cancellation is necessary make sure you use fact-based reasoning for your cancellation. Avoid emotional statements. Before you communicate the cancellation, know what concessions, if any, you will offer to your various audiences. For example, Oakland County Parks still gave out the treat bags. But what if your cancellation is for a conference? Are you willing to reimburse nonrefundable airline tickets for speakers or guests? If you are what is that plan in place to provide the refunds. Also how will you handle your sponsors and/or exhibitors? For exhibitors, it is usually good policy to have in the initial contract information concerning cancellation.

Developing a back up plan isn’t always a fun job. But having one in place allows you to quickly respond when the worst happens.