Ocl485.weebly.com



Facilitation Guide –Event PlanningScreen ShotSlide TitleScriptsMaterialsTimeStaying OrganizedThis section will give you the resources you need to confirm your event schedule, create your agenda, and design your ad campaign. Each event will abide by a general checklist that can be tailored to your specific event. For everything you do, you must keep your supervisors updated on changes you have made to the original plan. As your events get closer, more constant communication will be necessary. The checklist is designed to keep you on track with dates and expectations for each stage of your planning process, so be sure to check it often! Now, let’s look at the components of your checklist. Power PointEvent Planning Checklist1 minuteTrello CardBe sure to create a Trello Card so the whole office can stay updated on important information. This is where your colleagues can easily check for date, time, location, and any changes in the status or expectations of your event. This is also where your supervisory team will check your status and leave your comments to set up appointments. Your basic card should look like the image on screenTrello Screenshot Login Information3 minutesConfirmationsOnce you have created an open forum for communication about your event, it is important to connect with your supervisors about confirming your event information. Be sure to find out the nature of the room requests that include how the rooms will be set up and the capacity for each event. It could take weeks to rebook rooms through JMU, so be sure to solve any issues early on and align your goals for the event with the expectations of your supervisors. If you need to change room requests, be sure to use the forms provided by JMU Event Management. If you need to provide snacks and beverages at your event, please refer to JMU Catering Policies for the proper scheduling. (University Facility Guide and Scheduler List) (JMU Special Event Catering Policies and Savory Savings guide)6 minutesAgendaYour agenda is the most important part of your event. Without a clear outline, your attendees will not understand how you hope your event will proceed. First, you will need to create learning outcomes and goals for your attendees. What do you hope the students get out of this event? Be sure to make these goals as clear and concise as you can. Next, break down your event based on half-hour to hour proceedings. What do you want to accomplish from start to finish and how long would you like to spend on each activity? If your event is not activity-based, how long will you give for attendees to attend the event? At what point will you start setting up and breaking down your event? Finally, your agenda will cover the contact information for other departments on campus and vendors you will need to stay in contact with. Since your agenda will be your guidebook for the day of the event, make sure all contact information for every person you need is included on the sheet.AdvertisingBe sure to get the word out about your event! We realize that a lot of planning goes into all of your events, and we would hate for your attendance to be hampered by a lack of information offered around campus. The idea is to reach students from all aspects of their interactions around campus. So, start with Social Media! Emphasize Facebook and Twitter through event pages and live-tweeting during the event. If your event will have multiple hours or days, this will give attendees more options and reasons to come to your event after it has already started. Also, use the resources JMU provides to get information out to the student body. At a minimum, your ad campaign should cover mass email, table tents, the JMU calendar, the OCL homepage, and posters for campus and Harrisonburg buses. There are other places that will accept advertisements, so be creative. All forms can be found on the Event Management website. Be sure to create a schedule of deadlines for each form.OCL Facebook LoginOCL Twitter LoginHow-to request for:EmailTable tentsJMU calendar OCL homepage textPosted FlyersOptional AdvertisingCreating a banner advertisement for your event is optional for smaller events, but mandatory for large events like the Housing Fair. You will be responsible for decorating your banner and choosing the text that will be displayed. You can use the Clubhouse in Taylor to create the banner with whatever materials you need. Banner requests should be reserved two weeks in advance, and the text should be sent to OCL’s Graduate Assistant 3 weeks prior to the day of posting. Chalking is scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis for three days at a time. You must contact the location coordinator to reserve this space.Scheduler List University Facility InformationHow-to request for: banners chalkingFinalizingOnce you have created your agenda and followed the checklist for planning your event, work within your budget to make this your best event! Be sure to stay in communication with your supervisors to ensure everyone is on the same page. Always remember to keep your Learning Goals/Objectives in mind for everything you plan with your event. What is a BudgetKeeping a budget is going to be very important to planning your event. For those of you who are unaware, OCL is only given a certain amount of money each year, and the supervisors take the sum total and divide it between all of the events that will be planned. You