Problems
People turn up late, disappear early. I have been to two meetings recently which had problems which could easily be resolved.
Check the day before and on the day that main speakers are attending.
VENUE
1 Give the directions to the venue on the agenda / meeting programme. Include both the car park for drivers, also the nearest train station, bus number, alighting point - even a map on the back of your agenda.
2 Check the programme has the correct venue - (not the mailing address!
If you alternate between two company buildings, make the venue clear, or add To Check Venue phone ... (Name of organizer).
FOOD
3 Provide vegetarian food, vegan food (no milk or eggs).
Label shellfish (crustacians and molluscs - shellfish includes prawns).
Label nuts. Label milk and eggs. Your audience may include people with allergies.
Does it matter? Yes. They can come out in spots like chicken pox. They might vomit - not once but non-stop retching for 24 hours. Their lips and eyelids and nose and throat swell so they cannot breathe.
You may need to call an ambulance and escort them to hospital and inform their relatives, change their flights and fly them home a day later because the airline might refuse to fly somebody covered in spots and vomiting.
Story of An Agitated PR Lady
I was at a seafood restaurant on a press trip and mentioned my shellfish allergy to the PR lady. I was trying not to make a fuss. She insisted on telling all the staff and having a separate meal cooked for me. She said her previous trip was completely disrupted when somebody with an allergy went to hospital and the PR lady missed the second half of the trip.
DOORKEEPER
4 Have a designated person by the door to show latecomers to seats, or delay them.
Do not allow people to chat loudly outside the door. (You might add a notice Quiet, speakers on stage.)
BADGES
Name badges help you to locate VIPs and speakers and presenters.
In Toastmasters International you can name a topics speaker. in a big meeting you can identify a member of the audience by name. None of this: "Will the man wearing glasses come on stage, not you, yes, you."
The audience can identify the organizers. It is easier to start a conversation if you have one word of description of the meeting role or profession or qualifications on the badge of the person you are facing.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Start by announcing the fire exits, the directions to men's and women's toilets.
If it takes ten minutes to reach and use toilets on another floor, or the end of the building, past a map on the door or the table by the door.
TIMING AND TOILETS
When I was timer at a contest in a huge hall I rang the bell five minutes before the end of break and pointed to the direction and location of the toilets and said, "Meeting starts in five minutes. Toilets at end of corridor to my left, your right."
Author
Angela Lansbury, author, speaker, language trainer. Please share links to your favourite posts.
People turn up late, disappear early. I have been to two meetings recently which had problems which could easily be resolved.
Check the day before and on the day that main speakers are attending.
VENUE
1 Give the directions to the venue on the agenda / meeting programme. Include both the car park for drivers, also the nearest train station, bus number, alighting point - even a map on the back of your agenda.
2 Check the programme has the correct venue - (not the mailing address!
If you alternate between two company buildings, make the venue clear, or add To Check Venue phone ... (Name of organizer).
FOOD
3 Provide vegetarian food, vegan food (no milk or eggs).
Label shellfish (crustacians and molluscs - shellfish includes prawns).
Label nuts. Label milk and eggs. Your audience may include people with allergies.
Does it matter? Yes. They can come out in spots like chicken pox. They might vomit - not once but non-stop retching for 24 hours. Their lips and eyelids and nose and throat swell so they cannot breathe.
You may need to call an ambulance and escort them to hospital and inform their relatives, change their flights and fly them home a day later because the airline might refuse to fly somebody covered in spots and vomiting.
Story of An Agitated PR Lady
I was at a seafood restaurant on a press trip and mentioned my shellfish allergy to the PR lady. I was trying not to make a fuss. She insisted on telling all the staff and having a separate meal cooked for me. She said her previous trip was completely disrupted when somebody with an allergy went to hospital and the PR lady missed the second half of the trip.
DOORKEEPER
4 Have a designated person by the door to show latecomers to seats, or delay them.
Do not allow people to chat loudly outside the door. (You might add a notice Quiet, speakers on stage.)
BADGES
Name badges help you to locate VIPs and speakers and presenters.
In Toastmasters International you can name a topics speaker. in a big meeting you can identify a member of the audience by name. None of this: "Will the man wearing glasses come on stage, not you, yes, you."
The audience can identify the organizers. It is easier to start a conversation if you have one word of description of the meeting role or profession or qualifications on the badge of the person you are facing.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Start by announcing the fire exits, the directions to men's and women's toilets.
If it takes ten minutes to reach and use toilets on another floor, or the end of the building, past a map on the door or the table by the door.
TIMING AND TOILETS
When I was timer at a contest in a huge hall I rang the bell five minutes before the end of break and pointed to the direction and location of the toilets and said, "Meeting starts in five minutes. Toilets at end of corridor to my left, your right."
Author
Angela Lansbury, author, speaker, language trainer. Please share links to your favourite posts.
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