Meetings Blog Dec 11, 2017
“Hi. Welcome to today’s launch event. What’s your name?”
“Well hello there! My name is Dunphy. Phil Dunphy. Licensed to thrill. Just don’t tell Claire.”
Could you imagine if the characters from the multi-award-winning TV show Modern Family pitched up at your next event? Well, you have probably already had one of them, so here, for your amusement, is Phil, Haley, Jay and Gloria…
Lovable Phil would surely be a positive influence on any event he turned up at. Optimistic about the day from the moment he arrived, he would be the life and soul of any break-out group and networking session. Obviously, he’d be making every possible attempt to be the coolest guy in the room and those extreme efforts would almost certainly lead to him failing, often bothering others keen to stay attentive to the session.
With enthusiasm being his ‘thang’, he’d be happy to help out with any task that needed done, maybe facilitating a brainstorming session with his inimitable style that, while aiming to be conciliatory, could easily drive everyone mad. Give him clear guidelines and limits on what needs to be achieved and he’ll show he is up to the task.
Easily distracted, he’s like a hyperactive child, so you may want to keep a particular eye on him and keep him focused on the goals. He loves nothing more than his portable tech so you could ensure there is a constant flow of activities to be answered on his iPad in between or even during the sessions.
So for handling people like Phil, make sure that when planning your meeting your presentations are interactive and you use new tech to keep the attendee hooked on the content provided. Also make sure to use and channel their energy when in smaller meetings like internal sessions or brainstorming, as they could be your second hand without even noticing it.
Young, pretty and ingenious meets… a bit of a scatterbrain. The eldest of the Phil and Claire’s three bundles of joy would attend your event full of positive expectations and there would need to be enough going on around her to ensure she stayed till the end or at least to stop her spending the full meeting glued to her mobile. Make sure that when planning your event you always consider the needs of Millennials. Give straight directives, impactful and clear messages, and make sure that all their basics needs are covered including Wi-Fi, hashtags, etc. We wouldn’t want her uploading her disappointment at the end of the day to her popular blog and social media accounts.
What would a Millennial value besides the content of the meeting? Well probably some modern décor, an eye-catching buffet display and plenty of eco-friendly initiatives. Be sure to cover this while preparing your events and you’ll get an A+ from them.
What you see is what you get with this attendee. And if he arrives at your meeting because he was forced to, this can generate some tension. Like Jay, the unwilling-to-participate attendee will make a point of letting other attendees in the room know his opinion on any details that he might not like. Of course, with Jay his comment is likely to arrive as a subtle, yet jagged, remark or a simple “Oh jeez”.
Your colleague, in charge of planning the meeting knows about the Jay-like attendees to come and is asking for your experience on how to handle them and improve their experience. Remember that Jay is the type of person who will not suffer fools gladly but that first grumpy impression of him will give way to his experienced opinion and participation as soon as you get him on board. If he sees an opportunity to help someone in need then he’ll do so.
How can you make this happen? Well first of all make sure that the meeting is oiled. Clear indications on where, when and how long the meeting will last. Have the place set-up perfectly to encourage discussion and exchanges of information. Include technological support to facilitate data sharing but also more standard options like paper, Post-it notes, color coding, etc. if brainstorming is needed. And to facilitate the effectiveness of the meeting make sure to have refreshments and collation in the room. Just enough to keep the minds going.
Now imagine that you’ve got Gloria at your event, but not as a guest… as the main speaker! Dressed to the nines, she won’t just be happy with being the lead presentation. She’ll want to be the out and out star of the event! Which, while it can raise its own issues, can be dealt with easily with a bit of planning.
Provided it doesn’t cause any other problems, try to cater to her desire to feel important, and agree with her in advance how she will make an appropriate entrance. You can prepare a private room where she would meet with the other speakers of the day – a great chance for networking and shared experiences – and aim to lay on some of the food and refreshment that you know she will enjoy. Remembering the small details, like arranging for her preferred drink to be ready at the podium or table, can really make a difference with this type of guest.
Manage her expectations. If she’s anticipating 2,000 people and there are only 300 she’ll be disappointed. Make sure she knows beforehand what kind of audience she’s speaking to. And don’t hold back on sharing her speech during the session on social media and make sure she knows you’ve done it! That will enhance the experience for all when she gets the freedom to mingle with the crowd later on.
The wonderful thing about humans is we’re all different, often with very different personalities. Which admittedly can cause problems, if you’re not prepared for some people’s possibly unconventional attitudes to life. But as an event planner, who is always one step ahead of the game, you can ensure the set up for all your events is perfect, to cope with everyone, no matter how audacious or extraordinary their character.
