Event Development – Direction (Part Five)

“The following is a continuation of my Event Development Series. The last Blog started describing the “Commitment” section, now I want to move to the “Direction” section. This week’s Blog is the beginning of this section. As suggested previously, any thoughts and idea are more then welcome!”
Direction (Continued)
9. Committee Selection
It’s time to select your committee. You just take anyone who volunteers and put them wherever they want to go… right? I wouldn’t recommend it. Your reputation depends on the outcome of this event. Are you going to put your reputation in the hands of just anyone? You wouldn’t do it in business, why would you do it as a volunteer. If you are going to lead the event, you have the right and obligation to choose the best people for the job. You might even have to go outside your group to find the right person. Take a look at each task, determine who in your group has the best qualifications to complete the job and then ask them to do it. If some you have chosen does not or cannot do the job, replace them immediately. I don’t mean that you should be cavalier or uncaring, but you have been asked to a job and it’s your obligation to complete it successfully. The person you are replacing will thank you in the long run because they will know themselves that can’t or won’t complete the job asked of them and will be fretting over it. Be kind but firm. As you are asking people to accept a task, make sure they know what you expect (written reports) and the timetable for completing the job.
10. Organization and Record Keeping
A well run event is organized and has excellent records. Why… it’s just good business. Managing an event is just like running a small (and sometimes not so small) business. To be successful you need to be organized so that you keep the development and management of the event flowing smoothly. When problems arise, and they will, you will be able to handle them with ease. Keeping good record is also a must. It makes sense. Your group and the government need complete and accurate financial records. Your volunteers need to know what has been completed and what has to be done next. Next year’s committee doesn’t want to have to re-invent the wheel, plus they will want to learn by your mistakes… and yes, you will have made some mistakes! Finally, you will want to keep your group informed about your progress and the decisions you have made. Keeping records as events happen makes reporting a whole lot easier both for you and your committee. Trying to remember facts and details down the road is not fun and can lead to a lot of embarrassing moments.
11. Group Approval
The moment of truth has arrived! You have the basics of your event. You know what you are holding. Why you are holding it. Who you are holding it for? When and where it is to be held and how you are going to get the job done. Now you have to sell it to your group and get their approval. (To be continued)

Event Development – Direction (Part Four)

“The following is a continuation of my Event Development Series. The last Blog started describing the “Commitment” section, now I want to move to the “Direction” section. This week’s Blog is the beginning of this section. As suggested previously, any thoughts and idea are more then welcome!"
Direction (Continued)
8. Formalizing Your Committee Structure
Many groups and chair believe in a very informal structure. They believe that volunteers are volunteers and can’t be “bossed” around. This is true to a point, but I feel most people want some structure. They want to know that their leaders have a plan and know how to achieve it. Running a committee by the “seat of your pants” just doesn’t cut if with most people. So some kind of formalized structure is a good thing. Many liken it to a “benevolent dictatorship”. That may be going a little too far, but you get the picture. So how do we accomplish this? As I mentioned previously, knowing where you are going to end up is a great start. Choosing the right committee members and assigning tasks that are suited to them also helps. The actual running of the committee needs organization. I can’t count the number of meetings that I have attended that were completely unorganized and unstructured. Frankly, for the most part, they were a total waste of time and accomplished little or nothing. Here is what I feel are the minimum requirements for a well run committee and its meetings.
· Written Action Plan and Budget
· Job Descriptions
· Written agenda that is distributed to committee member a day or two prior to the meeting
· Written committee reports that are distributed at least 2 or 3 days prior to the meeting
· Complete and accurate minutes of each meeting that are sent out to committee members within 3 days after the meeting
· Using “parliamentary procedure” when an important idea needs to be formally approved by the committee
These may seem extreme to some, but following these simple procedures will minimize wasted time and volunteer frustration and help make your event successful. (To be continued)

Event Development – Direction (Part Three)

“The following is a continuation of my Event Development Series. The last Blog started describing the “Commitment” section, now I want to move to the “Direction” section. This week’s Blog is the beginning of this section. As suggested previously, any thoughts and idea are more then welcome!"
Direction (Continued)
5. Map out each segment
Take a look at each segment and determine what needs to be done for each and what are the time lines necessary to complete the tasks in each segment. Developing a task/time matrix, at this point, really helps the committee to focus in on the jobs that need to be done quickly and when. Keeping it up to date and actually using are just as important. Lots of great tools become useless because they are not used properly or not used at all!
6. Job Assignments
Now it’s time to determine what jobs need to be done. Breaking each job into specific tasks, will help create a much clearer picture of what needs to be done. Writing a clear and concise description of each task lets everyone know what is expected of them. Vague instructions will only lead to frustration and missed tasks. Clear instructions for each task equal a greater chance of success.
7. Job Descriptions
Once the tasks have been clearly written, they need to be put back into a specific job area. For example, if the task is to obtain catering quotes then the job area would likely be facilities. Taking all the tasks and assigning them to a job area will ultimately give you each areas job description. The other advantage of developing job description this way is that it helps you consider who on your event committee could handle which task. The idea here is to assign each committee member a task or tasks to be completed within the designated time frame. By dividing up the tasks into manageable portions, your volunteers are under much less strain to complete the task. Loading up one person with too much work will lead to resentment and jobs not being completed. (To be continued)

