OK Productive
028. Event Planning with Jessica D'Amico
Where we plan events
Getting started with event planning
- Erik: Lansing Codes
- Leo: Lansing Marketing Hackers
- Jess: Peers Conference
Getting started with event planning
- Organizing an event as a way to connect people that can help each other out
- Events have many benefits including establishing oneself in a community, educating others, reinforcing skills, developing new skills, and opportunities to travel
- Find speakers by paying attention to who's talking online and offer a way to accept proposals
- Find sponsors and volunteers by picking ambassadors who know an area well and are eager to ask others for help
- For a first event, start small, set reasonable goals, and keep logistics such as room size in mind
- As an event grows, try different things to keep things fresh and understand what the audience wants
- Some ways to get participants contributing:
- Ask "what are you working on?"
- Ask an audience about the challenges they face
- Host speed-dating style events
- Think about formats you've never used before
- Consider the power dynamics at your event
- Pick a venue that is physically accessible and easy to get to
- Reach a wider audience by repeating your message a lot, talk about what you're doing, help people be seen, offer discounts and free tickets to underrepresented people
- Twitter is a great place to practice talking to and helping others
- Start locally and keep it simple to avoid unnecessary challenges
- Make sure to cover the basic necessities like water and bathrooms
- Help everyone feel welcome
- Don't make the event a sales pitch
- Pay attention to the things that feel right
- Paying a venue to manage logistics can reduce the stress and planning you need to do, but can cost more and seem less authentic
- Have a few backup speakers or audience members who can wing a conversation
- Layout a logistics plan down to the minute
- Audiences are often sympathetic when challenges arise
- Write down the things you want to pay attention to and keep it in mind when reading tweets, considering proposals, etc.
- Make sure your profiles on social media direct people where you want them to get involved
- Have a Code of Conduct and be clear about it
- Train on important issues like how to remove a disruptor and what to do in a medical emergency
- You can’t have a plan for everything, but planning helps prepare for the unexpected things too
- Be selective about where you’re spending your time
- Emulate people you think are doing it well
- Google Sheets for budget tracking
- TypeForm for forms and surveys
- Zapier for scheduling and automating communication
- Trello for task management
- Twitter Lists for reaching and connecting people
- TweetBot to more effectively navigate Twitter
- Buffer for scheduling social media
- Slack for coordinating with your team
- Twitter: @justjessdc
- Peers Conference
- DC Women Who Code