Most well-regarded events share a few key traits, many of which have little to do with the main focus. The majority of the griping heard at conventions revolves around the quality of the lunch and the timeliness of the coffee. These are legitimate complaints. More importantly, such mishaps affect attendees’ willingness and ability to stay engaged, network and otherwise enjoy the day.
Planning for the upcoming Edinburgh Sockcamp is underway, and I don’t want to lose sight of the small stuff amidst the noise of selecting a venue, inviting speakers and building the workshops. So here’s a brain dump of niggly things that I want to keep front and center.
Must haves:
1. Coffee and tea on arrival. Start the day fresh.
2. Name badges. There are too many names to remember.
3. Ice-breaker to introduce all the attendees. Lay the groundwork for more efficient networking, and get energy levels up.
4. Paper and pens for people to take notes. Lots of people will forget to bring their own. Plus, you now have the ability to launch a spontaneous paper airplane competition.
5. A speaker. Let’s not forget the big picture: that’s why we’re here.
Nice to have:
1. Printed agenda for all tables/attendees. You don’t have to stick to it, but at least people will know when they can expect lunch.
2. Feedback forms.
3. Printed lists of all attendees and their businesses (and their email addresses?). Again, to support networking.
Don’t have:
1. Apologies. It’s best not to have anything to apologise for, but if a PowerPoint is screwed up, or the technology’s not working, try to skip the “sorry’s” and get straight to a workaround.
2. No prepared questions. (I know, it’s a double negative.) Have something to say to your speakers when they arrive, and something to ask after they’ve finished speaking.
3. Egregious changes to the schedule. Kindly enforce time limits for breaks, speakers and workshops. Everyone will be glad.
The best workshops are the ones where coffee is available throughout, not just at the beginning or in the breaks
How about getting a sponsor? Like the largest sock producing company of Sockland erm… Scotland?
I hear you on the coffee.
And I like the way you’re thinking—maybe some sort of Argyle theme? It couldn’t hurt. Sockcamp is a precursor to the Scottish Institute for Enterprise’s Entrepreneurship Bootcamp (get it? Sockcamp?), so while socks aren’t entirely topical, they’re certainly in keeping with the goofy theme.
Off to investigate socktrepreneurs–