The Saga of Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

For years Judi and I have been dedicated to promoting festivals and events. Our website, Ontario Festivals Visited, is a product of this desire to promote. In the 2 plus years since our website journey began, we have gone from an idea to an active (and I believe) popular website. Our traffic and page rankings prove this. In many categories we are in the top 5 searches for the 3 major search engines, Google, Yahoo and MSN. However, the two search areas we are happiest with are “Ontario festivals” and “Ontario festivals and events”. Today we are in the top 5 searches on all three search engines. At first the people who visited our site were by “luck” or by “friendship”! That “luck” has now changed into a “planned” approach to optimizing our website. In the Web industry it’s called Search Engine Optimization” or just, SEO. There are many ingredients to optimizing, and I have written about them in previous articles. There is no clear road to optimization. It takes time and thought and a lot of dedication. While it is possible to optimize your own site, I would not recommend going it alone! Part of the challenge is the dynamic way Search Engine algorithms are changing. Only dedicated, full time professionals can keep up. I know, because I have tried. Fortunately for me I became friends with an SEO expert, Shawn King. Through his guidance and tutelage Ontario Festivals Visited continues to grow and prosper.
Through the friendship I have been able to convince Shawn to create an SEO program to help festival organizers maximize their festival’s website. Shawn has agreed to put his own reputation and resources on the line to prove what a good SEO program can do for your festival or event.
So, here is Shawn’s offer:
“Give me and my team 90 days to show you what we can do with optimizing your site. In return all I ask for is some time (an hour or two a week). I do not require any money for my company. I may require some funds for 3rd party services. I will show you marked improvement in the performance of your site. I do not guarantee any results but promise you will see a natural progression in performance. If at the end of the 90 days you are not happy with what you see then we part ways amicably. If you do like what has transpired, then simply subscribe and sign on for my services.”
Where else are you going to find a promise like that?
Shawn’s methods are proven and refined and require a great deal of attention. These are all natural white hat tactics designed to gradually increase your presence on the web. While the information here is limited, if you do become Shaw’s client, you will learn exactly how to duplicate what he has done for Ontario Festivals Visited and other web ventures.
Any festival or event organizer who is interested in this fantastic offer can contact me directly at gary@ontariofestivalsvisited.ca or at (888) 818-0255.

Event Development – Direction (Part Two)

“The following is a continuation of my Event Development Series. The last Blog started describing the “Commitment” section, now I want to move to the “Direction” section. This week’s Blog is the beginning of this section. As suggested previously, any thoughts and idea are more then welcome!"
Direction (Continued)
2. Know exactly where you are going
By knowing exactly where you are going, it is much easier to get there! You are likely scratching your head and thinking “boy what a dumb thing to say!! You course it’s easier…" Think about it, how many committees or groups you have been a member of that just rush forward in developing an event without really thinking it through. Likely more then you would care to admit. It’s the classic reason why events failure. The event has poor or no leadership; no one knows who is doing what. Jobs are duplicated or not done at all and important items are forgotten completely. Knowing exactly where you are going that away the element of surprise and reduced the risks enormously. Take the time to really think through your event so that you know where you are going to be at the end of your planning journey.
3. Break the BIG picture into manageable segments
For many of you just thinking about the BIG picture make you break into a cold sweat. Taking a complete picture and then trying to see it competed is too much to handle. By looking at the final event and then breaking it into smaller, manageable segment makes something seems impossible, now possible. The question is “how do I break it up and what should the segments be”. Obviously each event is different, but most of the basic elements are the same… Who, what, where, when, why and how. Doing this simple step allows you to start the planning process.
4. Make a list of the segments
As I mention before, each event has its own special idiosyncrasies, but let’s take a look at the segments that are common to most events.
· Finance
· Facilities
· Sponsorships
· Donations
· Set-up
· Activities
· Advertising and Publicity
· Miscellaneous
(To be continued)