MEETING PLANNING 101

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Leon Phillips
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MEETING PLANNING 101 MEETINGS should support your organization s goals, mission, and strategic plan. Don t get so caught up in the logistics that you lose sight of the meeting s purpose.

1 MEETING PLANNING 101 MEETINGS should support your organization s goals, mission, and strategic plan. Don t get so caught up in the logistics that you lose sight of the meeting s purpose. TEAMWORK OR SOLO? Whenever possible, work in a team. This way, responsibilities and costs may be shared and you feel less stressed. And truthfully, no one person has a complete understanding of all the details of a complex project or subject. Working in teams adds perspective and breeds more creativity; two heads ARE better than one. Suggestions: Select a team member to take charge and to coordinate all necessary details. Perhaps you and your team members decide to be co- hosts of the event and share the expenses. Plan the presentation carefully so that each team member fully understands what s expected of them. Make sure that all team members direct their part of the presentation to the overall theme or message being conveyed (e.g., Training Meeting, Opportunity Meeting, Group Workout). VENUE SELECTION What type of venue are you looking for? Are you planning to serve Shakeology? Venues come in all shapes and sizes and are not limited to hotels. Some additional locations to consider are: Churches Banks Schools Theatres Restaurant private rooms Look up your local Tourist / Visitor s Bureau Your home Art galleries You must discuss sampling Shakeology with your venue. Many places will not allow ingredients to be brought in from the outside. They may require you to purchase everything (besides the Shakeology) directly from them. You will need to remember to bring blenders, extension cords, sample cups, paper towels, and plenty of Shakeology for your guests! Will everyone be able to fit comfortably in the space after you have set up chairs, tables, and audiovisual equipment? People like to be comfortable and have space to move around. Keep your guests happy by not overcrowding them. - Page 1 of 6 -

2 How long do you need the space for? How high is the ceiling? Will you be holding a workout? When you reserve your meeting space make sure to allocate time for setup and take down; typically 1- ½ hours for each. Ceiling heights can vary from location to location and from room to room. Choose meeting space that works best with your meeting s agenda. Suggestions: Meeting, no workout: 9 11 ceiling height Meeting + workout: 11 + ceiling height You will want to reserve a larger venue so your guests will have plenty of space to move about. Don t forget about the ceiling height too! Each guest should sign a waiver if they are planning on doing the workout. Have plenty of water and paper towels on hand! HOW MUCH SPACE DO YOU NEED? Please note: The square footages listed below are estimates. Add 20% for rear screen AV Add 10% for stage or head table (common stage sizes: 6 x 8 and 4 x 8 ) Add for obstructed space Contact venue for details CAPACITY Theater 238 sq. ft. 475 sq. ft. 950 sq. ft sq. ft sq. ft sq. ft. Classroom (18 ) 363 sq. ft. 725 sq. ft sq. ft sq. ft sq. ft sq. ft. RULE OF THUMB Reception sq. ft. per person Classroom (18 ) sq. ft. per person Theater 9 11 sq. ft. per person Banquet (10 ) sq. ft. per person ROOM SETUP OPTIONS In this setup you simply seat participants in rows facing the speaker. This is the most common arrangement for meetings that last less than half a day. aka Schoolroom The most desirable setup for medium to large- size lectures. This configuration requires a relatively large room. Tables provide attendees with space for spreading out materials and taking notes. - Page 2 of 6 -

3 FOOD AND BEVERAGE Whether you will decide to have food and beverage at your event will be contingent upon the goals and objectives you have established. You may find that you need to serve light refreshments to help break up the day. Remember, ordering food and beverages from a hotel or meeting space could increase your costs considerably. Suggestion: If you decide to serve light refreshments, why not mix up some Shakeology, cut up some P90X Peak Performance Bars, or serve P90X Results and Recovery Formula after a workout? AUDIO AND VISUAL EQUIPMENT What is Audio and Visual Equipment? Computer monitors Labor (setup and support) Printers Computers Lighting Projection stands Easels, flip charts Microphones / lavalier Projectors Equipment cables Podiums Screens Extension cords / power strips Power TVs, VCRs, DVD players Be aware that all rooms are not equipped with sound systems, nor do all meetings need sound. If you own some AV equipment and are proficient in using it, consider bringing it with you. Be sure to get prior approval from the venue or you may be charged a surcharge for bringing it in. HOW TO GET THE WORD OUT Social Media Outlets Facebook and Twitter. These outlets are social networking sites where you can join networks organized by city, workplace, school, and region to connect and interact. Why use it? It s FREE You can build an online visual network of your downline wherever they are located Connect members of your downline Put members of your downline in touch with each other You can create events and anyone can RSVP for them You can create a group that anyone on Facebook may join, or have people follow you on Twitter facebook.com, twitter.com Blogs. Write an entry about your upcoming event! Once your event is over, write another blog entry detailing its success and how much fun it was. Those who did not attend will be disappointed that they missed it, and those who did attend will likely leave a positive comment. If you do not have a blog, you can sign up for a FREE one at: blogger.com/start Evite is a great tool to use when planning an event: It s FREE It holds attendees accountable Helps you monitor your expected number of attendees.evite.com - Page 3 of 6 -