will be expected to work within the set amount given to you and every expense for your event must be paid for using this budget. Some tools you can use to outline your expenses are Excel Spreadsheets, communication through Trello, and your supervisors. Common IssuesOver the years, we have seen students struggle with staying in budget for their events. Many of these issues come from miscommunication with vendors, staff members, and supervisors. It is important for everyone involved to have a clear outline of their role and responsibilities. Also, you cannot help if plans fall through for unforeseen circumstances, so plan accordingly. Make arrangements for back-up vendors with similar prices just in case. It is also smart to allot some of your budget for emergencies. Last minute changes are expensive, so make sure you can avoid them or plan for them with no issues. Your TurnNow, we would like you all to complete an activity that will allow you to experiment with working within a budget. Your first event of the semester is just around the corner! You will be planning the Roommate Mixer for the end of the semester. Given the estimated audience size and budget provided, plan your event to include light refreshments and some giveaways. All food must be provided through Aramark/JMU Dining Services. Your event will be a roommate mixer with about 60 students in expected attendance. You have $200 to use for light refreshments and giveaways. Savory Savings Guide with price information3 minutesMinute 3Problem #1: Your supervisor has calculated the receipts from the last event, and there are some errors in their budget. Since that team went over, she has to take money from your budget to balance out the month. Your new budget is $165. Please adjust your budget accordingly.4 minutesMinute 7Problem #2: After advertising on Facebook and through JMU, you realize more students might show up than originally expected. How would you account for the extra guests and possible shortage of resources? 8 minutesWrap UpWhat did you learn from this activity?What was the most challenging aspect?Do you think you could put one of these together for a similar event through OCL?Take this time to discuss any ideas the facilitators have about how to handle any of these situations3 minutesRemindersAlways aim for being UNDER budget. Your overages affect other events! Be sure to get final approval from supervisors before committing to your budget and vendor prices1 minutePre-event CommunicationCommunication with Vendors is extremely important. It is part of your responsibility to make sure the vendors are receiving correct information in a timely manner. One thing that people often don’t realize is that if you are working with others to organize the event sometimes communication with vendors’ overlaps and mixed signals are sent. To ensure that everyone is on the same page and to cover all your bases use trelo and this spreadsheet to update other employees.For communication with attendees be sure to follow the guidelines we talked about during professionalism training. This includes professional emails and phone calls. It is important to respond promptly (within 24 hours) of someone inquiring about an event. Once the final attendee list is complete send them a reminder email the day before the event. Power PointExcel Spreadsheet of Vendor Communication6minEvent-CommunicationDuring the event it is important that you have excellent communication with fellow employees and any possible vendors.To ensure proper fellow employee communication we are going to take the time now to create a document with all of your numbers on it. The document will be sent to you after today’s training. When communicating with vendors during the event, make sure you are respectful and follow the professionalism guidelines.If there is an issue with one of the vendors, do not address it in public. Analyze the situation; decide if you can handle it or if you need to contact Lisa. If you feel that you are able to handle the situation yourself pull the vendor to the side and discuss it privately. Power PointExcel Spreadsheet of group contacts15minEvent-Execution Introduction: The execution of the event is the most crucial part of the event planning process. You can put tons of effort into planning an event and ruin it by not arriving prepared and ready to take on everything that may come your way. There are steps that you must take in order to ensure a successful event.Power Point30 SecondsBefore Event BeginsArrive early! Be at location of event an hour before it starts. Make sure to walk through the event space and clarify with staff of your reservation there.Unpack equipment, supplies, and make sure nothing is missing.Personally inspect shipped food/materials to be sure thatall of your items have arrived and that they are ingood condition.Set up registration area.Make sure that signs are posted so that people are not confused of the location of your event.Check with volunteers to make sure all tasks are coveredPower Point1-2 minutesDuring EventGreet guests and be very outgoing and helpful.Direct them to where they need to go.Report any problems to your supervisor immediately.Constantly be checking refreshments and supplies to make sure they are accessible to guests.Be there for any guest needs or wants.Power Point1-2 minutesPost EventMake sure to clean up the venue completely. Be the last one there making sure everything