Seminar Planning - E-mail Confirmations

A few months ago I registered to attend a seminar. A few days before the event I received a friendly e-mail reminding me to attend. Confirming attendance is a great idea. You should either call or e-mail attendees to remind them of the benefits of your event and make sure they have directions. Unfortunately, the person who sent out the e-mail "cc'ed" everyone. This meant our e-mail addresses were visible for all to see. We all fear spam and need to honor people's right to keep their address private.

If you do your confirmations by e-mail, be sure you "bc", blind copy, your attendees, most e-mail programs will allow you to do this. Your attendees will appreciate it.

Seminar Planning - Ideas for a Well-Organized Event

Today I attended a client appreciation luncheon that took place at one of the major hotels in San Francisco .

Here are some of the things that impressed me that might give you some ideas on what you might want to do at your event:

The invitation stated the time for registration, lunch and the presentation.

I was greeted in the lobby by a member of the hotel staff who gave directions to the event.

There was a staff of six at the registration desk which made the process of checking-in 750 people go very smoothly.

We ate before the presentations. Salad and dessert were already on the table and the wait staff were quick to serve drinks and the main course. The attendees did not have to wait to hear speakers before eating and the speakers did not have to put up with the noise of plates and cups being collected.

The first speaker said he would speak 15 minutes and he did. He acknowledged the fact that he knew everyone was there to see the keynote, Tom Brokaw.

Tom Brokaw was fabulous, he kept to his time frame and allowed time for questions and answers.

The event ended on time.

Seminar Planning - Find Ideas by Attending Other Events

Not only do I plan seminars, I also attend my share of them. I'm not a "seminar junkie", but I do attend seminars and conferences to learn the lastest information about event planning, speaking and marketing. You should too. The more information you know and share, the more you will be seen as an expert.

And since you are now also doing your own seminars, start noticing how other speakers run their events. How did they market their event to you? How easy was it to register? How were you greeted when you attended? What type of seating arrangements did they have? Did you feel you made the right choice by attending? Did you purchase any products or services? What type of follow-up took place after the event?


Now think about your own event. What ideas would you like to borrow? What would you do differently? By paying attention to details at events you attend, you can organize the perfect event for you.

Seminar Planning - Can Attendees Find You?

I recently attended an event sponsored by a nationally known women's magazine. There were a number of events taking place at this hotel and the lobby was full of signage for all of them. There was a large mock-up of a cover of the magazine advertising my event but there were no directions or room information. Like others, I headed for the ballrooms. Unfortunately, this hotel has a number of levels of ballrooms and it took awhile to find the right place.

Don't let this happen at your seminar. People need clear directions. If you are using a large facility, place signage at the entrances, escalators and elevators, if possible. Assign someone from your staff, wearing a badge from your seminar or a uniform from your company, at strategic positions to guide people.

Remember that your audience evaluates everything you do and don't do to make them feel welcome and they spend their money according to how they feel.

Include a Follow-up Strategy When Planning Your Seminar

I recently attended a marketing event for speakers. I was very interested in a particular speaker and believed her services might be able to help me grow in some areas of my business. I spoke to her directly a few times and gave her my card. She did not call me until two weeks after the event. She had not remembered any of our conversation, even though she had taken notes on my business card. I confess that after two weeks, I wasn't as interested in what she had to offer as I was initially. At this point, it is highly unlikely that I will do business with her in the future.

In contrast, I also had interest in a program of another speaker. His assistant called me two days after the event because he was still traveling. She answered questions, gave me her contact information and was professional and friendly. Needless to say, I signed up for this program even though it was more expensive. Why? I felt they would value me as a customer and they were organized, professional and easy to do business with. This speaker had a follow-up system in place before he left his office for the seminar.

If you hold seminars to sell any services or products, be sure you have a well thought-out method of following up to insure that your seminar brings you the business success that you want.

Successful Seminars and Events Demand Your Full Attention

During the holidays a local store sent out an e-newsletter inviting everyone to an in-store holiday party. Since downtown parking during the holidays is a problem, I decided to get there as soon as the event was scheduled to start. I walked into the store, looked around, saw no evidence of a party, and said to the sales clerk "I'm here for the party." She didn't know anything about it. She wondered why her boss called earlier and asked if there was an empty table in the store.

The owner breezed in 10 minutes later apologizing that she was late, saying she had gone out to dinner the previous night, forgotten to make the special holiday cake and had to do it when she got up. By now others had also arrived for the event and I heard one customer say, "guess she won't be in business too much longer".

Everything about your seminar or event is a reflection of you. Write reminders on your calendar and have checklists for all of the details leading up to your event so you don't forget what to do. Think ahead, plan ahead and keep your staff informed so they can be a part of your success.

To make sure your seminars are a success, get a copy of my free report the "7 Mistakes Seminar Promoters Make . . . And How to Avoid Them" at www.EventPlanningMistakes.com.

Speaking in Public Tomorrow? Skip the Mini-Bar Tonight

When you are a speaker, planning your seminar includes preparing to give the best presentation possible. I have helped a lot of speakers and marketing executives with their seminars and want to share what I've learned about the "do's and don'ts" of public speaking.

I was working for a corporate client on one of their major events. They had invited experts outside their organization to speak to their audience of top executives. One of the experts was not accustomed to speaking in front of a large crowd so we rehearsed several times with a presentation coach the evening before the event.

During his presentation the next morning, the expert rambled, lost his place and seem very scattered. We later discovered that his hotel room mini-bar tab, which was billed to my client, was quite high. He had apparently had quite a bit of alcohol the night before and was not able to pull off a professional presentation during our breakfast event. This expert was not asked back and probably lost a few potential clients that day.

My suggestions-

Do - make sure you rehearse your presentation on-site

Don't - partake in too much of anything that could jeopardize your presentation or your relationship with your audience and your clients

Planning a Seminar? - Consider the Weather

Are you holding your seminars during the cold, rainy, snowy months of the year? Right now Northern California, where I live, is experiencing unusually bad weather. There is a possibility of lower attendance during stormy winter months but people do attend. Take an extra step to remind your audience of the event. Have your staff follow-up RSVPs with confirming phone calls and suggest alternate routes of travel, if necessary.

Double check that your venue is prepared attend to the needs of people who have made the effort to attend. They should have covered parking and parking valets so your guest don't have to get wet or cold while parking their cars and walking to the event. They should have ample room for checking coats, boots and umbrellas.

Be sure you and your staff appear relaxed, well-organized and professional throughout the event. If you are stressed because you are reacting to weather emergencies, your audience will be uncomfortable and not open to buying your products and services.

Read the articles on my website for further assistance on selecting a venue or a date for your seminar.

Seminar Planning - Scheduling Travel

If you travel outside of your local area to hold seminars or speak as a guest at other seminars, please take weather conditions into consideration when you schedule your appearances and book your flights.

A few years ago attended a small business seminar sponsored by the local Chamber of Commerce. The guest speaker was flying in from another engagement in the Mid-West. His plane was delayed by a day due to snow storms and he did not make it to the event. Since he was the only speaker, the Chamber turned the event into a networking opportunity then rescheduled for a later date. I was able to attend on the other date but many were not. The speaker apologized for not making the original date and admitted he needed to allow more time to travel between engagements during the winter months. Make sure you do the same. Although no one can blame you for bad weather conditions they will probably remember you more for missing the event than for your message.