4 Conference Call (Schedule One) Blast Hold a conference call with your team and encourage them to attend your upcoming event. Encourage your team to then hold their own conference call with their team members announcing the event. You can schedule a FREE conference call at: FreeConferenceCall.com Up to 96 participants on one call Calls may be recorded for future playback Why not send an blast to your contacts inviting them to the meeting? It s a fast and effective way of reaching a large group of people at once. Suggestions: Make subjects catchy; they should have a brief offer and a call to action (which will encourage addressees to respond quickly). Also, consider the privacy of your contacts by putting their address in the BCC (blind carbon copy) field. Phone Tree (Start One) Why not call all of your Diamond Coaches and inform them of your upcoming event? Ask them to then call 5 10 people in their organization and inform them of the event. And then have those 5 10 people call 5 10 people. The good thing about phone calls is that they re personal. People enjoy receiving an old- fashioned phone call letting them know what s going on. Website Postings We ll gladly advertise your meeting on the Coach Online Office. Allow five business days for processing. the details to: events@teambeachbody.com EXTRAS Awards and Recognition Recognition not only builds self- esteem in an individual but also reinforces desired behaviors and helps to create an atmosphere of appreciation and trust. Why not create certificates of achievement and present them to attendees who have reached the next milestone in their Team Beachbody coaching business? Banners / Signage Hanging banners or signage usually requires special equipment and labor. You also may have to get special permission from the facility and may be assessed a fee. If this is the case, try using easels instead. Banners are available for purchase at TeamBeachbodyTools.com - Page 4 of 6 -

5 Name Badges One of the most important and most noticeable items for a meeting is the name badge. For attendees who do not know each other and for those who see each other a couple of times a year, the name badge provides the initial introduction. Name badges are very inexpensive ($4.99 / 100 pack) and may be pre- printed in advance or attendees may create their own when they arrive. Paper Applications Suggestion: Gold for guests / prospects Blue for Coaches A prospect wants to sign up, what do you do? Give them a paper application to complete if an Internet connection is not readily available. Paper applications may be downloaded from the Coach Online Office. Display Table Raffle Sign- in Sheet Set up an attractive display table at all your meetings. This gives prospects a chance to ask questions about a full array of Beachbody products including our nutritionals! Everyone likes to win something (especially when it s at no cost to them), so why not have a raffle? Prizes may range in price and variety get creative! Suggestions: A Shakeology Shaker Cup $5 gift card to Target or Trader Joe s 2 movie tickets Put together a basket of Beachbody products (maybe a Beachbody Fitness sampler? Hopefully one of your prospects wins!) Advertise your raffle in your meeting announcement This is a MUST! You need to create a sign- in sheet for your attendees so that you may track who actually attended the event and so that you may do follow- up. You may choose to have one sign- in sheet for Coaches and one for guests. Sign- in sheets should include the following: Guests: Coaches: Name Name Inviting Coach name address address Current rank Phone number How did you hear about this event? WEB, TELEPHONE, AND REGISTRATION SITES GoToMeeting IMConferencing SaveonConferences WebEx FreeConferenceCall.com RegOnline CVent GoToMeeting.com IMConferencing.com SaveOnConferences.com WebEx.com FreeConferenceCall.com RegOnline.com CVent.com - Page 5 of 6 -

6 ADVICE Create a mini team. Ask a few Coaches to help you out so you do not feel overwhelmed as the event host. Assign tasks so everyone is clear what role they play in making this event a success. Conduct a site visit of the venue in question if possible. Get a floor plan of the venue. Make sure the dimensions and exits are included. Sketch out your layout and see what you have to work with. Always inform your attendees in advance about parking. Will you validate? Do they have to pay? If so, how much? COOL IDEA: Ask attendees to bring a "before" and "after" photo to share at the meeting. Designate an area to display everyone s photos. Do a dry run of your presentation and test out all equipment, microphones, etc. at least an hour before your guests arrive. Don t forget your volunteers. You will want to assemble a team of people to handle the registration area, man the Shakeology blending stations, set up a product display, set up signage/banners, coordinate a music playlist to create fun ambiance, and a few people to meet/greet your guests and assist them with finding seats. Assume nothing. Ask questions, more questions, and still more questions. - Page 6 of 6 -

LWV Planning Checklists & Worksheets

LWV Planning Checklists & Worksheets PLANNING TIMELINE (General Guidelines) 6 weeks or more prior to event (Larger events such as annual meetings will require 3 6months planning time) Determine size and