is back to the way it was when you received it.Answer any questions clients or volunteers have for you.Power PointActivity2minutesScenarios You show up to the event space an hour before your event and it seems to be in use. You talk to the venue and they say there has been some sort of mix up with the reservation and you will not be able to use the room. What should you do in this situation? List the steps that you will take in solving this problem.Your event seems to be going well until it seems that more people showed up than RSVP'd. Your supplies and refreshments seems to be running out and the venue is getting to crowded. What are some actions you can take to relieve this problem?Power PointActivity5 minutesWrap UpWhat are some important take aways from this activity?What were some challenges you faced when executing the event?Do you feel confident enough to run an event of your own after receiving this training? Power Point1-2 minutesFollow UpThere are many important factors to consider after the event has been executed. It is important to reflect on how the event went and what can be changed to make a future event even better. Contacting each vendor and thanking them for attending the event can help maintain the professional relationship the OCL staff has with each company.Power Point30 seconds Survey the ParticipantsFor each event, it is important for everyone that attends to write his or her names and emails on a sign-in sheet. After the event, a mass email should be sent to all attendees asking for their feedback on how the event was executed. The email should contain questions such as: 1) Did the event help you to find housing, a roommate, etc. (This will be based on the reason for the event) 2) What did you learn through this event? 3) What did you enjoy about this event? 4) What resources or knowledge could OCL provide to make your experience better next time? 5) What did you dislike about the event?Power Point1-2 minutesSurvey the VendorsFor each event, it is important to receive feedback from the vendors. We will send each vendor that was present at the event a survey that includes the following questions: How was the communication with OCL employees prior to the event, Were event expectations clearly explained, what did you expect from the event, were your expectations met, how would you improve future events, and any additional comments?Power PointSurvey for Vendors2 minutesMeet with your supervisorDuring the event, on your own, you should be recording problem areas that you experience as well as areas of strengths while the event is being executed. A meeting with your supervisor should take place 1-3 days after the event to discuss this list, which you should set up based on your supervisor’s availability. Strengths and weaknesses of the event should be discussed as well as what can be changed to better the event in the future.Power Point1-2minutesThank the VendorsIt is important that the OCL staff maintains the relationships we have built over many years with the Harrisonburg vendors and off campus apartments. Thanking each apartment complex is an important step of the follow-up. A template of the formatted letter can be seen here. You can see that in a formal business letter, the OCL address is the first part listed. Next, the recipients name and address is listed. The body of the letter can be a personalized paragraph or can state: “Thank you for helping to create a successful event with the OCL Team! We appreciate your continued support as we help our students find the perfect match as they look for off campus housing. We hope to work with you in the future. Sincerely, Off Campus Life.This should be sent out 1-3 days after the event.Power PointSample Letter Attached2 minutesFormal Letter ExamFopleHere is the example PoPwer Point30 secondsFormal Letter ExampleThis is an example of a formal business letter that can be used when contacting the vendors.PowerPoint, Formal Business Letter30 SecondsActivityWe are now going to do a group activity. Lets say that you are preparing for your meeting with your supervisor after The Off Campus Housing Fair. You remember some things did not go as planned and you want to fix these problems for future events. Read each scenario question below and choose the option that addresses the situation. Scenario 1: One of the vendors did not have a table to display their business, what should you have done in this situation? A) Ask the Festival coordinator if you can borrow another tableB) Apologize to the vendor and ask them to politely leaveC) Ask them to stand without a tableScenario 2: One vendor does not show up, how should you contact them?Write a formal business letter politely reminding them to contact OCL before the event about their absence Write a formal business letter telling them OCL will no longer with themDo not contact themScenario 3: An attendee has a horrible experience at an event, how do you handle this? A) Apologize, present them with “give-aways” from vendors and follow up with an email apologizing againB) Ask them to leaveC) Ignore themScenario 4: You want to thank the vendor. How do you do this professionally?A) Send them a formal business thanking them professionallyB) Thank them in person after the eventC) Do not thank themWait for each group to discuss and then let each group share their response.Power PointActivity 5 minutes ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download