Write It Down

To say everything changed as we moved our in-person event online would be a monumental understatement. Processes changed. Checklists were reinvented. Not even the budget was the same. Ok, maybe the staff remained the same. Nope, subcontractors, platform providers, and partners were added to the mix. 

As the team was going through these changes, there was one critical step at each phase in the process. Writing things down. Online events are not going anywhere anytime soon. They may look different from event to event or from year to year, but the basics will remain. One thing you can do to save yourself a lot of time and energy next time is to write down what you’re doing. Capture the processes you are going through; what is working, what is not. Record the names and interactions with every vendor so you know if you’ve spoken with them already and if they should be contacted again. Update and save your checklists and to-do’s. Save copies of all documents, handouts, slides and videos created, and take screenshots of your event website.

No detail is too minute to be recorded. You’d be surprised what you think you’ll remember next time, now. Why risk it? Take pictures of the broadcast setup and behind the scenes. You may want to do a “peek behind the curtain” article in the future to give your attendees a glimpse of what they aren’t seeing off camera. Think you don’t have time? Think again. When you are re-inventing the wheel for your next event you will be wishing you had taken a few minutes to capture details now.

After the event is over, debrief with your team, subcontractors, and platform provider. Take a survey of your attendees and exhibitors. Review the findings and pull out some of the recurring themes and “aha” ideas. This information will be valuable when starting the planning process for the next online event. The worst thing you can do for your organization is not learn from your experience.

The next time your team sits down to begin planning an online event, you’ll be leaps and bounds ahead of where you were this time. Your team will have a solid foundation to build upon.

What advice would you give someone doing their first online event?
Share it here or email me.

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