In today’s day and age teams take many different forms with remote working on a continuous rise. When in the past your event team likely lived and worked fairly close to one another, now teams have become much more dispersed. When teams span throughout different time zones communicating effectively can get tricky, especially when deadlines are approaching. The following will outline tips to manage and leverage your team’s working hours across a variety of time zones and how best to come together the weeks before, during, and after an event.

Work Worldwide

While not all event preparations need to be done in person, as you begin planning any event choosing your venue is pivotal. Being able to see venue options in person can also be beneficial. Most venues will work with you over phone or email but visiting a venue or two in person before making a final decision will give you a more well-rounded comparison of each space that you are considering. Do not get me wrong, I have booked venues over email and phone without seeing them in person, even signed the contracts virtually. In most cases it worked out just fine but there were a few I would have much rather see for myself before deciding upon it. Having even one team member located near to or in the city of your event gives you a set of eyes on the space you will eventually be working in, it can make the world of a difference in a space you have never used before. If you do not have a team member nearby create an opportunity to fly in for a few days to compare spaces, it will be worth your while.

Speaking of venues, if your event is in person, your venue may dictate what your dates end up being. Venues have growing backlogs of reservations and requests, being flexible with the dates of your event to an extent can greatly aid your initial planning steps. When finally choosing a date, be sure you have at least six months to plan before the event takes place. This will give you, your team, speakers, sponsors, and attendees ample time to plan travel and accommodation. Book your team’s travel around when you decide on the event dates to avoid any surprises close to the event. If possible, when traveling for an event I also like to give myself (and team) an extra day ahead of and after the event. The team can use the couple of extra days help to collectively ramp up for and cool down after an event.

Now that we have the event’s initial planning steps completed, let us divide and conquer the remaining preparations. This is where we truly leverage team members located around the globe. Where possible, one person should be the main contact for speakers, sponsors, volunteers, or attendees so that during the live event folks know who to find for any assistance. Having one point-person does not mean that others on the team cannot provide help to a speaker or bring in a new sponsor. We want to create an atmosphere that is friendly and reliable. Team members in different locations may be able to better connect with a speaker or sponsor in the same time zone. It takes away a lot of the wait time that may otherwise be faced. Use a group email to include the team in the conversation or be sure to copy the point person into any emails so that the eventual point of contact is not missing any information. By leveraging your team’s various locations in this regard you open yourself up to having speakers and sponsors at your event who may not have attended otherwise. Even better is that with such seamless planning, they will likely have a great experience where they felt attended to and cared for.

Come Together

Speaking of a great experience, let’s get into how to make that happen when one or more person on your team flies in for the event. If it is possible to get one or more extra days around the event, use this time to put any finishing touches on your event prep together. Set up at the venue can be a monumental task in a fixed amount of time, using this time to divide and conquer with your team puts a positive start to any event. You can also use this time for team bonding as you see fit, maybe plan a team dinner after the event setup is completed.

As you come together with everyone on your team, volunteers included, it is crucial to have an idea of what each person will be doing and with the “job” list you already created as well as the pre-established points of contacts you already have a good head start. All events vary so we will not get into specifics, but the more clarity your team has on what to do throughout the event, the better experience everyone will have. Some common tasks may include meal setup (also point person for caterers), stage hand (or A/V assistant), mic runners, reception, and at least one or two people to float around the venue as they check in on attendees throughout the event (a.k.a. customer success). If your team is on the smaller side and you do not have any or many volunteers, that is ok too! More than one person can do more than one job but it needs to be planned strategically. For example, you always want to have someone around the stage to ensure it is running per your schedule and another (different) person always sitting at the reception area to greet folks as they enter or leave the venue. Your receptionist could also double as one of your floating team members to ask attendees, speakers, and sponsors alike if they are enjoying their time or to hear any feedback they may offer in passing. On the other hand, it would be very difficult for a team member who is running the stage to also be preparing the meal stations or assisting the caterers as they arrive. Individually the jobs themselves are quite small but doing both simultaneously does not work out very well.

Volunteers are an amazing addition to any event team. They are enthusiastic members of the community and often offer more than just an extra set of hands during a live event. In my experience, volunteers bring a lively yet calm vibe to teams. I find that having volunteers work with speakers is always a positive experience for both parties involved. This can be in the form of introducing a speaker, moderating Q&A sessions, running a mic in the room, or something as simple as the volunteer asking their own question to kick off Q&A at the conclusion of a talk. Most importantly, treat your volunteers well and ensure they feel cared for as part of the event team; we want them to return year after year. 😁

Your Successful Event

We do not only want volunteers joining time and again. It is pivotal that attendees, speakers, and sponsors alike all feel welcome and ready to return for the next iteration of your event (if there will be one). The way your team plans for then comes together, specifically in person, will be what makes or breaks any event. Think of your team as a well-oiled machine that is both reliable and looks and sounds good. Without such reliability, no one (team or otherwise) will have a good time at an event.