Last Minute Meetings

Career Press, 2001

15 min read

10 take-aways

Text available

What's inside?

For most of us, conference time is party time. But someone works hard to put these things together.

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Editorial Rating

Qualities

Comprehensive
Well Structured
For Beginners

Recommendation

Let’s get one thing out of the way: This is not a book about how to conduct last-minute meetings. It is a book about organizing conferences, conventions and other off-site gatherings that involve extensive planning - and preferably not at the last minute. That said, it’s a useful book. Fern Dickey provides exactly the kinds of hands-on details that a virgin conference organizer would need, from online resources to relevant organizations, contact information, and sample charts that you can use for record keeping, budgeting and planning. There’s nothing groundbreaking here, and there are no secret tactics revealed. Instead, Dickey has produced a thorough working reference that getabstract.com recommends to anyone new to the dizzying world of conference planning.

Summary

Planning Your Meeting

A good meeting requires effective planning. You have to be a real stickler for detail, which includes making a list of all the details, giving each detail a deadline and assigning a specific person or team to carry it out. Depending on how much you have to do and how soon your meeting is occurring, schedule frequent planning sessions with these people. Typically, expect to meet for a few minutes each day to review your list of activities and learn what they are doing or need from you.

When you first set up your meeting, establish a clear purpose, a raison d’être. Everything you do in setting up the program should support this purpose. As you plan, factor in two sets of objectives - one for your organization and the other for the participants. Make these objectives quantifiable and measurable, so you can determine if you have met them. Typically, organizational objectives center on the number of attendees and the anticipated registration income. The participants’ objectives will depend on their satisfaction, such as a feeling that their sessions met or exceeded their expectations.

Setting Your Agenda

After establishing your purpose...

About the Author

Fern Dickey , CMP, is principal of the Meeting Planning Company, which specializes in providing planning and promotion services. She has planned a wide range of events - from small one-day seminars to black-tie awards banquets and special presentations to week-long educational programs.

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S. C. 7 years ago

Very helpful

Fern Dickey